Well we all have heard the saying "Time has stood still." Well on Friday after travelling across the border and through 3 States I picked up a rifle I had heard about almost a year ago. The 86 year old gentleman that I purchased the gun from said he remembered the rifle hanging in the house he grew up in and never remembered his father ever using it and that it belonged to his grandfather before that. The man that I got the gun from said he never used it and never really considered using it as it was always referred to as the "Old gun on the wall". The gun turned out to be a Marlin Model 1888 in .38-40, this was Marlin's first lever action rifle designed for the common pistol cartridges of the day, .44-40, .38-40 & .32-20. Marlin described this rifle......
because it combines the simplest and strongest possible locking mechanism with the greatest accuracy and beauty of outline..... This action , because of it's great simplicity, admits of being made in much more compact and very much lighter model than any of the antiquated arms for sale for the same as asked for the NEW MODEL 1888 Remember this was four years before Winchester developed the Model 1892. The gun is in the condition that all of in the collecting fraternity are always looking for and for me being a Marlin Collector it was like being able to go back in time, walk into the local hardware store and say "I'll take that New Model Marlin you have there on the rack!" The rifle would have cost $21.50 in 1888.
The gun is in almost like new condition and what is also special it is still dressed like the day it came from the factory with a longer barrel than standard. The Model 1888 Marlin is also among the scarcest models to fine because it was Marlin's last top ejecting models and was produced for less than a year. There were only 4,814 rifles made of this model, 1,776 made in .38-40 cal. and only 264 with 26 inch barrels.
This gun letters as being made Nov.7, 1888, in .38 cal., octagon 26" barrel, full magazine holding 14 cartridges.
The previous owner apologized for the condition of the butt plate , hammer and lever but could not understand why they had turned the strange colors they had. I assured him that these parts were what is referred to as case coloring and that is how it came from the factory.
This rifle is likely the highest condition Marlin in my collection and I'm very happy to have it in my care after 125 years.
