Working the Marlin Model 1894

We’ve come to think of Winchester as the pioneer of lightweight rifles chambered for pistol cartridges, but they weren’t the only gun maker to do so. The iconic American firearms maker, Marlin first introduced a lever-action rifle built to accept revolver cartridges in 1888. Known by the year of its introduction, Marlin made roughly 4,800 the Model 1888 rifles. The next year, the Model 1888 was improved and became known as the Model 1889.

The 1889 was manufactured for the next 10 years, with a total of about 55,000 rifles produced. But the most popular and successful version of this medium-frame rifle series’and also the final version’was the Model 1894, introduced in 1894 and manufactured from 1894 to 1935. Marlin’s 1888 and 1889 models were chambered for 32-20, 38-40 and 44-40 Winchester cartridges. When the 1894 was introduced, these same popular calibers were available, plus they added 25-20 to the list.

Some- Top of page: Marlin’s new Model 1894 Cowboy is shown here in .45 Colt. The rifle looks and operates much like the original 1894, but with the addition of across-bolt hammer-block safety. Author photos. Look inside to be sure there is no cartridge in the carrier or in the barrel. thing on the order of 250,000 of these first-production Model 1894s were produced in many variations’as carbines and rifles, with both round and octagon barrels, and barrel lengths that ranged from 20 to 32 inches long.

All of Marlin’s early rifles, the 1894 included, used a square breech bolt. They also incorporated more practical safety features than the rifles of any of their competitors, resulting in a strong following for simple and robust design. In the latter part of the 20th century, the Model 1894 was reintroduced by Marlin, and appears to be just as popular today as it was a hundred

This makes barrel and chamber cleanup easy. years ago. Today, however, the rifle comes in more modern pistol calibers, including .45 Colt, as well as .357, .41, and .44 Magnum calibers. Disassembly Instructions The takedown procedure I’ll outline here applies specifically to the new Marlin 1894 models, but since their operation is very similar, these instructions can also be applied to older 1894 models.

The only difference will be that the earlier rifles are not equipped with the cross-bolt-type hammer-block safety. 1. Let’s be absolutely certain this weapon is unloaded before beginning any work. Holding the rifle firmly around the barrel and forearm with your left hand, point the muzzle in what you’re sure is a safe direction, and use your thumb to gently pull the hammer (#35) back until you hear one audible click.

On newer 1894 models, put the hammer-block safety on "safe" by pushing it from left to right (with the rifle viewed from the rear). Now open the action by pulling the finger lever (#15) all the way down with your right hand. Look now to be certain there is no cartridge in the barrel’s chamber. Check also to make certain there is no cartridge laying in the carrier (#7) down in the action. If you can see a cartridge in the carrier block, when you close the lever, you will be loading the rifle.

In order to safely unload a rifle with a loaded magazine, again keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and keep your finger away from the trigger. Operate the lever to the full open and full closed positions several times to expel the cartridges in the magazine. Repeat this action until no more cartridges are expelled from the action. 2. The next step is the removal of the Marlin’s lever, the breechbolt, and the buttstock.

Start by pulling the lever (#15) about halfway down and unscrewing and removing the lever screw (#19). Now you can pull the finger lever down and out of the receiver (#62). Next, slide the breech bolt (#2) all the way to the rear and then out of the receiver. You can now simply lift the ejector (#9) out of its recess in the receiver. Unscrew and remove the tang screw (#67) from the upper receiver tang, and pull the

Marlin Model 1894 Lever-Action Rifle (Specifications subject to change without notice) *Restricted availability’Part sent to qualified gunsmith only. **Restricted availability’Parts installed at factory only. ***Nonrestricted availability’Part may require some final fitting, sanding, or filing. 1 Barrel 2 Breech Bolt 3 Bullseye 4 Buttplate/Buttpad 5 Buttplate/Buttpad Screw (2) 6 Buttstock 7 Carrier Assembly 8 Carrier Screw 9 Ejector w/Spring 10 Ejector Spring 11 Extractor 12 Extractor Retaining Pin 13 Extractor Spring 14 Extractor w/Spring 15 Finger Lever 16 Finger Lever Plunger 17 Finger Lever Plunger Pin 18 Finger Lever Plunger Spring 19 Finger Lever Screw 20 Firing Pin, Front buttstock (#6) to remove it straight off to the rear. 3.

Before disassembling the receiver, on newer 1894 models, push the safety to the "off" or "fire" position. Lower the hammer (#35) so it’s all the way down.

On newer 1894 models, use a 21 Firing Pin, Rear 22 Firing Pin Retaining Pin (2) 23 Firing Pin Spring 24 Forearm 25 Forearm Tip 26 Forearm Tip Tenon 27 Forearm Tip Tenon Screw (2) 28 Front Band 29 Front Band Screw 30 Front Sight 31 Front Sight Base 32 Front Sight Base Screw (2) 33 Front Sight Hood 34 Front Sight Insert 35 Hammer 36 Hammer Screw screwdriver to push down on the top of the mainspring-adjusting plate (#38), and slide that plate out to the side of the action along with the mainspring (#37).

Use care to keep the spring captive, as it is still under some tension.

On early 1894 models, unscrew and remove the mainspring 37 Hammer Spring (mainspring) 38 Hammer Spring Plate 39 Hammer Spur Complete (Includes parts #40 and 41) 40 Hammer Spur Screw 41 Hammer Spur Wrench 42 Hammer Strut 43 Hammer Strut Pin 44 Loading Spring 45 Loading Spring Screw 46 Locking Bolt 47 Magazine Tube 48 Magazine Tube Band 49 Magazine Tube Band Pin 50 Magazine Tube Assembly 51 Magazine Tube Follower 52 Magazine Tube Plug 53 Magazine Tube Plug Screw 54 Magazine Tube Spring 55 Magazine Tube Stud 56 Rear Band 57 Rear Band Screw 58 Rear Sight Assembly 59 Rear Sight Base 60 Rear Sight Elevator 61 Rear Sight Folding Leaf 62 Receiver 63 Safety Button Assembly 64 Scope Mnt.

Dummy Screw (4) 65 Sear 66 Swivel Stud, Rear 67 Tang Screw 68 Trigger 69 Trigger and Sear Pin 70 Trigger Guard Plate 71 Trigger Guard Plate Latch Pin 72 Trigger Guard Plate Screw 73 Trigger Guard Plate Support Screw 74 Trigger Safety Block 75 Trigger Safety Block Pin 76 Trigger Safety Block Spring 74 Ten-Shot Plug screw (not shown), and lift out the leaf mainspring. At this point, you’ll want to make careful note of the relationship of the hammer and trigger parts for later reassembly.

Next, unscrew and remove the hammer screw (#36). After depressing the trigger-safety block (#74), pull

It and the forearm are shown here disassembled. the trigger (#68) to the rear, then lift the hammer assembly (#35) up and out through the top of the receiver. Unscrew and remove the trigger-guard plate screw (#72) from the bottomfront of the trigger guard, and remove the trigger-guard plate-support screw (#73) from the left side of the receiver. Now the trigger-guard plate assembly (#70) is loose, and can be pulled down out the bottom of the receiver.

By unscrewing and removing the carrier screw (#8) from the right side of the receiver, the carrier (#7) and locking bolt (#46) can be removed through the bottom of the receiver. Unscrew and remove the loadingspring screw (#45) and lift the loading spring (#44) out of the receiver. 4.

Before disassembling the forearm and magazine, note that Marlin has used several different methods to secure the magazine and forearm on different models over the years, so your rifle may differ somewhat from what you see in the photos here. This procedure applies to the carbine: Unscrew and remove the magazine-tube plug screw (#53) from the bottom-front of the magazine tube.

The magazine-tube plug (#52) along with the magazine spring (#54) and magazine-tube follower (#51) can be withdrawn from the front of the magazine tube (#47). But watch out; these parts are all under spring tension. Next, unscrew the front band screw (#29) and slide the front magazine band (#28) off to the front. Unscrew and remove the rear band screw (#57), then slide the forearm wood (#24) along with the rear band (#56) forward up the barrel just a bit. You can now remove the magazine tube by pulling it forward.

Next, slide the rear band off the forearm and tilt the forearm down to remove it. For rifles (illustrated): Unscrew and remove the magazine-tube plug screw from the bottom-front of the magazine tube. Unscrew and remove the two forearm-cap screws (#27), and slide the forearm cap (#25) forward so it disengages the tenon (#26). Hold your thumb tightly over the magazine-tube plug while you pull the magazine tube down and away from the barrel slightly.

Once the tube is clear of the magazine stud (#55) on the barrel, the magazine-tube plug is loose and can be removed out the front. Out with it will come the magazine spring and its follower. The magazine tube can be withdrawn forward, and then the forearm wood (#24) can be removed from the barrel. 5. Before disassembling the triggerguard plate, take a moment to note the relative positions of these parts for reassembly. Use an appropriately sized pin punch and hammer to drive out the trigger/sear pin (#69).

The trigger (#68) and sear (#65) can now be removed from the trigger-guard plate. To remove the trigger safety, you first have to drift out the triggersafety block pin (#75). After that, the trigger-safety block (#74) and its spring (#73) can be lifted out the top. 6. Disassembly of the breech bolt and the lever begins by removing the extractor (#11) from the breech bolt (#2) by carefully driving out the extractorretaining pin (#12) with an appropriately sized pin punch and hammer.

Once the pin is out, the extractor (#11) and the extractor spring (#13) can be withdrawn out the front of the bolt. Next, remove the rear firing-pin retaining pin (#22) by drifting it out from top to bottom, after which the rear firing pin (#21) and the firing-pin spring (#23) can be removed. The front firing pin (#20) can be removed after first driving out the front firingpin retaining pin (#22). The firing pin is now loose and will slide out to the rear of the breech bolt.

To disassemble the lever, the finger-lever plunger (#16) and its spring (#18) can be removed by using an appropriately sized pin punch and hammer to drift out the finger-lever plunger pin (#17). Further disassembly is not required for normal maintenance. And, as always, you reassemble the rifle in the reverse order of the above. I