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Henry H006M .357mag.

Any Marlin without the cross bolt safety is a real Marlin. That is a quick way to tell for the older guns. The newer ones WITH the cross bolt safety need closer examination to determine Marlin or "Remlin".

That 1894 .357 mag with the gold plated trigger that I sold you is pure MARLIN. And I have been kicking myself for selling it since the day I handed it to you.

Rex B wrote:so how does one tell if you have a pre- or post- Remington rifle?

Here is a re-post that I made in a similar thread.......

"When Remington took over they bought the rights to continue using New Haven CT on the barrels (even though they are now made in New York).

Additionally, they acquired barrels already complete (with JM proof marks) that they assembled in New York. They took over Marlin in Dec 2007. It is difficult to determine a "Transitional" rifle since they got unknown number of parts from Marlin ready for assembly.

My 1895GS (Stainless 45-70 Guide Gun, Serial Number: 918149XX, Mfg. late 2010 by Remington) has the REP (Remington proof). I did not research any quality issues before purchase online (and didn't even know anything about the Remington buyout). My rifle came with many screw heads buggered up (used wrong screwdriver to install screws).

That wasn't the worst........
The front sight was seriously clocked to the right. Unusable.
I decided (after doing much research) that I would do without iron sights and installed a red dot sight on the top of the receiver and will go with a scope later on. I removed both the front and rear iron sights.

Now, why didn't I send it back to Marlin (Remington) for repair?
Because of all the horror stories I had read of those that did and ended up getting worse back! Many sent guns in more than once with no improvements and got them back with more damage. Some finally after 3 or so trips managed to get a refund from them. I decided I was not going to go thru that hassle and just use optical sights. I may later have the barrel cut down from 18.5" to 16.5" and re-crowned to eliminate the unsightly screw holes of the non existent front sight.

So, If you want a Marlin (a Real one) and want to be sure you get a REAL one, look for guns with the JM proof mark made before 2007 (just to be sure). Actually, the older the better. You will find they are quality guns and actually cost less used (in great shape) than what you can buy from Remington (in worse shape new). According to the below link, Remington took over in Dec 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Firearms" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The problem with the REAL Marlin 1894 .357 mag is they were hard to find when they were being made. Now they are even harder to find used as they were great rifles. Hardly anyone that owns one sells it. Except for me who sold one with a gold plated trigger that was only made for 2-3 years. I've been kicking myself for that for quite awhile........

Be very careful buying online. Many sellers show pictures but often purposely omit proof mark pictures (hoping they can still sell to people who don't know the difference)(and fool those that do). If you are considering one online, do not be afraid to ask them about the proof mark and provide you a picture and serial number before you commit to buying. You can check real Marlin serial numbers online and get dates of manufacture."