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So I'm having a bit of a clear out of firearms that rarely get used so as well as the k22 LBP i have for sale I also have a Marlin 1894cs JM marked that I bought about a year ago from the Devizes gunsmith which I'm thinking of moving on as I've only used it twice.

Is anyone able to give some advice on what sort of price I should be asking for. Would £900-1000 be in the ballpark or am I dreaming?

Dreaming? I think it's taking the pi$$....

When that gun was new, it had an RRP of £547. Your rifle is not mint and there's a couple of marks at the front of the bolt that would make me take notice. Being a bit of a Marlin aficionado, having collected them and restored the odd one or two over the last 20 years, that rifle would not see space in my collection at that money. But.....

Market forces dictate otherwise. At the minute you probably have the second/third most desirable Marlin variation in the UK. Shooters, not collectors, are prepared to pay a lot to have a "club capable" rifle in their cabinet. Realistically, it's a gamble. Put it up for 875 and you'll sell it as that's probably fair at the moment. Go towards a grand and you'll run the risk that some of the new 1894s coming out of Ilion make the UK as these really are on par with the last JM produced and will probably get better with the investment that Remington have recently made in their production.

The JMs will probably always command a premium, but it won't be what it was....

At least it's not a micro groove .44!!

Thanks for the input.

Sim G wrote:
At least it's not a micro groove .44!!

Mmmmmmm is this from a collectors or a shooters point of view.

mr smith wrote:

Sim G wrote:
At least it's not a micro groove .44!!

Mmmmmmm is this from a collectors or a shooters point of view.

More the latter from wot she told me on the fone last nite & if anyone knows Marlins its Sim1G

For what it's worth guys I just sold a 98% condition .357 /.38 1894 Cowboy ltd with 24inch octagonal barrel for £1200. Different beast I know but there is Good money for the right pre Remington guns.

Scarface wrote:For what it's worth guys I just sold a 98% condition .357 /.38 1894 Cowboy ltd with 24inch octagonal barrel for £1200. Different beast I know but there is Good money for the right pre Remington guns.

Hmmm interesting, I wander what a good price for my JM 1895GBL (rare in UK) 45/70 approx 500 rounds from new would be.

You did well on the .357 Cowboy, there's a couple I've seen with dealers that were around that sort of money that have been reduced because they haven't shifted. I've even seen a Cowboy in .44-40 of which they didn't make many, with an asking price of 1500! There's someone who doesn't really know what's gone on...

The most popular Marlins at the minute are definitely those North Haven produced, JM stamped in .357, closely followed by those in .44! This is purely because of gallery rifle here in the UK. 357 for the club shooters as factory .38 is still widely available and relatively cheap, then your .44s. Other models in the same calibre seem to attract better money with the 24" Cowboy making a decent price. But every now and again, something such as a unfired stainless comes on the market, such as the one qws picked up last week. But they are very, very rare.

Outside of the JM 357/44s, prices being asked for Marlins are getting a little silly. People have taken the attitude that "it's a Marlin, it must be worth a relative fortune"! No, they're not. The gallery rifles are now worth that money purely because of supply and demand within very strict parameters. Other calibres and models may have seen a bump up because of the Remington debacle, but not that much.

A JM, .45-70 GBL? Again, there weren't many if them about before the takeover and then the really poor quality versions. I would have thought it was a solid 700, possibly 750. There are people out there trying to push 1980s vintage 1895s in .45-70 at 800 quid! Good luck to them, but that is ridiculous....

The new Marlins leaving the factory today are good. It won't be long before that is realised and the bottom will fall out of it all, I'd imagine... But....

I do agree the new Marlins are good, I shoot one on a weekly basis and it is absolutely superb. We have made a few tweaks to smooth things out and the sights have been changed however they are great rifles out of the box these days.

One of my shooting friends just sold a JM .357 for around the £900 mark. I think the ad lasted just shy of 24hrs on Guntrader.....