cj57 said
Steve, my 95 is 40-65 and might be the only 29″ barrel as Marlin like Winchester offered even number at 2″ intervals. The swiss butt is not seen often.  

  

I’ve not seen Swiss butts on Winchester levers often and a whole lot less often on Marlins.  Your rifle, with the special order butt and special order long barrel makes me think a target shooter purchased it.  I wonder if he shot it in the prone, “toes forward” target position?  This is a good example of the tragedy of the history of these old rifles being lost.

Here’s a pair of Bullards I have.  The top one is a repeater.  It is one of two known Bullard repeating rifles with a Swiss butt.  The bottom one is a single-shot (more commonly found with a Swiss butt).

The repeater is a .32-40 Bullard and the single-shot is the standard .32-40.

clarence said

Your rifle, with the special order butt and special order long barrel makes me think a target shooter purchased it.  I wonder if he shot it in the prone, “toes forward” target position? steve004 said

Not very likely, I think, though there’s no accounting for poor judgement, as so often reflected in the options chosen by inexperienced shooters ordering out of a catalog: “that looks nice!”  The vast majority of target shooters, if you mean those shooting in some form of scored competition, chose single-shots.  Swiss plates were usually a fashion statement made by inexperienced shooters, like tail-fins on ’50s cars.  The only useful function of any prong plate is to prevent the butt from slipping when shooting off-hand with a palm-rest, which causes the butt to lift up.  In any other shooting position, a prong plate interferes with proper shouldering.

Look at the illustrations of back-position shooters in the NRA’s history of US target shooting, Americans & Their Guns (which if you don’t own, hang your head in shame).  (I have the two page Harper’s illustration on p.76.)  Look at the catalogs of the makers of the guns (Rem, Sharps, Ballard) built for long-range shooting in the prone or back positions–no prongs on those guns. 

  

I’ve not owned many Swiss-butted rifles.  On my Bullards, it makes them much more difficult for to shoot.

In support of what Clarence is saying, my Ross long-range single-shot .280 target rifles (that were built exclusively for match competition) did not come with Swiss butts (or any butt treatment at all):

I would strongly suspect that every single one of these rifles built, was used in Match Competition (most by the Canadian rifle team).  

Learning exercise:  This Narlin 1895, barrel cut or not?  Standard length is 26”, this barrel is 20”.

It would help to know a few fundamentals, such as front sight placement (looks slightly forward to the RIA, but maybe okay), we’re the end of magazine tubes slotted, was the muzzle end of the bore slotted, was the muzzle circumference beveled?  This example shows that:

https://www.proxibid.com/RARE-Marlin-Model-1895-40-82-Caliber-Lever-Rifle/lotInformation/79101082

And here’s one from Rock Island Auction, but the muzzle is not displayed:

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/71/90/marlin-model-1895-lever-action-4570-rifle

steve004 said

mrcvs said

Learning exercise:  This Narlin 1895, barrel cut or not?  Standard length is 26”, this barrel is 20”.

It would help to know a few fundamentals, such as front sight placement (looks slightly forward to the RIA, but maybe okay), we’re the end of magazine tubes slotted, was the muzzle end of the bore slotted, was the muzzle circumference beveled?  This example shows that:

https://www.proxibid.com/RARE-Marlin-Model-1895-40-82-Caliber-Lever-Rifle/lotInformation/79101082

And here’s one from Rock Island Auction, but the muzzle is not displayed:

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/71/90/marlin-model-1895-lever-action-4570-rifle

For that 20 inch barreled M1895, factory ledger records should be available for that serial number range.  

I’d want such a letter otherwise this seems to be a cut barrel—until proven otherwise.

Not being familiar with the Marlin 1895, are my critique points valid or just standard factory fare?

Brooksy said
Here’s my marlin 1895 with a 24 inch barrel in 40 82. I recently looked at another 1895 marlin with a 20 inch barrel at a RIACO auction. It did not have the bevel on the muzzle but otherwise looked like the proxy bid gun. It was also a 40 82, with a rotten bore but still brought over 3K. 

Everything about the proxy bid gun looks right except for the bevels.

  

The bevels not being correct tells me that the rifle I posted probably has a cut barrel, which was my gut instinct all along.  Bevels seemed incorrect and were applied for a reason.

cj57 said
That 1895 with the 20″ barrel letters as a standard 26″ 40-82

I had gotten the info 2weeks ago and emailed the auction house, telling them the factory shipping ledger info and they didn’t reply or change the “very rare” in their description. it’s a 800-1000 shooter at best

That’s what I suspected all along.  I had never seen such beveling on a Marlin and it seemed odd, although I haven’t handled many before as I don’t collect Marlin rifles.

Thank you for confirming the barrel length was originally 26”.

I didn’t even look to see what the opening bid would be as I wasn’t seriously interested in this rifle to begin with.  That works out to a minimum of $2520 before any sales tax or shipping.  It’s not worth that in this condition even with a 26” barrel.  At least not no me.

cj57 said

mrcvs said

I didn’t even look to see what the opening bid would be as I wasn’t seriously interested in this rifle to begin with.  That works out to a minimum of $2520 before any sales tax or shipping.  It’s not worth that in this condition even with a 26” barrel.  At least not no me.

  

Your correct, uncut in that condition,  with no high starting point would be 1500-1800 tops for me. This is a 45-70 I got on GunBroker a couple years ago for 2K and shipping

  

Without 26% internet premium either!  The .45-70 aspect is a bonus on that rifle.  Looks like a decent piece.