When you talk about Marlin rifles, there are three versions you must distinguish between. There are the original Marlins, which I call “blue” Marlins; the Marlins made under Remington, which I call “green” Marlins; and now the Marlins made under Ruger, which I call “red” Marlins. Since Ruger acquired Marlin and began producing guns, they have reintroduced some of the classic blue and green Marlin lever guns, and they have also tweaked a few of the green Marlins with different stocks and sights. Now, with the brand new Model 1894 chambered for the 10mm Automatic, we’re now finally seeing something truly brand new from red Marlin. I recently got a chance to put this lastest Marlin 1894 Trapper to the test on my home range. Here's my full review.
Marlin 1894 Trapper 10mm Automatic Specs
Length: 33.25 inches
Weight: 6.3 pounds
Barrel: 16.1 inches, 1-in-16 twist, threaded at 5/8x24
Action: Lever
Trigger: 3.5 pounds (as tested)
Capacity: 10 rounds (tubular magazine)
Chamberings: 10mm Automatic
Finish: Matte Stainless
Stock: Black laminate hardwood
Sights: Skinner aperture rear sight and white-striped front sight. (Drilled for scope mounting.)
Price: $1,599
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Marlin 1894 Trapper 10mm Automatic Overview
This Marlin Model 1894 is the first-ever lever gun chambered for the 10mm Automatic pistol cartridge. With the rising popularity of the 10mm Auto cartridge, this rifle makes a lot of sense, because hunters and shooters can how have a lever gun chambered to match their pistol or revolver in 10mm Auto. The brand-new Ruger-operated red Marlin was already offering Model 1894s chambered for the 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum, and aside from the 10mm chambering, this true carbine is identical to those, except that it retails for an additional hundred bucks.
The 10mm Trapper is built in stainless steel from CNC machined forgings on the time-tested Marlin 1894 action. The finish on the stainless steel is matte, and the little carbine is fitted with a black and grey laminated hardwood stock that has checkering on the wrist and forend. Just as with all the other modern 1894 Marlin Trappers from Ruger that I’ve handled or tested, the gun was put together very well. The barrel is 16.1 inches long and the muzzle is threaded at 5/8x24 and is capped. Just behind the thread cap, there is a black, white-striped front sight from Skinner sights, and it pairs very well with the adjustable Skinner aperture sight mounted to the receiver. The aperture sight is also stainless, but it has a black screw-in peep that can be removed to turn the sight into more of a ghost ring. The receiver is also drilled to accept scope mounts, so you could run a traditional riflescope or a red dot, and the barrel is also slotted about midways for a barrel-mounted rear sight.
Just like all the other modern green and red Marlins, you’ll find a push-button safety at the rear of the action. As it should be, this carbine also has a half-cock you can—and should—use as a safety, and it comes with a hammer spur you can attach to the hammer. This hammer spur is an almost must if you want to mount a scope on the Trapper. As with all the red Marlin Trappers, this 10mm lever gun has the slightly enlarged lever loop. The trigger was nice, crisp, and broke consistently with almost indiscernible creep at 3.5 pounds. You will also find a sling swivel stud on the belly of the stock in the common location, and there is another stud that extends from the stainless cap on the forend. Finally, there is a soft—though honestly unneeded—rubber recoil pad.
Marlin 1894 Trapper Test Results
The 10mm Trapper is not a long- or even moderate-range rifle, and the 10mm Automatic cartridge is not suitable for shooting at distance either. However, I test all rifles at 100 yards, so I mounted a very compact Weaver 6X riflescope to the Trapper just for shooting from the bench and to establish what kind of precision could be expected. With the four loads I used, the 10mm Trapper averaged right at 2 inches for five, five-shot groups at 100 yards. The brand new LeverEvolution load from Hornady shot much better than that, averaging just a shade more than an inch.
Since the Trapper’s muzzle is threaded, I also did some testing with a Banish 46-V2 suppressor. Adding 8 inches and 15 ounces to a compact carbine like the Trapper seems ridiculous—and mostly is—and it effectively destroys the great handling and feel this rifle was designed to provide. However, I also try to test all the rifles that come with a threaded muzzle with a suppressor. For the most part, the 10mm Trapper did not like being suppressed. With all the loads except the LeverEvolution load, groups about doubled in size. I’ve seen this before; some rifles just don’t like some suppressors.
Most of the shooting with the 10mm Trapper was conducted with the open sights, and in that configuration—just as with most lever guns—it was a bit butt-heavy. This is, of course, what makes lever guns so handy, and the little 10mm Trapper was a joy to carry around in one hand, and it felt like it just wanted to leap to your shoulder. Out of the box, the Trapper shot very close to point of aim at 50 yards with the open sights, and I found that I liked the aperture sight better with the insert unscrewed. The stainless-steel aperture with the black peep insert looks good on the little carbine, but I think shooters would be better served with a black aperture as well.
The 10mm Trapper fed and functioned with every load I tested, but with some loads the action was a bit stiff and hitchy. It never failed to feed or extract as long you ran the lever like you meant it. If you tried to baby the lever, some of the loads wanted to hang up when being chambered. Similarly, when the last cartridge from the magazine was fired, the empty case would sometimes drop down into the action unless you worked the lever with enough force. Also, when loading the Trapper, you’ll need to make sure the last cartridge gets fully inside the tube and under the gate or the carbine will not function. To avoid this, I sometimes had to give the last cartridge loaded in the 10-shot tubular magazine a little extra poke.
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Final Thoughts on the Marlin 1894 Trapper 10mm Automatic
Pros
Compact and lightweight
Only lever gun available in 10mm
Practical sights
Cons
A bit finicky with feeding and ejection
From a precision standpoint, the 10mm Trapper shot better than expected. I was s surprised at the near MOA precision it delivered with the new Hornady LeverEvolution load at 100 yards, and with that load at 50 yards, it just drilled one ragged hole. From a functioning standpoint, I was a bit underwhelmed.
To some extent, this is understandable, being the first lever gun in 10mm, you might expect some hiccups, especially with some loads, though I’ve also seen this with other lever guns chambered for revolver cartridges. The problem stems from the necessity for manufactures to configure 10mm and other handgun cartridge ammunition to work in semi-automatic pistols and revolvers, and these prescribed dimensions can be problematic with a lever gun, especially one that was never intended to be chambered in 10mm. Firearms manufactures cannot predict the ammo you will use in the guns they make. For example, as rough to feed as the LeverEvolution load could be at times, the 200-grain Federal Solid Core load—which might be the best hunting load for a 10mm rifle—fed flawlessly. But the few functioning issues aside, this rifle really made me want a 10mm pistol or revolver to go with it.
And that brings up the question of what the 10mm Trapper is for? Clearly, its deer and feral hog capable out to about 100 yards, but as a stand-alone purchase, a Trapper in 357 or 44 Magnum might make more sense. On the other hand, if you’re a 10mm guy and already have a 10mm revolver or pistol, I don’t know how you’ll be able to resist this handy little carbine.
