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Marlin 1891 or 1892???
taperloc
Member Posts: 420 ✭✭✭
How do you tell the difference between a 1891 and a 1892 Marlin Lever action? I have two, both are .32 rim fire I think! I have been told that some of these models could be used as center fire, just by changing the firing pin. Any words of wisdom??
Thanks,
Taperloc.
Thanks,
Taperloc.
Comments
The late William S. Brophy in his excellent book, "Marlin Firearms - A History of the Guns and the Company That Made Them" notes:
"The main difference between the earlier Model 1891 and the new Model 1892 was the elimination of the lever-operated trigger safety device. The Model 1892 had a one-piece trigger and sear that eliminated the objectionable play of the Model 1891 trigger, yet the rifle could not be fired until the bolt was fully locked."
To identify the Model 1891 look to the tang behind the hammer. It will be marked "Model 1891" in two lines. The Model 1891 was made from about 1891 to 1897. Total of 18,642 made, according to "Flayderman's Guide to Antique Firearms" copyrighted 2001.
Serial numbers for the 1891 range from 37492 to 118000 because Marlin didn't set aside certain serial number blocks for its models so numbers often overlapped with other models.
The .22 rimfire caliber is most common in the Model 1891, with .32 calbier added later in production.
If your rifle is a Model 1892 it will be stamped "Model 1892" in two lines on the tang behind the hammer. After 1905, this was changed to "Marlin Model 1892" in two lines.
The Marlin Model 1892 was made from about 1895 to 1916. About 45,000 were made, according to Flayderman's. The .32 caliber is most common in the Model 1892, with .22 rimfire scarce.
It's true. All you have to do to change from a rimfire to centerfire, or vice versa, is switch out the firing pin.
Wisner's Inc. offered firing pins for .32 rimfire or centerfire cartridges for the Marlin Model 1891, 1892 or 1897 (they're all the same design) back in March of 1998 for $17.50. I just tried to enter their website and found it was down so I no longer have an address. Perhaps you can find Wisner's with an internet search.
Old Western Scrounger at http://users.snowcrest.net/oldwest/index.html has .32 rimfire ammunition --- Short or Long, but you'll probably find the Long more accurate --- at $22 for a box of 50.
As for centerfire ammo, good luck. The Marlin .32 chamber takes the .32 Short Colt or .32 Long Colt cartridge. Winchester still makes .32 Short ammo but no one's made .32 Long Colt ammo for 20 years or more. At present, recently manufactured .32 Long Colt ammo if you find it ranges from $25 to $60 a box, depending on the seller.
I see it offered on various gun auction websites from time to time.
It should be noted that the .32 Short or Long Colt is NOT the same cartridge as the .32 Short or Long Smith & Wesson or the .32 Colt New Police (which is the same cartridge as the .32 Smith & Wesson Long but with Colt's name attached).
The .32 Short or Long Colt centerfire case is smaller in diameter than the Smith & Wesson cartridges. Therefore, the .32 S&W Short, .32 S&W Long or .32 Colt New Police will NOT fit in the Marlin's chamber.
Nor can .32 Short or Long Colt cases be easily made from .32 Smith & Wesson Short or Long cases. The solid web of the S&W (or .32 Colt New Police cases, for that matter) require swaging down, a task beyond the capabilities of reloading dies.
I reload for the .32 Long Colt, centerfire.
Finding proper bullets for the .32 Short or Long Colt is another obstacle. Northeast Industrial (NEI) Moulds once made a mould to throw a heeled bullet for the .32 Long Colt, but I don't know if they still do. This is listed as No. 78B and is of my design.
Frankly, I haven't found it as accurate as I had hoped. Groups of 4 inches at 25 yards from a benchrest are the norm, I've found.
I've searched for years for an Ideal or Lyman mould with a heeled bullet for this caliber but to no avail. I know of two people who have them, and they'd rather sell their family into slavery than give them up.
But if you wish to fire that Marlin, have it checked by a knowledgeable gunsmith first.
The firing pin is not a complicated affair and anyone handy with a file and a piece of steel can make one. Use your rimfire firing pin for a pattern, but move the firing pin down from the tip to the center of the nib. This will become clearer to you once you look at the firing pin.
If your rifle checks out by a gunsmith, you can shoot .32 Short Colt cartridges in it once you make or buy a centerfire firing pin. These cartridges may be cheaper than rimfire cartridges and you'll have the empty cases for later reloading if you choose.
Standard .32 caliber bullets won't work in the Marlin, they're too large to fit in the case.
I use Hornady .310 lead balls seated partly into the case, over a small charge of smokeless powder. You'll have to use the belling die to seat the ball, the seating stem won't reach down far enough to seat the ball.
After seating the ball, invert the case and dip the ball, up to where it meets the case mouth, in Lee Liquid Alox for lubrication. Then stand the case upright and allow to dry overnight.
The lead ball loads are not powerful but they are accurate. Groups of 1 inch at 25 yards from a benchrest are not unhead of. Beyond 25 yards, the little lead ball has little velocity and it drops significantly. It would not make a good game load, unless game was small at very close range (rats in a barn or that sort of thing).
The Model 1892 Marlin is a nice little game rifle. It's too bad that ammo is so difficult to find. In .32 caliber it has more punch than the .22 but about the same limitation to 75 yards; certainly no more than 100 yards.
Marlin marketed it as an alternative to the competitor Winchester 73 or 92 in .32-20 caliber, for small game. The .32 Marlin used cartridges that were cheaper yet just as good for small game. I wish Marlin would reintroduce this rifle in .32 Smith & Wesson Long, for easier availability of ammunition.
"A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44!"