How I Turned a Marlin 1894 Trapper Into My New Truck Gun

Let me tell you about my new truck gun. This little carbine is short, handy and accurate out to 100 yards. It rides easily in my truck, it’s not too long for a cramped deer blind, and it punches well beyond its recoil. That all makes for a rifle that will handle any critter in Appalachia. It’s also suitable for home defense.

As much as I love lever-action rifles, I never expected to like this new Marlin 1894 Trapper as much as I do. That’s partly because the first test rifle Marlin sent me early on had some functioning problems. But the second one was flawless, and when I started doing some terminal performance testing with different loads, I really started falling for the gun.

Related: Check out a full review of the Marlin 1894 Trapper 10mm Auto here.

Hang out with Richard Mann in his workshop as he dives deep into the Marin 1894 Trapper, why this latest model got such high marks in our rifle test, and how he modified it into his own personal truck gun.

This is the first lever-action rifle chambered for the 10mm Auto. It’ll hold 10 rounds, and there are more than 100 factory loads to choose from. The rifle has a 16-inch barrel, making most loads big-game capable out to 100 yards. A few of these are even subsonic. Other loads can penetrate as deep as 3 feet or more, making them suitable for predator defense.

As a truck gun, I can have it with me all the time, ready for whatever might confront me. It’d be handy and ready for an impromptu hunt. It’s capable of stopping bears—big or small. And I can keep it easily behind the seat.

Related: The Best Rifles of 2026, Tested and Reviewed

The more I shot and handled it, I began to realize that with a little tweaking, it could even be better. First, I installed an XS Sights Lever Rail. This gave me the option of open sights, a traditional scope, a scout scope, or a red-dot, with just the twist of a few levers. Next, I installed a Timney trigger. And finally, to leverage its low report, I picked up Ruger’s little RXD 910Ti suppressor, which makes the rifle whisper with subsonic ammo.

Marlin 1894 Trapper 10mm rifle tricked out as truck gun — The 10mm Trapper tricked out with suppressor, new trigger, scope, and more. Check out the video for all the details.

In a sweet-handling lever-action carbine like this Marlin Trapper, the 10mm fills a niche no other cartridge can. It does not kick as hard as a 45-70 or 30-30, and it holds more ammo. It does not make as much noise as the 357 and 44 Magnum, and there are a lot of pistols out there that it can share ammunition with.

Now I just need to find one of those pistols that I like as much as I do this rifle.

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