1893 Marlin Rifle in 32-40

[win92man]

I am in the process of purchasing an 1893 marlin in 32-40 caliber.
According to the serial no. it was manufactured sometime in 1897.
My question is concerning the barrel . It has the patent info and the caliber but there is no reference to" special smokeless steel" or "blackpowder only" on the barrel. Can someone tell me , If there is no reference to either can I use smokeless powder in this rifle.
Thanks

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

Win92man;

You really need to check your serial number against the records. The estimates of serial numbers are for shipping dates, and not manufacturing dates.
If the barrel is not stamped "Special Smokeless Steel", then I would consider it to be an early barrel that was not marked and a soft steel barrel not made for modern ammunition. It might be possible that the barrel is for smokeless powder, but without doing a Rockwell hardness test, I do not know how you would tell the difference.
I hope this helps.

[marlinman93]

Early blackpowder barrels can be safely shot with smokeless powders. They should not be fired with jacketed ammo, and pressures should be kept to blackpowder ranges and velocities.
As long as you do so, smokeless is not a problem. I shoot all my old Marlins with smokeless loads, and have done so for years.

[win92man]

Thank you everyone for your replies.
I will be handloading using cast lead bullets and smokeless powder at blackpowder velocities.