Tag Archives: new marlin

Ruger Just Dropped the first 10mm Lever Gun

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Ruger has done something a bit unusual by introducing a compact Trapper variant of the Marlin Model 1894, chambered in 10mm.

Marlin long marketed a modern Trapper model, a stainless carbine-length big-bore .45-70 Model 1895 that was short, quick-handling, and optimized for hunting or protection from dangerous animals, in 2018, but it went out of production when the company closed shop in 2020.

Ruger, once they rebooted the line in 2022 after acquiring the Marlin brand and putting in a massive effort to breathe new life into its iconic guns, debuted a new take on the Trapper with improvements, including a receiver-mounted Skinner Sight system and suppressor-ready barrel.

Since then, Ruger/Marlin doubled down on a short-action Model 1894 Trapper in either .357 Magnum/.38 Special or .44 Magnum/Special last year, and has come back with a 10mm variant headed into 2026.

The new Ruger Marlin 1894 Trapper in 10mm
Like other models in the Trapper Series line, it features a cold hammer-forged, 16.17-inch threaded barrel and receiver-mounted Skinner Sight system that provides rapid target acquisition. The muzzle is threaded 5/8-24TPI. (Photos: Ruger)
The new Ruger Marlin 1894 Trapper in 10mm
The Skinner Trapper series sight is crafted from solid stainless steel and is fully windage and elevation adjustable, shipping with a .125-inch Aperture installed. Four other aperture sizes are available. 
The new Ruger Marlin 1894 Trapper in 10mm
Weight is a handy 6.3 pounds, while the overall length is 33.25 inches. The 1:16″RH twist barrel should help wring out a bit more velocity from the 10mm Auto round. 

In addition to the standard Trapper series features, Marlin advises that this new model also has an upgraded fire control system. The sear is now e-nickel Teflon-plated, and the sear notch geometry in the hammer has been improved to create a smoother and more consistent trigger feel. Plus, in response to consumer feedback, the sear and trigger system has been redesigned to eliminate the trigger “flop.”

While revolver caliber lever guns, for instance, in .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 44. Magnum, and .45 Colt, have almost always been a thing; those chambered in rimless pistol cartridges are more rare. Further, although a couple of 9mm lever guns exist, such as the POF Tombstone and Taylor’s TC73, we can’t find any in 10mm, well, until now.

The 10mm Auto, already no slouch in a pistol, should boast an increased velocity of up to 250-300 fps in the Trapper compared to its use in a handgun, as vouched for in past experiments from the Ballistics By the Inch guys.

The MSRP on the new Ruger Marlin 1894 Trapper in 10mm is $1,599, a price generally lower at retail.

We have one of these inbound for testing, as well as some spicy 10mm, so stay tuned for a review.

Ruger makes it official on the Marlin 336 Reboot

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First introduced when Henry Truman was president, the 336 was a staple of Marlin’s catalog, most commonly chambered in .30-30 Winchester or .35 Remington. Sold through a variety of store brands in the 1970s such as the Glenfield Model 30, the simple lever gun was a go-to for sportsmen across generations.

The 336 is a classic as it is…

However, when the Marlin collapsed under the house of cards that was the old Remington Outdoors back in 2020, the 336 fell out of production for the first time in 72 years.

Then came Ruger, who purchased the brand and its assets as part of Remington’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy sale. After moving production from Remington’s shuttered plant in Huntsville, Alabama to a new line set up by Ruger in Mayodan, North Carolina, the Marlin Model 1895 in .45-70 returned to the market in December 2021.

Now, Ruger President and CEO Chris Killoy has kept his past promises to keep rolling out those Marlin favorites to the riflemaker’s huge fanbase.

“The legendary Model 336 helped to build Marlin Firearms into the iconic American brand that it is today,” said Killoy this week. “We have worked for many months on every detail to ensure that Ruger’s reintroduction of this iconic rifle lives up to its stellar reputation.”

I first ran across the new “Mar-ger” 336 in .30-30 at SHOT Show earlier this year some two months before it was “officially” released.

Chambered in .30-30 Win., the Model 336 Classic sports American black walnut furniture with checkering on both the stock and forend. The stock’s black pistol grip cap is inset with a Marlin Horse and Rider medallion and the forend is attached using a barrel band.

I had hoped the new 336 would be more affordable than the $1,479 Model 1895– after all, the “JM” marked 336 of old could be had in big box stores for $299 (with a Simmons scope included!) as recently as the 1990s.

Well, spoiler alert, it is $1,239.

Oof.

The Guide Gun is Back…

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The Guide Gun, a hard-hitting carbine with an 18.5-inch barrel chambered in .45-70 Government, was one of the “old” Marlin’s staples, produced from 1998 until 2020 when the brand shuttered with the bankruptcy of Remington Outdoors.

The Marlin 1895G/SG from the maker’s 2018 catalog.

Now, with Marlin since acquired by Ruger and moved under the house of the Red Phoenix, the Guide is back in the field. Still based on the M1895 lever gun with a .45-70 chambering, the new “big loop” model goes a little longer than past carbines, stretching the alloy steel barrel to 19.1 inches for an overall length of 37.25 inches.

What is new is that the cold hammer-forged barrel is threaded– 11/16″-24TPI– and a companion 6+1 mag tube (versus 4+1 in the old 1895G) which explains the bump in length. The gun, Ruger’s first introduction of an alloy steel Marlin rifle with a blued finish, weighs 7.4 pounds.

Plus, it is about $200-250 less than Muger’s other M1895s…

More in my column at Guns.com.