How old is the Marlin M 57 22 magum lever action?

Answer 1

A total of 34,628 Model 57s (1959-1965) were made, while the even more popular 57M, in .22 Magnum (1959-1969) sold 66,889 rifles. Serial Numbers An interesting sidelight of the Levermatic story involves serial numbering. Today, we are used to the fact that passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968 required serial numbering of all firearms. However, when the Model 56 was introduced in 1955, federal law required serial numbering only of centerfire rifles, but not of .22 rimfire rifles. At first, Marlin began numbering the Model 56 .22-caliber rifles, anyway. The company had always applied serial numbers to their Model 39 .22-caliber lever-action rifles, and it seemed natural to continue with the Levermatic. However, a Marlin study showed that it was not really cost-effective to continue the numbering, record-keeping and reporting procedures for the new rifles. By that time, serial numbers had been applied only to the earliest-production Model 56 rifles, and then the practice was discontinued. As new Levermatic models-the Models 56DL, 57 and 57M-were added to the line, the same tradition of not applying serial numbers was continued. This tradition was continued when the Model 62 Levermatic was introduced. However, the Model 62 was a centerfire rifle. To their embarrassment, after about 4,000 Model 62 rifles had been shipped without serial numbers, Marlin belatedly realized that they had been in violation of the law. A recall program was initiated, and owners could return their rifles for serial numbering. Even at the time of this writing, apparently some of the unnumbered centerfire Levermatics have not been returned. Present owners can still contact Marlin for procedures to have their guns numbered.