Marlin Model 1881
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.85 kg
- Introduced
- 1881
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Marlin Model 1881 was Marlin Firearms' first lever-action repeating rifle, a tubular-magazine repeater introduced in 1881. Chambered primarily in the big-bore .45-70 Government, it gave Marlin an early multi-caliber repeater that could handle full-power cartridges years before the Winchester Model 1886. It established the lever-action lineage Marlin would build on for the next century.
The Model 1881 was Marlin's very first repeater and lever-action, the foundation of the entire Marlin lever line; the US military evaluated it in 1882 but retained the single-shot Trapdoor Springfield.
Production largely ended around 1892 after the Winchester 1886 dominated the big-bore repeater market; a handful of units shipped into the early 1900s.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Marlin Firearms
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1881 to 1903
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Overall length
- 1118 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.85 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Lever action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 8
- Magazine
- Tube
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 545 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2753 J
- Effective range
- 200 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Tubular magazine
Octagon barrel
Straight grip stock
Color case hardened furniture
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 54 .45-70 Government rifles | 3.85 kg | 4.08 kg | Lighter than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 52 .45-70 Government rifles | 1118 mm | 1198 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 58 .45-70 Government rifles | 711 mm | 711 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 57 .45-70 Government rifles | 8 | 1 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Marlin Model 1881
How much does the Marlin Model 1881 weigh?
The Marlin Model 1881 weighs 3.85 kg (8.50 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Marlin Model 1881?
The Marlin Model 1881 is chambered in .45-70 Government, .38-55 Winchester, and .40-60 Marlin.
How many rounds does the Marlin Model 1881 hold?
The Marlin Model 1881 holds 8 rounds, fed from a tube magazine.
How long is the Marlin Model 1881?
The Marlin Model 1881 is 1118 mm (44.0 in) long overall, with a 711 mm (28.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Marlin Model 1881?
The Marlin Model 1881 is made by Marlin Firearms (United States). It was designed by Andrew Burgess.
When was the Marlin Model 1881 introduced?
The Marlin Model 1881 was introduced in 1881 and discontinued in 1903.
How does the Marlin Model 1881 operate?
The Marlin Model 1881 uses a lever action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
66%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/marlin-1881' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "marlin-1881", "name": "Marlin Model 1881", "manufacturer": { "id": "marlin", "name": "Marlin Firearms", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1870, "website": "https://www.marlinfirearms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "08b9da27118c263f9c36f65336e51854a1570768f3f677491f8144ee945b8d1f" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1881, "barrel_length_mm": 711, "weight_empty_g": 3855, "action_type": "lever_action"}