Rarest and most accurate of Marlins....
Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2020 9:36 pm
Here I have a Marlin 1894CB. 2001 manufacture at the old, original Marlin plant at North Haven. It is in lovely condition. 20" octagonal barrel, smooth black walnut furniture, buck horn sights. And chambered in .32 H&R magnum!
It's a bold claim to be the rarest and most accurate, but I think it's fair. This is one of a sprint run made in 2001. Less than 600 are believed to have been made, which is the usual number for Marlin sprint runs. But the difference with this, is the caliber, Marlin never chambered another sprint run or catalog rifle in this caliber. That is why it is the rarest of them all. I have only ever seen one other for sale in the U.K.
Even though the H&R magnum is a a very rare cartridge as well, dies are made by Lee and brass can be had from Hannams. .32 bullets can be shop bought as well and it uses a couple of grains of fast powder for light loads.
But here's the beauty. It chambers .32 S&W Long the same way a .357 uses .38. There is probably no more an accurate cartridge in CF pistol rounds than the .32 S&W Long. Rested, off the bench, with a low powered scope, just to see what it was capable of, 10 rounds, one hole, barely 0.75 of an inch!
I have also owned .357 and .44 CB's and they were good, accurate rifles, but not like this. And believe it or not, for some obscure reason, it's still available in factory ammo! I've shot PPU, Geco and RWS that my local shop was able to source easily.
Value wise, it's difficult. In the US, it wouldn't be. When these hit gunbroker, they go for between, 2700 and 3000 dollars! In the U.K., JM CB's run from just under a grand to 1400 quid and a new Remington made CB is around the 1300 mark. Weighing up all the niceties, this has got to be worth a tad more. Given I've been collecting and shooting Marlins from those made in 1883 to those made in 2013 and everything in between, I'd value this at £1750 and I am asking £1600.
It's a bold claim to be the rarest and most accurate, but I think it's fair. This is one of a sprint run made in 2001. Less than 600 are believed to have been made, which is the usual number for Marlin sprint runs. But the difference with this, is the caliber, Marlin never chambered another sprint run or catalog rifle in this caliber. That is why it is the rarest of them all. I have only ever seen one other for sale in the U.K.
Even though the H&R magnum is a a very rare cartridge as well, dies are made by Lee and brass can be had from Hannams. .32 bullets can be shop bought as well and it uses a couple of grains of fast powder for light loads.
But here's the beauty. It chambers .32 S&W Long the same way a .357 uses .38. There is probably no more an accurate cartridge in CF pistol rounds than the .32 S&W Long. Rested, off the bench, with a low powered scope, just to see what it was capable of, 10 rounds, one hole, barely 0.75 of an inch!
I have also owned .357 and .44 CB's and they were good, accurate rifles, but not like this. And believe it or not, for some obscure reason, it's still available in factory ammo! I've shot PPU, Geco and RWS that my local shop was able to source easily.
Value wise, it's difficult. In the US, it wouldn't be. When these hit gunbroker, they go for between, 2700 and 3000 dollars! In the U.K., JM CB's run from just under a grand to 1400 quid and a new Remington made CB is around the 1300 mark. Weighing up all the niceties, this has got to be worth a tad more. Given I've been collecting and shooting Marlins from those made in 1883 to those made in 2013 and everything in between, I'd value this at £1750 and I am asking £1600.
LL