Marlin .30-30s $13.21! Winchester .30-30s $13.98!!!

[Carl N. Brown]

These pages from the Sears and Roebuck Catalog of 1897
show the Marlin rifles, Model 1892 .22, Model 1891 .32,
Model 1894 centerfire, Marlin's takedown and pistol
grip options, Model 1893 and 1895 centerfire; and
the competing Winchester Models 1873, 1892 and 1894.

The Marlin 1893 and Winchester 1894 are equivalent large
caliber models. Both are listed in .30-30 Winchester
caliber. Of course, Marlin calls theirs .30-30 Smokeless
and Winchester calls theirs .30 Winchester Smokeless.
Remington rifles in .22 Winchester Rimfire WRF were
advertised as .22 Remington Special for the same reason.

The equivalent smaller caliber centerfires are the
Marlin 1894 and the Winchester 1892, both offered in
revolver calibers of .32-20, .38-40, .44-40, etc.

Erratum: the illustrations for the Marlin Models
1894 and 1895 were switched in the Sears Catalog.
Too late for and update.

Except for the Marlin 1891 .32, all these models are
still popular with hunters and shooters and are still
made today (although some in modified form). Not bad
for designs over 100 years old.

The Marlin 1892 .22 rimfire lives on as the current
Marlin 39A, the Marlin 1893 is the direct ancestor
of the current Marlin 336. The current Marlin 1894
is a 336 model scaled down to the dimensions of the
original 1894. The current Marlin 1895 is also
based on the 336 design. Winchester 1894s hunt on,
and 1892s have been made in Japan, Brasil and Spain.

 

[Sniper X]

Yeah, can you say I wish I had a time machine!!!! Man, what treasure would I have!!! Oh, and look at the price for a colt SAA back in the late 1800s like $8.00 or some odd thing!

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Perspective.

A beer was 5 cents, but then a dollar was a good day's wage.
Most working men made 25 to 40 dollars a month.

Oh, the sears catalog listed a case of buckshot at $1.80
which makes the Billy the Kid story about the shotgun loaded
with eighteen dimes sound apocryphal to me.

 

[Sniper X]

I also heard that story about the shotgun loaded with dimes was a farce...anyone know different? I saw a Guns of the West series that said it probably wasn't true as well!

 

[Tylden]

Just a little food for thought....

Yeah, can you say I wish I had a time machine!!!! Man, what treasure would I have!!! Oh, and look at the price for a colt SAA back in the late 1800s like $8.00 or some odd thing!

This is why my Marlin lever actions and S&W revolvers (plus a NIB Winchester 94) will never be sold...they are being handed down to my kids and/or grandkids someday. Who knows, perhaps someday long after I'm gone, my decendants will shake their heads in disbelief when they find out their great grandfather only paid a measley few hundred bucks apiece for these guns.....AND they made them out of REAL steel and had GENUINE wood grips/stocks back then too ! WOW !

 

[de]

My grandfathers worked for 50 cents a day back in the 20s and 30s. They said it was good money if you could find a job.

 

[Sistema1927]

My goodness! You mean that you could order a gun from a mail order catalog, have it delivered by the mailman, and never undergo a background check! It is amazing that the streets didn't run red with blood!
</sarcasm>

Oh, wait, you could still do that when I was 12 years old.

 

[SSN Vet]

actually, in New York and Chicago they did

 

[ArfinGreebly]

New York & Chicago

actually, in New York and Chicago they did

Must have been genetically defective rifles.

 

[trainwreck100]

I have this same catalog, and have wondered since I got it if they actually had Marlin inlaid in the stock, or if that was added for effect in the ad?

Greg

 

[tubeshooter]

I felt like I was in a time machine seeing that ad. Like a little slice of history. Glad I clicked on this thread.

 

[RevolvingCylinder]

actually, in New York and Chicago they did

Compare it to the '90s. The '20's and '30's were peaceful times in comparison.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

From www.westegg.com/inflation:

What cost $13.98 in 1897 would cost $309.74 in 2005.

Gives a little more perspective. The difference in price probably is (partially) the result of increased legislation and liability costs to manufacturers.

-MV

 

[Car Knocker]

That $13.21 Marlin would cost $292.68 in 2005 dollars.

The $13.98 Winchester would cost $309.74 in 2005 dollars.

$1 in 1897 was the equivalent of $22.16 in 2005.

EDIT: Looks like Matt and I were on the same quest at the same time.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

The GIFs are black and white;
this pdf shows the scans in grayscale
and a little better detail.,
if you have Acrobat reader for PDF.
(Ust the zoom or magnifying glass tool).

 

[TallPine]

The current Marlin 1894 is a 336 model scaled down to the dimensions of the original 1894.

Um - actually I believe the current 1894 is a completly different action with a square bolt, and chambered in pistol calibers: 357, 45, and 44 mag.

 

[CZguy]

Um - actually I believe the current 1894 is a completly different action with a square bolt, and chambered in pistol calibers: 357, 45, and 44 mag.

Right you are, I own one of each.

 

[mp510]

That $13.21 Marlin would cost $292.68 in 2005 dollars.

The $13.98 Winchester would cost $309.74 in 2005 dollars.

$1 in 1897 was the equivalent of $22.16 in 2005.

And not to spoil anything, but presently A Marlin 336 (.30-30) can be bought brand new for $299- including a scope.

 

[Selfdfenz]

Pre-1964ish milsurps, including milsurp handguns, were not much more than these prices and you could have them delivered to your door.....by the US Postal Service.

Also interesting was an old Sears wishbook we located in the attic from the early 60's IIRC. They provided an amazingly long list of pets you coud order by mail.

S-

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Externally, the current 1894 has a square bolt, but
internally it is more like the 336 than like the original
1894 (my ref was J.B. Wood's Trouble Shooting Your
Rifle and Shotgun.)

 

[telomerase]

The prices are still pretty close to the same... in gold. But since most of our ancestor's gold was stolen by FDR in 1933, we still have trouble affording these things.

What the !@#$ were our ancestors thinking, anyway? "We're from the government, just give us all your gold and everything will be fine" Who would buy that ?

 

[KaceCoyote]

What I wouldnt pay for a factory 1894 takedown in a pistol caliber.

 

[Nanook]

Who would buy that

The same type of people who will fall for it again in November 2008.