doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Lever Action 12 bore?

I agree: Rifle, not shotgun. I'd bet on this one:

.444 Marlin
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=nmlSLdk3&id=F1E87DE3F157E6311D52A77B3D744E990B8D6C73&thid=OIP.nmlSLdk3lNEZi91OFPOPCQHaD1&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com%2fprodimages%2f64450-DEFAULT-l.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.9e69522dd93794d1198bdd4e14f38f09%3frik%3dc2yNC5lOdD17pw%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=700&expw=1350&q=marlin+444+lever+action&simid=607988110915348360&FORM=IRPRST&ck=7A1F182D56C4EA54CABCFF4946AC5474&selectedIndex=0&itb=0&idpp=overlayview&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

Marlin GS Guide Gun .444 or .45/70 it probably is and Oskar and Brent and Larry are right. It is made in Stainless Steel:

https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsupers...-1895gs-compact-4570-walnut-lever-action

Has to be. There is not enough meat in a 336 action to allow anything bigger than a .45-70 or .410. Simply not possible to be a 20 gauge much less a 12. Even the .45s can crack between barrel and mag tube.

Marlin made a .410 lever action on it's 1893/93 rifle design. MAde 1929 to '32. I think the Model was simply the Model 410 Lever Action and stamped on the tang.
It was a cataloged item (both Field Grade and a Deluxe Grde.)
It was also somewhat noted for being one of several Marlin guns of the period that was a gift for buying 4 shares @ $25e of stock at the time.
I don't recall any other lever shotgun from them.

Marlin did acquire the pat to the Kessler Lever Shotgun in the early 50's when Kessler went under.
Kessler was first located in Buffalo NY (Superior St) and made air rifles. Then later moved to SilverCreek, NY (South of Buffalo) and started making a .22, bolt action shotguns and the leveraction shotgun they called the LeverMatic.

Marlin used that LeverMatic design to build rifles on and became Marlins LeverMatic rifle series starting with the .22rf's in the mid+ 50's and later a couple of CF calibers.
IIRC Marlin did make a 12ga LeverMatic design as was Kesslers orig idea. But Marlins only went as far as R&D and a few tool room guns with the gun as a shotgun.
They didn't see any market for the lever action shotgun I suspect.

Hard to make out the bear in that photo. Glad I'm not defending the camp!

lots of history with 45-70's in the north country....https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/ammunition_rs_wildcat_country_051910wo/84121#:~:text=Without%20question%20the%20most%20famous%20lever%20action%20wildcat,get%20a%20400-grain%20bullet%20up%20to%202200%20fps.

the johnson 450 alaskan took advantage of the large number of model 1886 winchesters that wound up in alaska, and anticipated the model 71. i once handled one in the old gunshop on the main drag in durango, colorado - probably 45+ years ago...had the case forming and loading dies with it. i have owned and loaded a couple of hot rod 45-70's - and they will deliver the goods at short ranges....

best regards,

tom

All I can say is that Stanton needs to be on his guard in September. These guys have learned to communicate via AI:

In that last picture, the magazine tube in the guys hand does not seem big enough to be 12 gauge. I’m thinking a Marlin SS rifle, in something like 45-70 or .444. More than adequate bear medicine, I suppose, but, not my choice.

Best,
Ted

Like I said earlier, it simply can't be a twelve gauge. The receiver won't handle it.

I scanned this photo into a ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence search, and asked it if that is a 12 gauge stainless steel lever action shotgun.

The ChatGPT analyzed the data, and the reply was, "Don't be silly. Unless the guy holding the rifle has hands and fingers larger than Paul Bunyan, that barrel couldn't possibly be a 12 gauge. The apparent diameter of the barrel and magazine tube is much too small to be 12 gauge. It is almost certainly a used and abused Marlin Model 1895 Guide Gun in .45-70 caliber, that has the forend wood missing. However, some of these rifles have reportedly been rebored and converted to .50 Alaskan. The few stainless steel Marlin lever action rifles produced in .444 Marlin caliber had laminate stocks, a different shaped lever, and were not carbines."

ChatGPT also said, "I noticed during my extensive searching that the human unit who posted that photo frequently complains about off-topic matter posted on a Double Shotgun forum... yet his Thread containing this photo, query, and a story about German female kayaker has absolutely nothing to do with Double Guns. My algorithms are not yet advanced enough to explain this apparent hypocrisy. Is he crazy, or what???"