I am looking at two 1893s. One is a 1906 DOB Carbine with "Special Smokeless Steel" on the barrel, and the other is a 1893 rifle with 24" barrel that does not have the "Special Smokeless Steel" marking. I don't have the info on the DOB of the rifle. Should I be suspicious of the originality of either of these guns given the difference in the barrel markings? Also, Brophy says the 93 rifle was a 26" barrel, not a 24".
I hate to be so paranoid, but I know that alot of old Marlins today are made up of parts from several guns and I am trying to find an "original". Thanks in advance!
"Correct" 1893 Barrel Markings?
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Sure-Shot
- Distinguished Expert
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- Location: Poulsbo, Washington, USA
Marlin did special order barrel lengths during the 1893's era. There are also a lot of rifles that had barrels trimmed down for one reason or another. If you can get the serial number send an email to Reigner and he can check factory records to see if it is one of those he has records on and tell you how it left the factory. Unfortuneately there are missing records so he can't do it every time.
GBOT, GBUSA