The Marlin 39 Club

[dfariswheel]

Put the hammer on FULL cock, open the lever slightly.
Make sure the disassembly screw is backed out until it's disengaged from the left receiver half.
Older models have a collar on the screw to prevent it from coming all the way out of the rifle, and if it comes unscrewed, it can interfere with disassembly.

The hand guard can't interfere with disassembly.
You'll probably be sorry you took the fore end cap screws out. Of all the gunsmithing jobs, getting those two little screws back in without cross-threading them is one of the worst.
The cap doesn't want to fit back in place and the screws are extremely difficult to get back in straight and not cross-threaded.

To further disassemble now that you've started:
Push out the tiny pin that holds the outer magazine tube to the front ferrule and pull the magazine tube out of the rifle.

Pull the fore end down slightly at the front, and pull it forward and off the receiver.

[shoot]

To DStates:
I recently had the same problem with my new 2007 M39 I bought in 2009. It happened when I switched from copper jacketed bullets to lead ones. I called Marlin and the tech said that these rifles don't shoot lead bullets very well because of the micro groove rifling. It seems that the lead bullets form a real tight seal that does something to the brass when they are fired. On mine the brass shells are more distorted and fit so tight in the chamber (after firing) that the extractor can't remove them. I had to use the very sharp point of a knife to dig them out of the chamber. It takes a narrow pointed knife with a sturdy blade which I was lucky to have with me.
So I was wondering what kind of ammo you were using and if this might be the real problem. I also started to look at the headspace issue but never came to any conclusion.
Needless to say, I am not the happiest camper when it comes to this rifle and I actually regret purchasing it.

[dstates]

Shoot,

I was shooting the Federal Bulk pack from Walmart (they had the copper coating on the lead). I also shot a few rounds of the Remington Subsonics and had one of those fail to eject from the chamber. I think I've got it down to an ejector that needs "tuning" and the fact that my bolt doesn't travel all the way forward or sit flush w/ the receiver. I tweaked the ejector last night like ArmedBear suggested in http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=450474 and now it seems to grab the rim better when I put a cartridge up to the bolt (with the bolt out of the gun). Hopefully that helps. I think I'm going shooting this afternoon or tomorrow and I'll see if that helps.

My other concern is that my bolt has about .030" of a gap on the front to the receiver and that it sticks up .040" from flush. I think if the bolt went forward all the way and wasn't pushed out away from the cartridge it would allow the extractor to do it's job better. See my picture attached.

I sent Marlin the same picture over email after I talked to them on the phone. Hopefully I hear back from them on Monday. Does anyone else have a bolt that doesn't sit flush?

[JustsayMo]

Shoot wrote:

I called Marlin and the tech said that these rifles don't shoot lead bullets very well because of the micro groove rifling. It seems that the lead bullets form a real tight seal that does something to the brass when they are fired.

My own experience with Microgroove - both in rimfire and centerfire rifles - is much different than Shoot's or the "Marlin tech's" - they shoot lead bullets just fine. I own/owned a bunch of Marlins - over two dozen at last count - so I doubt my experience is unique. Less than 1% of the ammo I feed my centerfire Marlins is jacketed. I shoot thousands of round in Silhouette, long range and postal matches plus practice, plinking and hunting, all with cast bullets and the results are very satisfactory. MG are also easier to clean and in my experience less likely to lead foul.

I've only owned five Marlin 39's and I know there are millions of others out there but mine have all shot uncoated lead bullets very well too. In fact my favorite non-bulk ammo is the Aguila SE Subsonic. The CCI SGB is also a very good performer in my Marlins.

YMMV

[Nematocyst]

Does anyone else have a bolt that doesn't sit flush?

Dstates, mine is not that unflush, but there's a bit of a gap at the top of the channel. The bottom touches, but not at the top. Never noticed it before. I may try to take a pic later.

I don't have calipers to tell you by how much, though.

[dfariswheel]

It's common for newer (1960's and later) Model 39 bolts to not be flush with the receiver.
I've seen them with the bolt not flush by as much as 3/32".

As for "lead or jacketed" .22 LR ammo, it's ALL LEAD.
Some ammo is coated with a clear wax lubricant and some is coated with a thin copper or brass plated lubricant.
Usually the plated ammo is more expensive, premium ammo.
The brass or copper plating is extremely thin, and totally unlike the thick copper jacket of center fire rifle and pistol ammo.

The very thin copper or brass coating should have no effect on accuracy out of a Micro-groove barrel.
The only difference I've ever noticed in .22 firearms is that the copper or brass plated ammo will lead up a lot less in firearms that are prone to leading.

[chicharrones]

Originally Posted by dstates

Shoot,
Does anyone else have a bolt that doesn't sit flush?

Yep. My 16 year old 39AS* looks like yours. See pics.

BTW, I shoot all kinds of .22 ammo in mine, from Remington Thunderbolt to CCI Stingers. Copper coated of not, they all feed, fire, extract, and eject just fine. Well, once per 250 or so I'll get a failure to fire on cheap ammo, but I just cycle the action for a fresh round.

*It does have the 24" Microgroove barrel.

[Nematocyst]

May rimfire match.

Get crackin', maties!

I can't participate (again).
Closing a business (the one that kept me
from shooting much in the last 3 years)
and moving to another state.

But the rest of you can shoot!

Make the 39 proud!

Nem

[Pine Cone]

Originally Posted by Nematocyst

May rimfire match.

Get crackin', maties!

I can't participate (again).
Closing a business (the one that kept me
from shooting much in the last 3 years)
and moving to another state.

But the rest of you can shoot!

Make the 39 proud!

Nem

Sorry to hear that you're closing your business, but here's hoping that you get to shoot more in your next venture. So what state are you moving to?

[Nematocyst]

but here's hoping that you get to shoot more in your next venture.

That's part of the plan.

So what state are you moving to?

Not sure yet which one is next;
I've several in mind (see location).

But it'll be in the north to stay away from this kind of stuff.
(Caveat: link provided for context; let's not discuss it here, por favor.)

[dstates]

dfariswheel and chicharrones,

Thanks for the info on the bolt. I feel better about it now. The weather looks better than forecasted this morning so I hope to go to the range this afternoon and find out if tweaking the extractor did the job. Oh, I just got in a Skinner rear sight so I'll be trying that out too. It looks nice on the gun, that is a good start.

Nem,
Good luck w/ your next venture.

[Orlando]

Guys, please do participate in the 22 match.
Its real informal, we need some more participants. Give it a try
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=520635

If there is intrest in a 50 yd non-magnified class and that would get more shooters we could always add it

[dstates]

Just got back from the range and had about 15 rounds fail to eject out of the chamber out of 50. I think I'll be sending it back to Marlin. I tried Reminton and Winchester ammo today.

The Skinner sights were nice. I got them dialed in pretty quick and they are easier on the eyes than the stock sights.

[JustsayMo]

dstates, changing the extractor is simple. Before going to the trouble of mailing a rifle what about installing a new extractor first?

[dfariswheel]

I wouldn't.
If you buy a new extractor and it still doesn't work, you're out another $20.00 or so for the part plus shipping and the rifle still fails to work.

In this case, you paid good money for a good rifle and it has problems.
Ship it back to Marlin and THEM figure out what's wrong and fix it.

Since it isn't a pistol you can ship it cheaper to Marlin.

[dstates]

The Marlin rep I talked to on the phone last Thursday said he'd send me a mailing label to ship it to them. He also said he could send me an extractor. Should I have them send an extractor first?

Also, how do I ship a rifle? Do I just ship it in the box it came in?

[expat_alaska]

I just found this forum and it has a wealth of info!

I have a Marlin 39 (s/n S10643) that my father gave to me. He had a bad habit of buffing off the worn case coloring on the receiver, lever, and forend cap, but it still shoots great. I wouldn't trade or sell it for any amount of money. It works well on coyotes here in SW WA.

I believe the bolt was cracked when he got it and he replaced it. Is there a way to tell if the bolt is a High Speed (HS) bolt?

Thanks in advance.

[Wayne02]

Nematocyst,

Did you ever get your 39 straightened out? I seem to recall you had a smith do some work on it and you were going to have the barrel cut down?

Did the smiths work help your situation at all and if so how long did it take for them to do the work.

Thanks

And thanks for your participation on THR in the various threads, and best of luck with your new endeavors.

Wayne

[dfariswheel]

dstates:

Since they're going to pay all shipping, I'd send the rifle in.
Again, if it isn't the extractor, you'll have lost even more time.
Let them fix your rifle.

If you send it in in the original box, you may not get the original back.
If that matters to you, get another box at a gun shop, or go to Walmart and buy a really cheap hard plastic gun case.
Wrap the rifle and pad it as well as possible inside the box.
If you use a plastic case, ask wherever you buy it if they have the outer cardboard box IT came in. If not use brown shipping paper and lots of tape to cover and secure the plastic case.

Make sure to put a SHORT letter inside the box with the rifle detailing briefly what the problem is, and include your address and phone number.

After you get the shipping label from Marlin, it should have instructions on it to contact the shipper to schedule a pick up, or you can take it to the shippers depot.

[Nematocyst]

Did you ever get your 39 straightened out? I seem to recall you had
a smith do some work on it and you were going to have the barrel cut down?

Did the smiths work help your situation at all
and if so how long did it take for them to do the work.

Someone else asked about that recently, too, Wayne.

Haven't had it cut down yet. Been too poor.

Other issue was failure to fire on a high proportion of shots. Smith said it was ammo, but I'm not convinced; I think it's a firing pin issue - not striking hard/deep enough; I have recommendations for a solution, but I just haven't had the time to deal with it yet.

When I do, I promise I'll post it here.

Thanks for your kind words.

Nem

[dstates]

Okay, here is the latest on my 39A. I had it two weeks and took it to the range twice, tried 4 different types of ammo and followed Swany's instructions from marlinowners about tweaking the extractor w/ no help. So I call Marlin and they are going to send me an extractor, but it is on back order. He said I probably won't get it until the end of the month or early next. He said I could send it in but that is a week to get there and the turnaround in their repair shop is about 3 weeks (same time to wait).

I decided to give Gander Mountain (where I bought it) a call and their gunsmith said to bring it in. It took him a few days to get to it, but he said the bolt is misaligned w/ the barrel and is squeezing on the rim of the cartridge and he recommends sending it back to Marlin (which they are doing). So I guess I'm going on 2+ weeks right now w/ $600 bucks gone and no gun for probably another 4 weeks. I'm pretty sure Marlin will treat me right in the end, but I am frustrated that my first gun purchase ever has been this unlucky. All I want to do is go shoot.

[chicharrones]

Originally Posted by expat_alaska

I believe the bolt was cracked when he got it and he replaced it. Is there a way to tell if the bolt is a High Speed (HS) bolt?

I don't know, but here's a bump.

[dfariswheel]

This site has info on identifying Marlin bolts and other parts:

http://www.wisnersinc.com/additional...ARF_rifles.htm

[Deere2355]

Hello i'm new here but Im trying to get the right date on a gun I just bought. I have looked at many places on the Internet but you guys seem to know your stuff. The gun is a marlin modle 39. It has an octagon barrel and it's serial number is HS 15xx. I've found some different answers as to when it was made and wondering if I could get some help. I know the gun is worth a little more than I paid because I bought it for $200. I'll try to put a pic on here if I can. I hope I can find this later thanks deere2355 out
IMG_0779.JPG

[kimberkid]

Originally Posted by dstates

Okay, here is the latest on my 39A. I had it two weeks and took it to the range twice, tried 4 different types of ammo and followed Swany's instructions from marlinowners about tweaking the extractor w/ no help. So I call Marlin and they are going to send me an extractor, but it is on back order. He said I probably won't get it until the end of the month or early next. He said I could send it in but that is a week to get there and the turnaround in their repair shop is about 3 weeks (same time to wait).

I decided to give Gander Mountain (where I bought it) a call and their gunsmith said to bring it in. It took him a few days to get to it, but he said the bolt is misaligned w/ the barrel and is squeezing on the rim of the cartridge and he recommends sending it back to Marlin (which they are doing). So I guess I'm going on 2+ weeks right now w/ $600 bucks gone and no gun for probably another 4 weeks. I'm pretty sure Marlin will treat me right in the end, but I am frustrated that my first gun purchase ever has been this unlucky. All I want to do is go shoot.

I'm surprised Gander Mountain isn't just replacing the gun ...