Accuracy question

[Mousegun]

I was shooting my Marlin 39A 22 lever action. I did some mods on the trigger that made it much more crisp and smooth so a rough trigger is not in the mix.

I rested the front stock on a bag and held it lightly against my shoulder. The cross hairs of my 9 power scope were steady and on target and the trigger was squeezed lightly enough that I didn't know when the gun was going to fire.

At 50 yards, the first 20 or so shots were within a 1 inch group but that did not satisfy me knowing the gun is capable of doing better.

There was no wind so that wasn't a factor either and the scope mounts were tight.

Then I tried holding the gun the same way on the bag but with considerably more stock pressure on my shoulder. Just below hard enough to introduce shake.

The next 20 shots were 1/2 inch or less with many holes touching each other.

So what says the herd? Have you found that in general, a solid hold against the shoulder yields more accuracy or does more relaxed pressure do you better when you are sure the shot broke while the cross hairs were on target?

This was my first super accuracy test with this rifle to see what it would do and I never noticed the importance of hold pressure on it before. I know how important hold pressure is on an air rifle and it is recommended to hold an air rifle lightly or neutral for the best accuracy. Seems that this gun likes a solid hold.

 

[chicharrones]

It's nice to know the Marlin 39 can do groups that small. I only have a rear aperture, stock trigger from 1994, and poor shooting skills that keep me at larger groups than what you have gotten with my 39.

I do have better accuracy when I hold the stock tight to my shoulder in all my rifles for the most part.

Back to your rifle, what ammo did you use for this range session?

 

[rcmodel]

A solid hold will always shoot better groups then a loose "let it jump" hold.
Unless you are shooting a 25 pound bench rest rifle that holds itself.

Any day, any time, any place.

Unless the gun is held solid, it will move between the "crisp & smooth" trigger break, and the hammer falls, and the bullet gets gone out of the barrel.

rc

 

[Mousegun]

It's nice to know the Marlin 39 can do groups that small. I only have a rear aperture, stock trigger from 1994, and poor shooting skills that keep me at larger groups than what you have gotten with my 39.

I do have better accuracy when I hold the stock tight to my shoulder in all my rifles for the most part.

Back to your rifle, what ammo did you use for this range session?

I used CCI standard velocity long rifle bullets for this session.

The Marlin 39A, although not a target gun as such, has been know to supply some astounding accuracy under the proper conditions. One thing the gun usually doesn't have, out of the box, is a nice easy pull, crisp trigger. I have had a bit of experience working triggers on a variety of firearms and made my trigger considerably better than it was when I got the gun 6-7 years ago.

One thing I did seem to notice was when the gun was held lightly against my shoulder, it seemed to jump ever so slightly as the hammer broke. This was detected in the scope, not as recoil but the instant before the shot went off. Lock time is the time it takes for the hammer to strike the round after the sear lets go. It may have been just a perceived notion but one that was not there when I pressed the stock hard against my shoulder.

We all have seen pictures of long distance accuracy shooters holding the gun on bags or a bi-pod and just resting a hand on the stock. That is the way I started this test but found accuracy increase the more I shoved the butt against the ole' bod as Rcmodel suggests.

 

[chicharrones]

Thanks for the feedback. I have done some trigger work on a few of my guns, I just haven't bothered with my 39 which I've owned since new for nearly two decades.

For centerfire rifles I've always held them tight to the shoulder, because usually if you don't you get a worse punch from the rifle. Especially with hard butt plate rifles.

For rimfires I have caught myself relaxing once in a while. The most noticeable rifle jump problem I've experienced with a rimfire is a Henry lever action shooting .22 WMR. The WMR will actually make the muzzle come up a hair when fired if the rifle isn't held tightly. I'm glad I experienced that because it taught me a shooting lesson that day.

 

[Patocazador]

I have the same model gun and was amazed how accurate it was. I shoot squirrels with it and, if I have a tree for a rest, it is no problem to hit them in the head. It works equally well with shorts as with LRs. My problem is I have a firing malfunction with every 4th or 5th shot. I believe the hammer isn't falling with enough pressure or the "double safety system" (half cock plus the push bolt) has something to do with it since it happens with all brands of .22s. I'm pushing 70 yrs. and can't get away from using a half-cock as a safety.

I suppose a gunsmith could diagnose and solve the problem but mine died two years ago and the closest good one is over 40 miles away.

 

[chicharrones]

That could be a symptom of the rebounding hammer not striking as hard as it should. My 39 has a dud every 75 to 100 rounds with bulk ammo. My other rimfire rifles don't have this problem nearly as frequently with the same ammo.

I probably should do something about it, but my 39 has much less misfires with better ammo like Winchester Power Point or CCI MiniMags.

There are fixes for the rebounding hammer somewhere in the internet, probably over at the Marlin forum or at Rimfire Central. I know I've seen it, I just haven't kept track of it.

 

[kenken]

I've got a 17HMR that has to be held tight also.

kenken

 

[Zeke/PA]

I have a made in 1968 39-A that I purchased about 6 months ago that I just love.
I installed an ANCIENT 6X weaver that just seems to fit.
I have found that my rifle shoots best with Blazer ammo and frequent cleaning(every 100 shots or so) helps.
At 50 yards, 10 shots under 1/2 inch is hard to beat, my rifle does it.

 

[243winxb]

Mine would not hold zero. Forearm wood problems. Sold it.

 

[Patocazador]

That could be a symptom of the rebounding hammer not striking as hard as it should. My 39 has a dud every 75 to 100 rounds with bulk ammo. My other rimfire rifles don't have this problem nearly as frequently with the same ammo.

I probably should do something about it, but my 39 has much less misfires with better ammo like Winchester Power Point or CCI MiniMags.

There are fixes for the rebounding hammer somewhere in the internet, probably over at the Marlin forum or at Rimfire Central. I know I've seen it, I just haven't kept track of it.

Thanks for the info. I'll search for the fix.