Manufactured c. 1883, this is a very fine example of a Marlin Model 1881 rifle. The Model 1881 was Marlin's first foray into lever action repeating rifles, and it was the first in a long lineage of such for the company. Marlin would go on to become Winchester's closest competitor in the lever action market, with some of their rifles being of arguably better design than their Winchester counterparts. The top barrel flat is marked with the standard two-line address and the caliber marking at the breech. The early, four-digit serial number is marked on the bottom of the receiver. It is fitted with a German silver blade front sight and an elevation adjustable buckhorn rear sight. It is mounted with a smooth forearm and straight grip stock with a smooth steel shotgun buttplate.