marlin 39a or winchester 9422

"Mostly what well come up are threads on people asking what is wrong with their Marlin 39a."

:banghead:

Oh nonsense. And yes, I've been a member there for years. I'm sure you have a nice rifle. So's my '63 Golden 39-A Mountie. Has it really been 46 years? Dang.

John

I will say my 77 39A has been a joy, however Dad's 52 was kinda messed up because "someone" had lost the bullet feed piece and I needed to tighten up the lever with a new spring. The useless 57 year old pos ran like butter after a few bucks in new parts. I bet Winchesters are good too

I rather like my 39m. It kinda goes with my 1894C.

Oh nonsense. And yes, I've been a member there for years.

Click to expand...

Go look it up. There are alarming numbers of threads about break downs there.

Look guys, I am not saying the Marlin 39a is useless junk, I just believe the 9422 is on a level above the Marlin. I think the Browning BL-22 is a notch above the Marlin as well.

As a teenager I used to drool over ads for the 9422. What classic lines!! It is a beautiful rifle. I still really want one.

There is also a fairly new, but used, 39A staring me in the face at a local gun shop. Beautiful wood, smooth action, and it just feels like a solid rifle. But of course, I have no idea how well it shoots.

And unfortunately, I've never even held a 9422

There has to have been some objective reviews of these two classics, maybe even head-to-head. Anyone have any info on that?

And, if anyone cares to post targets fired by each rifle, I'd love to see them.

Just be forewarned, I've seen some of ClintC's handiwork, and the man can shoot!!

P51D

I am also, you say you have a 39 from the 40's era. The last year a 39 was made was 1938.
...
Every now and again you come across a deal, like your 40's era 39. It must be priceless since they were never made in the 40"s.

Click to expand...

Gee, I think everyone here but you realized I was talking about a 39A, basically rendering the majority of your post worthless.

That is a nice Smith and Wesson model 41 you have there cpirtle. I have set out to buy one often, but just can't bring myself to pay as much as they are asking for them.

Click to expand...

Too bad, the 41 is worth every penny and I have all of $650 tied up in this one with 8 mag's.

So you can pay $900.00 for an older model 39a, or you can buy a Winchester 9422 at half the price and have a rifle that is not all beat up. 39a's are so ugly to, they have all those screws sticking out of them they look like my old Coast To Coast shotgun.

Click to expand...

You have some major contradiction issues. So is a Winchester a much better investment or only worth half the price? I guess that's if I accept the premise of the inflated price you quote.. last I checked the 39A was not a black rifle that shoots a thousand rounds a minute and nice old ones generally ran the same price as a new one.

Go look it up. There are alarming numbers of threads about break downs there.

Click to expand...

Did you ever think that there are more reports of 39A's failing because they outnumber every other "quality" lever .22 on the market?




Took my 39A out tonight and put 150 rounds of PMC Moderators through it ~ just like a laser beam at 50 yards with subsonic ammo

LOL, good times.

P51D, thanks for the complement.

cpirtle, I was just horsing around with you, I figured you ment the 39a. Those prices I quoted are out of the Blue Book. Just chill out I was having some fun.

Buy the Winchester if you get a chance at a good price. They only made them for a few years and have since stopped.

Click to expand...

The 9422 was introduced in 1972 and discontinued in 2005. Thirty-three years is a pretty good run, but I wish they still made them. I have two: a Traditional from the '70s and a Legacy from 2004. There's just something about a Winchester lever gun. They feel so right in my hands.

The Marlin 39s are fine guns in their own right. I guess if you count the precursor models and everything, the Marlin has been around for over 100 years, so I guess in comparison the Winchester is/was a newcomer. However, although this may not be technically accurate, I think of the 9422 as a Model 94 in a "new chambering," so its lineage is also pretty old.

Bottom line: Buy whichever feels best in your hands and you can afford.

"Go look it up. There are alarming numbers of threads about break downs there."

Okay, I just looked at the first 4 pages of the Marlin forum at rimfirecentral. There was a thread about a new 39a misfeeding and locking up. I don't find that alarming. I wonder if Remington can fix it.

You make it sound like there's been a rash of Model 39 and 39a guns breaking down and that's just not happening. And anyway, since Remington bought Marlin a year-and-a-half ago the Model 39a isn't really a Marlin anymore. Sad.


"So you can pay $900.00 for an older model 39a"

My '63 Mountie is worth how much? They bring more than the 39a rifles, but $900? Not that I've ever seen. Amazing.

I just browsed through gunbroker and gunsamerica. 39a and 39a Mountie prices haven't changed. One new 39a rifle just sold for $489 plus $20 shipping. Asking prices on Mounties are $100 or $200 higher.

John

Hello,
Just relating an issue I had with my 9422. A case ruptured on firing and the design directed the gas back into my eye. Wear safety glasses. Otherwise I will. say Winchester for sure.
rhtwist

JohnBT, we must be members of a different RFC. I just went and looked at the Marlin section and every page has at least one Marlin problem question on it.

You guys do realize there are more than your basic 39a right?

A '63 39A mountie in 100% is worth $450.00 a '63 39A-DL in 100% is worth $900.00. Your basic model 39A is worth $395.00. This is all according to the Twenty-Eighth Edition of the Blue Book of Gun Values.

Look this is getting way off the OP, and I am tired of arguing. Its like politics you will never get the other person to see things your way.

Good luck to the OP with your decision of what you choose. Let us know and please post some pictures.

I have a 9422, a Browning BL-22, a Henry Goldenboy, a Marlin 1897, a 39A Mountie, and 6 other 39A's. I like them all, but if I could only keep one it would be the Mountie. It's a 1955 model, and it functions flawlessy, and it's a tack driver. If something goes wrong with it I know I can get parts for it, and I feel comfortable fixing it myself. I can't say that about any of the other three. The Winny and the BL-22 in particular are definitely not DIY guns when it comes to repair.

The Mountie, designated 39M, has a straight grip stock and a shorte barrel. The 39A has a pistol grip stock.

56 Marlin 39a Golden Mountie, sweet rifle, shoots better than I can see and it is a takedown that fits in my suitcase.

There's a small problem that can be fixed. I posted complete instructions and photographs, showing how to fix this issue (occasional FTE) with needlenose pliers.

It does disturb me that Marlin doesn't seem to know how to do what I and others have figured out. However, the guns are still built as well as ever (I have an old one and a new one).

They shoot well, work great, and they're takedowns to boot.

That said, the 9422 is a nice gun, without a doubt.

I've got a Marlin Golden 39A my dad gave me when I was a kid. I've put literally thousands of rounds thru it without any problems (it's been a long time since I was a kid). My dad has a 9422 that he bought new. I've shot it a lot but not as much as the Marlin. Both shoot great and group well from a bench at 50 yards.

I'm partial to the Marlin since it's the first gun I ever owned but I think you would be happy with either.