Marlin Levermatic musing

[kBob]

Just posted over on RFC and thought I might do so here as well to see if I got any nibbles.

Looking at an old Gun Digest catalog section from 1960 I noted something odd.

I noted that both the 56 and 57 Marlins in that catalog had the humped Steel receiver, but that the JC Higgins Model 44DL had the flatter Aluminum receiver in the illustrations. Also the aluminum recievered Sears and Roebucks rifle was only $42.95 while the Marlin 57 Steel gun was $50.70.

Got me to wondering if the switch to the Model 60 receiver and barrel attachment was done by Marlin originally to meet Sears's price point.

Thoughts?

-kBob

 

[Dr.Rob]

Possiible, though Marlin also sold as Sears and Glenfield branded rifles. I'd suspect the 'store' branded rifles got the cost saving parts.

 

[Gordon]

I think that is exactly what Marlin did, to make ..22 only aluminum lower priced plainer wood version.Have a .256 and it is a finely finished all steel beauty with a nice walnut stock

 

[WestKentucky]

Have both centerfire levermatics. I wasn’t aware of store branded rimfire rifles but I was well aware of the marlin rimfires. Now I have something else to casually look for.

 

[Scooter22]

It's certainly possible but they did make the store brand with the humped back steel receiver. Maybe they phased in the alum receiver on the store brands before using them on the Marlin line.

 

[Tentwing]

Gentlemen I may be mistaken, but I think I read a thread over on rimfire central a few years back that Marlin moved away from the steel receivers for the aluminum ones in 1962. If I remember correctly this was done on both the store brands and the Marlin brands as well . Now that thread was discussing rimfires , so the centerfire rifles may or may not have been changed. ???

Tentwing

 

[Tentwing]

Okay fellas this might muddy the water a bit. The top rifle is my Marlin model 57 M. It is a tube fed 22 mag short throw lever. It has a humpback blued steel receiver. The bottom rifle is my Sears and Roebuck 48 C. It has a 7 round box magazine . It is a 22LR and smooth slope painted receiver that a magnet will stick to. .... Now I'm confused..... Oh well they both shoot great

Tentwing

 

[Carl N. Brown]

If the magnet sticks to that receiver, it is steel with an enamel or painted finish. We assume if it is an enamel or painted finish, it's aluminum. But I have a .303 Lee Enfield with a black enameled receiver and it is definitely steel.
The levermatic is locked breech which requires a steel receiver. Marlin blowback operated .22 semi-autos starting with the Model 99 that morphed into the Model 60 had aluminum receivers from the get go.

 

[kBob]

If you take one of the later M56 clippers apart and look into the receiver you will see the same little spud that is inside the 99/60 semi auto receivers where the action spring abuts and the bit where the barrel joins the receiver is more like the 99/60s than the 56 Clippper king as well.

The slope backed Marlins are supposed to be aluminium. I suggest that the magnet may be attracted to the steel parts INSIDE the receiver.

As this Gun Digest I noticed the difference in is a 1960 Gun Digest and if as others have suggested Marlin made their change in 1962 this is even more interesting.

FYI the receivers of the steel and aluminum guns are also attached to the stock in different manners. One has the screw that holds stock and receiver together slotted on top and the other on the bottom. As the parts houses make not note of such differences I am loath to order parts from anyone........

Can't seem to find my comparison pictures anywhere I may have to break out the camera this weekend.

Other interesting things about these rifles are the different ways they were set up for scope mounting. Apearently all the steel ones have tapped holes with filler screws in them for putting on a one piece mount, some aluminum guns are set up that way and later aluminium guns just have a .22 tip off rail. Also it appears some steel and some aluminum guns did not have pre tapped holes for a receiver peep sight and some did......and there appear to be various combinations of the scope mounting and whether or not the receiver sight mounts are there as
well!

Add to this that the Lever matic was made as the M56 Clipper King with a Marlin box magazine or as the M 57 with a plain Jane tube magazine under the barrel and all these combinations get even more dizzying.

Now toss in the JC Higgins M 44 marked M57s from Sears and you can get a real headache!!!!

....and note I have not even meantioned the 57M magnums or the Centerfires myself........

Got Black powder related stuff tonight so this must wait or my skull might split.

-kBob