doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Marble Game Getters

I hope this is the right forum... feel free to move as needed. Anyway, I've had an affinity for Marble's Game Getter's for over 40 years. They've come & gone... always regretting letting go of them after they go to their new homes... This past fall, two showed up that were in very nice condition. A 1908-B in it's original wooden box. And a 1921 with it's shoulder holster. Due to ATF restrictions, I had the owner remove the barreled portion and had him give them to a friend at the show. I brought the lower portions home. I had my friend ship them to a machinist in South Dakota to make new 18" barrels and change them out. It took a couple months, but the barrels arrived a few weeks ago and I was able to put them together. Here's a few before & after pics:



Here's what they look like after the new barrels have been installed and replaced the bent stock on the 1921...


The story doesn't stop there... At last weeks Las Vegas Antique Gun Show, two more needed to be adopted... another 1908 and a 1921.... both in like new condition. No box, but both had holsters. The 1908 (A-model) has 6" extensions on the wire stock. The extensions are very well done, but something I've never seen before. Alas, they both were in need of new barrels. Same procedure took place, barreled top halves removed and safely held by a good friend for shipment. The lowers came home... I installed a nice top half on the 1921 that was waiting in my safe. It will do until the correct one is available... Here's the current happy family.


I'm always interested in related items, especially holsters. I need a nice 12" holster for the 1908... any help would be appreciated...

Those are awesome! .22 over .410?

Yes... the 1908 can be .22 over 44 Game Getter (round ball) or 2" .410. There are also a few .22 over 25-20 and .22 over .32-20. The 1921 models are .22 over 2 1/2" .410.
There is a prototype fixed stock rifle too...


And three known remaining prototype folding Game Getter's....

About 50 years ago I had a 1921 Model in .22/.410.

I suspect that the .410 barrel may have been re-chambered to 3” as I remember the folding stock used to bend out of shape when it was fired as a .410. That may have been using Remington 3” Skeet loads.

I saw a small collection of Marble Game Getter's and Ithaca Auto & Burglar guns a few years ago on display at a Pennsylvania Gun Collector's Assn. Gun show. I always thought they were cool, and could never understand why they, especially the Game Getter's, were restricted as AOW's under the NFA. Even with the shorter barrels, they wouldn't be very concealable compared to many there firearms.

Was there some recent change in the regulations concerning these guns? I had heard you now only need a C&R license to transfer them, but don't know if that is at all accurate. You seem to have been particularly cautious about keeping a great distance between the frames and the original shorter barrels?

I believe, with original barrels they would be "Any other weapons"- $5 tax stamp, not $200.
Mike

I've often wondered if short barrels could have a sleeve welded at the muzzle to make them over 18". Ugly but legal?

There are several mitigating issues with short Game Getter's. It is best if people get a written response from their local ATF office regarding obtaining or selling. I'm doing what I was told about how to keep on the right side of the law... Welding an extension till the barrel was over 18" was one of the options that was acceptable to my ATF rep. If the gun was well worn and not really collector quality, that would be the most logical thing to do. YMMV

Short barrels are still considered NFA items according to my areas ATF director... My brother inlaw (FFL holder) and I bought the contents of an old sporting goods / junk shop that had over 400 guns, including some "de-wat" machine guns and other items that had been amnestied in 1968. We were given the paperwork and told that should be it... loaded the truck & van and after getting home, I started to research the "de-wat" items and the next morning took them to a 07 FFL friend and got them on his books so we could deal with the issue of proper transfer... it's been 6 years now, and things haven't been cleared up. The "executor" of the estate isn't cooperating with signing off on the transfer paperwork... my suspicion is that he sold over 30 other amnestied items without knowing and now realizes he is in hot water... the reason for the number is that he gave me the entire amnesty paperwork file... Vicker's machine gun, Browning machine guns, German machine guns, short barreled shotguns, short barreled rifles... they had all been "display" items on the shop walls. Most weren't anything special, "truck" guns, sporterized military rifles, tubs of well worn pistols... and derelict shotguns, but it was worth the $18k we spent. So, yes, I am cautious... no sense in taking unnecessary risks when I don't have to. Here's a few pics of the shop... it was full of stuff, mostly junk, but there were 18 antique display cases, a bunch of saddles, vintage guitars (some were pretty nice), ammo, reloading gear, tools, 1950's & 60's Winchester, Remington, Browning and Savage store advertising and lots of dug relic guns... if you look close at the guns in the last pic, you will see the DeWat items... 2 PPSH machine guns, a Japanese knee morter and a WWII German - Wa marked .22 machine gun that we've been told was for training aircraft gunners...

All this useless kerfuffle because a few gangsters happened to use full-auto guns. There went our garden and trappers guns.