I won’t ask for a show of hands, but how many of you shooters started out with a BB gun? When I was a youngster, it seemed every night you could find different “Horse Operas” on TV. With shows like Wyatt Earp, Gun Smoke, Bonanza, and Have Gun Will Travel, I naturally gravitated towards Old West-style BB guns. In the early 1960’s, Daisy Mfg. Co. of Rogers, Arkansas, produced just what I wanted in their “Spittin Image” line.
Old West-Style BB Guns – Backyard Fun
The first was a realistic-looking six-gun modeled after the Colt 1873 SAA that they called the Peacemaker. The other was modeled after the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle, and they called it the Model 1894 Lever-Matic. First, I talked my folks into the lever gun. later, when I didn’t shoot an eye out, they got me the Peacemaker. I went through thousands of .177 steel BB’s and literally wore both of those guns out. Now, some 67 years later, there’s a new Old West BB gun combo out that might just attract youngsters and oldsters alike.
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Marlin’s New Revolver and Lever-Action BB Guns
Both of these Old West-Style BB guns are produced by Umarex under the Ruger/Marlin brand. The first, officially designated the Marlin Revolver .177 BB Gun. It looks like the Colt Model 1873 SAA, but with the longer Model 1860 grip frame. Made primarily of high-impact plastic with non-ferrous metal parts like the trigger, hammer, and magazine port loading catch, it has a satin black finish with brown, simulated woodgrain grips.
Both sides of the frame are embellished with the classic Marlin Cowboy in silver. Both the hammer and trigger are a dull gray color. It has a blade front sight and a fixed rear sight, just like the old SAA. The barrel is 5.4 inches long, the overall length is 11.0 inches, and its empty weight is 13.76 oz.
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CO2 Powered
Unlike the old spring-air Daisy Peacemaker, the Marlin is CO₂ powered and works with a single 12-gram CO₂ cartridge. This is housed in the grip of the revolver. It has a capacity of 18 BB’s, which are loaded into what looks like the ejector rod housing. The catch is spring-loaded and presses against the BB’s feeding one into the gun’s chamber when the hammer is cocked.
Parents will appreciate the safety switch on the bottom of the frame, just forward of the trigger guard. It is recessed within the frame, and in the forward position, a red dot is exposed, making the gun ready to shoot. Pulled to the rear, a white dot is exposed, making the gun ‘safe,’ which locks the hammer and trigger. The little switch should be a bit difficult to manipulate with little fingers.
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Marlin Lever Action
The Marlin lever gun is simply called the Marlin Lever Action .177 BB Air Rifle. Of course, this is a bit of a misnomer as it has a smooth-bore barrel, so it’s more like a musket. It is not styled after any Old West lever action, like the Daisy Model 1894, but has a Western flavor, and is operated by working the Big Loop lever, which cocks the spring-air mechanism supplying the power to launch the BBs. With this gun, the lever is a bit difficult to work, which will make it safer for small children. There is also a push-button safety to the rear of the trigger, which, when pushed from left to right, locks the trigger.
The metal barrel/receiver assembly is all one piece and has a blued finish. Between the base of the rear sight and the barrel band is a chamber viewport that shows if the gun has a BB in the chamber. Another hole, just to the left of the rear sight base, is for an occasional drop of Air Chamber lube. Brown in color, the polymer butt-stock has a pistol grip, and it, along with the forend, is checkered. At the muzzle end of the forend is a blued metal barrel band, and the butt of the stock is branded with Marlin, as are both sides of the barrel just below the rear sight. The Marlin cowboy graces the butt of the pistol grip.
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Adjustable Sights
Speaking of the rear sight, it is a step-adjustable peep sight, and the front sight is part of a matte-black plastic housing that fits over the muzzle of the barrel. Below the barrel is a “faux” magazine tube to give the gun more Old West flavor. On the left side of the barrel, just to the rear of the previously mentioned housing, is the loading gate. Push in and up to expose the loading port. Now this BB gun can be loaded on Sunday and shot all week or maybe all month, as it has a capacity of 650 steel .177 BBs! Barrel length is 16 inches, overall length is 36.69 inches, and empty, it weighs 2.59 lbs. A weight little buckeroos can handle with ease.
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Getting Ready for the Backyard Shootout
For the Marlin BB lever-gun, all you need is a supply of BB’s. For the Revolver, you’ll need BB’s plus 12-gram CO₂ cartridges. You need to put a drop of the chamber lube on the tip of the cartridge before inserting it in the gun for a better seal. To insert the cartridge, the left grip panel must be removed. A U-shaped notch in the butt of the grip frame allows you to take your thumb and pop off the panel.
On the inside of the panel is a hexagonal post that serves as a tool to tighten or loosen the screw that pushes against the bottom of the CO₂ cartridge. Loosen the screw, insert the cartridge, then tighten the screw until the seal on the tip is punctured and gas flows into the revolver mechanism. Replace the grip, and once BBs are loaded in, you’re ready to shoot.
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Dressed the Part
I wanted to get into the “Spirit of the Game,” so I dressed for the shooting test in one of my western action shooting outfits. Note, the Marlin .177 BB Revolver will fit in holsters meant for the Colt SAA with the appropriate barrel length. All the targets I used in the T&E were the Shoot-N-C or Dirty Bird type from Birchwood Casey. They allow BB impacts to be easily seen at the distances I would be shooting from.
As the ground was soggy from all the recently melted snow, I used a homemade target stand made from an old “Vote for Me” sign and a sheet of black pasteboard material. Note, the lever-action gun propels BBs at a muzzle velocity of 300 FPS, while the CO₂-powered revolver has a muzzle velocity of 400 FPS. Make sure of your backstop before you begin to shoot or allow your kids or grandkids to shoot. These guns are fairly quiet, so they won’t disturb your neighbors.
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The Line is Hot!
My backyard shooting range utilized my patio table as a bench, and I had a small sandbag rest. For the BB lever gun, I decided to do my accuracy testing at 10 yards, using an 8-inch bullseye target with a red center aiming circle. Keep in mind, this “rifle” has a smooth-bore barrel, plus I was getting some wind gusts, so I felt this was far enough. I loaded up with some copper-plated BBs, then, taking a seat in a patio chair, I prepared to shoot.
Be advised, you should point the barrel straight up as you work the lever to ensure positive BB feeding; you should see a BB in the chamber viewport. I fired 10 shots and noted after the first shot that I needed to put the front sight blade on top of the red aiming circle. Eight of the 10 shots went into a group that measured 1.5 inches. The first shot and a flyer opened up the group to 3 inches.
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7 Yards
Next in the Old West-Style BB guns came the Revolver. I moved the target stand up to 7 yards and put up another 8-inch bullseye target; this one had a slightly bigger red center aiming circle. For my first shot, I held the front sight at 6 o’clock of the red circle. The BB impacted about 4 inches high, with perfect windage. I adjusted my hold in accordance with the point of aim/point of impact, and the next 10 shots went into the red circle and 10-ring. The resulting cluster measured 2.15 inches. Not bad for a smoothbore!
To simulate a western action shooting stage, I moved the target stand further out into my backyard beside one of my sheds. Heavy brush and trees on the fence line would take care of the BBs passing through the targets. My targets were “Gunslinger” reduced-size silhouettes with oval scoring rings in the center mass, and a silver dollar-sized circle on the head. I shot from roughly the same distances with the two BB guns that I’d used during the accuracy eval. All shooting was performed standing, off-hand, and I fired as quickly as I could, much as I’d do at a cowboy shoot.
Old West-Style BB Guns
I only shot center mass with the Revolver in Duelist mode, strong hand only, looking over the top of the gun. All 10 of my shots stayed inside the oval scoring area; one BB almost slipped out, but hit the line. I also fired 10 shots center-mass with the lever gun using the sights. One BB strayed into the outer scoring ring, but the rest were in the 9 and 10/X rings. I tried five shots at the head, but only got one hit in the X circle; the rest hit in the head area.
All in all, I was impressed with the performance of the Marlin Lever Action and Revolver .177 BB guns. They’re fun and inexpensive to shoot, provide good marksmanship practice, plus they’re great starter guns for beginners.
For more information, visit Umarexusa.
Specifications Marlin Revolver .177 BB Gun
MECHANISM: Single action, CO₂ powered
CALIBER: .177 steel BB
CAPACITY: 18 BBs
BARREL: 5.4-in.
OA LENGTH: 11.0-in.
EMPTY WEIGHT: 13.76 oz.
SIGHTS: Fixed notch rear, blade front
FINISH: Satin black
STOCKS: Brown wood-grain plastic
MSRP: $ 59.99
Specifications Marlin Lever Action .177 BB Rifle
MECHANISM: Lever action, spring air driven
CALIBER: .177 steel BB
CAPACITY: 650 BBs
BARREL: 16.0-in.
OA LENGTH: 36.69-in.
EMPTY WEIGHT: 2.59 lbs.
SIGHTS: Step-adj. rear peep, sloping post front
FINISH: Blue metal
STOCKS: Brown polymer, checkered pistol grip and forend
MSRP: $49.99
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