Marlin Model 1888

About the Marlin Model 1888

The Marlin Model 1888 is a lever-action repeating rifle produced by the Marlin Fire Arms Company. Designed chiefly by Lewis Hepburn, it was a short-action, top-ejecting lever gun built around the pistol-length Winchester centerfire cartridges (.32-20, .38-40 and .44-40). Compared with the earlier Model 1881 it used a shorter lever throw suited to the compact WCF rounds and added a locking lug to secure the breech. Fed from a tubular magazine through a side loading gate, the standard rifle wore an octagonal barrel, buckhorn rear and blade front sights, a blued finish with case-colored hammer and lever, and a varnished walnut stock.

The Model 1888 marked Marlin's pivot toward John Marlin's signature solid-top, side-ejecting actions. Lewis Hepburn's short-throw design was rapidly replaced by the improved Model 1889, which moved ejection to the side and became the template for Marlin's famous later lever guns.

Marlin Model 1888 specifications

Produced only across 1888 and 1889 (roughly 4,800 rifles), the Model 1888 was a short-lived transitional design quickly superseded by the side-ejecting Model 1889. About 1,727 examples were chambered in .44-40. Round barrels and other special-order options were offered.