POTD: Winchester Couldn’t Chamber – Marlin Model 1881 in .45-70

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a lever gun that beat Winchester to the punch. This is a Marlin Model 1881 in 45-70 Government with a special order 32 inch heavy barrel, finished in 1890.

Here is the thing about the 1881. Winchester owned the lever action market, and in 1876 they scaled up the 1873 to take bigger cartridges. What they could not do was stretch that toggle link action far enough to swallow the 45-70, which was the cartridge the Army was issuing and the one you could buy at any trading post in the country. Winchester had to come up with the 45-75 to fit their gun instead. Marlin’s 1881 took the 45-70 as it came, and Winchester had no real answer until Browning handed them the Model 1886 five years later.

That mattered more than it sounds. A hunter heading out for elk or moose could carry one cartridge that fed his rifle and matched whatever the local store had on the shelf.

This particular gun was set up for shooting rather than walking. Long 32 inch heavy octagon barrel, 3/4 length magazine tube, German silver blade front, buckhorn rear, and both the bolt and upper tang drilled for a peep sight. Heavy and slow to swing, which is what you want off a rest. By 1890 the 1881 was nearly done, with the 1889 already replacing it.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Marlin Model 1881 Lever Action Rifle with Special Order Barrel.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4097/40/marlin-model-1881-lever-action-rifle-with-special-order-barrel. Accessed 30 July 2026.

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