Marlin 90 Is Now Mine!

[ACP230]

I took the 16 gauge Marlin 90 over and under home today. It sat around at my dealer's store for months. I like 16 gauges and finally couldn't stand seeing it sit there anymore.

The Marlin 90 is 45 inches long with 28 inch barrels. The bluing is very good, at least, but the receiver is a plum color rather than blue. It must have been meant to be that way since it is even all across the receiver and trigger guard. I am not used to double trigger guns, but I'll have to get used to them since the Marlin has them. The top of the receiver and the barrel are knurled (I think). It stretches all the way to the gold bead. The barrels are separated by....air. There's no spacer between them.

The wood is a fairly nice piece of walnut. The buttstock has a few scratches. There are a couple of larger dings and on the foreend. Maybe from going in the thick stuff after grouse here in the U.P. It will probably pick up some more next month when grouse season starts here. There's Pachmyer recoil pad on it, looks too new to be original. It feels good though, so I have no plans to take it off.

I tried to buy a Marlin 90 at an auction 15 years ago. My high school shop teacher outbid me. I've never seen another one, here or anywhere, except for a couple of 20 gauges and one 12 on the Net.

I'm grinning a "new shotgun" grin tonight. I should have bought a few more 16 gauge shells while I was out today.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Great!! Let us know how it does on grouse. It's probably choked a little tight, but only patterning will tell.

 

[ACP230]

I went to the range to shoot steel tonight and brought the Marlin 90 along to try it out.
I had my son staple up four International Silhouette targets with the plain side toward the firing line. I walked out to about 40 yards and fired one shot at each set of targets. Turns out the front trigger fires the bottom barrel and throws what looks like a improved cylinder pattern.

The top barrel went a little high, but looks tighter than the bottom one. My guess is that I have a gun choked improved cylinder and modified. There's no choke markings on the gun at all.

I was using Federal loads with one and an eighth ounces of six shot. I killed a grouse with my old 16 gauge Model 12 a few years ago. I don't remember these loads being such kickers in the Model 12. Of course, I had a lot heavier clothes on then too.

We had planned to shoot some hand-thrown clays before shooting the plates, but both my son and I forgot to pack them.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Most two trigger O/Us have the front trigger fire the bottom barrel. IC and Mod is good for upland hunting. Hopefully that top barrel is not too far out of regulation. I'd try it on paper at 25 yards, since grouse are on the agenda.

Those have a fair amount of drop in the stock. It's likely that a pad would be a good idea also. This may be a bit lighter than your Model 12 also.

You may want to get some 7/8 oz or one oz loads the 16 was designed for.

Have fun....

 

[ACP230]

There's a Pachmayr pad installed on the gun already. I was surprised that it didn't work better. I have been shooting light 12 and 20 gauge loads. My Mossberg 590 evidently has a much better pad.

Sixteen gauge shells are available here, but the selection isn't too good.
I may have to grab what I can find.

 

[Dave McCracken]

The stock dimensions may be a little further off than you're used too. Work on your form, and get light loads. Or make them, a Lee Loadall for $40 or less makes sense.

You also may have short chambers. That ups pressures and kick big time. A smith can tell.

 

[ACP230]

Dave:
Got any idea when manufacturers standardized on the two and three quarter inch shell?
Marlin made the Model 90 from 1937-'58, according to my Gun Trader's Guide. It also says my gun was made after 1949 because it has no rib between the barrels.

The fired shells extract rather than eject, but they come out without any problems and look normal.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Most makers had switched by 1930, so you're OK there. As for extractors, no probs. That means you don't have to chase hulls.

 

[ACP230]

I had my wife pick me up a couple boxes of 16 gauge game loads at Wal-Mart today. One ounce of sixes instead of an ounce and an eighth.
I plan to try those sometime this week.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Back in the old days when I slew things with a 16, only goose loads were 1 1/8 oz. Most loads were 1 oz and a few were 7/8 oz. These were much more comfortable to shoot and quite effective.

If I had a 16, I'd be reloading for it....

 

[ACP230]

Somewhere around here I have a Lee Loader for the 16 gauge.
I also have a bag of eight shot and a 1,000 Federal shotgun primers.
I may even have some wads.
Maybe I should find all of them.

 

[Dave McCracken]

" Maybe I should find all of them"....

Yes.

Much as I like and cherish 16s, I have to admit the variety of ammo commonly available leaves a bit to be desired. There's no equivalent of a trap load, for instance, a hard shot, tight pattern workhorse suitable for uplands and dove.

Unless one's in a position to bulk buy 10 cases at a time, getting stuff from the mail order places tends to be hit or miss. Hard to be consistent with variegated ammo.

Reloading solves all of that,and ensures a steady supply of good 16 gauge ammo.