Ruger's reborn Marlin Firearms subsidiary is bringing back the old Dark line rifles but with more features and is promising them in three calibers. 

As a short bit of background, the old "Big Green" era Marlin originally debuted the Dark Series in April 2019 for the Model 336 and 1895 lines, blending a matte black Parkerized finish with black-webbed hardwood furniture. 
 

Standard features included a factory-threaded barrel, a big-loop lever, and a XS Lever Rail with ghost ring peep that can accommodate optics. Like the rest of the company's catalog, the lights went out for the Dark line in the summer of 2020. 
 

Meet the New Marlin Dark 1895

Now, with Ruger picking up the Marlin line from the Remington Outdoors bankruptcy sale some three years ago, the Dark line is back and much more modern. 

Rather than blacked-out wood furniture, the new models will use a nylon-reinforced polymer stock and an anodized aluminum handguard, both with M-LOK attachment slots and flush cup sockets for QD sling swivels. Instead of a big loop as in the past, the new models will feature a new "mid-sized" lever with a flare on the bottom that Marlin says allows for more comfortable cycling.
 

"The Marlin Dark Series is the next step for Marlin," said Ruger President and CEO Chris Killoy. "There is a growing demand for more modern lever rifles, and the previous Dark Series rifles introduced Marlin into this space. We took a hard look at them and made several significant improvements."

Other features include a fiber optic front sight with a tritium ring for improved visibility in low light conditions, an adjustable Ghost Ring rear sight, and a top Picatinny rail. Weight comes in right at 7 pounds and the tubular underbarrel magazine holds five rounds. 

"The lever-action market has evolved in recent years," continued Killoy. "And while we will always embrace tradition with the classic configurations, this new Dark Series Model 1895 rifle shows how Marlin lever actions can appeal to a broader variety of firearms enthusiasts."

Ruger plans to also bring out Dark variants of the Model 336 in .30-30 and the Model 1894 in .44 Mag in early 2024 – so perhaps we will see them at the upcoming NRA Show in Dallas, Texas, if not at SHOT Show '24.

If you came this far, you should know the MSRP on the Model 1895 Dark is $1,379 with "limited availability" listed by Marlin. 

For a deeper dive, check out the below early review from Boge Quinn over at Gunblast.