The Marlin 39 Club

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39a and lack of ammo

Yes, Fast Frank, you are so on the money about the situation. I found some sub-sonic .22 ammo in the Walmart store here a couple of months ago. I know the lady that works some in that department; I met her while we both were taking a CCW course. When I saw the ammo on the shelf, I looked at her and asked how many can I have? She kinda frowned and said only 3. She knew that if I was allowed, I would buy all 14 boxes that were on the shelf! That's the only ammo I've seen there in a long time. I have been to the Impact store in Boise 3 times; but only found .22 ammo twice. I was allowed 2 boxes of LR and 2 boxes of longs on the first visit, only 1 box of LR on the next visit, and I found none on the last visit. I saw an article on MSN 's website a few days ago stating that the US was finally slowing down on gun purchases. I wonder why? I know I haven't bought a gun in quite a while. Why would I buy a gun if I can't get ammo for it? When will the dealers, retailers, AND the buying public wise up and say OK, enough; if I can't get ammo, I will not buy a single gun! If gun sales suddenly stopped, I'll bet my last dollar that it wouldn't take long before something changed. I'm sure that gun sales are down quite a bit and I really believe most of it's because of the ammo shortage. The USA has always had guns and ammo for sale! Now it's only guns. It's sad, ridiculous, disheartening, and to me, actually scary. I'm afraid to burn my ammo because I may not find anymore and then need it when it all he-- breaks loose. My 39a is sure getting restless!!
 
I'm almost totally out of .22LR also, havent seen any in a long time now. But a couple of stores around here have lots of .22 Mag ammo on the shelfs :D! $13 for a box of 50 is hard on the wallet, but the 9422M still gives me some leveraction time without the cost of .44 Mag ammo to feed the 1894.
 
Lack of 22 ammo

I have about 2-3K of 22 ammo.I checked some of my favorite online stores Cabelas and a few others no dice.When to my local guy a 22 box of 500 less that 20 bucks.Oh the have sites for the same ammo they want 50-60 bucks I say screw them where the sun dont shine.I will shop locally for ammo and my guns.Just read a article in American Rifleman saying the ammo manufacturers are going 24X7 where is the ammo already.With it being cold in NJ and I can shoot indoors but would rather shoot outdoors OK i feel better just saying oh before I end let me wish you all Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year to all Marlin 39 members
 
.22 ammo shortage

Well I was out driving around yesterday with a little free time on my hands and saw a sign in front of a pawn shop that said in bold letters we have .22LR and .22Mag ammo for sale. So I stopped in to check it out, $20 for 100 rounds of .22LR, or $20 for 50 rounds of .22Mag and there were guys in there buying it at that price. Just to high for me, so I headed over to Walmart to see what they had and as usual they didnt have any .22 ammo at all, So I asked the sporting goods manager when she thought they would get more .22 ammo in? She said they get a shipment of .22 ammo in every week on Mondays and put it out on Tusedays, but she said you kind of have to hang around the store on Tuesday because their is a group of people waiting around, and when they roll it out it gose very fast! It never even crossed my mind before to spend half a day nocking around a Walmart waiting to buy a couple boxes of .22 ammo!

So a little bit frustrated I thought I'd go see what Gander had, I first went over to the used guns to see what was on the rack, the only thing of intrest was a nice used 336. So as I'm looking at the rifle I ask the clerk if they have any .22 ammo. He gives me a big smile and says we get a shipment in every Tuesday and sell it on Wensday, That sounded kind of strange so I said you sell out of it all every week on the day you put in out? He says yes the store opens at 8am and its totally gone every week by 8:30! But he said if you want to buy some be at the door at least an hour early! Now this was starting was starting to sound crazy, a line of people standing outside the store for an hour or more evey week to but a 2 box limit of .22 ammo!


Maybe this is the norm now and I'm just that far out of the loop, for the last couple year I've been stroling past the empty ammo shelfs hopping to get lucky and see a box of ammo for sale, It never dawned on me that it never hits the shelfs! I left Gander and went to the small gun shop in the old part of town that had a mountian of .22Mag ammo that I had been buying a box or two every couple weeks for $13 for 50 rounds, They were all totally gone. But they had .22 Shorts $9 for 100 rounds! I picked up two boxs of them and I will get to use the 39M next weekend! First time since last spring.:)
 
Regarding my 5 year old 39a, the front forehand stock rocks back and forth. I am not a gunsmith and is there a proposed solution? Or how to.

For those short on .22LR ammo, may I suggest ordering a case from your lgs. In the meantime, pickup what you can. IMO, this shortage will carry through 2014.
 
Regarding my 5 year old 39a, the front forehand stock rocks back and forth

That's an odd one I haven't seen.
If the fore end is the standard 39-A rifle with a steel cap with two screws on the sides, the usual problem is that they're so tight you can't get it back together.

Unless the wood has somehow shrunk the only thing I can think of is that someone had it apart, couldn't get it back together and sanded or filed the wood.

A common defect of Marlin 39-A rifles is because the fore end cap and fore end are so hard to get back together, it's common to see them with the two screws cross-threaded.

I'd hesitate to disassemble it because it is so touchy about reassembly, but that may be the only way to find out the problem.
Under the fore end cap is a stamped or milled steel fore end tenon or cross piece dovetailed into the barrel.
The fore end slips into the front of the receiver and is held tightly in place by the tenon.
The cap slips over the cross piece and the screws go into the tenon to lock it all together.

If someone altered the wood to make it go together, you could build it back up with some epoxy.

Here's a schematic of the 39-A.

http://www.stevespages.com/ipb-marlin-39a.html
 
I received an "Original Golden 39A" as a very thrilled 8 year old some 30+ years ago. It is still one of my favorite guns to shoot, even if the fit is a little silly.
 
First time with rifle

I bought a 1969 39A a month or so ago and just had a chance to shoot it on Christmas Day. It really is everything I've heard about them. Shoots better than I can aim it and the action is unbelievable.
What a wonderful gun.
It has the original period scope on it. Is there any advantage to the Skinner sights I see a lot of discussion about here on the forum?
 
Ragweed said:
Is there any advantage to the Skinner sights I see a lot of discussion about here on the forum?

That depends entirely on the quality and condition of your scope.

Many of those "Period Correct" scopes that sold for $15 at Kmart back in the '70s were almost useless when they were new, and that was 40+ years ago. They were dark and fuzzy to look through, and the crosshair adjustments were erratic and unreliable.

Sure, some of the better quality scopes of the day offered a usable picture and the steel bodied Weavers of the time (and some others) were quality optics.

The Skinner Peep Sight is a quality piece that will maintain it's zero well once sighted in, and offers a clear precise sight picture.

There's a chance that even without magnification The skinner's sight picture is better than that offered by a tired old cheapo Tasco.

So, The answer to your question can be found by looking through your scope.

If the picture in your scope is big, bright, crystal clear, and better than what you see with your naked eye then NO- the Skinner will offer no advantage.

If the picture you see in your scope looks like the scope is full of dirty water, then YES- The skinners will be an improvement.

For many people, the aesthetics of how the accessories look on the rifle is of more importance than the actual ability to put rounds on target. In this case, Go with whatever makes you happy.
 
I've got an early one I bought about ten years ago. Just haven't had the time to take it out yet. Sad isn't it.
 
A Challenge

Here it is, 2014.

The ammo situation is bad. Real bad.

And the interest level here in the 39 club reflects the ammo situation directly.

In previous years there has been lots of talk and lots of shooting and the Valentines day "Shot Through The Heart" event got lots of interest and participation.

This year, Not So Much.

O.K. Fine.

I hereby issue a challenge to all members of the 39 Club.

This year's event will be the "Five Shots On The Dot" Challenge.

The rules are simple.

The target is a stick-on dot. You should be able to buy some for less than a dollar.

They are available at Walmart, Staples, Office Max, the local drug store, or any place that sells pens pencils paper and office supplies.

Most times, these little stick on dots are one inch in diameter, but sometimes they can be found in 3/4" size.

Here is a 3/4" dot stuck to the bull's eye of a target.

2012-08-19_16-22-15_366.jpg

And that target is a pretty good example of what we are trying to do- put five rounds down range, and poke five holes in the dot. (That one was shot at 100 yards with my .17HMR. It's here as an example only)

Here's the rules- You gotta get out and actually fire your model 39. That's it- Anything else will fly.

You can shoot any ammo. You can shoot at any distance, indoors or out. You can shoot at any size dot. You can shoot at any color dot. You can attach your dot to anything, or not. You can use any position. You can use any type of sights. You can shoot as many or few dots as your ammo situation will allow. I think most of us can afford to fire five rounds.

This is not a contest, but first prize is a chance to shoot a really cool old rifle. First prize will automatically be awarded to all participants.

Please post a picture of your rifle and your shot dot.

The idea here is to bring some activity to the 39 club, and get those fine rifles out for a little fun.

Come on guys... We can't let the gun grabbers beat us down! Let's go shoot those fine rifles we love so much.
 
Ok ... but not today! Today is snowing and 10 degrees with 20 to 30mph North crosswind!
 
Congrats NEM Wish You Were Here

:what: Congrats on .75 million views. My error, on posts vs views. Maybe in a decade or two.

My two recently acquired 39A.

image_zpse27428b4.jpg

image_zpscdb167ef.jpg
 
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This comes with a cash prize, right?

$1 per post?

OK, ok, $0.25 per post. I'll take it.

I'd like to thank Marlin, my mother and my high school algebra teacher for this fortune.

Please make the check payable to Nem A. Tocyst, care of coastal Maine.

Glad to see this puppy still ticking.

46F in coastal Maine tonight.
January 6. What's wrong with this picture?

But what about that 39A?

Off to beddie bye.

PS: It's actually 750,000 views. Only 4394 posts.

I'll still take $0.25 per post.

OK, ok, $0.19.
 
heres my deal I used to have a 39a back in the seventies, traded it to a shop for fixing my transmissiion on a old ford f100.
I want another and always have wanted one since .
ok the question , Are the new ones as nice as the older ones and which eras to avoid . my idea is to match my 336 30-30 with a nice 22 . Gonna need my rifle
for squirrels and such.
any one have one forsale?
maybe a 1961 39 adl with the squirrel engraved in the stock?
 
The best to have are those made before about the early 1980's.

Sometime in the 80's Marlin changed the original carrier lifter design to a spring loaded plunger design.
This works well but quality started slowly dropping until they added the rebounding hammer and cross-bolt safety of the 39-AS.
 
I have been scouring all my local GS's for well over a year and still have not even found a rode hard put away wet redheaded stepchild version of a 39. none, nothing, nada. I am about ready to pull the trigger on Browning bl-22, it is a fine little rifle, just not a marlin 39. I have a disorder that will not let me purchase anything without touchy feely with my own eyes. I have spotted a few on the web that were ridiculously priced.
 
I can sympathize about the 22 ammo shortage, haven't seen any around here at a price I was willing to pay for more than a year.

That said, I decided that I'd rather run out of ammo than not shoot my 39, so I have taken it out some lately.

Still one of the best rifles I ever purchased. Always puts a smile on my face when I shoot it. I guess I'll have to find some pink dots to put on targets before Valentine's Day!

For anyone in looking for a like new JM-made 39A, there is one for sale at Boerner's in Kitsap County, Washington. Looks like it might never have been fired, and in any case hasn't been fired much. Nice gun, 99% new or better, checkered walnut stocks, cross-block safety, but I hate the rebounding hammer or it would have come home with me. I think it even comes with a box. Not sure if it is still there, but it was a few days ago. Won't last long...

Quick hello to Fast Frank, Nematocyst, JustSayMo and dfariswheel! Glad to see this ol' thread alive and kicking.
 
Morning, Pine Cone.

They say it was 17 degrees here last night. It's 23 degrees now.

Just a little chilly for me, but the high today is supposed to be 40 degrees.

I'll be pulling my rifles out soon, too. I hope we see a bunch of shot dots around here.
 
Mine is still in the re-blueing cue at my local gunsmith, but as soon as it is done, I'll do a 25 yard 5 shot into 5 1" dots [or something like that] for you all.
 
Morning, Pine Cone.

They say it was 17 degrees here last night. It's 23 degrees now.

Just a little chilly for me, but the high today is supposed to be 40 degrees.

I'll be pulling my rifles out soon, too. I hope we see a bunch of shot dots around here.

Good evening. Unlike lots of the country, today was the warmest it has been in weeks. High 40's earlier today, unlike the sub-30s last weekend. No ice for over 24 hours now!

Temp rise is due to rain, but its been pretty dry around here so I won't complain.

Hope to get some dots later this week and put some holes in them over the weekend. Like you said, 1st Prize is the chance to shoot a really cool old rifle. Not so sure about the old part, mine was born in 1982 which just seems like a few weeks ago... Sure is cool though:D
 
.22 ammo

I read about the ammo shortage and here too in south eastern Missouri its the same. saw a rack in local gun shop sell 50 rounds for 14.95, and the dealer was sympathetic but that's about it. haven't seen a non-safety 39a at any shops or even gun shows. did see a 39 non (a) for 2450.00 which is a little over the top. whats more interesting is the lack of revolvers at gun shows here as well as dealers unless you want the big boys like s w 500's or long barreled firearms. most the stuff seen here at the plastic semi autos, with new models coming out daily from the manufactures. where have the multitude of wheel guns gone?
cheers
 
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