Marlin Dark Series Model 1895 Review: Old and New Simultaneously

The Dark Series, a lineup of lever guns that blurred the lines between traditional and modern. Marlin has now redesigned and reintroduced the Dark Series, pushing the boundaries of modernism even further.

October 24, 2024 By Keith Wood

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It’s no secret that lever-action rifles have enjoyed a well-deserved resurgence of late. It’s also not a news flash that Marlin Firearms is back in business under Ruger ownership. One of Marlin’s last ventures before its previous parent company’s bankruptcy was the Dark Series, a lineup of lever guns that blurred the lines between traditional and modern. Marlin has now redesigned and reintroduced the Dark Series, pushing the boundaries of modernism even further.

Among the choices in the Dark Series lineup is the Model 1895 chambered in .45-70 Gov’t. The receiver is machined from steel alloy. The operating lever incorporates a slightly oversized loop so it can be used while wearing heavy gloves. The loading gate and ejection port are standard 1895, located on the right side of the receiver. The tubular magazine gives this carbine a capacity of 5+1.

marlin dark series lever action — The ghost ring aperture sight provides fast action and good accuracy. The rifle has a half-cock hammer as well as a crossbolt safety. (Photo submitted by the author)

This lever gun retains the traditional cross-bolt safety and half-cock-capable hammer, so there is flexibility in how you choose to carry it. The trigger on my sample broke at 4.75 pounds after a hair of creep.

The finish is all black, with many of the major components coated with Graphite Black Cerakote. Since they will be subject to regular movement, the bolt and lever are treated with black nitride, which is considerably harder and more wear-resistant.

Ruger Techniques

The 1895 Dark features a slightly oversize loop for use with gloves, and the interrupted Picatinny rail on the receiver can accommodate a red dot, regular scope or Scout scope. (Photo submitted by the author)

The 1895 Dark Series barrels are produced in-house by Ruger using the cold hammer forging technique. This process creates barrels with serious longevity as well as accuracy. The barrel on the 1895 Dark Series is 16.17 inches long and threaded 11/16x25 at the muzzle. The muzzle comes equipped with a removable multi-port brake as well as a thread protector. Suppressor use has become more common on lever-action rifles, and the common thread pattern used will readily accommodate mounting one. Ghost ring sights were common aftermarket accessories for lever-action rifles, but Marlin elected to mount them on the 1895 Dark Series as a standard feature. These combine a fully adjustable rear aperture with a green fiber optic and tritium front. These sights are fast, simple to use and capable of more precision than many would assume.

A single interrupted Picatinny rail is mounted to both the receiver and to the top of the barrel. This provides a long mounting surface for everything from traditional riflescopes to red dots and even Scout-style scopes with extended eye relief. I mounted a Vortex Sparc II on the forward rail section.

marlin dark series front muzzle — There’s a ton going on at the front: a fiber-optic sight, threaded muzzle with installed muzzle brake and a fore-end with M-Lok slots and QD cups. (Photo submitted by the author)

The stocks on the previous Dark Series Marlins were simply wood stocks painted black. Not so on the new versions. The buttstock is a nylon-reinforced polymer with an extended comb designed to properly position the shooter’s eye for optics use. This cheek riser is removable if you plan to stick with iron sights. The stock is slim and trim and combines QD-style swivel inserts on both sides as well as three M-Lok attachment points. A soft rubber buttpad helped mitigate recoil.

The fore-end is where the 1895 Dark Series really sets itself apart from tradition. The entire assembly is a one-piece aluminum rail that provides a ton of real estate for accessories. A traditional Picatinny rail would be a poor choice on this rifle since the teeth would be punishing to skin under recoil. Instead, Marlin’s engineers chose slick aluminum with a combination of 22 full-size M-Lok compatible attachment points as well as female QD sling swivel interfaces.

Accuracy

I tested the 1895 Dark Series with two factory loads, shooting groups at 100 yards in addition to more informal range evaluation. Recoil was stout from the bench but very tolerable offhand. Accuracy was excellent, especially considering I used a non-magnifying optic.

The 1895 Dark Series is a utilitarian carbine that could easily do double duty as a home defense weapon as well as a hunting arm. This carbine would also be a natural choice for self-defense in bear country, and the ability to easily mount a white light to the fore-end makes it a great choice for indoor or outdoor defense.

Ammunition for the .45-70 is among our highest-volume centerfire rifle loads because of the round’s versatility. Shooters can opt for relatively flat-shooting loads such as 250-grain Hornady MonoFlex, traditional loads such as Remington’s 405-grain Core-Lokt or extremely powerful loads loaded by boutique manufacturers for use on truly dangerous game.

The 1895 was the first of the Dark Series carbines to be reintroduced, with the Model 336 .30-30 and the 1894 .44 Mag. trailing closely behind in terms of production. For a shooter who seeks the practical advantages of a lever action that includes easy portability, speed, capacity and power but prefers the aesthetic or functional properties of a more modern carbine, the 1895 Dark Series is just the ticket.