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Old November 28, 2018, 07:18 PM   #1
LineStretcher
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Marlin Trapper 45-70 Govt.

I did a ton of research on Remington and found out that the bad actor investors had for the most part departed. There are out of Chapt 11 with a new group of mostly pro second amendment investors and a beautiful restructuring plan. The have invested a lot of money in re-tooling and have restructured their product lines in a way that makes more sense to the consumer. The Marlin line is getting back the way they used to be and the Trapper is a fine example of the direction that the company is moving.

I was unable to determine what they had planned to do with a lot of the sub-par products that are in inventories around the world but I would hope that at some point they are able to absorb them and expedite their reputation recovery.

With total confidence, I bought the Marlin Trapper today and although I have not shot it yet, the fit and finish of the rifle is top notch. It's at least as good as my pre-64 Model 94 Win 30-30 in that respect.

The stock is a laminated composite that looks and feel fantastic. I would say that it is at least as nice as any of the Boyd's stock that I have. I would not argue if someone said it was a Boyd's. I can't say it because I don't know.

The rifle has excellent peep sights that are easy to bring to the eye but also includes a long Picatinny rail that could accommodate a scope or red dot easily. My dog (Buddy) has sniffed it over and gives his solid approval.
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Old November 28, 2018, 07:26 PM   #2
Targa
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If I were getting a 45-70 that would certainly be on my short list, congrats on that beauty! The rail would have to come off of it though...

Last edited by Targa; November 28, 2018 at 07:33 PM.
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Old November 28, 2018, 07:27 PM   #3
Capt Rick Hiott
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I bought the 1895 GBL about 8-9 years ago and LOVE it!!!
Very accurate with Hornady ammo!
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Old November 28, 2018, 07:41 PM   #4
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They are wonderful guns
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Old November 28, 2018, 08:35 PM   #5
ahriman
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Purty.

How do you like that peep sight?
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Old November 28, 2018, 08:59 PM   #6
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Glad the transformation seems to be continuing. I bought an 1895 two or three years ago, and it is screwed together well. I have approx. 400 rounds through it without a hiccup. Now get out there and shoot that beauty!
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Old November 28, 2018, 09:37 PM   #7
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Nice! I was checking those out, after seeing the movie "Wind River". I have a 1895 CBA 45/70 I bought a bit less than two years ago. It's been a fun and accurate rifle, with many factory and reload rounds put through it. Has always worked perfectly. I did add the Skinner sight.
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Old November 28, 2018, 10:06 PM   #8
LineStretcher
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ahriman View Post
Purty.

How do you like that peep sight?
Just looking through it, I do like it. It's not a rifle I want to put glass on. It's going to spend most of it's time in the Jeep or on the Quad so the peep sight is really the best option for me.
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Old November 28, 2018, 10:29 PM   #9
Drm50
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I've got a early 1895 long barrel JM. I've had it 40 some years and had reciever sight on it.
Shoots outstanding. I got excited when Ohio got rifle deer season and put a scope on it.
Shot excellent , would clover leaf at 100yds of bench. 1st morning of season when I got in
woods I realized I didn't like scope or need it. Since Lyman 66 is back on it. My deer are in
thick cover and most taken on the run, at 100yds or under. Scope feels bulky and top heavy to me. They might be ok for stand hunting but not needed in the woods. I like the reciever sight because I have witness plate O for 100yds and marked for longer ranges. I can jack
sight for long shot and crank back to 0. I haven't cranked sight while hunting but it works
perfect on steel silos at known ranges,
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Old November 29, 2018, 09:48 AM   #10
Sure Shot Mc Gee
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Everyone should own a least one Marlin lever. Mine is a 36 model in 30wcf.

The way Marlin was bum wrapped over these recent years it pleases me to hear Marlin has finally made a effort to quiet their product nitpickers.

LineStretcher: A very nice lever choice. This one I would call a "keeper."
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Old November 29, 2018, 12:17 PM   #11
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Article on that Trapper in the current Guns Of The Old West magazine.
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Old November 29, 2018, 01:20 PM   #12
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Last night I took the time to go over the rifle and field strip it so I know what to do if a problem occurs. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the components and the much improved fit and finish of the Trapper. There is a noticeable difference in the fit and finish of this rifle vs. their octagon barrel Cowboy version. The fit and finish was not so good on the ones that I looked at. Differences in the blueing quality with the barrel being heavily blued and polished and the receiver not so much. The wood work was also pretty shoddy on those.

On the trapper, the stainless is brushed and matches across all components and the laminate stock is finished well with all edges and corners relieved to match their connection points. The top of the fore end does have pretty sharp outside edges and I could definitely feel that on my finger tips. It only took a few minutes to smooth the edges out and fine sand with some 2000g Wet/Dry sandpaper so it matched the rest of the stock again. It's not a game changer but it should have been done at the factory.

The fore end has full wrap checkering and although not hand cut, it does give a nice appearance and a sticky spot for your hand. The butt has the left and right reliefs just like our B's and a slight palm swell also.

There is a long picatinny rail on top that's labeled as a "lever rail". The rear peep sight is mounted on the rail so if you wanted to remove the rail, you would loose the peep. I think they should have mounted the peep to the action and then put the rail on it so you could take the rail off if you wanted without further modification. The rail can still be removed but you would need to add back in a short Picatinny rail and then remount the peep to that.

I have seen a few examples of this rifle with a scope mounted. The fact that it is side eject makes this a fairly easy job as long as you remember to buy a scope and rings that are impact rated for this caliber. I won't name brands that aren't because the list is long. Just remember to do your research and make those verification phone calls. Do not rely on a salesperson's opinion, they often get products confused because they typically have several. No, not all sales folks are dummy's but they have a lot to remember and I couldn't do it so why should I expect them to.

Putting the rifle back together from a field strip was pretty straight forward and I did it without any outside assitance. I'm not saying you can do it because this ain't my first levergun rodeo. I would not recommend doing it if all you do is clean and shoot guns. However, if you buy this rifle for the uses that it's name implies, learn how to do a field strip, it may just save your butt someday.

As a side note, this is what changed in the Freedom Group that is allowing Marlin to return to the quality levels they once were known for:

"In December 2012, citing the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as "a watershed event that has raised the national debate on gun control to an unprecedented level," Cerberus announced it would sell all of its investments in Freedom Group. The private equity firm said it would retain a financial adviser to sell its interests in Freedom Group, and would return the proceeds to investors." If you don't know Cerberus is the biblical name of the 3 headed dog that guards the gates of hates. An appropriate name considering what they did to Remington and Marlin.

It's taking a while to get it all together but they are out of Chapter 11 with a unanimous court approval of their restructuring plan. I think this new version of the Trapper is a good sign of what may be in the future for Remington and Marlin.
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Old November 29, 2018, 04:32 PM   #13
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Cerberus has done left the building.
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Old November 29, 2018, 05:04 PM   #14
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Quote:
If you don't know Cerberus is the biblical name of the 3 headed dog that guards the gates of hates.
I am sure you meant to say Hades and no, Ceberus is NOT a biblical name. It comes from Greek mythology and has nothing to do with the bible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus
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Old November 30, 2018, 08:00 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ratshooter View Post
I am sure you meant to say Hades and no, Ceberus is NOT a biblical name. It comes from Greek mythology and has nothing to do with the bible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus
Were you still able to get the point of my reference? If so, then good and it doesn't matter that I made a mistake. If not, then you probably wouldn't understand anyway.
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Old December 1, 2018, 09:17 PM   #16
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Nice looking lever gun congrats.
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Old December 1, 2018, 10:48 PM   #17
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That is a pretty rifle I definitely have been bitten by the 45/70 bug ever since I bought my Sharps rifle. Now I want a lever action and Marlin's definitely get my juices flowing. Congratulations.
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Old December 1, 2018, 10:54 PM   #18
ifithitu
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It's a beauty!
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Old December 3, 2018, 04:40 PM   #19
ThomasT
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Were you still able to get the point of my reference? If so, then good and it doesn't matter that I made a mistake. If not, then you probably wouldn't understand anyway.
Yes Linestretcher I understood your point and hope you understood mine. I hate to see something from Greek mythology mixed with what is and isn't written in the bible.

Nice looking gun. I, like a lot of people like a short, handy rifle. Apparently you do too. I had a Marlin 45-70 that put the first 3 shots in to less than an inch at 100 yards. By the time I had fired 15 shots it was all over the paper. I had a brand new Cabelas 4x scope on it. A cheap scope and that gun wrecked the scope. Cabelas made it good and I just used open sights after that.

I did kill one deer with it using a Remington 300gr hollow point loaded to around 1600fps. That deer just fell over sideways with it legs sticking straight out. I had some thumper 400gr lead loads that I just liked to bust rocks with. Overall a very nice gun and a great round. I bet you enjoy yours.

Last edited by ThomasT; December 3, 2018 at 07:37 PM.
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Old December 3, 2018, 11:28 PM   #20
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Thanks folks, I decided to put a scope on it after all. I called Vortex and they understood the recoil issues and recommended the Viper HS which has an pretty incredible field of view. It's been cold and wet/snow here so I haven't been out to the range to shoot it yet.

Last edited by LineStretcher; December 4, 2018 at 11:02 PM.
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Old December 3, 2018, 11:31 PM   #21
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You got a couple a great keepers there! A handsome rifle and a cute dog!
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Old December 4, 2018, 06:12 AM   #22
shafter
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I bet there's been a spike in sales since Wind River came out.
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Old December 4, 2018, 09:57 PM   #23
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I have owned several 45/70's over the years. I like how the round usually works on hogs and deer at close range. I have shot several hogs with it, this last year, shooting a Browning 1886 saddle ring carbine with a William's receiver sight. I love the 86 action, but decided I would like a scoped option, and recently purchased a new Marlin in the same configuration as above, except mine has a green painted over laminated stock, and William's open firesights on it. Mine is stainless but it's a blackened stainless and actually looks like it's blued.

Mine was purchased from CDNN and was a demo model that they had on sale at reduced price, so I got it a couple hundred dollars cheaper. I love the green stock, and the fact that is actually stainless but looks blued, however, I don't really care for the Williams fire sights, although they will work, however I think I will change them out for same sights and rail option as the OP has on his rifle. Mine has the big lever also, which I kinda like but takes a little getting used to.

I am not going to scout scope it however, and will be adding a 1 to 5 low powered variable of some flavor. I think Marlin has come back a little from the first days of the buyout but my action is a bit rough and I will be slicking it up a bit in the future.
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Old December 4, 2018, 11:01 PM   #24
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Blue Duck, have a look at the Vortex Viper HS 2.5-10x44. It has a 4" Eye Relief is rated for the big bore lever guns. It has a large field of view of 10.9 - 47 ft at 100 yds. You can get it in a Plex or Dead Hold BDC reticle. I prefer the Plex for 100 yards or less. I'm picking one up at Scheels Thursday. It's not top quality glass but then it's a brush gun so we're not looking at long distance shooting. I think it will be just fine.
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Old December 5, 2018, 08:48 PM   #25
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I just ordered the XS Lever Rail system, which I will install first, and after sighting in, I figure out what glass or red dot to get. I have trouble shooting with both eyes open, so usually want a very wide open low power, and generally prefer 2 x 7's or something that starts with 1 or 1.5 power. I have been looking at a Burris 1 to 5 with a lighted retical 30mm but might get a Leupold, although I like some of the vortex scopes and will talk a look.
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