Seeking info on unusual 1893

[tennesseetom]

I just purchased a model 1893 at auction, with one really unusual feature, a 17” barrel. All the info I have been able to find so far indicates that 20” was the shortest regular production barrel, but from everything I can see, this appears to be a factory barrel, rather than one that was cut down. The end of the barrel and the mortises for the front sight mount and magazine retainer all look like factory cuts, and the bluing appears to be original as well. It has an A#### serial number, which someone said in an earlier post indicates production around 1916. The bluing is worn at the end of the magazine tube, and also along the top right surfaces of the octagon barrel, in about a 4” section halfway down. I’m just guessing here, but it looks like maybe it was carried in a scabbard by someone on horseback, like maybe RCMP or Pony Express? I have attempted to contact the Code of the West to see if they had info on this serial number before sending my money in for a letter, but so far they have not returned my calls, so I decided to seek info here. I have several pictures that I had planned to upload with the post, but when I press the picture icon, it just adds {img} to the post with no option to upload. BBCode and img both show to be turned on, so I have no idea what the problem might be. Thanks in advance!

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

TennesseeTom;

To add pictures, check out the first post under "NO LONGER GUEST QUESTIONS".
Your Model 1893 with the "A" serial number prefix would be a 1916 gun. The shortest barrel length offered by Marlin on their rifles was 18 inches, and carbines was as short as 12 inches. Did you measure the entire barrel length or just to the receiver? The barrel length should be measured to the face of the breech bolt.
Do not bother the Cody Firearms Museum for a letter as they do not have the information on anything made after December of 1906. That information does not exist. The Marlin Firearms Collectors has a copy of the same records as Cody, and in some cases of much later guns, the Association has more.