TTAG recently reported an internet rumor that Marlin had stopped manufacturing lever guns. The storied gunmaker responded with a carefully worded press release. So carefully worded, in fact, that members of our Armed Intelligentsia reckoned Marlin was spinning the truth. We’ve just received word from an anonymous gun dealer that Marlin’s rep left a list of SKU’s (all lever actions, full list after the jump) that will “not be manufactured for the remainder of year.” According to our source, current orders for these guns will be filled. This development follows Freedom Group’s buyout, the shuttering of Marlin’s Connecticut factory and the transfer of lever gun production to Remington’s Ilion, New York, and Mayfield, Kentucky plants. Here’s hoping the move reflects ex-Home Depot and Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli’s commitment to fix Marlin’s recently tarnished rep for quality. Nothing more and nothing less. [UPDATE: Click here for “Marlin Stops Lever Rifle Production to “Maximize Capacity”]
| Model Number | Order Number | ||||||
| 338MX | 70492 | ||||||
| 338 MXLR | 70493 | ||||||
| 444 | 70540 | ||||||
| 1895G | 70462 | ||||||
| 1895CB | 70480 | ||||||
| 1895XLR | 70474 | ||||||
| 1894CB357 | 70440 | ||||||
| 1894CB44 | 70442 | ||||||
| 1894CB45 | 70444 | ||||||
| 1894CSS | 70428 | ||||||
| 1894SS | 70430 | ||||||
| 1894SBL | 70432 | ||||||
| 1894CSBL | 70433 |
given nardelli’s history, this is not unexpected, and it’s not good.
Tell me about it. Then again, the Marlin brand is plenty powerful. And lever fever has hardly run its course. Should we give them the benefit of the doubt?
The borg of the firearms industry has ruined another once great company.
Funny, I thought we were the only folks that had labeled FGI “the borg”…
So given the brand name value what’s the speculation? Expansion at the Remington facility (like Bushmaster), or an altogether new plant in a tax friendly location?
I have always liked Henry rifles over Marlin. The QC and the customer service at Henry are second to none.
+1
Told ya.
I hate to be the house cynic but I have read too many press releases over the years. This latest one essentially said, “We are absolutely continuing production except to the extent that we aren’t.”
No way marlin is getting canned its exactly like sales are bad for lever guns.
Tip ‘O The Hat to our Anonymous Gun Dealer, who’s braving retaliation from The Freedom Group by helping TTAG tell the truth.
I really hope they get their $#!+ figured out at Marlin, because Rossi and Henry will squeeze them right out of the market if they’re gone too long. Rossis will squeeze them from the bottom with lower prices, and Henry will squeeze them from above with exquisite craftsmanship.
This is actually good news, since most of Marlin’s previous shipments were in pieces.
Funny – I got my information a week ago from a source that I knew was more credible than the folks spitting out info from Marlin. I saw the denial from Marlin earlier this week here at TTAG and know it was wrong.
The sad thing is that if you hadn’t released your newly found information…the media and consumers would still be in the dark about the closure.
The outside of the consumer side – gun industry is a much smaller community than thought by most.
I forgot to add that Mossberg will be more than happy to take a slice out of Marlin’s lever-action pizza too. I’d guess that Marlin has exactly four months to get squared away and come back with a vengeance at the 2012 SHOT show. If I were Henry or Rossi, my knives would already be out and sharpened.
I don’t own a lever gun but I wan a Henry Golden Boy in .22 mag. Just sayin’.
I bought 2 of those fancy shooters recently in 338 (gummy tip ammo). I must say that with the exception of the looks, they were quite the disappointment. I hunted with the expensive one which wouldn’t cycle, had dangerous jams (prying the stuck shell out w/ a Leatherman in spike camp) and accounted for a big fat miss on a deer (a unreasonably stiff (6 to 8 lbs), creepy trigger that was more like a 2 stage job). I can say in all honesty that I never owned any Remington or a newer Marlin that would shoot factory ammo well.
To me, shutting down production seems like the sensible thing to do. Clean house of all the cry babies who don’t dig producing fine lever actions that exceed the new owners expectations. Unfortunately it’s a pretty good bet that the same people who flooded the market with all those lemons are most likely the same ones who are going to make it “all better”. Have you ever heard someone say “I don’t know who’s going to pay for this cluster #### but it aint going to be me”? Well they were right because it was me who payed for it. It’s all just speculation as to why the production schedule is altered. They may do plenty or they may do nothing. I can’t hold my breath or even my attention long enough to wait for a sincere effort from executives who are seldom invested enough to even hold down a job/position for more than a few years.
Hope it works out for you Remington/Marlin. Somehow I don’t think you’re wringing their hands with anxiety over my observations & sentiments.
Shut-down to deal with serious production problems is not uncommon. Sometimes it’s the only way to to get back on track, especilly when the problem is with quality. I wish Marlin all success.
Anybody that came from Home rhymes with pee-pot, and an Auto Manufacturer,tells me that this is just another McManager!!!!! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! Cut and run moronic management! A degree in business doesn’t give you S*** from Shineola about making ANY! Product!!!!!! All these people do is hold meetings,make lots of graphs and charts,hire consultants,have more meetings. Eighteen to thirty two months later,they cut and run somewhere else before it all hits the fan and could possibly be blamed on them. This is EXACTLY! what is destroying our great nation. Who runs these “Business schools” at our Colleges and Universities??????
Why did Marlin stop producing lever guns? Because I published a video on the Marlin Owners forum proving that Marlin’s 1894C rifle had a defect in the half-cock safety. Here’s the video.
http://www.swranch.net/marlin1894c.wmv
I sent my rifle back to Marlin twice for repair. The second time they just cut me a check. When I tried to explain the problem on the Marlin forum, the administrators told me I was FOS and it was my problem in handling the cocking. When I persisted that it was a mechanical problem, they banned me from the site. This is true folks!
I subsequently tested Marlin models in .30-30 going back to the 60s and a high percentage have the problem with the trigger. This includes the modern 44mag and cowboy lever guns too. I called Marlin today 12/20/2012 and they confirmed the lever rifle production has been suspended to fix a safety issue. No Marlin lever guns until 2013. It’s not a Remington problem. It’s a defect from the Marlin era. I was told by a Remington person in the factory that the Marlin manufacturing equipment was in such bad shape that they had to junk all of it.
-tom
I have a early “JM” marked marlin 1895 45/70. It is a very nice gun. Recently I thought about getting another Marlin lever gun. I was in my local gunshop and looked at some new 1895’s. One would not cycle, it jammed up tight. The other had the front sight tilted approximately 5 degrees to the left. How did these leave the factory? I will not buy any NEW Marlin. Scary!
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