The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

As most of us are aware Marlin has gone through a couple of changes in ownership having been acquired by Remington and then when Remington filed for bankruptcy then bought by Ruger. Here's an update on the state of play and which guns are likely to come back on the market.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/marlin ... ack-ruger/

I'm a huge Marlin fan. Been collecting and shooting them for 30 years now. I'm also a great Ruger fan. But Marlin is effectively over for me now. Remington tried to capitalise on the name and heritage, but there already deep rooted issues killed the whole company. Ruger are a massive gun producer known for quality, but quantity production around innovative techniques. Marlin are t supposed to be made out of investment cast and hammer forging. And Ruger, like Remington, is a proper corporate beast now but Marlin is very much a niche marque.

I've dropped my collection from 24 to 14 currently and I plan to drop it further, keeping a core of seven lever guns. I'm tinkering with some Marlin rimfire semis at the minute, but they're unlikely to stay as well.

The fun has been taken out of it as well. When they were acquired by Remington, the UK importers did a good job of turning a 600 dollar rifle into a 1200 pound rifle. Then when Ray Trade picked them up, they managed to turn the U.K. 1200 pound rifle into a 1600 pound rifle!! I'm all for making a quid, but Howay, FFS!

And if you watch GT and other selling sights, did you see the Bubba 1889 that some dealer managed to pass off as a "Jewel in a Museum Crown". Some poor bugger got caught...

I agree the original Marlins were really good rifles, they were my favourite lever action rifles. I loved their smooth action.