Antiquing a current Marlin 1894 Cowboy

[J Miller]

OK, now by "antiquing" I'm not meaning that I wanna ruin the finish and bluing. What I'm looking at is making it look as if it were made in 1905 rather than 2005.

So from the pictures I've seen, I'd need to replace the stock and forearm with the correct style short rifle wood and butt plate, and replace the sights with correct period versions.
Hiding the CB safety goes without saying, and the Clyde Ludwig kit doesn't do that as well as it needs to be done.

So besides the wood, sights, and safety, what else would I need to do to make it look like a 1905 vintage rifle?

Joe

[NonPCnraRN]

So you want a brand new old rifle? I would research what finish the wood had at that time. Didn't the old guns have more of a varnish type finish?

[jdad]

The bolt and loading were blued. The receiver frame & lever were case colored.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Do you mean something like this?

[Ysabel Kid]

Dang it Joe and Steve - now I'm going have to add that to the list. A crescent buttstock and buckhorn site on my 1894 and 1894c would be great!!!

[J Miller]

The bolt and loading were blued. The receiver frame & lever were case colored.

Well, then we are good to go there, as mine already is finished that way:

Do you mean something like this?

Oh yes, that's what I'm looking for. The slim forearm, darker color on the wood and slim stock with the rifle style butt plate.
Mine has the 20" barrel though so it would have to be the wood appropriate for a short rifle.
All we need now is to get a set of period correct sights to replace the current coarse Marbles sights that came on it.

Dang it Joe and Steve - now I'm going have to add that to the list. A crescent buttstock and buckhorn site on my 1894 and 1894c would be great!!!

YK, just like children, we lever gunners are never satisfied are we?

Joe

[Pisgah]

Something along these lines, perhaps ...?

[J Miller]

Something along these lines, perhaps ...?

Oooooo, that's nice. Mines a straight grip though so I wanna stay with that. What do they call that type of pistol grip stock? I've read it, but my brain won't give it up.

Joe

[Sixgun]

Joe,
I did this to a Marlin 336 in caliber .375 Winchester. I rust blued all the blue parts, fireblued the loading gate, "antiqued" the lever, hammer, and foreend cap, and ripped off that nasty (but durable ) Marlin stock finish and gave it a few coats of original style oil finish with a red tint. Installed a tang sight (after the receiver sight was removed) and she's hard to tell from an old one.

While not truly original, it sure saved the money from replacing the wood.

Rust bluing is easy, resonably moderate in cost, but very time consumming and it does take several guns to make it right.

On an 1894, I would do the same but "antique" the receiver, and blue the bolt like I did on an original 1893 in 38-55 pictured below.----------Sixgun

[J Miller]

Sixgun,

That's or those are nice. The rust blue almost looks brown to my eyes. Is that my monitor or am I seeing right?

Anyway, mine doesn't need the metal refinished so I'm good to go there.

Joe

[J Miller]

Here's another question.

The hammer on mine, like all modern Marlin lever guns is slotted for the offset extension. How far back to I have to go to find one that is not slotted, and would that old fit my rifle?

Joe

[gak]

I am no Marlin expert, but have noticed 1893 carbines had the "carbine butt" just like the 73/86/92/94 Winchester carbines. You might see if http://www.precisiongunstocks.com or such has something like that as as "cowboy" conversion for your modern Marlin--along with a slimmer forend. Note on that site's opening page (scroll down) the photo captioned:  "MARLIN 1894 COWBOY SHOOTER RETROFIT STOCK SET ONLY FROM PRECISION GUN WORKS"--which uses the rifle butt--and is probably the "easiest" way to go, and by appearances may have sourced NKJ's project wood. However, the carbine butt I'm talking about is more gently curved than the sharply curved "antique" rifle butts = easier on the shoulder, while still looking the old west part versus a flat shotgun butt. I saw a rare (to me) '93 saddle ring carbine and until I looked more closely at it and the Marlin-unique lever design on the store's rack, mistook it for an old Winnie...saddle ring, twin barrel band, front post sight 'n all. Double take time. With other features of your gun, perhaps a bastardizartion but then again it's not going to be an original old gun anyway--have fun with it!

[Leverdude]

OK, now by "antiquing" I'm not meaning that I wanna ruin the finish and bluing. What I'm looking at is making it look as if it were made in 1905 rather than 2005.

So from the pictures I've seen, I'd need to replace the stock and forearm with the correct style short rifle wood and butt plate, and replace the sights with correct period versions.
Hiding the CB safety goes without saying, and the Clyde Ludwig kit doesn't do that as well as it needs to be done.

So besides the wood, sights, and safety, what else would I need to do to make it look like a 1905 vintage rifle?

Joe

Have it case hardened. Is the forend shorter than standard Joe? The old guns were shorter by a bit than current production. That said I dont think I'd take it to that extreme myself, mostly because then you have an empty dovetail under the barrel to deal with. Not all had blued bolts, I think those were later guns, but I could be wrong.
These are a 1894 on the left and a 1889 on the right.



A closer view of the 94 case colors. I'v been told it came out very close to the originals, but I never saw an original in pristine shape to compare.

[Leverdude]

Here's another question.

The hammer on mine, like all modern Marlin lever guns is slotted for the offset extension. How far back to I have to go to find one that is not slotted, and would that old fit my rifle?

Joe

Youre pretty stuck with what you have hammerwise. When they added the saftey they made the hammer fatter and also widened the slot in the reciever for it & the slot in the rear of the bolt.
So, while an older hammer will fit it'll look real bad. The early pre 1955 336 & late 36 hammers will function and not be made to accept an extension.

[J Miller]

gak,
Thanks for the link to Precision Gun Stocks. I'd forgotten about them guys.

Leverdude,

Thanks for the info on the hammers. It will stay as it then.

I guess you only read part of my thread, mine "IS" color cased from the factory. Look up and you'll see the pics I posted of it.
As for the length, I have no idea. But you are right about not wanting a filled dovetail sticking out for all to see.


...................................................................
Hmmmm, strange that nobody has said anything about the sights.
Where's Marlinman93 when you need him?

Joe

[Leverdude]

gak,
Thanks for the link to Precision Gun Stocks. I'd forgotten about them guys.

Leverdude,



I guess you only read part of my thread, mine "IS" color cased from the factory. Look up and you'll see the pics I posted of it.


...................................................................
Hmmmm, strange that nobody has said anything about the sights.
Where's Marlinman93 when you need him?

Joe

Guilty as charged. I just read your first and then last posts.

[gak]

I'd say, more than anything, darken whatever wood you've got--whether existing or replacement stocks--and stay away from any final finish that suggests "satin polyurethane." I'm not a big glossy fan, and indeed was probably one of those that bugged the likes of Remington enough that they finally to got away from the BDL look at least by providing another "premium" finish, in this case the CDL. Abd that's pretty ok (though still not quite the oiled "Euro" 700 model look/feel I thought ideal). Most of the old Marlins and Winnies I've seen--even the ones in excellent shape as you're suggesting for your "new-old" gun--are darkened to varying degrees, either from the get go or use (hand/arm oil, sweat, etc) or both. And a lot DO have a least a hint of sheen from a "varnish" of some sort...and I admit to liking that a lot better than lifeless "modern satin," at least in old (or "new-old") levers. Compare some nice 1980s-to late '90s (maybe some very early '00s) Win 70 XTR or Classic Featherweights vs cheaper looking finish--and grain or lack of-- made on the Classic Featherweights in the few months or maybe years just prior to Connecticut closing for what I view as this type difference. Part of this may have been wood quality as well as they started cutting costs toward ultimate plant closing.
But, I digress: go at least somewhat darker with either a little varnish OR genuinely oil "soaked" look.

[Ysabel Kid]

Dang it Joe and Steve - now I'm going have to add that to the list. A crescent buttstock and buckhorn site on my 1894 and 1894c would be great!!!

YK, just like children, we lever gunners are never satisfied are we?

Joe

Nope - especially when we enable one another all the time!!!

[jlchucker]

Dang! If Marlin still made them to look the way they do in the pics posted on this thread I might even buy a new one! They need to hire Steve Young as a styling manager! In fact, if Winchester did the same thing in the 1960-1980 period, they might just still be in business.

[Rifleman336]

Gosh, you guys make my current unemployment stint hurt that much more!!! I do have a question though, who makes the cresent buttstocks and buttplates? For I'd like to find a source for them, that and anybody know where I could find parts to convert a straight stock to a pistol grip. This will be a conversion on a 1894C, mind you.

Thanks in advance,

Rifleman 336

[J Miller]

Rifleman336,

gak answered your question up above.

I am no Marlin expert, but have noticed 1893 carbines had the "carbine butt" just like the 73/86/92/94 Winchester carbines. You might see if http://www.precisiongunstocks.com or such has something like that as as "cowboy" conversion for your modern Marlin--along with a slimmer forend. Note on that site's opening page (scroll down) the photo captioned:  "MARLIN 1894 COWBOY SHOOTER RETROFIT STOCK SET ONLY FROM PRECISION GUN WORKS"--which uses the rifle butt--and is probably the "easiest" way to go, and by appearances may have sourced NKJ's project wood. However, the carbine butt I'm talking about is more gently curved than the sharply curved "antique" rifle butts = easier on the shoulder, while still looking the old west part versus a flat shotgun butt. I saw a rare (to me) '93 saddle ring carbine and until I looked more closely at it and the Marlin-unique lever design on the store's rack, mistook it for an old Winnie...saddle ring, twin barrel band, front post sight 'n all. Double take time. With other features of your gun, perhaps a bastardizartion but then again it's not going to be an original old gun anyway--have fun with it!

Joe

[Leverdude]

Gosh, you guys make my current unemployment stint hurt that much more!!! I do have a question though, who makes the cresent buttstocks and buttplates? For I'd like to find a source for them, that and anybody know where I could find parts to convert a straight stock to a pistol grip. This will be a conversion on a 1894C, mind you.

Thanks in advance,

Rifleman 336

Treebone carving & precision gun works both make semi inletted stocks & I believe sell crescent plates to fit them.
Finding a curved 1894 trigger plate & lever might be tricky though.

[Rifleman336]

[quote="Leverdude"][quote="Rifleman336"]Gosh, you guys make my current unemployment stint hurt that much more!!! I do have a question though, who makes the cresent buttstocks and buttplates? For I'd like to find a source for them, that and anybody know where I could find parts to convert a straight stock to a pistol grip. This will be a conversion on a 1894C, mind you.

Thanks in advance,

Rifleman 336[/quote]


Treebone carving & precision gun works both make semi inletted stocks & I believe sell crescent plates to fit them.

[size=150][color=#008000]Thanks, I missed that line.[/color][/size]


Finding a curved 1894 trigger plate & lever might be tricky though.[/quote]

[size=150][color=#008000]AND HOW!!!!

Thanks to all, Maybe one of these days Marlin will make them available again.[/color][/size]