Marlin 39A- what to look for?

[sassnetguy50]

Are there specific things to look for or avoid on the Marlin 39A?

 

I'm happy with my Henrys but the historic value of the 39A intrigues me.  An opportunity to buy one for $600 has presented.  Fair price? It shows signs of field use.  It is JM stamped.

 

 

[watab kid]

i like both of mine and they are quite different so in my humble opinion any is worth consideration , you do want to look for a pre-remington rifle tho so yes ...that is a fair price and if the photos are of the one your looking at , thats a decent rifle worth the money , i question the rail just a little as i dont think its original , but i cannot be sure from these photos , 

[sassnetguy50]

@watab kid Yes, the pictures are of the one I’m looking at.  I would not use a scope on it.  There does appear to be an extra hole drilled that I’m not seeing in any of the pictures on GB.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Do you know the year of manufacture?

 

If you have the serial number, you should be able to look it up here.

[sassnetguy50]

10 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Do you know the year of manufacture?

 

If you have the serial number, you should be able to look it up here.

I do not know the year of manufacture.  

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

1 minute ago, sassnetguy50 said:

I do not know the year of manufacture.  

 

Do you have access to the serial number...?  

[sassnetguy50]

1 hour ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

 

Do you have access to the serial number...?  

I'll ask for it.

[Long Fingers, SASS#56813]

Might check the end of the loading tube thats attached to the gun.   A lot of them start to separate at the seam. Replacement parts are becoming difficult to find. 
 

LF. 

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

I’ve had mine since I was 8. It’s a 1956 vintage. In my unbiased opinion, the 39a is about the finest 22 lever gun ever built. 
 

$600 is a fair price if in good condition.

 

If you get the chance to take it apart before buying, it’s easy to disassemble and worth a look at the internals.  Simply unscrew the the screw on the right side of the frame.  It’s sized to use a nickel for a screwdriver.  Then the halves come apart. 

[sassnetguy50]

7 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Do you know the year of manufacture?

 

If you have the serial number, you should be able to look it up here.

1980

[Henry T Harrison]

Mine was made in 1975 and is a fantastic little gun. It came drilled and tapped but done out of alignment so you can’t really mount a scope but who cares its a great gun and I have spent many happy hours with it. Well worth the $600

[J-BAR #18287]

Work the lever.  I bought a used one with a horrible action thinking I could slick it up.  I couldn't.  It got swapped with full disclosure.

[watab kid]

the 39 in my opinion is the finest 22 cal rifle you will ever find and i have most any others might throw up against it , if you have not bought it by now you may find that one gone , 

 

both of mine are older - a 52 and a 59 , my era as a young person - i just wish id been able to have these back then , it took me till my 60s to start finding them and buying them , i did have a springfield 66 then bought my mosberg palomino , ut these were nothing compared to the marlin 39s 

[sassnetguy50]

@watab kid Yes, I told him offer it to the next guy because of the extra hole in the receiver.  He sold it full pull at $700.  I'm going to look for an unmodified example. 

[bgavin]

I couldn't find one of those, so I settled for a Henry Frontier.
I'm a sucker for octagonal barrels.

IMO, the JM Marlins come from an era when better quality was the goal.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I once owned a nice 39M.   I sold it only because the Winchester 9422 and 9422 Mag were smoother

functioning and seemingly simpler to take apart, clean and put back together.

BUT..... I don't think the 9422 could rival the 39M accuracy.

 

Both the 39M and 9422 are classic rifles.

 

..........Widder

 

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171]

Make sure the ejector spring works.  For that matter also check the extractor and the firing pin.  Parts for some of the older versions are beginning to be very hard to find.

[watab kid]

i have both the 39s and the 9422 and prefer my marlins but ill not part with my 9422 either , as you say both are classics , i have a lot of others as well but these two are my favorites , OK , i like my henrys a lot too , oh and my mossbergs ...............

[sassnetguy50]

28 minutes ago, watab kid said:

i have both the 39s and the 9422 and prefer my marlins but ill not part with my 9422 either , as you say both are classics , i have a lot of others as well but these two are my favorites , OK , i like my henrys a lot too , oh and my mossbergs ...............

Would those Mossbergs be the 464?   How does it cycle?  How is the fit and finish?

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

55 minutes ago, sassnetguy50 said:

Would those Mossbergs be the 464?   How does it cycle?  How is the fit and finish?

 

I bought a Mossberg 464 about 10 years back, simply because it was on one of those great sales that Big 5 used to have, and I didn't have a 30-30. I shoot it frequently at the range and have no fault to find; I like it. It's very close to a Win 1984; not a clone, but close in style and function.

[Major E A Sterner #12916]

On 4/29/2023 at 1:08 AM, sassnetguy50 said:

@watab kid Yes, the pictures are of the one I’m looking at.  I would not use a scope on it.  There does appear to be an extra hole drilled that I’m not seeing in any of the pictures on GB.

If you're talking about the hole on the receiver that's forward of the side mount scope mount screws, That's factory,   Both my Model 39 A's have it

[sassnetguy50]

49 minutes ago, Major E A Sterner #12916 said:

If you're talking about the hole on the receiver that's forward of the side mount scope mount screws, That's factory,   Both my Model 39 A's have it

Do you know what year your 39 is? 

Yes, the circled hole.  I looked at dozens of pictures online, only finding one with the hole.  That one had a second hole drilled below the first.  I assumed it was a user made hole which the 2 missing llugs should have clued me in. The second picture is a 2009 JM.

 

[watab kid]

4 hours ago, sassnetguy50 said:

Would those Mossbergs be the 464?   How does it cycle?  How is the fit and finish?

i actually was referencing my 402 model , palomino , this one replaced the one i had back in the mid 60s , a pre68 buy that i walked out with and carried home uncased - on foot , life was different then , but i have others as well bolts and semi-autos , all work , some are less finicky than others , the lever worked well in original rifle , also in my replacement , i just didnt get as nice of a stock in the replacement .....i did get a better wife in that replacement tho - so there is that 

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

On 4/28/2023 at 11:22 PM, sassnetguy50 said:

I do not know the year of manufacture.  

 

On 4/29/2023 at 6:39 AM, sassnetguy50 said:

1980

 

My 1955 edition (serial number starts with "M") does not have that hole, but doing Google image searches I find quite a few that do; even some with the second hole like you pictured above.

 

Nice looking li'l rifle!  Sadly, mine was "ridden hard and put away wet" by some previous owner ~ it has some aesthitic issues I'll address at some point.  In the meantime, she's mechanically sound and a sweet shooter, wearing a simple and original Weaver B4 scope.  

 

If you passed on the one above, good luck - I'm pretty sure you'll find one, and when you do you're gonna love it!

 

 

 

 

[Hashknife Cowboy]

 

I have a Centennial Edition from 1970 that I got from my dad as a gift...still shoot it and will always shoot it.  Its a great rifle from a different time.

[Major E A Sterner #12916]

9 hours ago, sassnetguy50 said:

Do you know what year your 39 is? 

Yes, the circled hole.  I looked at dozens of pictures online, only finding one with the hole.  That one had a second hole drilled below the first.  I assumed it was a user made hole which the 2 missing llugs should have clued me in. The second picture is a 2009 JM.

 

The newer one is 1981 DOM, It also has the holes drilled for the Lyman peep site that is missing from your second picture. I have to dig my other 39A out of the gun safe to check they DOM, but I believe it was around 1975 or so.