Marlin Firearms Collectors Association

The model 37 was made from around 1923 to 1931. Records do not exist for this model, so precise dating is out. The Brophy book shows the known serial number range to be from 490 to over 12,000. Which hints yours was made early on. Not chiseled in stone, though. The model 37 is very similar to the ol...

If you ever see another magazine for it & it's priced in the 50 dollar range, BUY IT!!! SW

It sounds like a model 1898 - made from that year until 1905. For safety issues, read the criteria at: http://www.marauder.homestead.com/irons.html The issues concern proper lock up. In other words, does the gun fire with out the bolt being locked in place. If yours passes the tests, try to stay wit...

The missing bullseye is no big deal - they are still around for a couple dollars. In the condition you describe, the price does not sound excessive.

There were around 31,100 model 56 made, so it's not all that common. When I lived in Tenn, I shot a lot of groundhogs with mine. SW

Agree about the West book. It looks like a text written strictly with information from catalogs. I bought it as there was little else available at the time. I found it frustrating as there was no solid information - especially on production figures. An analogy would be the Brophy book is the sun; th...

Try the factory first - brownells.com second. SW

Yep! If you want one, this is your chance - you may never see another for sale for a LONG time! SW

3230 were made... I guess. Ten of those were deluxe.

I'm not sure about the price - haven't seen one offered for sale in a while. SW

You should have no problems using published data. If you look closely in reloading manuals, rifle 357 data is not loaded hotter - you just get different velocities due to barrel length. SW

I don't use factory ammo but I ger a little over 2100 fps from 125 grain jacketed bullets from my 1894CP. While there may be a machining/tolerance issue, I feel a lot of the problem is light-loading the 45 Colt. It was designed as a black powder load with a full case. Have you tried a few rounds wit...

I have not posted there for quite a while & thought maybe they had $ issues but another member told me that was not the case. The actual owner of the site seldom posted. SW

Looking good, Ken!! Very nice lumber, too!!! SW

Seems a trifle high, but you seldom see them offered for sale. If you have been after one, it could be quite a while before you see another. In short, if you are convinced it's completely original, you will not be sorry later on if you buy it. For your collection, always buy the best you can afford....

Sweet!! SW

And all this time I thought Frank was just a silent partner!! SW