laststandonzombieisland

The Marlin Firearms Company started in New England as a maker of small, pocket-sized revolvers– often constructed entirely by hand– and only later moved into rifles and shotguns. One of their most iconic 19th Century designs was the 1870’s Standard.

John M. Marlin was born in Connecticut in 1836 and as a young man worked in the Colt Factory in Hartford. When Colt went near belly up after the Civil War, Marlin ventured out on his own and started making derringer-style pistols by hand in small batches with names like “Never Miss” and “Stonewall.”

In 1873, he was granted patent number 140,516 for improvements to the 1855 Rollin White patented revolver made by the American Standard Tool company, which had gone into receivership (the 1870s were hard times for gun makers as the market was flooded with surplus Civil War era guns at scrap prices).

This handy little revolver became known as the Marlin Standard, and at 11-ounces, it was just dandy for the mustachioed gentlemen to carry in a vest or coat pocket of the day.

Read the rest in my column at Marlin Forum
http://www.marlinforum.com/The-Gentlemans-Friend-Marlins-Standard-Pocket-Marlin-Forum.html