Marlin 1897 Date of Manufacture

[Pop Watts]

Hi guys,
Just bought - sight unseen - a Marlin 1897 .22
Serial number is 3679xx
Had a search but am totally confused about numbers and dates.
Are there other ways to date these rifles??? eg flat or round top receiver, drilled and tapped receiver, oct barrell etc
Would love a bit of help.
Thanks,
Pop.

[Griff]

From Arms Collectors.com:

MARLIN
DATES OF MANUFACTURE
For compete information see William S. Brophy, Marlin Firearms, especially pages 628-631

Marlin Lever Action Rifle Serial Numbers 1883 to 1906
(Including Models 1881, 1888, 1889, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895 and 1897.) Note that records are chaotic as all models were numbered in a single serial number range, and numbers are often duplicated, and the dates recorded are apparently shipping dates, not dates of manufacture. Brophy studied the records and came up with the following as dates of manufacture.

Your number yielded the following:
3679xx The number entered is outside the range stored in our database (high)

[jdad]

The rifle's going to be a "flat top" Model '97, post 1906, with 2 screws on the top rear of the receiver, for the new Hepburn receiver sight.

If it has 2 screws along the left top side of the receiver, for the new style ejector, and 1 extra screw on the front top of the receiver, for the new cartridge guide, then your rifle is post 1908.

Hope this helps