Marlin Levermatic

The Marlin Levermatic was a family of lever-action rifles created by Marlin Firearms in the 1950s. The Levermatic differed from the traditional lever-action rifles, such as the Marlin 39A, in that it employed a cam-and-roller system giving it an extremely smooth and short lever motion to reload a new cartridge.

This cam-and-roller system was originally invented by Kessler Arms Company for their "Lever-Matic" shotgun. Following Kessler's dissolution, Marlin licensed the idea and began producing rifles using a similar design.

Models

The Levermatic system was used in the following rifle models:

• Marlin 56: .22 LR, Box magazine (1955–1964)
• Sears 46c (Marlin 56): .22 Long Rifle, 7 round Box magazine (1956)
• Marlin 57: .22 LR, Tubular magazine (1959–1965)

• J. C. Higgins 44 DL (Marlin 57): .22 Long Rifle, Tubular magazine
• Western Auto Revelation model 115 (Marlin 57): .22 Long Rifle, Magazine (firearms)

• Marlin 57M: .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, Tubular magazine (1959–1969)
• J. C. Higgins 44 DLM (Marlin 57m): .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, Tubular magazine
• Marlin 62: .256 Winchester Magnum and .30 Carbine, 4 round Box magazine(1963–1969)

Planned models

Marlin had also planned to produce the Levermatic in .357 Magnum and .22 Remington Jet offered in the Marlin model 62. Both cartridges are related to the .256 Magnum which shared the same .357 Magnum parent case, but these options never materialized.

Sources

• Malloy, John. Marlin’s Levermatic Rifle Line Offered Untraditional Design. New Gun Week, Vol. 40 Issue 1811 - Jan. 1. 2005.