1898 Gun Show Find

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Hoosier28
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1898 Gun Show Find

Post by Hoosier28 »

Hi all, not exactly *new* to the forum, just could not remember my old login credentials. Have three and a half Marlins (one Remlin) and being the big fan of Marlin action and quality, I decided to pick up a rather neat-looking C-grade 1898 shotgun from a show. I've spent about three hours now trying to find certain information and I just have two questions.

1. Mine has a pistol grip stock, and I understand it to be a Model 19. But HOW do I find out if it's a 19S, or a 19N, so forth and so on? I see people posting pictures online and someone says that what they have is a 19G or something. How can I tell?

2. I've taken the gun apart as per the instructions from the Marauder website that is often linked to. The hammer doesn't want to gently rest on the firing pin, it either goes all the way against it, or stops just shy of touching the firing pin. Also, the hammer does follow the bolt on its return. What can I do to remedy these?

This is a BEAUTIFUL old Marlin, and unfortunately, it appears the serial number on the receiver (68373) falls just outside of the range needed to ascertain any sort of date. I just want to make sure I can get this old gal to working order once more so I can have peace of mind.

Thanks all!
Regnier (gunrunner)
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Re: 1898 Gun Show Find

Post by Regnier (gunrunner) »

Hooiser28;

If your shotgun does not have Model 19 stamped on the upper tang, it is a Model 1898. And, from the serial number, that would also indicate it is a Model 1898.

As to your function problems. There are a couple of things that affect proper function. The secondary safety sear may have a broken spring not allowing the safety sear to not engage the hammer. If your hammer is following the breech bolt when you close the action, then you may need a new hammer as it should be catching on the trigger notch when the action is fully opened. You will need to fully disassemble you shotgun to determine what is not working correctly. This is not a fun job as these shotguns are a bit difficult if you are not used to working on them. If you need help, let me know as I have lots of experience with these things.

The breech locking bolt is supposed to set off the secondary safety sear when the action is fully locked and ready to fire. Make sure the locking bolt in the breech bolt is functioning correctly.

As to the hammer resting on the firing pin, that part sounds normal when the gun has been fired. There is a safety notch on the hammer so that the gun does not have to stay at full cock when there is a round in the chamber. You can let the hammer down on the safety notch which will not contact the firing pin but be locked in a safe position until you re-cock the hammer.

With a serial number in the 68,000 range, your "C" Grade Model 1898 should have been made around early 1905 as number 67,000 was made in late December of 1904.
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Hoosier28
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Re: 1898 Gun Show Find

Post by Hoosier28 »

Thanks, Regnier. I did fully disassemble the shotgun, and it wasn't *too* difficult (my Mauser C96 is about the same), and when I got to the bolt and disassembled it— I discovered that my firing pin was in two pieces. I do have a new production firing pin from Numrich on the way, and I might just have to heed your word on the hammer and the sear.

Did not know that the hammer functioning as you mentioned was normal, by the way.

And thanks for helping me identify it as an 1898. There is no roll mark on the tang, and I had a suspicion it was either an 1898 or 19 when I bought it. I will have to disassemble the gun again when the firing pin comes along, hopefully by the weekend! When I do, I'll take a hard look at the hammer and the secondary safety sear. The only thing is that when I did look at them initially, they seemed fine— but admittedly I didn't know exactly they were supposed to look. What exactly do I need to know about those parts? The leaf spring looked fine, and I saw no signs of polishing on the hammer or anything like that. I could try to post pictures, I suppose.

Also, when I had the bolt body disassembled, I noticed that the horn on the locking lug that was mentioned in Marauder's guide seemed fine except that there was a slight dent, as if it had been struck by something previously, at the end of the horn. Is that an issue to be concerned about?
Regnier (gunrunner)
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Re: 1898 Gun Show Find

Post by Regnier (gunrunner) »

Hoosier24;

If the locking bolt has just a dent, that should not be a problem as there is quite a bit of surface to safely lock the bolt against the receiver when the locking bolt drops down to lock the breech bolt.]
Look at the notch on the hammer that the trigger locks into when the gun is at full cock. If there is any wear or has been filed down to make the trigger pull lighter, then you may want to replace the hammer. You might look at the end of the trigger for any damage, but since it locks in the safety or half cock notch, it should be okay.
There really should be something amiss with the secondary safety sear as it should prevent the hammer from following the breech bolt. When the breech bolt locks up, and the locking bolt drops down in the locked position, it is supposed to set the secondary safety sear off which would allow the hammer to fall when the trigger is pulled. For some reason, the hammer is not catching on the secondary sear nor on the trigger. Now, the trigger will not lock the hammer until the secondary safety sear is set off. When the breech bolt locking bolt drops down and sets off the safety sear, there will be an ever so slight movement of the hammer forward to catch the trigger notch on the hammer.
The very first post of this SHOTGUN section of this site has photos of the shotgun disassembly instructions. You might want to review them while working on your shotgun. Now the gun used here has the second style "Hang Fire Safety" release system, most of the rest of the photos will help see what you should be looking for.
Due to the increasing cost of ammunition, there will be no warning shot!

The growing federal deficit = generational slavery to the national debt.

If the world was perfect.......it wouldn't be.
Hoosier28
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Re: 1898 Gun Show Find

Post by Hoosier28 »

Ah, many thanks, Regnier. I will certainly have a look at those parts when I disassemble the shotgun again this weekend.

Now if the safety sear is not functioning correctly, would it be best to replace the whole unit, or would just replacing the leaf spring suffice? I've seen stand alone sear springs for sale online.
Regnier (gunrunner)
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Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2002 2:33 am
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Re: 1898 Gun Show Find

Post by Regnier (gunrunner) »

Hoosier24;

Good luck finding a complete secondary sear. They do not show up very often on eBay, and at one time, I bought every one that did show up just for such cases.
You can try to replace the sear spring as the instructions say to. Hopefully it will work for you.
Due to the increasing cost of ammunition, there will be no warning shot!

The growing federal deficit = generational slavery to the national debt.

If the world was perfect.......it wouldn't be.
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