tri-rail mount for marlin lever guns

[Greg Koziol]

I've been customizing and tuning my marlin 1895 22" .45-70 the past few months as a hobby. And through all the research and reading i've done I've all ways wanted to accessorize it with a nice bright led light with high lumen capabilities and also just got a 3 beam laser and also maybe a UV light for tracking blood if wounded dangerous game animal shot during the dark. Anyways so i've been looking all over for a tri rail mounted for a marlin and couldnt find any so i said why not design and machine my own. I've come up with the design, once I make a drawing in ACAD with dimensions I will send it out to a CNC machinist then for type 3 anodizing. HEre are 3d sketches to give you an idea what it would look like. IT has 6 picatinny slots, is 3" long and designed to fit over the barrel and mag tube of my rifle. Anyway after I get it and test fire I may sell them to interested people. It shows 3 screws but i'm probably gonna make 4 screws. The mount is basically a giant clamp and can be positioned anywhere you want long the barrel and clamped down tight and threadlock to fight vibration. Also not pictured i will make 24 air holes 6 above and below each side rail to reduce weight and help ventilation. The picture shows it to be very bulky it besides the rail the clamp will probably be no thicker than 1/10" of an inch

[Terry Murbach]

YOU ARE PULLING OUR LEG, RIGHT ??!!

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I might have gone with 5 rails instead of 6 so that one could be placed along the bottom center where a light would most commonly be mounted. I assume the removable piece at the top allow the thing to slide past the front sight.

I wonder how it would look in pink anodizing on a stainless rifle.

[wilko]

*laughing* i hope you are succesfull !!! i personally would have no use for it but still hope it will work out great for you !

[COSteve]

I don't share the disdain for the innovative ideas that a couple of our members expressed. There seems to a cowboy parochialism on this board by many members. All I have to say to that is, much as some of you would like it, IT AIN'T 1890 ANYMORE. His levergun isn't going to be used in a 'gunfight on main street' as some folks on this board seemed biased towards.

The OP's idea is a useful addition to his levergun for the use he plans for it; our resident curmudgeon's comment notwithstanding. But I agree with Rimfire, you should go with only 5 rails so you can mount a light or laser on the bottom.

[Terry Murbach]

I don't share the disdain for the innovative ideas that a couple of our members expressed. There seems to a cowboy parochialism on this board by many members. All I have to say to that is, much as some of you would like it, IT AIN'T 1890 ANYMORE. His levergun isn't going to be used in a 'gunfight on main street' as some folks on this board seemed biased towards.

The OP's idea is a useful addition to his levergun for the use he plans for it; our resident curmudgeon's comment notwithstanding. But I agree with Rimfire, you should go with only 5 rails so you can mount a light or laser on the bottom.

THIS COMMENT IS EXACTLY 180% OPPOSED TO WHAT I WAS ASKING AND FEELING ON MY FIRST POST !!!!
FURTHERMORE, DO NOT READ YOUR OWN THOUGHTS INTO MY THOUGHTS ON THE MATTER.

AND LASTLY, THE COMMENT ABOUT "IT AIN'T 1890 ANYMORE" IS COMPLETELY OFF BASE AS IT IS AN 1890 GUN, PLUS OR MINUS, AND ALL THE STUFF HE WANTS TO ADD TO THAT LEVERGUN WAS DESIGNED PRECISELY TO MAKE KILLING THE BAD GUYS EASIER, NOW.

FOR CHRISSAKES !!!

AND SO IT GOES....

[claybob86]

IT AIN'T 1890 ANYMORE.

Dang.

[BenT]

Looks bulky , but at 3 inches long it's probably going to be the right perportions. It looks well thought out for what you are trying to accomplish, with all the add on do-dads that are out there. I could see a market with hog hunters. You'll have to post a picture of it mounted on a gun when finished. Good Luck !


Why is Terry so miss understood ? Where's the love ?

[Buck Elliott]

I don't share the disdain for the innovative ideas that a couple of our members expressed. There seems to a cowboy parochialism on this board by many members. All I have to say to that is, much as some of you would like it, IT AIN'T 1890 ANYMORE. His levergun isn't going to be used in a 'gunfight on main street' as some folks on this board seemed biased towards.

The OP's idea is a useful addition to his levergun for the use he plans for it; our resident curmudgeon's comment notwithstanding. But I agree with Rimfire, you should go with only 5 rails so you can mount a light or laser on the bottom.

My leverguns don't know "IT AIN'T 1890 ANYMORE..." That's how they get used, and that's how some of us still face the world, out in the tall, uncut. So, don't sneer at our "cowboy parochialism," at least until you discover just what advantages our 19th-Century mindset has to offer. ("Gunfights on main street" notwithstanding... I haven't seen anybody expounding upon that specific scenario in a long time.)

So I reckon you'd best make "curmudgeon" plural, Steve, and maybe tone down the perjorative...!

All that said, I realize there are aberrant minds out there ( ), who might take to such a gadget, for whatever reason, and if is turns out to be well thought out and manufactured, there might be a market for it...

If it is produced, a BDC positioned rail would make the most sense. Too many rails in too close proximity will give you the same number of real-life mounting options as fewer rails, IMNSHO... The more rails offered, the larger the fixture will have to be, to allow room for the attachments...

[J Miller]

Greg,

First let me WELCOME you to the forum.

Now, I'm about as traditional as they come when it comes to lever action rifles and single action revolvers, however I can see the usefulness of your idea.

I have a Win 94AE Trapper in .45 Colt. It's an early one with the skinny barrel. Some time back I was talking about ways to add weight to the front of it, well a mount for a flashlight was mentioned and forgotten.
For the purpose of home defense and night time varmint control your mount would work great on my Trapper. Would add weight to the front and wold make it possible to mount a light or a laser and keep both hands on the gun.

Should you actually make these by all means do let us know. And I agree with Rimfire McNutjobs idea of 5 mounts with the bottom one in line with the barrel.

Joe

[J Miller]

......aberrant minds...........

Buck is that an insult or a compliment?

I wonder sometimes how many of the modern gadgets we lever gunners dis would have been welcomed by shooters back in 1890.

The accessory mount the OP described is not for everyone that's for sure. I wouldn't put it on most of my guns, just the 94AE Trapper and only for specific reasons. I see no reason to denigrate the idea or the concept.

JMHO

Joe

[COSteve]

The FACT is that this was Greg Koziol's 1st post here on Leverguns and 2 out of the first 3 responses were negative. Way to welcome a new member, guys!! I for one would like to apologize to Greg for the poor way he was treated. It's just not neighborly belittling his idea right off the bat!

Further, I stand by my position that many here have no use for any levergun (or anything else) made later than the 20's and then only if it's original. This is Leverguns.com, not old Cowboyguns.com for goodness sakes. There should be room here for old ones and new ones, collectibles and shooters, originals and clones, and stock and modified.

We should welcome all legitimate discussions concerning leverguns and be open to other poster's points of view.


BTW: Buck the fact is that Wyoming also has modern gun laws (NCIS background checks and CCW permits) so I have to disagree; your guns do know that it ain't 1890 anymore.

[Greg Koziol]

Thanks everyone for welcoming me. Just wanna say that the mount has 3 rails... one rail on each side and one rail on the bottom. Maybe the drawing was a little confusing. I personally will be putting a nice bright flashlight on there when I hunt black bear this fall in case I shoot something just before dark and have to track it during the dark. And also will be putting a beamshot tri beam laser I just recently bought... which has a nice 3 beam laser that spreads out to about 1 foot at 50+yards but not using it for hunting cause it's illegal in my state. Small uv light would be nice too for tracking blood.

I'll definately post pics up when I have a piece made.

It looks massive in the picture but its not gonna be massive, it will be about 1/10" in thickness and there will be 3 picatinny mil std rails on it.

I'm not trying to trash the classics of the marlin lever gun or make it a tactical rifle, it just makes sense that in 2010 a solid platform is made for mounting flashlights, lasers, uv lights, and other accessories. Since no one has made one I will make one for myself. Why limit myself... maybe i'll sell them to a few people if it's worth the money in production costs cause machining is expesnive.

[Greg Koziol]

the piece on the top is just a filler block so the screws aren't left exposed and so it limits water and grit messing up and rusting the screws or water seeping in between the mount and the barrel/mag tube. It will slide past the front sight no prob and then clamp in place with screws

[Greg Koziol]

*laughing* i hope you are succesfull !!! i personally would have no use for it but still hope it will work out great for you !

thanks

[Greg Koziol]

I don't share the disdain for the innovative ideas that a couple of our members expressed. There seems to a cowboy parochialism on this board by many members. All I have to say to that is, much as some of you would like it, IT AIN'T 1890 ANYMORE. His levergun isn't going to be used in a 'gunfight on main street' as some folks on this board seemed biased towards.

The OP's idea is a useful addition to his levergun for the use he plans for it; our resident curmudgeon's comment notwithstanding. But I agree with Rimfire, you should go with only 5 rails so you can mount a light or laser on the bottom.

Its not like the mount is gonna make the gun look bad its only 3" long I don't know why people get so offended. I get this reaction at a lot of other levergun forums.

[Greg Koziol]

Looks bulky , but at 3 inches long it's probably going to be the right perportions. It looks well thought out for what you are trying to accomplish, with all the add on do-dads that are out there. I could see a market with hog hunters. You'll have to post a picture of it mounted on a gun when finished. Good Luck !


Why is Terry so miss understood ? Where's the love ?

Looks bulky in the pictures but it will only be 1/10" thick. i'll post another pic when I get it made. Thanks

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I know it's an early drawing and so I assume it's just a tad out of proportion. The rails, of course, need the proper bevel on the edges which I assume you just haven't drawn yet as it's an early concept. Also, it seems like the clamp portion will end up obscuring the front sight and thus make the original sights of little use. I assume though that the intention would be that a laser pointer or some such that would be mounted to one of the rails and be the primary means of aiming.

And my pink anodizing over a stainless barrel is a comment born of my interest in the RC Monster Truck and Buggy hobby. RC meaning radio controlled. Most of the parts are aluminum and are anodized in various color combinations to suit various tastes. Upon reflection, I'm thinking pink and stainless wouldn't go over in the firearms market as well as it would in the RC car and truck arena.

Update: I see you posted while I was composing. Your response makes perfect sense now per the rails.

[3leggedturtle]

Hey Welcome aboard. Good choice in rifle and caliber. What loads you shoot in it? How have you customized it? 3leg

[COSteve]

Greg, I got so distracted, I forgot to welcome you to the forum. You might want to post your idea on AR15.com's Lever Action Rifles forum as they are open to such ideas. There have been a number of threads and pictures where posters have had similar notions. Even though I don't have a need for one, I think that your idea has some merit for your anticipated purposes.

You might want to give thought to sizing it so that you can put a liner in it to protect the barrel and mag. Maybe a piece of black electrical tape or something of that thickness. That should both help to avoid scratches as well as resisting slipping.

[LeverBob]

Welcome Pard...I've gone past curmugeon on into coothood...HEHEHE!
Pull up a seat...the fires warm & toasty...stick around awhile. New ideas are just fine with me!

LB

[horsesoldier03]

Dont just make one for yourself. You need to see if you can get patent rights and sell them. It looks like half your work is done already. The drawing is nice, I ONLY SEE 3 RAILS! NO, I personally wont buy one as well as many members have stated as well. HOWEVER, I beleive many people will that enjoy tricking their guns out with all the tac-ti-cool bells and whistles.

[Buck Elliott]

Steve, my inanimate GUNS don't know or care what year it is... I am the one who has to contend with 2oth/21st-Century political nonsense in that regard.

To my old-school mind, anything that detracts from a levergun's quick, slick balance and handling qualities is distraction at best, and a detriment beyond that. If I want a SOCOM-style firearm, I'll get me a Sprinfield M-1A all decked out in the dress that application "requires..."

But, This is still Amerika, for the next while, at least, so a man is entitled to use whatever best suits HIS needs, not mine. Just don't come crying to me when your rifle's appendages get hung up on things in the middle of the dark, and you get eaten by something you'd rather have dealt with differently.

You can't make up for lack of practice and proficiency with Gadgets...

[Greg Koziol]

been working all day on this

3.5" long , 7 slots

[Greg Koziol]

Dont just make one for yourself. You need to see if you can get patent rights and sell them. It looks like half your work is done already. The drawing is nice, I ONLY SEE 3 RAILS! NO, I personally wont buy one as well as many members have stated as well. HOWEVER, I beleive many people will that enjoy tricking their guns out with all the tac-ti-cool bells and whistles.

I will try to patent it, but I don't have a lot money right now. Definately will patent this

[Greg Koziol]

Steve, my inanimate GUNS don't know or care what year it is... I am the one who has to contend with 2oth/21st-Century political nonsense in that regard.

To my old-school mind, anything that detracts from a levergun's quick, slick balance and handling qualities is distraction at best, and a detriment beyond that. If I want a SOCOM-style firearm, I'll get me a Sprinfield M-1A all decked out in the dress that application "requires..."

But, This is still Amerika, for the next while, at least, so a man is entitled to use whatever best suits HIS needs, not mine. Just don't come crying to me when your rifle's appendages get hung up on things in the middle of the dark, and you get eaten by something you'd rather have dealt with differently.

You can't make up for lack of practice and proficiency with Gadgets...

I hear what your saying and i'm on the same page as you... lever guns are lever guns and should not be made tactical and have their history destroyed BUT this small piece is just to add function to a lever gun. Its only 3.5" so i don't mind putting it on my rifle

[AJMD429]

Four PICTURES - two from Marlinowners.org, and two from Levergunscommunity.com...

BEFORE...

AFTER...

BEFORE...

AFTER...


When I am in the mood to be a "traditionalist", I will head to the range or the deerstand, with a blued-steel-and-burled-walnut gun, open sights, or maybe a brass 'vintage' scope with a 20mm objective, and I'll have as much fun as the next guy. I might even wear a coonskin cap, instead of a synthetic 'Thinsulate' one... I APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY AND HISTORY of the 'CLASSICS'.

When I'm out in the November drizzle, to push a wheelbarrow up 200 yards of muck because the tractor won't start, to get a couple bales of hay to livestock just delivered of coyote-tempting babies, I DON'T REALLY GIVE A FLIP ABOUT "TRADITION". I want stainless steel, synthetic stocks, electronic sights, subsonic ammo, and if possible, I'd like a suppressor (...I'm not in the habit of wearing hearing protectors when I go out to do the night chores...). Give me a LASER sight, too, so I can confirm shot placement if the objective is a raccoon raiding the henhouse, vs. a rapidly-disappearing goat-eating coyote in the dim night.

Not to rant (you guys know I never do that... ), but for the "traditionalists" to ridicule the technology and power and efficiency of "modern" EBR's is just as ridiculous as for the "Ninja" crowd with their plastic sub-guns to ridicule the obvious class and tradition and experience evidenced in the beautiful leverguns most of us appreciate.

I guess I just don't see the "conflict" that many of the "AR-15" or "Class III" crowd and "Muzzleloader" or "Levergun" crowd have with each other.

Maybe it's because I see the 'virtue' and the 'limitations' of both types of firearms.

"EBR Leverguns...?" - maybe the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS....

[AJMD429]

If I want a SOCOM-style firearm, I'll get me a Sprinfield M-1A all decked out in the dress that application "requires..."

I used to think that way, and admit I still really like an AR-15 'Shorty' decked out in the 'battle' mode, or even the much-heavier M1A, in 'scout' configuration, but....

...the reason I went with my marlin 1894 as the 'chore' gun of choice is because should I really have to FIRE one of the above at a coyote, possum, or even solitary 'bad guy', the LEVERGUN will do the job, with less noise, less flash, less weight, and more reliability.

Granted, if it's "Zombie Time", and I have to face hordes of zombies, I'd rather have the 20-round detachable magazine, and extreme power of the .308, or the handiness and rapid-fire ability of an AR-15 Shorty, but given the REALITY of the day-to-day fact that I'm 10,000% more likely to see a coyote or maybe two slithering off in the darkness, or a raccoon eating my wife's favorite hen, versus zombies or tyrants or crazy bad guys, I'll take the 'battle' mode levergun, rather than the semiauto EBR's.

Besides, zombies, and tyrants, and crazy bad guys should be equally DRT with a .357 Mag as a .223 or .308, and I'll still be able to see/hear afterwards...!

[Greg Koziol]

I agree with AJMD ... I like that bayonet set up by the way with a marine k-bar... good for last minute bear defense

[CEMENTHEAD]

Welcome aboard Greg! We're an eclectic troop of folks here. None of this meant in a harmful way.....again just opinionated folks here. Good looking piece of hardware there....just not my cup'o'tea, however good luck with it! Some of those guys in Alaska that have to carry a rifle to the outhouse at night might need something like that.

Thanks, Tom

[Greg Koziol]

thanks for the welcome... yea no i'm not offended inanyway, they have opinions and they have a right to share them. Thats what America is all about. I understand that some purists out there will thinkthis means that all lever guns will have quad rails now and ar type stuff...but thats not my intention with this... If some people want to buy some from me great, if not... no big deal atleast i'll have a good mounting solution for my .45-70

[BenT]

Greg , there is varying barrel diameters on leverguns . Is this piece just set up for the 45-70 barrel or how many other calibers will it fit?

[Greg Koziol]

well first i'm gonna make one for the .45-70... for my own rifle lol and then maybe if people want them I can make more. First one will be for .45-70

[Lobo]

Hi All,

(See me squinting one eye while looking at the drawings)......

I wonder if that would fit my Puma 92 ...... hhhmmmmmm

[rjohns94]

welcome aboard


Have to say, since you have shared this in an open forum, viewable to the open public, your patent is in trouble. You have disclosed your invention without protection. Takes about $100 to file a provisional patent. Your time of protection (1 year) has already started with this post.

good luck and blessings

[fordwannabe]

Hello Greg and welcome. I have muzzleloaders(flint and inline), levers,bolts, semi's and even a NFA item or two and they all get along just fine. I think sometimes a "battlerifle" is the right choice, and sometimes a levergun is the right choice, and just maybe a hybrid might suit most of the time> I don't know until I try it and the fact that the new guy is thinking about it can't be bad. I respect most of you guy to the ninth degree, but lets remember not everbody is in the same situation. I have lived in the south and in Montana and now in "civilized" Pennsylvania, each of those places requires a different mind set and equipment to get by. How can a new option in your firearms equiptment be bad? Don't like it don't buy it. Options are a good thing heck I even hear some people drive chevy's. I love a really old original winchester, but I shoot my marlins more often, it doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. Tom

[Buck Elliott]

Deckin' out Anita Ekberg in a Detroit Lions foot ball uniform still would not have made her a linebacker...

[AJMD429]

Deckin' out Anita Ekberg in a Detroit Lions foot ball uniform still would not have made her a linebacker...

But I'll bet if she were out on the field 'back in the day', she'd distract the other team enough that she could just walk that ball to the goals in her own sweet time...

[jeepnik]

Hey, that looks kinda cool. I'm not opposed to mixing traditional with high tech.



And this doesn't even show it with the WWG light mount.

[COSteve]

Steve, my inanimate GUNS don't know or care what year it is... I am the one who has to contend with 2oth/21st-Century political nonsense in that regard.

To my old-school mind, anything that detracts from a levergun's quick, slick balance and handling qualities is distraction at best, and a detriment beyond that. If I want a SOCOM-style firearm, I'll get me a Sprinfield M-1A all decked out in the dress that application "requires..."

But, This is still Amerika, for the next while, at least, so a man is entitled to use whatever best suits HIS needs, not mine. Just don't come crying to me when your rifle's appendages get hung up on things in the middle of the dark, and you get eaten by something you'd rather have dealt with differently.

You can't make up for lack of practice and proficiency with Gadgets...

And that my friend is why they make Fords and Chevys. In my book there is nothing wrong with fixing your rifle just the way you want it and not feeling you have to be granted permission from any of us old coots on the internet. As I said, I would do that myself, however, I can easily see it being the perfect thing for someone else.

Buck, you have to remember that not everyone in the US lives out in the western states like you and I do, not everyone lives on a working ranch like you do, and not everyone wants or needs the same thing in their leverguns as anyone one of us does.

I suggest that we all just try to appreciate a poster's creation only for what it is, rather than how we would do it ourselves.

[Greg Koziol]

I'll post the mount when I have it made. Still waiting on some quotes from local machinists.

[kimwcook]

welcome aboard


Have to say, since you have shared this in an open forum, viewable to the open public, your patent is in trouble. You have disclosed your invention without protection. Takes about $100 to file a provisional patent. Your time of protection (1 year) has already started with this post.

good luck and blessings

Yes, welcome. And, you better get that mail a rolling.

[Buck Elliott]

Hey Guys...

Nobody here needs my permission to do anything to his own gun, or to suggest that others do the same. At the same time, I felt a need to point out that everything new that come down the road may not work out as hoped, or even as advertized...

Some designs become "ageless" because they WORK, in their original guise; others have evolved over time, into more-useful iterations. The levergun -- to my mind -- belongs in these categories... The originals worked VERY well, and later advances in metallurgy and cartridge design have brought the original concept into the 21st Century, without changing the attributes that first endeared the design to our ancestors, and later, to us.

Anyone who owns a fine art print of the Mona Lisa and a magic marker is more than welcome to add moustache, Einstein eyebrows, moles, or big, red lips to his own copy, but please don't think (out loud...) that I might like my print better if I did the same...

If you want something like this on your levergun, I can't/won't/shall not stop you from getting one and wringing out its applications for your own situation. My leverguns will continue to do their business sans protruberances that may interfere with their swift and sure employment.

Only when such additions or attachments become dangerous -- to the user, or to bystanders -- would I put a foot down.

As COSteve alluded...: That's why there are blondes, brunettes, and ladies that look like Maureen O'Hara...

[COSteve]

That's why there are blonds, brunettes, and ladies that look like Maureen O'Hara...

OH my gosh! She is a timeless beauty!! I knew there was something I liked about you, Buck.

[AJMD429]

Hey Guys...

Nobody here needs my permission to do anything to his own gun, or to suggest that others do the same. At the same time, I felt a need to point out that everything new that come down the road may not work out as hoped, or even as advertized...

Some designs become "ageless" because they WORK, in their original guise; others have evolved over time, into more-useful iterations. The levergun -- to my mind -- belongs in these categories... The originals worked VERY well, and later advances in metallurgy and cartridge design have brought the original concept into the 21st Century, without changing the attributes that first endeared the design to our ancestors, and later, to us.

Anyone who owns a fine art print of the Mona Lisa and a magic marker is more than welcome to add moustache, Einstein eyebrows, moles, or big, red lips to his own copy, but please don't think (out loud...) that I might like my print better if I did the same...

If you want something like this on your levergun, I can't/won't/shall not stop you from getting one and wringing out its applications for your own situation. My leverguns will continue to do their business sans protruberances that may interfere with their swift and sure employment.

Only when such additions or attachments become dangerous -- to the user, or to bystanders -- would I put a foot down.

As COSteve alluded...: That's why there are blondes, brunettes, and ladies that look like Maureen O'Hara...

VERY WELL SAID...!

(...although it's still kind of fun to stoke the newbie's insecurities a bit when they want to do something different... )

[Greg Koziol]

thanks everyone for the support and advice