Think of it as a Marlin 1894 in a Modern .44-40 WCF Chambering
While companies like Henry and S&W (through Volcanic) produced some of the first lever-action rifles, the Marlin Firearms Company wasn’t far behind.
Founded in 1870, the company introduced the Marlin Model 1881, a design by Andrew Burgess, just a decade later. It was then quickly followed by a series of rifles from Lewis “L.L.” Hepburn: the Models 1888, the solid-topped 1889, and the side-ejection 1893.
Although the Model 1893 was a sound design, Lewis Hepburn saw opportunities to simplify and improve it. He removed the rear locking lug, which extended into the trigger guard and could pinch the shooter’s finger as the action cycled, and simplified the design with a one-piece trigger and a two-piece firing pin, the latter a safety feature.
With that, the 1894 was born.
Compact and popular with hunters, trappers, and miners, it became a fast hit for the company. Produced from 1894 to 1935, it was resurrected in modern calibers in 1969, when CBS’s “Gunsmoke” and NBC’s “Bonanza” were both top-five TV shows. It stayed in production through 2020, when Remington Outdoors went belly up.
Ruger then salvaged the Marlin brand from the wreckage of Big Green and reintroduced the 1894 in .44 Magnum three short years later.
Since then, Ruger has delivered 14 Model 1894 variants to market, including six Trapper series guns with handy 16.17-inch barrels and stainless-steel components.
Late last year, we announced the 1894 Trapper in 10mm Auto with an MSRP starting at $1,599, our review subject.
The Marlin 1894 Trapper in 10mm is the only lever gun in that caliber we can find on the market.
The caliber also makes sense historically, as 10mm Auto, most commonly seen with a 180-grain bullet traveling at about 1,200 fps, generates about 600 ft./lbs of muzzle energy, is eerily similar to the old .44-40 Winchester, which typically sported a 200-grain bullet traveling at 1,200 fps for about 600 ft./lbs of muzzle energy. Plus, 10mm is much easier to find these days than good .44-40s.
Head on over to my column at Guns.com for the full review.