Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · IIIA · 013

Marlin Model 1889, .38, 5-inch barrel, S/N 29513

Section IIIA: removed from the NFA, classed as an antique (outside the GCA)

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IIIA · VERBATIM · PDF P. 65 ↗

Marlin Model 1889, cal. .38, S/N 29513, with 5-inch barrel.

ATF gives a 5-inch barrel; every other Model 1889 entry in this section lists a 15-inch barrel.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESConfigured as the ATF wording states: “with 5-inch barrel”
  • ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “S/N 29513”
  • ATF REQUIRESMade 1898 or earlier (ATF’s dates)
  • INFOAn antique under federal law, outside the GCA.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States⁴
Manufacturer
Marlin Firearms Co., New Haven, CT
Type
Rifle⁵
Action
Lever³
Caliber
.38
Made
S/N 29513 only · c. 1889–1898ATF: made in 1898 or earlier; start year approximate²
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IIIA · PDF p. 65 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. littlegun.be ↗, years (estimate: partly supports it): littlegun.be is a third-party reference site reproducing price-guide text without attribution, so it is weak support; littlegun.be Marlin overview, listed under "RIFLES: LEVER ACTION": "MODEL 1889... Approx. 55,000 mfg. 1889-1899. Ser. range approx. 25,000-100,000"; start 1889 sourced, and Section IIIA limits the end at 1898
  2. gunvalues.gundigest.com ↗, years: Gun Digest (Standard Catalog text): Model 1889 "Approximately 55,000 manufactured between 1889 and 1899"; the start (1889) is sourced and the Section IIIA heading limits the end at 1898
  3. revivaler.com ↗, action: "The first of the solid top Marlin lever action rifles was the Model 1889"
  4. Wikipedia, “Marlin Firearms” ↗, country: "Marlin Firearms is an American manufacturer" (formerly based in North Haven, Connecticut)
  5. revivaler.com ↗, type: "The first of the solid top Marlin lever action rifles was the Model 1889", introduced as the "New Safety Repeating Rifle"
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
1 change · see below

Correction history

  1. Evidence passEditorial confidence: Low → High. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

Patent drawing, U.S. Patent 400,679 (shown for Marlin Model 1889, .38, 5-inch barrel, S/N 29513)
Shown: the patent drawing for L. L. Hepburn's Marlin magazine-gun action (U.S. Patent 400,679, Apr. 2, 1889), a sectional view; not a production example.

Image: U.S. Patent 400,679, “Magazine-gun, sheet 1” by Lewis L. Hepburn, Public domain (US patent). Retrieved October 2026.