Marlin Model 39

I just acquired a Marlin Model 39, sn S8###. Googling around for a mfg. date, I found information that the gun was made before 1932, and that it is not rated for "high velocity" ammunition. Having never thought of .22 rimfire as high velocity, I kept on looking.

Not much out there. Some opinions are that it would be safe to fire with modern subsonic .22 LR. Some say .22 short. Others call BS, but have no other info. The bolt seems to be the weak point, so I assume it's the recoil impulse that causes the damage, not pressure?

So, 2 questions. First, ideas on ammo what would be safe to shoot in the gun? I absolutely don't want to damage it. Second, if I could get a newer bolt from a 39 with and "HS" sn, would it then be safe to shoot high velocity ammo? Obviously I'll keep the old bolt as this seems to be a collector gun.

Thanks for any help.

So what is considered standard velocity for a .22? I have subsonic stuff that is 700-ish fps up to some stuff that is almost 1400 fps. I've seen a number of 1000 fps being considered standard. If memory serves that's around what the cheap milk cartoon stuff is.

I'll try to get you a pic or two tomorrow.

First, I'd like to thank everyone for the information. I honestly didn't know what I was getting into buying this particular gun, but I tend to have a soft spot for old .22s that need a home.

And now, the pictures:







For a gun of it's age, I think it's in pretty good shape. No rust pitting, crown is good, wood is good. Action and trigger work as they should, thought the trigger is a bit on the heavy side. Haven't tried to take it down just yet.

I think this gun may have originally been in the white; as you can see from the closeup of the receiver, there is no sign of color case hardening. The barrel also shows no sign of bluing anywhere. The gun has a nice patina, slightly brown (pics don't really show it--cell phone camera). I think the best move, both from value and honoring the gun perspectives, is to just oil it down and leave it be.

I would have expected some signs of the color or blue to have remained, but I guess at that age, things get different. I wish this gun could talk. I'd love to hear about the previous owners, what it's done and where it's been. Alas, none of that info remains.