Make: Marlin
Model: 1881, Heavy Receiver, Second Variation
Serial Number: 6218
Year of Manufacture: 1883
Caliber: .40-60
Action Type: Lever Action Rifle fed by tubular magazine
Barrel Length: 28"
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a german silver blade in a slotted base dovetailed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a "v"-notch semi-buckhorn elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The rear sight is not original. The top tang is drilled, tapped and filled for a tang sight (none present).
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with a capped forearm, straight grip, straight comb, and a smooth steel buttplate. The stocks have scattered nicks, dings, scuffs and scratches. There are no cracks. There are minor losses in the wood along the edges. The LOP measures about 13" from the front of the trigger to the rear of the buttplate. The buttplate has been refinished. The stocks rate in Fair overall condition as refinished.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Parts have been treated with cold blue at some point.
Bore Condition: The bore is very dark and the rifling is no longer visible due to erosion. There is heavy erosion down the length of the bore. In this writer's opinion the bore rates 2/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about none of its metal finish. Most of the metal has worn to white and taken on a mottled patina. Areas have been cleaned bright. The magazine tube, loading gate, and buttplate have been refinished. There is no dust cover. The forend cap has been replaced. There is light erosion and pitting throughout. The barrel's octagon has been slightly rounded from the cleaning. The markings are mostly clear, the patent dates on the barrel are a bit difficult to make out. Overall, this gun rates in about Fair condition as Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle includes Marlin Firearms factory letter confirming this rifle's chambering in 40/60 with a 28" Octagon barrel, shipped October 11, 1883.
Our Assessment: The Marlin Model 1881 was the company's first lever-action repeating rifle and the arm that established Marlin as a serious competitor in the American repeating-rifle market. Developed around patents associated with Andrew Burgess, the large-frame 1881 was notable for handling full-length big-bore cartridges, including the .45-70 Government, at a time when Winchester's Model 1876 was limited to shorter proprietary cartridges. The early heavy-frame rifles were offered in .40-60 Marlin and .45-70 with 28" barrels as standard, and the design directly intensified the competition that eventually produced Winchester's Browning-designed Model 1886. This Second Variation is well documented by its Marlin factory letter, confirming the .40-60 chambering, 28" octagon barrel, and October 11, 1883 shipment date.
This rifle shows the long working life expected of an early Western-era sporting arm, with essentially none of its original metal finish remaining and portions subsequently cleaned, cold blued, or refinished. The refinished walnut stocks rate Fair with scattered wear and minor edge losses but no cracks, while the very dark bore has heavy erosion and no visible rifling, rating 2/10. The magazine tube, loading gate, and buttplate have been refinished, the forend cap is replaced, and the barrel flats show some rounding from past cleaning, but the action continues to function correctly. Most importantly for the collector, its factory letter confirms the major configuration and shipment details of an early heavy-frame .40-60 Model 1881, preserving the historical identity of a rifle from Marlin's formative years as a lever-action manufacturer.
