Marlin 1895 SBL Review
A Comprehensive Guide
The Marlin has a special place in our hearts. So we’ve been looking forward to doing this Marlin 1895 SBL review. The reason for this is that it is very close to being our ideal rifle. You may see this gun in both Jurassic World and Wind River. The 1895 SBL, is a beautiful gun chambered in an equally beautiful cartridge. It has the power to take virtually any game and quite possibly has one of the best follow-up shots of any hunting rifle available on the market today.
Table of Contents
The Marlin 1895 SBL is a hunting rifle with a lever-action and tubular magazine. It has been designed to be accurate, powerful, and easy to use. The receiver is made of solid steel and the barrel is free-floating for maximum accuracy. This gun features an 18” round barrel, open sights, and weighs 8 pounds unloaded. This gun’s safety is located on the tang of the butt plate so it can’t be forgotten during handling or transport. The magazine tube is easily emptied with one hand allowing fast reloading capability with untired arms. The lever action also provides faster follow-up shots for quick response to the game in brushy areas where shots are at close range.
Features of Marlin 1895 SBL
Marlin began manufacturing rifles in 1881 and since then they have never stopped making them. One of their most popular rifles is the 1895 SBL, which is a lever-action rifle chambered in the .45-70 Government. Here’s a closer look at the Marlin 1895 SBL’s features and specifications.
Safety
This gun’s safety is located on the tang of the butt plate so it can’t be forgotten during handling or transport. The magazine tube is easily emptied with one hand allowing fast reloading capability with untired arms. The lever action also provides faster follow-up shots for quick response to the game in brushy areas where shots are at close range. It’s a crossbow-style safety. The safety is in the middle of the handle and when you open your hand, it flips to safe mode. Then, when you close it again, it goes back into firing mode. This crossbow-style safety is a nice touch for a rifle for hunting or target shooting. Additionally, this firearm comes with a two-piece scope base. This way you can make sure your gun is zeroed in, and maintain accuracy throughout the rounds’ flight paths.
Loading Gate
This gun’s loading gate is solid steel and rotates 180 degrees and locks, which allows you the option of easily loading with either hand. The smooth working of its action gives this gun faster follow-up shots for quick response. You can have an empty shell out in just half a second due to the quick ejection system. The 1895 SBL ejects shells to the right side of this gun, which is great if you are a left-handed shooter. If you are more of a lazier person though, it may be slightly inconvenient not being able to just drop out the round on your own without having to turn around or pick up your gun.
Weight & Handling
The Marlin 1895 SBL weighs 8 pounds unloaded. This is great if you want to hunt during the day, but maybe slightly heavy for some people that prefer to only go out at night or on shorter hunts. The length of each round’s flight path will depend on how you hold this gun, which means your accuracy will vary from this gun to your specific body type. This gun has a good length of pull, which is the distance from the trigger to the end of the buttstock. This makes it easier to shoot accurately due to not needing to stretch out too much before you can squeeze off a good shot.
Sights
The 1895 SBL has good open sights. The front sight is a brass bead, and the rear sight is fully adjustable for windage and elevation. It also comes with its screws for tightening it down if necessary. It has two different options for sighting accuracy: fiber optic or an adjustable metal sight. This gun also has a hooded front sight, which you can see in the included pictures. This way when you are aiming down the sights, all you see is the fiber optic bead.
Aesthetics
This gun’s butt plate is made of rubber to absorb some of the recoils when firing it. This also gives the 1895 SBL a soft, comfortable feel against your shoulder. The finish on this one is stainless steel with a matte black oxide alloyed with aluminum and magnesium giving it an attractive look. The wood design on this rifle looks pretty nice, but it may not be the best if you like to shoot in all weather conditions. Even with handling this gun, there is a slight chance of water getting on the wood and penetrating through to the metal parts which will make it rust over time if you are not careful enough when storing or hunting with it. It is also dark brown which is good for blending into the forest if that is where you plan to hunt. The rifle comes with a front sight cover, which looks like it’s made of plastic but it’s aluminum alloy.
Stock
The stock on this gun is synthetic. It has a straight grip since it is for accuracy with most of your shots being short range with the .45-70 Government cartridge. The stock also has a Mar-Shield finish, which is to protects it from harsh weather conditions and rusting due to its slick surface. The gun’s pistol grip is made of black syntactic material, which feels nice in your hand. The stock has a cheekpiece to help you get the right eye relief so you can have a better aim when shooting this gun.
Magazine Tube
This gun’s magazine tube holds four rounds at most with three for .45-70 Government, and one in the chamber. It has a solid steel feed lip to keep the rounds from falling out when you’re walking around with this gun fully loaded. This also helps to speed up reload time by not having to worry about lost shells when walking around your campsite or hunting spot. The magazine tube is polished nickel-plated steel, which helps to prevent corrosion.
Trigger
This firearm’s trigger is curved like a normal rifle and has two stages of pulling/breaking it. The first stage is very light for you to make sure your shot hits its target each time you shoot this gun. The second stage takes slightly more effort to pull back since the 2nd stage is for when you are ready to shoot your firearm.
Lever
The 1895 SBL has a straight-grip lever. This helps with controlling your firearm better when taking shots at targets that are closer to you. It also allows you to shoot targets that are further away but may be on different elevations. The 1895 SBL has a lever loop. This helps with controlling your firearm better when taking shots at targets that are closer to you. It also allows you to shoot targets that are further away but may be on different elevations.
Advantages of Marlin 1895 SBL
Reliable
The 1895 SBL is a solid, powerful, and reliable gun. This firearm does not jam or misfire often due to its strong internal parts that are put together well. You can also shoot it as long as you need to without any malfunctions for years.
Powerful
The Marlin 1895 SBL has high projectile velocity. This projectile velocity gives the gun more power when shooting targets. It makes it so that if you miss, there is a higher chance of hitting your target next shot due to the increased speed behind it.
Accurate
This gun’s accuracy comes from having a good length of pull. This makes it easier to shoot accurately due to not needing to stretch out too much before you can squeeze off a good shot.
Disadvantages of Marlin 1895 SBL
Trigger
The trigger takes a long time to break and reset. Every time that you squeeze the trigger it takes an extra second before you pull the trigger again.
Low Capacity
This gun only holds four shots at most, which is low compared to other firearms on today’s market. It makes this firearm extra unsafe when in dangerous situations where more shells are needed quickly.
Useless in Bad Conditions
The Marlin 1895 SBL is not useful in harsh weather conditions. It is mainly for taking out small games when the weather is good. When there are bad weather conditions it will be hard to find your target due to heavy rain or snow, and seeing your target they would be camouflaged with the surroundings.
Safety Feature
The safety feature on the 1895 SBL is hard to engage. You need to push it forward with your thumb, which is not something you can do if you’re holding this gun at an angle and/or not having room to move your thumb around. If you’re in a dire situation where there are multiple targets, this safety feature will make you lose precious time if it does not work.
No Sights
This gun has no iron sights, which makes it harder to aim and shoot the target. You need to use your judgment on how high or low to hold the firearm when taking a shot. This can be dangerous if you’re in a high-stress situation where fractions of a second matter.
Recommendations - Marlin 1895 SBL Review
This gun’s recommended ammo type is .45-70 govt. This means you can’t have a whole lot of variety when it comes to the size of your rounds because the 1895 SBL cannot handle anything other than .45-70 govt. You can use other kinds, but you will have a significant drop in quality and accuracy due to it being too small for this gun. This firearm is not hard to shoot straight as long as you have a nice, sturdy front rest to put it on. Once you are ready to go out and test your skills with this rifle, be sure to use caution when shooting at something that can break or stop the bullet, which will then ricochet into anything that happens to be nearby.
Before you decide whether or not this firearm is for you, it may be a good idea to take a safety training course. The 1895 SBL is not the kind of gun you want to be fumbling around with when there are dangerous animals nearby because if you mishandle this firearm, it could cost someone their life. There is nothing wrong with admiring this firearm’s beauty or just looking at it while you decide what to do with it. However, if you are not careful enough when handling this gun, there is a chance that someone could get hurt or even killed due to mishandling of the firearm so please be extremely careful.
FAQs
Important Note:
Any activity using a firearm has the potential to be harmful and can lead to death, serious injury, permanent disability, or property damage. Only general educational and informational purposes are served by the advice, graphics, photographs, videos, and information found on Ballachy firearm reviews. The knowledge provided about guns, gun handling, tactics, training, legal issues, and marksmanship skills on this page is the author’s opinion based on his experience and education. This knowledge, which includes advice and training methods, is applicable only in a given set of conditions that the reader cannot precisely recreate. The author disclaims any liability for improper use or incorrect interpretation of the information on this website. Use of this website as a replacement for training or any information found on this website is not legal advice of any kind.
The trigger pull is harder on this firearm due to it being single action, meaning that you have to manually cock back the hammer every time you want to fire a shot. With other guns, they are double action which means that there is an easier trigger pull with less time and effort needed.
Important Note:
Any activity using a firearm has the potential to be harmful and can lead to death, serious injury, permanent disability, or property damage. Only general educational and informational purposes are served by the advice, graphics, photographs, videos, and information found on Ballachy firearm reviews. The knowledge provided about guns, gun handling, tactics, training, legal issues, and marksmanship skills on this page is the author’s opinion based on his experience and education. This knowledge, which includes advice and training methods, is applicable only in a given set of conditions that the reader cannot precisely recreate. The author disclaims any liability for improper use or incorrect interpretation of the information on this website. Use of this website as a replacement for training or any information found on this website is not legal advice of any kind.
This firearm is suitable for taking out smaller games due to its high velocity when shooting targets. It makes it so that if you miss, there is a higher chance of hitting your target next shot due to the increased speed behind it.
Important Note:
Any activity using a firearm has the potential to be harmful and can lead to death, serious injury, permanent disability, or property damage. Only general educational and informational purposes are served by the advice, graphics, photographs, videos, and information found on Ballachy firearm reviews. The knowledge provided about guns, gun handling, tactics, training, legal issues, and marksmanship skills on this page is the author’s opinion based on his experience and education. This knowledge, which includes advice and training methods, is applicable only in a given set of conditions that the reader cannot precisely recreate. The author disclaims any liability for improper use or incorrect interpretation of the information on this website. Use of this website as a replacement for training or any information found on this website is not legal advice of any kind.
Iron sights are sights on a gun that have metal pieces to look at your target through to aim and shoot with accuracy rather than judging how high or low your shot would be. The iron sight on this firearm is not very good, which is why it has no sights.
Important Note:
Any activity using a firearm has the potential to be harmful and can lead to death, serious injury, permanent disability, or property damage. Only general educational and informational purposes are served by the advice, graphics, photographs, videos, and information found on Ballachy firearm reviews. The knowledge provided about guns, gun handling, tactics, training, legal issues, and marksmanship skills on this page is the author’s opinion based on his experience and education. This knowledge, which includes advice and training methods, is applicable only in a given set of conditions that the reader cannot precisely recreate. The author disclaims any liability for improper use or incorrect interpretation of the information on this website. Use of this website as a replacement for training or any information found on this website is not legal advice of any kind.
In harsh weather conditions, this gun would be hard to use due to finding your target being difficult when there is heavy rain or snow. When the weather is bad it will also be harder to aim and shoot accurately.
Important Note:
Any activity using a firearm has the potential to be harmful and can lead to death, serious injury, permanent disability, or property damage. Only general educational and informational purposes are served by the advice, graphics, photographs, videos, and information found on Ballachy firearm reviews. The knowledge provided about guns, gun handling, tactics, training, legal issues, and marksmanship skills on this page is the author’s opinion based on his experience and education. This knowledge, which includes advice and training methods, is applicable only in a given set of conditions that the reader cannot precisely recreate. The author disclaims any liability for improper use or incorrect interpretation of the information on this website. Use of this website as a replacement for training or any information found on this website is not legal advice of any kind.
This gun is better than other guns in the market due to the high velocity that gives it power. If you miss, there is a higher chance of hitting your target next shot due to the increased speed behind it.
Important Note:
Any activity using a firearm has the potential to be harmful and can lead to death, serious injury, permanent disability, or property damage. Only general educational and informational purposes are served by the advice, graphics, photographs, videos, and information found on Ballachy firearm reviews. The knowledge provided about guns, gun handling, tactics, training, legal issues, and marksmanship skills on this page is the author’s opinion based on his experience and education. This knowledge, which includes advice and training methods, is applicable only in a given set of conditions that the reader cannot precisely recreate. The author disclaims any liability for improper use or incorrect interpretation of the information on this website. Use of this website as a replacement for training or any information found on this website is not legal advice of any kind.
This firearm’s weight makes it easy to carry for hunting or picking up when aiming, and if you need to shoot in dangerous situations where there may be multiple targets, you will not lose precious time trying to engage the safety feature with your thumb.
Important Note:
Any activity using a firearm has the potential to be harmful and can lead to death, serious injury, permanent disability, or property damage. Only general educational and informational purposes are served by the advice, graphics, photographs, videos, and information found on Ballachy firearm reviews. The knowledge provided about guns, gun handling, tactics, training, legal issues, and marksmanship skills on this page is the author’s opinion based on his experience and education. This knowledge, which includes advice and training methods, is applicable only in a given set of conditions that the reader cannot precisely recreate. The author disclaims any liability for improper use or incorrect interpretation of the information on this website. Use of this website as a replacement for training or any information found on this website is not legal advice of any kind.
The 1895 SBL is a reliable gun due to its internal parts which are put together well and allow for shooting without malfunctions over years of use.
Conclusion
For those people who are looking for a powerful firearm that can also be easily transported when walking or riding around in your vehicle, the Marlin 1895 SBL may be right up your alley. It is not easy to find another gun that can do both of these things, but this gun is one of them. Since this gun is large and can carry up to four rounds of ammunition at a time, it may be the best option for big game hunting due to its stopping power on close targets. Overall, the Marlin 1895 SBL is an excellent firearm for hunting due to its accuracy and quick response time with firing off rounds. Since it shoots with so much power, you can carry this gun with you on most hunting trips without having to worry about it being too heavy. We hope you enjoyed reading Marlin 1895 SBL review! It was fun writing about something we love so much!
Author Profile
- Gabriel Tackett is an experienced shooter and hunter for over 15 years with a degree in Engineering from the University of Minnesota. He is also a certified National Rifle Association (NRA) officer for 10 years And his passion lies in teaching others how to safely enjoy the hobby by recommending the best practices & products in the gun industry.
