Marlin Model 1894 Gets Full Mad Pig Customs Treatment at Factory
Mad Pig Customs has been doing the lever-action modernization thing in the custom shop for years. Now that work comes out of the box with a Marlin roll mark on the receiver. Ruger and Marlin announced the Mad Pig Customs Model 1894, a factory collaboration with Mad Pig Customs that brings purpose-built tactical lever upgrades to production guns for the first time. Developed alongside Midwest Industries, the rifle packages a complete suite of custom-grade components into a single, ready-to-run platform rather than sending buyers down the usual path of piecemeal parts sourcing and gunsmith time.
The collaboration centers on three areas: grip, cycling, and the sighting and furniture system. Mad Pig's grip inserts give the stock a texture and look that the factory walnut crowd won't recognize, but the lever-action tactical community certainly will. The Mad Pig lever itself is a visual and functional departure from the standard loop, designed for more efficient cycling and a distinctly modern aesthetic.
Then there's the Midwest Industries package: an aluminum handguard built from hard coat anodized 6061 with a full-length Picatinny rail and a fully adjustable heavy-duty ghost ring, paired with a Midwest Industries aluminum stock featuring adjustable comb height, M-LOK slots for shell holders, and QD sockets for sling swivels. That's a lot of rail estate on a 357 Magnum with a 16.1-inch barrel, which is exactly the kind of setup that's found a home in competitive lever-action circles and backcountry carry alike.
The barreled action ships in Cerakote, which accounts for the rest of the durability equation. Eight rounds of 357 Magnum on tap, factory-finished and collaboration-badged, with limited availability as stated directly on Marlin's product page. That last part is worth noting: if the first wave of Ruger-era Marlin SBL models taught the market anything, it's that these limited-run collaborations don't sit on dealer shelves for long.
The Model 1894 platform has been through a lot since Ruger acquired the brand, and the post-2022 guns have largely erased the quality skepticism that followed the Connecticut factory's closure. This collaboration represents the next logical step: a validated platform, capable partners, and a production route to upgrades that would otherwise require custom work and a waitlist.
Specs list:
- Caliber: .357 Magnum
- Barrel Length: 16.1 in.
- Capacity: 8
- Stock: Midwest Industries aluminum with Mad Pig Customs grip panels
- Handguard: Midwest Industries 6061 aluminum, full-length Picatinny rail
- Sights: Midwest Industries fully adjustable heavy-duty ghost ring
- Lever: Mad Pig Customs
- Finish: Cerakote M-LOK
- Slots: Yes (shell holders)
- QD Sockets: Yes (sling swivels)
- The suggested retail price is $2,999.00.
Here’s a direct link: https://marlinfirearms.com/s/model_70924/Â
Does the factory Mad Pig collaboration change your approach to lever-action upgrades, or do you still prefer sourcing parts and doing the work yourself?
If this post has you ready to hit the range, head over to gunranges.com - a free directory to help you find shooting ranges near you, wherever you are in the United States.
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.
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$3,000 😲
Wouldn’t be my first choice but I could see how this is for someone out there.
All I've wanted for the past year is an 1894 Dark in .357, and I refuse to pay scalper prices. Marlin will make these, 10mm trappers and other calibers of Dark series, but .357 is just dribbling out.