RE: Marlin Slugmaster
i also found this searching on the internet
Marlin 512 Slugmaster
Yes, Browning might be getting the most attention but it was not the first production bolt-action gun available with a rifled barrel. That distinction went to the Marlin Model 512 Slugmaster, which was first produced in 1994. Modeled after the company"™s long-standing Model 55 models, the most famous of which is the 36-inch barreled Goose Gun, the 512 features a 21-inch fully rifled (one turn in 28 inches) barrel and two-shot detachable-box magazine with rifle sights.
The 8.5-pound gun is built on a checkered birch stock. The 512 is actually a close cousin to the Model 55S (for slug) that Marlin marketed in the 1960s, which featured a 24-inch smoothbore barrel, rifle sights and sling swivels.
Like the Mossberg, the Marlin features a shotgun bolt, not a beefed-up rifle bolt. Neither bolt is front-locking, rather leaving the bolt handle to cam into a receiver slot and lock the action. The two Connecticut-based companies are building for today"™s slug shooter rather than the future when handloading of slugs may become more popular and a stronger lockup a necessity.
Today the root of the bolt handle certainly provides sufficient locking strength since shotgun chamber pressure levels barely reach one-quarter of that of a high powered rifle, which must be front-locked.
The Marlin bolt is mounted well forward, Mannlicher style, and notches in a slot in the receiver top, necessitating a side scope mount (Weaver 10M). A heavy recoil lug is set between the receiver and barrel into a recess in the stock.
If you are a fan of the 3-inch slug be advised that 1.) not all 3-inch slugs are the same length and 2.) the Marlin clip can"™t handle the longest 3-incher, the Winchester, which tends hang up on the front edge of the magazine and not align with the chamber. To its credit, Marlin warns of this in its owners manual.
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