Custom Marlin leverguns: big-bores for bear, boar and buffalo

Guns Magazine, Oct, 2002 by John Taffin

Enter The .450 Marlin

Marlin and Hornady thought so, and the result last year was a new chambering for the 1895. The new cartridge is the .450 Marlin, and with its 350 grain bullet is a dead ringer for heavy loads in the .45-70 offered by Buffalo Bore and Cor-Bon. So why the .450 Marlin? The answer is simple. Marlin wanted a heavy load for the .45-70 but both Marlin and Hornady were concerned about the possibility of someone dropping such a load in an ancient Springfield Trap-Door.

In today's litigation driven society, neither company was interested in providing an opportunity for anyone to do such a thing. Hence the .450 Marlin. It uses the same bullets as the .45-70. However, it differs from the 125 year-old cartridge by having a belt around the base above the rim that keeps it from chambering in a .45-70. And vice versa, a .45-70 will not chamber in a .450.

Cosby Custom .450 Marlin

I had the opportunity last year to thoroughly test and develop handloads for Marlin's 1895 chambered in .450 Marlin. Now from Cosby's Custom Guns comes the first customized Marlin .450. Brian Cosby starts with the standard Model 1 895M .450 Marlin and performs many custom features.

The action is smoothed, additional ports are added at the end of the barrel to help control felt recoil, the hammer and trigger are polished and jeweled, as is the loading gate. Swivel studs are added to the stock and forearm to accept a detachable' sling, and once again, we see the installation of the excellent Express Sight Systems Ghost Ring rear and post front sight.

To make this .450 Marlin Custom even more versatile, an Express Sight Systems Lever Scout scope base is fitted on the barrel. The Scout concept calls for an intermediate eye relief scope to be mounted forward of the receiver with the advantage being quicker target acquisition and also being able to keep both eyes open and see around the scope. This really helps in close-up hunting situations.

Cosby also specializes in take-down 1everguns and he has performed his magic on this .450 Marlin. Forward of the front sight one finds a double barrel band that encircles both barrel and magazine tube. Directly behind this at the bottom of the magazine tube is a spring-loaded plunger. When this is pressed, the magazine tube can be moved forward about 1 inch which allows the barrel, magazine tube, and forearm to be unscrewed from the action. The action must be opened before this is accomplished.

A magazine cutoff allows cartridges to remain in the tube as the take down process is accomplished. Cosby has a take-up system that allows adjustment should any looseness occur. I have tested several of Cosby's custom leverguns and sixguns over the years and have always found them to have one thing in common and that is excellent workmanship. He is highly recommended.

In test firing the Cosby Custom .450 Marlin, I fired it at 25 yards with the Ghost Ring sights and at 50 yards with a Tasco Pro-Point Red Dot scope mounted on the Lever Scout Base. At 50 yards the red dot covers approximately 4 inches. Once again, this is for fast target acquisition and not for punching small groups in paper.