Marlin 39A .22LR cut & crowned?

[Wedge]

Okay first - HERESY

There that is out of the way...

Sounds like a cool project. My grandfathers Marlin 39 was a tackdriver. He was born in 1921 and bought it new in high school (1936 maybe?) by trading a few year older octagon barreled .22 marlin lever action...

He still regrets that trade at 85, and wishes he had just bought the 39 outright. He still loves that 39 (taught all 8 kids how to shoot on it and brought a lot of enjoyment to me and my wife when out camping).

The takedown is great and SO easy to clean after running through a brick.

Good luck with your project!

 

[AStone]

Thanks, Wedge.

I'm getting more excited about this project the more I think about it.

 

[AStone]

Here's a 39A with a barrel shortened (via digital editing) to about 18".

Now that's what I call a sweet .22 carbine.

 

[AStone]

Update

Well, last weekend I bought a new 39A.

I had to go to another city to get one (two hours rnd trip). Nary a one - used or new - to be had in about seven stores here.

The gun shop where I bought it had a used older one and this new one. New one won hands down. Why? The new ones have a much thinner fore end. I knew immediately when I picked it up that was the one.

So, I plopped down the cash and brought it home. Haven't had time to shoot it yet. But soon.

But here's the interesting news on the cut and crown. This afternoon, I took it to the gunsmith I mentioned in an earlier post.

Very interesting guy. Older fellow, has clearly been gunsmithing for a long time. Shop on the side of his house. Nearly a hundred long guns sitting against his wall. Very kind, very intelligent.

To cut (to 18" or 20") and crown the barrel (with a better crown job than it came with, he says), reset the front sight, cut down the magazine tube, reset the magazine hanger (involves cutting a new "dovetail"), and resize the inner magazine tube: $100.

Easy.

After asking why I wanted to cut it down, he also said in terms of accuracy, if we cut it to 18", it'd make "no measurable difference", which is consistent with everything I've been reading.

I told him I'm think about it a bit, and shoot it and carry it some as is first, but I think I'm going to do it.

I also asked his opinion about this: since the optimum barrel length for .22 LR is closer to 16", why does Marlin make this one with 24"?

His opinion, offered without hesitation: it's driven by their sales department.

He thinks that since so many hunting guns these days are made with longer barrels, people want rifles with longer barrels. Sales dept says "do it", manufacturing department says "OK".

Interesting hypothesis.

Nem

 

[dfariswheel]

The Marlin .22 lever action rifle has a 24" barrel because it's ALWAYS had a 24" barrel.

The predecessor to the current 39-A was the Marlin 1893, which had.... a 24" barrel.
So did the Marlin 1897, the Model 39, the Model 39-A, and the Model 39-A Golden.

It's a matter of tradition, and feel.
Many of us think the 24" heavy barrel of the Marlin just feels and balances better.

 

[Jim Watson]

I also asked his opinion about this: since the optimum barrel length for .22 LR is closer to 16", why does Marlin make this one with 24"?

His opinion, offered without hesitation: it's driven by their sales department.

Could be driven by shooters. A short takedown to carry in a pack may be useful, but if you don't need that, a longer barrel hangs better for offhand shooting and has a longer sight radius for iron sights.

The old 16" is optimum saw is for maximum velocity from the small powder charge. You don't see many 16" target rifles. Balance, sight radius, and less muzzle pressure to disturb the bullet's departure are what count there.

 

[AStone]

Many of us think the 24" heavy barrel of the Marlin just feels and balances better.

I guess I'm odd man out here, because that just isn't true for me. That long barrel just doesn't feel right.

Then again, I'm not a target guy, but a woods guy. I shoot tree squirrels at less than 50 m, not targets at 100. And I grew up with a Rem Nylon 66 with a 19.5" barrel, and Marlin 336 with 20" barrel. So the 24" on this 39A just doesn't feel right for me. Blame it on what I'm used to, I guess.

If I was a target shooter, I'd probably feel different.

And, while the 39A has always had a 24", the 39M had a shorter one. So, not quite right that "the" Marlin .22 lever action rifle has always had a 24".

Of course, the 39M is no longer in production, so that may say something about shooter preferences.

 

[Mal H]

Nem, I have to disagree with your gunsmith's assessment of Marlin's reason for the longer barrel being driven by their sales department. The 39 was designed and originally put up for sale well over a century ago. A time when the sales department of most companies had very little if any say in the design of their products.

Now, it might be the current sales department that won't allow the manufacturing division to make the barrel shorter since the sale of 39/A/AS has always been very good with the 24" barrel. The fact that the 39M has been discontinued is an indication of that.

I just checked my 39AS for balance and it honestly doesn't seem like the barrel is 24" long. I guess it's because it's been "just right" for so long for me.

I was thinking that you might want to try an experiment. Walk around in the woods with it for a day or so. Check the balance as you carry it. (It balances just under the rear sight for me.) Then affix about a 1 lb weight to the rear of the stock to move the balance point to approximately where it would be when the barrel is cut. Walk around with it like that for a while and see what you think. You'll have to try to ignore the weight since it will be considerably heavier than when it is cut down, pay attention only to the balance. Might be worth a try.

You'll be giving up about 4 to 6 LR rounds in the magazine. Not a big deal since the mag holds a bunch anyway.

You might get the idea I'm trying to talk you out of cutting it down - I'm not, honest! That is strictly your option with your rifle. I just wanted to be sure you really want to do it and have weighed all the factors, so to speak.

 

[AStone]

Excellent advice, Mal.

Will do.

Thanks.

Nem

PS: the suggestion to "walk around in the woods ...
for a day or so" alone is worth the price of admission.
I don't do that nearly enough these days.

(Why did I think owning my own business was a good idea? :banghead: )

 

[JustsayMo]

Nema, if your cutdown Marlin 39 turns out as good as it looks in that picture I might just have to do it to one of mine! Wow that looks GREAT!

 

[KaceCoyote]

I wouldnt own 2 Marlin 60s if the 39A had a 16-18" barrel, even moreso if it had -gasp-.....Polymer furniture.

 

[AStone]

J'Mo, I gotta agree.

That shorter 39A just looks ... well, really good.

Still, I respect Mal, so will try his suggested experiment.

 

[tubeshooter]

I kinda want you to cut it down just to see how you like the result.


The digitally altered shorter length looks pretty good. But looks won't tell you how it handles/balances.

 

[AStone]

Tube, I agree.

Digital photo editing is easy.

But where's the digital "rifle balance" software
when you need it?

 

[mudfreak]

i know this is a old thread but did you ever get that gun shortened? I am about to drop mine off and have the same thing done.

 

[SGW42]

Oh, he's still thinking about it as far as I can tell.

 

[Dave B]

This is a 20" 39D made in 1971. The pic of the short new one looks like it would be a great seller.

 

[AStone]

Oh, he's still thinking about it as far as I can tell.

Yes, he is.

As soon as the budget allows,
I'm having a smith chop off 4 - 8".

 

[cjbecker]

make sure to show pics afterwards.

 

[mudfreak]

i gottcha, mine is getting dropped off on saturday, and having the following things done.
-cut to 18"
-11 degree recessed target crown
-having weaver #29 & #16 basses installed(one on barrel and the other on receiver)
-true contoured rear dovetail filler.
-saftey taken out and a plug put in.
Since this rifle will never be shot with iron sites I figured why leave them on. I bought a weaver 3x9x32 AO scope for it also. This is going to be my only Squirrel gun, besides my ithica model 49 saddle gun. I bought the rifle used like new in box and the fellow I got it from had already gone to the trouble of installing an old style hammer and trigger and working the trigger to a nice crisp 3lb pull. That means that with the old style hammer and trigger that actually has a true half cock!!
by the way all my work is costing me 250.00 so your price was smokin unless it went up since then.

 

[dgb553]

Why not just buy a 39M barrel?

Here's one from Numrich and the LINK.

 

[Pat4x4]

My Dad had his 39a shortened a few inches back when he was a kid.. The gun will shoot the same hole.. All us kids learned how to shoot with it.. Now all my kids have learned to shoot with it.. I will get it out and take a pic tonight if I remember.. It also has a Williams peep sight on the reciever.. It is by far my most favorite gun ever

 

[Taffnevy]

Why not just buy a 39M barrel?

Here's one from Numrich and the LINK.

That's a good idea. Does anyone know what this would entail?

 

[dgb553]

Here's a 16.5 inch TDS barrel for $49.95 !

Here's the LINK!

 

[proven]

you'd still have to cut down the mag tube and spring right? wonder what is more cost effective?