The Rimfire Report: An Ode To The Marlin Model 29 Pump Action

Every once in a while, amongst the litany of new rimfire firearms I get to see, something truly interesting comes to the range. Today, we'll be taking a look at one such rifle that I've recently been able to take a very close look at, courtesy of Tyler of TANDEMKROSS. On a recent trip out to their facility in New Hampshire, I not only got to check out a lot of what TK had to offer, but their employees were also more than happy to bring out their personally-owned, unique firearms to our small range day, which included Tyler's Marlin Model 29. This budget-oriented early 1910s slide-action .22 was made for just three short years from 1913 to 1916. It was cheaper than Marlin's better-finished Model 20, produced in relatively low numbers from what we can tell, and then quietly aged into obscurity, with good-condition examples being extremely rare today. So join me as we look at a few interesting facts I’ve discovered about the rifle in my research and share my thoughts on how it performs at the range over 100 years down the road.

More Rimfire Report @ TFB:

• The Rimfire Report: Smith & Wesson FPC 22 – 1,000 Rounds Later
• The Rimfire Report: Rimfire At SHOT 2026 - What Did We See?
• The Rimfire Report: The Vanquish AR-22 Integrally Suppressed SBR

The Rimfire Report: An Ode To The Marlin Model 29 Pump Action

The Marlin Model 29 slide-action .22 rifle ran for just three short years, from 1913 to 1916. This brief production window coincided with major changes at Marlin Firearms Company, which reorganized into Marlin-Rockwell Corporation in 1915 after purchase by investors, including John Moran. The company rapidly pivoted from sporting arms toward military contracts, focusing manufacturing on machine guns and mounts, leading into World War I, which likely contributed to the end of niche, civilian-oriented rimfire guns like the Model 29.

This takedown tube-fed pump chambers .22 Short/Long/Long Rifle and can hold up to 15 Short, 12 Long or 11 LR rounds in the magazine tube. It mirrors the contemporary Model 20 it was spun off from as a budget alternative, but sometimes it's hard to see what corners were cut due to the overall good construction quality. Standard features included a straight-grip walnut stock, plain grooved forend, a simple blued finish, simple open sights, and a comically long (by today’s standards) 23-inch round barrel.

What truly sets the Model 29 apart, however, is its unique takedown system. Rather than the conventional barrel-from-receiver split, a single screw on the right side of the fire-control receiver half separates the entire squared receiver into two distinct pieces. The whole rifle packs easily into a large backpack or a long scabbard. Just loosen that one central screw. While I didn't photograph Tyler's example disassembled with both pieces in view in their full length, this feature was allegedly heavily advertised for field cleaning and travel, and I personally found it to be the most exciting part of the gun since it's a rather early example of a packable rifle.

In 1913, it retailed for $8.50, undercutting the fancier Model 20 by $3–$4 (listed at $11.50–$12.50). This probably meant that in that time period, the Model 29 was likely thought of as the era's budget field rifle, similar to the Ruger 10/22 takedown.

Shooting Experience

On the range in New Hampshire, the Model 29 is as much fun as it is rare. It’s about as much as you can expect from an early 1900s rimfire pump gun, simplified for the frugally minded homesteader. However, I find that the Model 29 still has that classic .22 pump charm, which is something that I think is sorely lacking in today’s rimfire market. It’s just fun to run the gun. Unloaded, it tips the scales just over 69 ounces (nice), so while it’s rather heavy for how slim it is, I think most of that weight is likely due to the long 23” barrel and its still much lighter than most centerfire rifles anyway, meaning that it’s a fun gun for just about anyone looking to practice their marksmanship skills.

Tyler’s well-kept example cycled a bunch of standard velocity .22 without a fuss, just reliable feed from that underbarrel tube. The very simple iron sights deliver tin-can plinking out to 50 yards, or in our case, some steel targets that we had available on the range that day. The rifle probably has a lackluster accuracy potential compared to some of today’s modern barrels, even in the budget category, but for $9 in 1913, I think this might have been “good enough” for most consumers of the time. The few other owners I’ve been able to find on forums all generally praise the Model 29 for its accuracy rather than say it's bad, so I think the general consensus is that these rifles were pretty accurate for the time. There’s no way to mount a scope to the rifle, so we weren’t able to put this to the test at a mechanical level.

Final Thoughts & Collector Status

The Model 29 might actually be a lot less interesting to most people since it lacks any big historical footnotes like when we covered the Smith & Wesson Model 1. There were no huge contracts, major commercial successes, or even industry-shattering innovations, just a short-run economy pump that filled a niche before The Great War shifted the entirety of the United States’ firearm focus to military production.

The rarity of the Model 29 obviously stems from its low production over those three short years. No exact production numbers exist as far as I can tell, but if the collectors market is any indication, it's on the upper end of the rarity scale, making it one of the most expensive rimfire collector's guns you can find today. I once again polled fellow TFB Writer Sam S for his book of gun values. It turns out the Model 29 is worth almost $1,700 in decent condition. That means Tyler's example that I was able to shoot is not only perfectly functional but likely worth a pretty penny to boot. It's also interesting to note the two massive spikes in pricing that these particular rifles saw during 2013 and 2023. Sam and I speculated for a bit on why these spikes happened, but neither of us could come to a solid conclusion. Suffice it to say, if you want a Model 29, be prepared to put up a rack of bills.