ERA-TAC picatinny rail - Marlin 1894

Introduction

Picatinny rail consists of slots with 5.23 mm spaces between one another, which means that it can be used across its entire length. It is simple to mount and interchangeable – if something is made for a Picatinny rail, it will fit regardless of the manufacturer or manufacturing date. It is affordable, resilient and reliable – this is why it so commonly used by professionals and military. Because of all its great qualities, Picatinny rail has been dominating the rail market in the recent years.

Picatinny is a big step forward from the Weaver standard. Weaver has a few predesignated slots while Picatinny has slots all over its surface, allowing the device to be mounted wherever the user finds it fitting. Weaver's slot is 3.8 mm wide, which is why ring mounts made for a Weaver rail will also fit on a Picatinny rail while ring mounts made specifically for a Picatinny rail will not fit on a Weaver rail. This is one of the main reasons why Picatinny is a far better mounting solution.

Recknagel is currently the biggest manufacturer of mounts in Germany. Their Picatinny rails, known for great fit and finish, are mostly made of high-grade aluminum (a few are also made of steel), which is why they are very reliable. Screws are included. Currently, a common trend among rifle manufacturers is making receivers out of aluminum – mounting a Picatinny rail made of aluminum on one of those receivers is thus not problematic. Their products are marketed either under the name Recknagel or Era-Tac.

About the rifle

Marlin is a firearm manufacturer that currently produces semi-automatic, lever-action and bolt-action rifles. It was founded in 1870 by John Mahlon Marlin. During World War I, Marlin was the largest machine gun producer in the world (they produced firearms for the US and its allies). For a long time, they had been an underdog to Winchester as regards manufacturing lever-action rifles, but that changed during the 1980s when they gradually started to outpace them. Currently, they are the biggest and the most dominant lever-action rifles seller in USA.

Marlin model 1894 is a classic lever-action rifle. It features a unique lever-fire system which works on the principle of repeat-fire. The ejection port is located on the right side, upper and left sides are blocked. Its action has a flat-bottom surface but is round-shaped. On each side of the action surface, there are two mounting holes – that's four holes altogether. The action has a solid top receiver and metal surface with hammer block-safety. The length of the original rifle is 105 cm (later, many variations were released: 1894CBC, 1894CL, 1894 Cowboy, 1894CS, 1894FG, 1894M, 1894P, 1894PG, 1894S and 1894SS). 10–14 tubular magazine runs the entire length to the muzzle – Marlin has kept this feature for more than 110 years. It is chambered for: .218 Bee, .25-20 Win., .32-20 Win., .32 H&R Mag., .38 Special, .357 Mag., .41 Magnum., .44-40 Win., .44 Special, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt.

A: 12.8 mm
B: 47.6 mm
C: 12.8 mm
BHU: 0 mm
Fi: 6-48
R1: Flat
R2: Flat

Mounting instructions

Remove all the stains (grease, oil etc.) from the rifle's receiver with a cleaning fluid (acetone). Once the surface is clean and dry, check whether the screws match the rail and the holes on the receiver. Make sure that the Picatinny rail is compatible with the rifle by inspecting the mounting holes on both. Before mounting the rail permanently, apply a minimal amount of thread-locking fluid 278 or 648 on screws and contact surfaces. Be careful not to get the fluid in or near the mounting holes. Carefully clean the remaining excess fluid around the rail with a cleaning fluid. Using a torque driver, screw the screws appropriately (up to 2.2 Nm) – do not overtighten.

Warranty

The product has a warranty period of 10 years.