Marlin 1895 Dark Series

05/03/2020

Audio Prologue:

The Marlin 1895 Dark reminds me of my once favorite heavy hitter, a Mauser bolt action with a hog’s back full stock, a 20.5″ Douglas barrel and chambered for the 375 Ruger. It was a world class ass kicker on both ends that never left me under gunned in any circumstance. Both rifles are stubby. Both are fast handling. Both have a lot of personality. Both have a lot of potential, but the bolt action is long gone and the Marlin still remains. I think I need to thank Paul Simon for that last sentence.

So what can A person do with a Model 1895 Dark 45-70?

You could go to a target range and get a workout with standard pressure ammo, but that brings the term “underutilized” to mind. The Model 1895 Dark, like the Trapper and Guide Gun versions, belong in the hands of a woodland hunter. The same loads with expanding bullets would be terrific for hunting deer, black bear and hogs, even out to a couple of hundred yards. Step up to high pressure ammo, and moose and elk capability can be added. Keep the high pressure and add heavy weight, tough jacketed bullets and big and dangerous game are covered.

In overview, Marlin has given the Model 1895 a bit more utility… maybe more flexibility than the more traditional walnut stock models. Yes, some of the Dark Series differences seem only aesthetic altering but, in the main, they are also material enhancements.

As an example, in place of a walnut stock is a black, painted hardwood stock with raised black  spider webbing. Black is a popular firearm color these days, but the black webbing also makes for an all over terrific non-slip surface.

The XS Lever Rail ghost ring sight system is a good set up. The standard Marlin semi buckhorn rear sight is surrendered, but the rail can accommodate a ghost peep sight, red dot or scope. With quick detach mounts, it takes only seconds to change from one to the other and scope and red dot zero is retained when reinstalled.

The Parkerized metal finish is durable, it holds up well against wear and tear, it holds oil for rust prevention, and it is non-reflective. Perhaps not as pretty as a satin or gloss black oxide finish but, in my mind at least, it has a better look than Cerakote, a finish that is seeing too much use on new, premium model firearms

The hardwood stock looks good and the spiderweb finish makes for a non-slip surface anywhere the stock is grabbed. Very nice for cold and wet weather. It would also be easy to touch up, so post hunting season walnut stock touch up or cleaning up crushed checkering is not necessary.

The Paracord lever wrap and sling included with the Marlin Dark are definitely… black. The sling is actually quite comfortable on the back and shoulder. The wrapped lever is probably more for people who find fancy ways to tie their shoes so life won’t be so boring.

The rifle has a bit of heft for a short barrel carbine. In the case of the 45-70, particularly performance loads, a little extra weight is welcome. In any event, the rifle is neutral balanced, which is saying something for a rifle with such a short barrel. The silencer, like the scope, are really useful accessories while getting in some proficiency shooting, or during handload development where lots of rounds are fired. For dense brush and dense tree growth, I’d be temped to leave both at home and go with the most compact configuration and ghost sight.

The muzzle threads are very welcome; short barrel, big bore, lots of recoil… all just waiting for a good silencer. Maybe it’s just my age showing, but waiting for my hearing to return after a range session, or after taking shots while hunting, just isn’t as much fun as it once was. In this case, a SilencerCo Hybrid 46 ate all of the excess sound and recoil effectively.

The 45-70 as a mild obsession

In retrospect, I seem to have spent an inordinate amount of my life playing with various combinations of rifles and 45-70 cartridges, both smokeless and acrid black powder versions… trapdoor, falling block, bolt action, break action, and lever action… some standard pressure, some modern high pressure and some “Whoa!” pressure levels. How could anyone not enjoy these firearms?

Most of my shooting is done with jacketed and cast bullet handloads but, over the years, I have accumulated a good amount of factory ammunition, which provides a good baseline when comparing one firearm to another. In this case the test ammo selected was left to right above, top to bottom on table below…