Marlin Model 81

About the Marlin Model 81

The Marlin Model 81 is an American bolt-action .22 rimfire rifle produced by Marlin Firearms from the late 1930s through the mid-1960s. Chambered to interchangeably fire .22 Short, .22 Long, and .22 Long Rifle cartridges, it feeds from a tubular under-barrel magazine holding up to 25 rounds and uses a self-cocking bolt with automatic ejection. A companion to the tube-fed design's box-magazine sibling (the Model 80), the 81 was a popular, affordable plinking and small-game rifle, sold in numerous configurations including the higher-grade 81-DL target model with sling swivels and receiver peep sights.

A quintessential Depression-era American boy's-first-rifle, the tube-fed Model 81 armed generations of plinkers, farmers, and 4-H shooters, and remains a common, well-regarded used-market .22 prized for its accuracy and generous magazine capacity.

Marlin Model 81 specifications

Produced in several sub-variants (Model 81, 81-C, 81-DL, 81-TS) and rebranded for department-store chains under names such as the J.C. Higgins Model 103. Barrel lengths and exact production totals vary by year and variant.