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 · 022

Marlin Model 1894, .25, 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 PP. 72–73 ↗

Marlin Model 1894, cal. .25, S/N 137247, with 15-inch barrel.

Representative line. ATF lists each serial number on its own line. 28 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 137247”
  • 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
Rifle³
Action
Lever
Caliber
.25
Made
Listed serials only · c. 1894–1898ATF: made in 1898 or earlier; start year approximate¹
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IIIA · PDF pp. 72–73 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
28 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 Model 1894” ↗, years: introduced in 1894 by Marlin
  2. Wikipedia, “Marlin Model 1894” ↗, other names: original chamberings .25-20, .32-20, .38-40 and .44-40
  3. Wikipedia, “Marlin Model 1894” ↗, type: lead: lever-action repeating rifle introduced in 1894 by Marlin; infobox type lever-action 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
None

Historical context

Patent drawing, U.S. Patent 502,489 (shown for Marlin Model 1894, .25, 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 1894 production example.

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

Summary: Wikipedia, “Marlin Model 1894”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Marlin Model 1894 is a lever-action repeating rifle introduced in 1894 by the Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut. At its introduction the rifle came with a 24-inch barrel and was chambered for a variety of rounds such as .25-20 Winchester, .32-20 Winchester, .38-40, and .44-40. Variants in other chamberings remain in production today.