Marlin Model 1895

About the Marlin Model 1895

The Marlin Model 1895 is an American big-bore lever-action rifle chambered primarily in .45-70 Government, originally introduced in 1895 and revived under the 1895 name in 1972 as a modernized scaled-up version of the Marlin Model 336 action. Designed around L.L. Hepburn's original Marlin 1893 lever action, the modern 1895 pairs a solid-top receiver and side-ejection with a six-round tubular magazine, a hammer-fired action with rebounding hammer, cross-bolt safety, and a heavy 18.5- to 22-inch barrel optimized for large-bore cartridges. Available chamberings have included .45-70 Government, .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin, .338 Marlin Express, and - in the discontinued 1895M variant - .480 Ruger. Variants include the iconic 1895G Guide Gun (18.5-inch barrel, ported or unported), the 1895GBL (big-loop lever, laminate stock), the 1895SBL stainless laminate, the tactical 1895 Dark, the compact 1895 Trapper, the 1895 Cowboy, and the 1895 Limited. Production of the 1895 paused in 2020 during Remington's bankruptcy and was relaunched in 2021 by Sturm, Ruger & Co. - the 1895 was the first Marlin model Ruger reintroduced after acquiring the brand.

The Marlin 1895 Guide Gun, introduced in 1998 with its stubby 18.5-inch ported barrel chambered in .45-70, became the unofficial defensive sidearm of Alaskan hunting and fishing guides against brown bears - a short, heavy-hitting lever gun that could be swung one-handed while the other hand wrangled a client or a rifle case. When Remington collapsed into bankruptcy in 2020, Sturm, Ruger & Co. bought the Marlin brand and tooling for roughly 30 million USD, and rather than resurrect the bestselling 336 first, Ruger chose the iconic 1895 SBL in .45-70 as the debut rifle of the new Ruger-made Marlin era in 2021.

Marlin Model 1895 specifications

Specifications reflect the current-production Ruger-made 1895 SBL in .45-70 Government: 7.5 lb (3402 g) empty, 40 in (1016 mm) overall, 18.5 in (470 mm) stainless threaded barrel, 1:20 twist with 6 grooves, six-round tubular magazine, approximately 5 lb (22.2 N) trigger pull. Earlier Guide Gun variants used a 457 mm (18.5 in) barrel and Ballard-style rifling with 1:20 twist. Effective hunting range is commonly cited at 150 m due to the low-BC round-nose bullets required by the tubular magazine, though handloaders using Hornady FTX bullets can extend this meaningfully. Maximum range reflects the ballistic limit of a 300-405 gr projectile with no sight consideration. The 1895 is rated for standard SAAMI .45-70 loads only - NOT the high-pressure +P 'trapdoor-only' or 'Ruger No. 1 only' handloads. Marlin Firearms was sold to Remington (Freedom Group) in 2007, production quality declined through the 2010s, and after Remington's 2020 bankruptcy, Sturm, Ruger & Co. purchased the Marlin brand and assets for approximately 30 million USD. The 1895 SBL was the first Ruger-made Marlin rifle shipped in 2021.