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 · 020

Marlin Model 1893, .38-55, 15-inch barrel

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. 72 ↗

Marlin Model 1893, cal. .38-55, S/N 96930, with 15-inch barrel.

Representative line. ATF lists each serial number on its own line. 12 entries share this wording.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESConfigured as the ATF wording states: “with 15-inch barrel”
  • ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “S/N 96930”
  • ATF REQUIRESMade 1898 or earlier (ATF’s dates)
  • INFOAn antique under federal law, outside the GCA.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States
Manufacturer
Marlin Firearms Co., New Haven, CT
Type
Rifle²
Action
Lever¹
Caliber
.38-55
Made
Listed serials only · c. 1893–1898ATF: made in 1898 or earlier; start year approximate³
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IIIA · PDF p. 72 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
12 lines
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. Wikipedia, “Marlin Firearms” ↗, action: Marlin Model 1893: lever action repeater
  2. Wikipedia, “Marlin Model 336” ↗, type: 'the Marlin Model 1893 rifle, which was produced from 1893 to 1936' (Hepburn locking-bolt lever action).
  3. Wikipedia, “Marlin Model 336” ↗, years: Model 1893 'produced from 1893 to 1936'; the start is sourced and ATF Section IIIA limits the end at 1898.
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
None

Historical context

Patent drawing, U.S. Patent 502,489 (shown for Marlin Model 1893, .38-55, 15-inch barrel)
Shown: the patent drawing for L. L. Hepburn's locking-bolt Marlin lever action (U.S. Patent 502,489, Aug. 1, 1893), receiver and buttstock only; not a Model 1893 production example.

Image: U.S. Patent 502,489, “Breech-loading gun, sheet 1” by Lewis L. Hepburn, Public domain (US patent). Retrieved October 2026.