Slightly Rare JM Marlin I bought.

[Lastmohecken]

I found this gun at my local gunshop, a couple of days ago. The previous gunshop owner had traded for it several years ago and kept it for himself. The current owner, his son in law, finally drug it out of the safe and put it on the shelf for sale. Lord knows, I surly didn't need another 45/70 but I knew this one would haunt me if I didn't buy it. It's a JM Marlin, 1895 LTD 45/70 with a 24 inch half octagonal, half round barrel, and topped off with a Leupold 1.5 x 5 Vari XIII scope. I think this gun was made in the 90's but I am not sure. I could tell by the dust on it, everywhere, that it had sat in the old gundealer's personal safe for many years. It has a butter smooth action, and feeds, fires and ejects, flawlessly. Don't know about accuracy yet, as I have not put in on paper.

Do any of you guys own this model?

Marlin LTD 4570 full view.jpg

Marlin LTD Action.jpg

Marlin LTD 4570 full view.jpg

Marlin LTD octagon to rond transition.jpg

[Lastmohecken]

Someone's delt with the crossbolt safety on this one. It's frozen in the fire position, which doesn't bother me. I figure someone tightened down the screw on the detent ball or something. Anyway, it's not going to get accidently moved to the safe position and give a click instead of a boom, when you need it most.

It had a really good set of scope caps on it, at one time, but the rubber bands had deteriorated over time, so I removed them. Whoever owned it originally, had set the rifle up pretty good for hunting. But I don't think it has actually been shot all that much.

[Lastmohecken]

At any rate, I was just wondering if any of you guys had or have owned this particular model? I know it has to be fairly rare, because I don't think I have seen but maybe one or two if these probably from a limited run, about 30 years ago or so. Gun broker has none for sale, although Marlin did make a fancier model similar to this, probably about the same vintage, and there is one or two on Gun broker, but that's it. Sometimes I will look on Gun Broker, just to see how many of a particular model is available on the used gun market. And there's not a single one like this one, on there, at this time.

[AJMD429]

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I had one just like that...

I took it to a gun shop up near where you live, and the danged owner there stole it from me and said I never brought it in; it was a Christmas Gift from Santa so I had no receipt.

Glad you found it for me.

I'll pay postage for ya if you send it back to me...

Seriously - that's a NICE finding - I never knew there were any genuine JM Marlins that had half octagon barrels like that.

[Lastmohecken]

.
I had one just like that...

I took it to a gun shop up near where you live, and the danged owner there stole it from me and said I never brought it in; it was a Christmas Gift from Santa so I had no receipt.

Glad you found it for me.

I'll pay postage for ya if you send it back to me...

Seriously - that's a NICE finding - I never knew there were any genuine JM Marlins that had half octagon barrels like that.

They were rare, I used to go to a lot of big gunshows and I can only remember seeing one or two of them, ever if that many.

[marlinman93]

The first two digits in the serial number subtracted from 2000 will tell you the year it was made. I think they were all 1995 or later 1990's.

[Lastmohecken]

The first two digits in the serial number subtracted from 2000 will tell you the year it was made. I think they were all 1995 or later 1990's.

The first 3 digits are letters, then 00 are the next two. So, I assume that maybe it was made in the year 2000 if you are correct. And that may be about right, however, I my guess was the mid 90's also.

[Ray Newman]

Log onto the Marlin owners site:

https://www.marlinowners.com/forums/

Looks like you have a 1895 LTD. From what I read on the Marlin site, there were 4 variants (maybe 5?). I had the original LTD variant. Each variant was slightly different. If memory serves me there were about 2000 of each variant made for one of firearms dealers -- Davidsons??

I shot mine at 50 and 100 yards with 300 grn hollow point and IMR 3031, iron sights. With my poor eyesight, at 100 yards the 5 shot groups were acceptable, but nothing to brag about. The rifle is light compared to the Winchester 1886. I shot the 1886 more as the weight softened the recoil during an extended shooting session.

Believe the Marlins Owners web page had report/threads and accompanying pictures of M1895 receiver failures from the amount of steel needed to install the 45-70 barrel.

[hfcable]

excellent find. i had one and shot a couple of caribou with it. shot very well. very well balanced and smooth

sold it because i thought i had too many 45/70s [ it was only 14 or 15 of them]

should have kept it.

[Lastmohecken]

Log onto the Marlin owners site:

https://www.marlinowners.com/forums/

Looks like you have a 1895 LTD. From what I read on the Marlin site, there were 4 variants (maybe 5?). I had the original LTD variant. Each variant was slightly different. If memory serves me there were about 2000 of each variant made for one of firearms dealers -- Davidsons??

I shot mine at 50 and 100 yards with 300 grn hollow point and IMR 3031, iron sights. With my poor eyesight, at 100 yards the 5 shot groups were acceptable, but nothing to brag about. The rifle is light compared to the Winchester 1886. I shot the 1886 more as the weight softened the recoil during an extended shooting session.

Believe the Marlins Owners web page had report/threads and accompanying pictures of M1895 receiver failures from the amount of steel needed to install the 45-70 barrel.

That interesting, but I think it's in regards to, or shall I say involves the early Remington/Marlins. Marlin made so many of the 1895's and people have shot pretty heavy loads thru them for a long time. I am not worried about this LTD JM stamped gun. And I do also own a late manufacture Remington Dark series 1895, that so far has been the most accurate 45/70 that I have ever owned, I am not really concerned about it either.

I have not put this latest rifle, purchased on paper yet, so I can't attest to the accuracy of it. I figure if it doesn't shoot decently, I might use that as an excuse to have the barrel shortened down to 20" or so and see how it does then.

[.45colt]

If I had it I wouldn't touch that barrel. I bet it shoots Great. I have a Marlin 45-70 with the 22" barrel I bought in '09 . the last time I fired it with the Federal blue box 300 grain loads it was dead on at 75 yards. I have a williams receiver sight on it.

[marlinman93]

Log onto the Marlin owners site:

https://www.marlinowners.com/forums/

Looks like you have a 1895 LTD. From what I read on the Marlin site, there were 4 variants (maybe 5?). I had the original LTD variant. Each variant was slightly different. If memory serves me there were about 2000 of each variant made for one of firearms dealers -- Davidsons??

I shot mine at 50 and 100 yards with 300 grn hollow point and IMR 3031, iron sights. With my poor eyesight, at 100 yards the 5 shot groups were acceptable, but nothing to brag about. The rifle is light compared to the Winchester 1886. I shot the 1886 more as the weight softened the recoil during an extended shooting session.

Believe the Marlins Owners web page had report/threads and accompanying pictures of M1895 receiver failures from the amount of steel needed to install the 45-70 barrel.

That interesting, but I think it's in regards to, or shall I say involves the early Remington/Marlins. Marlin made so many of the 1895's and people have shot pretty heavy loads thru them for a long time. I am not worried about this LTD JM stamped gun. And I do also own a late manufacture Remington Dark series 1895, that so far has been the most accurate 45/70 that I have ever owned, I am not really concerned about it either.

I have not put this latest rifle, purchased on paper yet, so I can't attest to the accuracy of it. I figure if it doesn't shoot decently, I might use that as an excuse to have the barrel shortened down to 20" or so and see how it does then.

That's correct! I've never heard of any receiver failures with the pre Remington 1895's and they started making them way back in 1972. The 1895 didn't change over all the years Marlin offered them as far as receiver design, and it's basically a 336 action with breech bolt, carrier, mag tube and barrel to fit the 45-70 cartridge. They're strong enough for any normal factory ammo, and if any was ever damaged it was likely by either maximum hand loads, or some of the outrageously stiff custom loaded ammo.

[Ray Newman]

Colleagues: did a search on the Marlin Owners' board and the problem I mentioned was in 2013 with the Remington/Marlin rifles. Sorry for the misinformation. Mea culpa, mea maxim culpa.