Cartridges of the Marlin Model 1894

Cartridges of the Marlin Model 1894
(Original chambering’s up to the newly custom modified)
by Scott Crawford - May 15, 2020

The Marlin model 1894 has been factory supplied in 11 chambering’s (13 with dual calibers 38 special/357 Mag and the 44 special/44 Mag) and as of this writing at least two custom houses offer between the two of them five more calibers.

Ranger Point Precision 10mm, 40 S&W, .357 SIG, 40 Super, 45 ACP
Grizzly Custom Guns 10mm, 45 ACP

45 Colt x 250-grain Hard Cast in Starline Brass

Marlin offerings:

218 Bee (The cartridge was introduced as a commercial cartridge by Winchester in 1937 and introduced by Marlin in an 1894CL in 1993. Only 5,000 were made)
22 WMRF (introduced in 1959 by Winchester, but was not used in a lever gun by Marlin until 1982 in the model 1894M)
25-20 (The .25-20 Winchester, or WCF (Winchester center fire), was developed around 1895 and was one of the initial chambering’s in a model 1894)
32-20 (initially introduced as a black-powder cartridge in 1882 for small-game, varmint hunting, and deer. Another early chambering in the 1894’s)
32 H & R Mag (developed in 1984 as a joint venture between Harrington & Richardson and Federal Cartridge was chambered in a Marlin 1894 from 2004-2006)
38-40 (introduced by Winchester in 1874 and chambered in early model 1894’s)
357 Mag (introduced in 1934, Marlin added this chambering in 1979 to the 1894C)
41 Mag (introduced in 1964 by the Remington Arms Company, intended for hunting and law enforcement purposes was first chambered in an 1894 in 1985)
44-40 (introduced in 1873 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. It was the first metallic centerfire cartridge manufactured by Winchester and became one of the first chambering’s in the Marlin model 1894)
44 Mag (Smith & Wesson developed the model 29 for this new cartridge in December 1955. The cartridge was developed by Elmer Keith. In 1969 Marlin introduced the chambering into the old style 1894’s)
45 Colt (It was originally a black-powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver in 1872. It was initially chambered in the new model 1894’s starting in 1989)

Marlin 1894P Business End

The Marlin 1894 was originally patented on August 1, 1893 by L.L. Hepburn. With this design, Marlin simplified and strengthened the internal lever-action mechanism while continuing the practice of using a flat solid steel top receiver with side ejection. With the Model 1894, Marlin removed the rear-locking lug, which extended down into the trigger guard and had a tendency to pinch the shooter’s fingers during rapid-fire cycling. Other design improvements over the Model 1889 included a one-piece trigger and a two-piece firing pin to prevent the rifle from firing unless the finger lever was fully closed or if the locking lug were missing. Additionally, the finger lever lock of the Model 1889 was eliminated on the Model 1894 and replaced by a latch built into the lever itself.

Today Marlin is currently offering ten variants of the model 1894 with offerings in 38 Special/357 Magnum, 44 Special/44 Magnum & 45 Colt. Go check out their website in the links below. Their 1894's are as beautiful & functional as they have ever been!

Today the most popular Marlin cartridges are the 38 special/357 mag, the 44 special/44 mag & the 45 Colt. Between these 5 cartridges all are still available for purchase as factory ammo and brass houses such as Starline Brass offer each of these and many of the earlier cartridge cases for hand loading. I personally load the 44 magnum & 45 Colt for my 1894’s. Cast bullet suppliers also offer many choices for all of these cartridges.

Marlin 1894 & 45 Colt Starline Brass Hand Loads

As I was writing this article today I was texting back and forth with William S. Brophy IV. He had seen a reposting of a picture I took of a Marlin 1895G along with Mr. Brophy’s book on the Marlin Firearms Instagram feed the day before. I was honored to have a moment in time conversing with a family member. The amount of information and the research that must have gone into this book was incredible!