Manufacturer catalog

Marlin-Rockwell

Marlin-Rockwell was the short-lived wartime corporate name that linked the Marlin firearms line to World War I military production and later industrial bearing work in the United States. Its defense work covered Browning Automatic Rifle production, machine guns for infantry, aircraft and tanks, and aircraft-related industrial work before later Marlin reorganizations.

2 weapons

In 1915 the Marlin Firearms Company was sold to a New York syndicate and became the Marlin-Rockwell Corporation. The company shifted toward wartime production, including machine guns for infantry troops, aircraft and tanks, before later reorganizations restored the Marlin Firearms name.

Marlin-Rockwell connects the wartime New Haven firearms operation to two documented catalog systems: Browning Automatic Rifle production and the Marlin Model 1917/1918 aircraft machine-gun line. The same name also appears in later industrial references around ball-bearing manufacture, including museum-held Marlin Rockwell bearing objects.

Military firearmsMachine gunsBall bearingsAerospace components

Notable Systems

Browning Automatic Rifle, Automatic rifle / light machine gun, Infantry Weapons

Browning Automatic Rifle

Automatic rifle / light machine gun

Marlin-Rockwell was one of the World War I production contractors for the BAR, alongside Colt and Winchester.

Sources: American Rifleman: John Browning's Automatic Rifle
Marlin Model 1917 aircraft machine gun, .30-06 aircraft and mounted machine gun, Infantry Weapons

Marlin Model 1917 aircraft machine gun

.30-06 aircraft and mounted machine gun

Marlin-Rockwell's aircraft machine-gun line developed from the Colt-Browning M1895 pattern, with Model 1917/7MG and Model 1918/8MG references tied to Swebelius's redesign and aircraft synchronization changes.

Sources: Forgotten Weapons: Marlin 7MG aka Model 1917 Aircraft Machine Gun, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Machine Gun, .30 Caliber, Marlin, M1917

Manufacturer History

  1. Marlin Firearms becomes Marlin-Rockwell

    The Marlin Firearms Company was sold to a New York syndicate and renamed Marlin-Rockwell Corporation.

    Sources: NRA Museums: Marlin Model 1881 Lever Action Rifle

  2. BAR production line starts

    Marlin-Rockwell began delivering Browning Automatic Rifles during World War I production ramp-up.

    Sources: American Rifleman: John Browning's Automatic Rifle

  3. Aircraft machine-gun variants documented

    The Marlin aircraft machine-gun line moved from the U.S. 7MG/Model 1917 designation to the 8MG/Model 1918 designation associated with aircraft synchronization changes.

    Sources: Forgotten Weapons: Marlin 7MG aka Model 1917 Aircraft Machine Gun

  4. Reorganization restores Marlin Firearms name

    A 1921 reorganization changed the company name to Marlin Firearms Corporation.

    Sources: NRA Museums: Marlin Model 1881 Lever Action Rifle

  5. Receivership and auction

    The company failed in 1923 and its assets were auctioned, ending the Marlin-Rockwell corporate name.

    Sources: NRA Museums: Marlin Model 1881 Lever Action Rifle

Predecessors
Marlin Firearms Company
Successors
Marlin Firearms Corporation
Website links
Marlin FirearmsNRA Museums: Marlin Model 1881 Lever Action RifleAmerican Rifleman: John Browning's Automatic RifleForgotten Weapons: Marlin 7MG aka Model 1917 Aircraft Machine GunSmithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Machine Gun, .30 Caliber, Marlin, M1917

Marlin-Rockwell is a short-lived historical corporate name whose public record is split across Marlin Firearms history, World War I production references, and later ball-bearing references. The modern Ruger-maintained Marlin website is included only as a current brand-lineage reference point; no headquarters map was added because a reliable sourced geocode was not verified.

Manufacturer Sources

  • NRA Museums: Marlin Model 1881 Lever Action RiflePublisher: NRA National Firearms Museum | Note: Supports the 1915 sale of Marlin Firearms to a New York syndicate, the rename to Marlin-Rockwell Corporation, the wartime machine-gun shift, the 1921 rename to Marlin Firearms Corporation, and the 1923 receivership/auction history. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • American Rifleman: John Browning's Automatic RiflePublisher: American Rifleman | Note: Supports Marlin-Rockwell's role as one of the World War I BAR production contractors and the January 1918 production start in the Marlin-Rockwell line. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Smithsonian: Rule Advertising Marlin-Rockwell CompanyPublisher: National Museum of American History | Note: Supports later museum-catalog context for the Marlin-Rockwell name in ball-bearing manufacturing and the postwar merger-based corporate line. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Marlin FirearmsPublisher: Sturm, Ruger & Co. | Note: Supports the current official Marlin brand reference point used for the website field and broader lineage context in the modern Marlin catalog pages. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Wikimedia Commons: Marlin-Rockwell aeroplane radiator plant photoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain reuse context for the Marlin-Rockwell plant photograph used on this manufacturer page. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Forgotten Weapons: Marlin 7MG aka Model 1917 Aircraft Machine GunPublisher: Forgotten Weapons | Note: Supports Marlin-Rockwell's Model 1917/7MG and Model 1918/8MG aircraft machine-gun context, including the Colt subcontract background and Carl Gustav Swebelius straight-piston redesign. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Machine Gun, .30 Caliber, Marlin, M1917Publisher: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Note: Supports museum reference context for Marlin Rockwell development of the lightweight Model 1917 and Model 1918 machine guns from the Colt-Browning pattern. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

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Marlin Model 1917 aircraft machine gun, .30-06 aircraft and mounted machine gun, Infantry WeaponsFirst World WarMarlin Model 1917 aircraft machine gun.30-06 aircraft and mounted machine gunBuilt in: United StatesThe Marlin Model 1917 aircraft machine gun was a Marlin-Rockwell redesign of the Colt-Browning M1895 pattern for synchronized aircraft and mounted use. Museum and U.S. military-history sources tie Marlin M1917/M1918 guns to American DH-4 and SPAD aircraft in First World War service, while technical references document Carl Gustav Swebelius's straight-piston conversion, .30-06 chambering, 7MG/8MG designation path, and Model 1918 synchronization changes.