wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin) (06/21/91)
Sent to both rec.guns and the firearms list... Some comments inspired by looking thru the 1991 Marlin catalog: There's been a lot of comments/discussion in the past in both these fora about the Marlin semiauto carbines in 9mm & .45. I note that, in this catalog, the 9mm model is sold with a magazine that only holds *4* rounds. I ask, rhetorically, "what good is a 9mm longarm with a lousy 4-round magazine?" I answer myself by saying, "Not much..." :-) Interestingly, they sell 12-round magazines as accessories. The Model 9N, which has a "nickel-Teflon" finish, *does* come with a 12-round mag as standard. Personally, I find a 12-round 9mm mag to be too small to be worthy of consideration... The really silly thing is that you don't even gain any ease of handling or sleeker lines by using the lower-capacity 4-round mag, the way you do on some other rifles with shortened removable mags, because of Marlin's strange design of having that long fixed magazine shroud extending below the gun in front of the trigger guard. I would suppose the 4-round mag is merely the regular full-length mag with an internal blocking. Does anyone know if this is the case, and, if so, is the block easily removed by the user? I know the .45 model was originally designed to use standard M1911-type magazines, so any extended mag that fits an M1911-type pistol should work in these. However, there is NO mention in the catalog text of this interchangeability, which had been touted as a selling feature! Is it at all possible that Marlin has altered these latest models to accept only their own make magazines? Or are they just keeping quiet in the sales literature of the fact that these are really "any-capacity" firearms, to avoid the eye of the anti-big-magazine hysterics? I seem to recall that the 9mm model used some standard S&W magazine, but don't remember the details. So are there larger-capacity magazines now available that wil work in these 9mm models? (I mean like 20 or 30 rounds?) [Again, no mention in the catalog now of any such interchangeability, which means that Marlin is giving up the sales edge of selling to people who already own the pistols which have mags that would work in this model.] To move on to Marlin .22s, they still sell the model 70HC with a 15-round see-thru plastic mag. They also sell these magazines as accessories, and state they will fit the 70P Papoose takedown and 995 upgraded-version .22 semiautos, which are sold with 7-round mags. I look at a later page and see their models 880 and 25N bolt-action .22s also come with 7-shot removeable box mags that look to be the same; does anyone know if they are the same, and if the 15-round mag will fit the bolt-action models, too? Lastly, for the target-shooting enthusiasts, there is a new model 2000 .22 target rifle, with an impressive-looking Kevlar/fibreglass molded stock, finished in bright blue enamel! Has stipple-finished grip areas, a high comb and deep forend that comes down to the base of the trigger guard, vent slots in the front, and an adjustable extendable buttplate. Lyman sights (rear peep & hooded front with inserts), a conversion kit to change from single-shot to 5-shot repeater, aluminum forearm rail that accepts standard accessories, and a quick-detach swivel. The catalog has no price info; anyone know how much this toy is? Regards, Will wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil OR wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil