.450 Marlin Firearms
Here I will attempt to keep a complete list of factory-made firearms that are chambered for the .450 Marlin.
- Marlin
- Marlin 1895M "Guide Gun"
- Marlin 1895MR
- Marlin 1895MXLR
- Winchester
- Browning
- Magnum Research
- Thompson/Center
- Steyr Mannlicher
Marlin 1895M
Marlin 1895M
This is undoubtedly the most popular firearm chambered for the .450 Marlin. It has received plenty of publicity in trade magazines. It has an 18.5" barrel, a straight-grip stock, and a square lever handle. It is one of their Guide Guns, having an overall length of 37" and weighing only 7 pounds. Marlin was porting their Guide Guns for a while, but they have apparently discontinued this practice.
MSRP: $733.00
Link: Marlin 1895M
Marlin 1895MR
Marlin 1895MR
This rifle differs from the Marlin 1895M in that it has a full 22" barrel, a pistol grip stock, and a traditional rounded lever handle. The barrel is not ported. I don't know which of the Marlin rifles was made first, but I do know that the .450 Marlin cartridge was developed for use in a 22" barrel.
This rifle has been discontinued. The last production run appears to have been in March of 2004, and the product was dropped for Marlin's 2005 catalog.
| Capacity: | 4-shot tubular magazine |
|---|---|
| Action: | Lever action; side ejection; solid top receiver; deeply blued metal surfaces; hammer block safety |
| Stock: | American black walnut pistol grip stock with flutted comb; cut checkering; ventilated recoil pad; tough Mar-Shield finish; swivel studs |
| Barrel: | 22" with deep-cut Ballard-type rifling (6 grooves) |
| Twist Rate: | 1 in 20" right hand |
| Sights: | Adjustable semi-buckhorn folding rear, ramp front sight with brass bead and Wide-Scan hood. Solid top receiver tapped for scope mount; offset hammer spur (right or left hand) for scope use |
| Overall Length: | 40.5" |
| Weight: | 7.5 lbs |
Status: discontinued
Marlin 1895MXLR
Marlin 1895MXLR
Marlin has introduced a new series of lever action rifles called the XLR, and they included the .450 Marlin chambering among the line-up. This rifle is stainless steel with a laminate stock and features a 24" barrel. It will be interesting to see how this catches on. The XLR series is intended for longer range shooting, and Marlin has introduced this alongside Hornady's announcement of pointed ammunition that is safe for tubular magazines.
| Capacity: | 4-shot tubular magazine |
|---|---|
| Action: | Lever action; side ejection; stainless steel receiver, barrel, lever, trigger guard plate, magazine tube and loading gate; hammer block safety, fluted bolt |
| Stock: | Black/grey laminated hardwood pistol grip stock with flutted comb, cut checkering, decelerator recoil pad; nickel plated swivel studs |
| Barrel: | 24" stainless steel barrel with Ballard rifling |
| Twist Rate: | 1 in 20" right hand |
| Sights: | Adjustable semi-buckhorn folding rear, ramp front sight with brass bead and Wide-Scan hood. Solid top receiver tapped for scope mount; offset hammer spur (right or left hand) for scope use |
| Overall Length: | 42.5" |
| Weight: | 7 lbs |
MSRP: $874.00
Link: Marlin 1895MXLR
Winchester 94 Timber Carbine
Winchester Model 94 Timber
I really don't know much about this rifle. It had an 18" barrel and weighed only 6 pounds. It had a ported barrel and ghost ring sights.
Unfortunately, due to the demise of Winchester, the entire Model 94 line has been discontinued.
Status: discontinued
Browning BLR Lightweight with Pistol Grip
Browning BLR Lightweight with Pistol Grip
Here is another rifle that I don't know about. This one has a 20" barrel and weighs 7 pounds. This rifle, in all calibers, appears to be a fairly new offering from Browning.
MSRP: $765.00
Link: Browning
BLR Lightweight with Pistol Grip
Browning BLR Lightweight 81
Browning BLR Lightweight 81
This rifle has an '81-style straight grip stock. It too has a 20" barrel and weighs 7 pounds.
MSRP: $731.00
Link: Browning BLR Lightweight 81
Magnum Research BFR
Magnum Research BFR .450 Marlin Revolver
Magnum Research, makers of the Desert Eagle, produce a line of revolvers called the BFR that chamber powerful cartridges, some of which border on the ridiculous. The BFR chambered in .450 Marlin has a ten inch barrel and a five round cylinder, and it weighs four and a half pounds. This is a rather massive revolver.
Magnum Research claims to get an average muzzle velocity of 1814 fps using Hornady 350 grain ammunition. They also present a discussion on recoil in their BFR FAQ, in which they present a formula for calculating a "recoil factor" (note that this should be viewed with some skepticism, as there are other factors to recoil and felt recoil). They suggest, by using this formula, that this handgun has slightly less recoil than a 454 Casull, either the Redhawk or the one by Freedom Arms. This appears to be due largely to the heavy weight of the BFR.
Another interesting fact is that a BFR .45/70 can be retrofitted by Magnum Research to also accept a .450 Marlin cylinder and vice versa.
MSRP: $899.00
Link: Magnum
Research BFR .450 Marlin Revolver
Link: Magnum
Research BFR Revolver FAQ
Thompson/Center Encore Pistol
The Thompson/Center Encore Pistol is available in .450 Marlin. It has a 15" blued steel barrel and rubber grip and forend.
Steyr Mannlicher Big Bore
Steyr Mannlicher Big Bore
Steyr claims to have the first bolt-action rifle chambered for the .450 Marlin cartridge, and indeed it is the only one I know about. It has a three round magazine, but there is a kit available to convert it to a seven round magazine capacity. Synthetic fiberglass stock with either a black or camouflage finish. I don't know what they're smoking, but on their web site they make reference to "the caliber's light recoil".
| Capacity: | 3+1 or 7+1 with HC-Kit |
|---|---|
| Action: | Bolt-action |
| Trigger: | Optional combi trigger (single set trigger) or direct trigger |
| Stock: | Fiberglass synthetic black or camouflage |
| Barrel: | 22" |
| Sights: | Iron sights, optional picatinny rail |
| Overall Length: | 42.3" |
| Weight: | 8.36 lbs |
MSRP: $1725.36
Link: Steyr
Mannlicher Big Bore
Others
If there are other firearms chambered for .450 Marlin, I haven't found them yet. Apparently, there were some other Winchester rifles available in .450 Marlin that are no longer available. There may have been an H&R Ultra Hunter chambered in .450 Marlin, but I have no information on it, and their website says nothing about it. I have also heard mention of a wheelgun by Phillips & Dodge, but I don't even know who they are.
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