Marlin Firearms
The Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut manufactures Marlin Rifles.
Over the company's 130+ years of firearms production, it has been best known for its manufacture of high power, center fire, lever action, and .22 caliber rim fire rifles. It has also made shot guns, that in many cases are the prized possessions in personal gun collections (many of which are of models that have been featured in such Hollywood movies as The Terminator and its sequels).
Major models of Marlin rifles include:
- Marlin Model 1889 repeating rifle (featuring the 'Marlin Safety', the first side-ejecting cartridge mechanism)
- Marlin Model 1895 Military Repeater
- Marlin Model 25, a 22 Short, 22 Long, and 22 Long Rifle bolt-action rifle
- Marlin Model Golden 39A, the longest continuously produced rifle in the world
- Marlin Model 60, the most popular .22 LR caliber rifle in the world
- Marlin Model 1894, lever action carbines in revolver calibers — .357 Magnum (1894C), .41 Magnum (1894FG), and .44 Magnum (1894SS or plain 1894)
- Marlin Model 336, one of the most popular lever action hunting rifles in the world
- Marlin Camp Carbine, a discontinued model
- Marlin 70P "Papoose", a lightweight, magazine-fed, .22 LR carbine with a detachable barrel; it is designed to be taken down for easy transport while camping, backpacking, etc.
Significant variations of many of these rifles have usually also been manufactured. For example, there are 6 distinctly different variations currently manufactured for the Marlin Model 60.
Early history
John M. Marlin was born in Connecticut in 1836, and served his apprenticeship as a tool and die maker. During the Civil War, he worked at the Colt plant in Hartford, and in 1870 hung out his sign on State Street, New Haven, to start manufacturing his own line of revolvers and deringers. The outstanding team of inventors he was able to attract developed breakthrough and enduring models, such as Models 1891 and 1893. Today known as Models 39 and 336 respectively, they are the oldest shoulder arm designs in the world still being produced. The lever action 22 repeater (now Model 39) even became the favorite of many exhibition shooters, including Annie Oakley. When John Marlin died in 1901, his two sons took over the business and began a diversification program. In 1915, during World War I, a New York syndicate bought the company and renamed it the Marlin Rockwell Corporation. Marlin became one of the largest machine gun producers in the world for the US and its Allies. After the War, the sporting firearms part of the business became a new corporation, which staggered until 1923, when it went on the auction block.
Newer history and leadership
- Frank Kenna, Sr. President 1924-1947
- Roger Kenna President 1947-1959
- Frank Kenna, Jr. President 1959-1995
- J. Stephen Kenna President 1995-1997
- Robert W. Behn President 1997-present
- Frank Kenna, III Chairman 1999-present
The story is told that the auction of the old Marlin Firearms operation in 1924 was attended by several curious children, a small dog and a lawyer named Frank Kenna. Kenna bid $100 and the properties were his – along with a $100,000 mortgage. The Marlin Firearms Company has been owned and run by the Kennas ever since, and has seen constant change and improvements. Kenna re-introduced several of the models famous before World War I, and in 1936 established the Marlin razor blade business. His eldest son, Roger Kenna, assumed the presidency in 1947 and Marlin enjoyed steady growth until his death in 1959. When his brother, Frank Kenna, Jr. took over as President. Razor blade production was gradually phased out to focus attention on sporting firearms. Frank Kenna, Jr. became Chairman in 1995, and Roger’s son, Stephen Kenna, formerly Vice President of Operations and General Counsel, became President. In 1997 he left to pursue other interests. Robert Behn assumed the presidency in May of 1997 and continues in that role today. Upon Frank Kenna, Jr.’s retirement in 1999, his son, Frank Kenna, III, became Chairman.
Seeking constant improvement has been a hallmark of Marlin engineers, and that philosophy has been demonstrated throughout the 19th-21st Centuries. Beginning with the development of the first side-ejecting, solid-top receiver (called the “Marlin Safety”) in 1889, to the 1953 introduction of the Micro-Groove rifling system for improved accuracy, and through to the 2004 introduction of the T-900 Fire Control System for bolt action rimfire rifles, Marlin engineers have set many important milestones in the firearm manufacturing industry.
Marlin Firearms labored for a century as an underdog levergun maker to Winchester (also of New Haven). However, in the 1980s and 1990s, Marlin finally began to outpace its old rival. It is currently the dominant seller of lever action rifles in North America. Its use of side ejection allows for flat-topped firearms, thereby making the mounting of scopes far easier than for traditional Winchesters. This helped Marlin capture more market share as American shooters came to rely more and more on optics. Marlins are also larger and stronger than most of the Winchester line, allowing them to use higher powered cartridges such as the .45-70. Marlin's model 1894 lever-action rifles and carbines are available in handgun calibers, including .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .41 Magnum, making them suitable companion long guns for revolvers in those calibers.
Company expansion
In November of 2000, Marlin purchased the assets of H&R 1871, Inc., a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of shotguns and rifles. Founded in 1871, and now located in Gardner, Massachusetts, today H&R 1871 employs over 200 people. Marketing its products under the brand names of Harrington & Richardson and New England Firearms, H&R 1871 is the largest manufacturer of single shot shotguns and rifles in the world. [citation needed]
See also
- Marlin Model Golden 39A, the longest continuously-produced rifle in the world.
- Marlin Model 60, the most popular .22 LR caliber rifle in the world.
- Marlin Camp Carbine, a discontinued model