John Mahlon Marlin is one of the most famous names in the history of American firearms inventing and manufacturing. His name is synonymous with Marlin Firearms, a gun manufacturer that is still relevant nearly 200 years after he was born. Marline was born in Boston Neck, Connecticut in 1836, and he died in July of 1901. He will forever be remembered for his ingenuity and countless contributions to firearms design and innovation.
John Mahlon Marlin is one of the most famous names in the history of American firearms inventing and manufacturing. His name is synonymous with Marlin Firearms, a gun manufacturer that is still relevant nearly 200 years after he was born. Marline was born in Boston Neck, Connecticut in 1836, and he died in July of 1901. He will forever be remembered for his ingenuity and countless contributions to firearms design and innovation.
John Marlin served as an apprentice in his early years at a tool and die making shop. During the period of the Civil War, Marlin took employment at the Colt plant in Hartford, Connecticut and by the time 1870 rolled around, he was ready to open his own store on State Street in New Haven. This would be the beginning of his full-time career in manufacturing his own innovative designs of revolvers and derringers. Part of his genius was his ability to attract top-tier talent, including engineers, designers and inventors, who helped develop industry breakthroughs that led to such innovations as the Marlin Model 1891 and the Marlin Model 1893. Many of the same models and designs that were incorporated into early Marlin firearms all the way back then, are still in manufacture today.
Marlin Firearms initially only produced single-shot weapons, with the company focusing its efforts on the manufacture of lever-action repeating rifles in 1881. From that point, the company expanded out into the design and manufacture of many different models. The impact of John Marlin and Marlin Firearms is most certainly felt throughout the world of gun design and manufacture to this day. His legacy is not one that will soon be forgotten by any appreciators of firearms history.