Marlin Model 1898

NOTE: this is an example of a previous customer restoration, and therefore the firearm is not for sale. Please browse the showroom for our current selection of restored, pre-owned, refinished and manufactured firearms.

Marlin Firearms may be famous for their lever-action rifles, but they’ve also dabbled in shotguns—and they did it with style. Back in the late 1800s, when everyone seemed to be throwing their hat into the shotgun ring, Marlin took a swing with their pump-action Model 1898. This was their first pump shotgun, a sleek piece of hardware chambered in 12 gauge, made with a solid steel receiver. Marlin’s decision to use steel instead of the cast metals popular back then made this gun tough enough to last, a detail collectors still appreciate today.

The Model 1898 wasn’t without its quirks, though. It had a “slam-fire” feature, where the gun would fire as soon as the bolt snapped forward if you were holding the trigger down while pumping. Handy for follow-up shots, sure, but not without some eyebrow-raising moments! Marlin eventually moved away from this feature as the years wore on, with safety standards starting to catch up to the wild world of early pump-action shotguns.

Despite some ups and downs, the Model 1898 found a decent following, and Marlin kept refining its shotgun designs well into the 20th century. These early forays into shotguns show Marlin wasn’t just about lever-action rifles—they were willing to experiment, and the Model 1898 stands as a testament to that. Today, it’s a beloved collector’s piece, a sturdy relic from Marlin’s shotgun era, when they weren’t afraid to get creative and a little rugged in their offerings.