My christmas present.

[joe]

AS some of you know I recieved an 1893 from my unbeilivably generous and wonderful Wife for christmas what I did'nt mention is that I got the Marlin book written by Col. Brophy. too.
After reading the section about model 1893's I am led to belive my marlin may be pretty rare. it is a 30/30 sporting carbine made in 1903 wich according to the book there were only a little over 4000 made prior to 1906.which by itself is cooler then anything I could of have imagined. But the really oddball thing is that it has an octagon barrel. I can find no record in the book of marlin manufacturing sporting carbines with octagon barrels.Do any of you know if this was common,or an upgrade that could be ordered,or did I overlook something in the book?thanks in advance.
Joe

[Don Anderson]

Hi Joe:

First I'm happy for you that you have such thoughtful and generous wife.
I'm curious as to how you know that it was made in 1903 and that it's a sporting carbine. Could you possibly tell us what the barrel and magazine tube length are and the type of sights used? What is the serial number? What page in Brohy's book did you read about a 1903 sporting carbine?

Don

[Don Anderson]

Again, It's great that you have a real interest in the Marlins. They truly are a fine rifle. I believe if you go back to Brophy's book and do a little more research, you'll probably find that the early model 1893's were offered in a rifle, carbine, musket, and special lightweight models. Marlin didn't introduce a true sporting carbine until 1923 in the Model '93. You probably were looking at a picture and text describing the special lightweight model. If your gun does not have a barrel band, it has what is called a forearm cap. This would make it a rifle, not a carbine. Marlin Model 1893 rifles were available with a 20 inch octagon barrel, but if yours holds 5 rounds in the .30-30 caliber and it has a 20 inch barrel, it would have a full magaizine, not a 3/4 magazine tube. The magazine tube is defined by it's relationship to the barrel, or in other words, not by a specific length in inches. The number of a little over 4,000 you refered to (4086), made prior to 1906, is the number of true carbines made, (20 and 15 inch barrels, full magazine and barrel bands), not sporting carbines. As I mention earlier, Marlin did not offer a sporting carbine in 1903.

Along with being fortunate to add a very nice old Marlin to your collection, I think you were very wise in obtaining a copy of Bill Brophy's book. Go back and read it very carefully, as there is a wealth of information in it. Also, study the text on earlier models, as many times like information applies and for the sake of avoiding repitition, he does not repeat it for all models. Another thing that is helpful is to go to the "Expanded Glossary" section. There you will find additional informationon features, such as barrels, butt plates, stocks, special order features, etc., that apply to the various models and that may not appear in the section describing a specific model. The topics are listed alphabetically.

Lastly, if you have any questions, please come back to this site and ask them. There are many fellows that have a great deal of knowledge and they would be very happy to share their knowledge with you.

Good luck,
Don