1881 Marlin Rifle

While the 1873 Winchester is often called the “gun that won the West,” this rifle certainly didn’t win it by itself. There were plenty of other good firearms available, and the one that gave Winchester its most serious competition was the 1881 Marlin. This big rifle was years ahead of Winchester’s first big-bore offering (their 1886 Model), and was the first lever-action repeater built that was strong enough to handle the .45-70 Government cartridge. Conceived by John Marlin, a