Marling 39A: sanding down new "oversize" buttplate and changing sights

[MatthewVanitas]

Greetings,
Some of you may have seen my earlier posts on my beater 1953 Marlin 39A that I'm fixing up. Stock refinishing went swimmingly (considering my lack of skills), and the metal is worn but clean after I bronze-brushed off the rust and cleaned out all the gunk in the receiver. Lever is pretty smooth and trigger is great.

Buttplate was cracked to heck, so I ordered a new one from Marlin ($7+$3s/h). They said on the phone "it's oversized, so you have to sand it down". Boy, they weren't kidding!

This puppy sticks about 1/4" proud on all sides. Do I just take some sandpaper and whack away at it until it's flush? Will 220grit be enough for the final buff? I've never had to sand plastic before.

Also having trouble with the notch/post sights. I've got sharp eyes, never had a problem with M16 sights or pistol sights, but I can barely see the 39A post. The bead is missing, so I bought a tiny steel ball-bearing. But then I decided it'd be easier to just put some bright orange nail-polish into the old bead-indentation. Wow, what a difference! Now I can't see the front sight at all! I'm torn between filing the rear notch larger, or just spending the $17 to get a Marbles buckhorn sight:

Looks like a pretty good sight, and some folks on THR say that it gives kind of a "ghost ring" effect on the full buckhorn. I've tried tapping the rear sight out of the dovetail, but there's a lot of corrosion under/around it. Hosed it w/ WD40 and still no joy.Been using a bronze machinescrew since I couldn't find a store that sold brass punches that day. It'd go way easier if I had a vice, but I don't have one; any alternate suggestions? Or anyone in Austin with a vice that would like a few bottles of Shiner Bock?

Will let folks know how it shoots after I get everything done. It better shoot well after all this mucking around, though it has been kind of a fun process.

Thanks for any tips, -MV

 

[Roudy]

Couple of Tips

Matthew....here are a couple tips.

1. at some point you will need to sand the stock while it is attached to the metal...put masking tape on the metal so that when the sandpaper hits the metal area you won't scratch it.

2. Attach the butt plate to the stock and sand it with the wood. This way it won't look like an afterthought.

3. There are luminous paints made to apply to front sights, I've never tried them on rifles but they work well for pistols and the come in several colors. Another option is a Williams Firesight or an equivalent. They acually glow and are highly visible.

4. The full buckhorn sight seems like a good idea to me. While I've never used one I am familiar with ghost rings and they do a good job even though they aren't precise enough for serious target shooting.

It sounds like you are enjoying the project, and thats probably most important!

 

[saltydog452]

Marlin 39A sights.

My 39A was made in the early 60s. I 'spect the screw hole locations are the same as yours. If so, Lyman makes an apperature peep sight that fits on the side of the frame. Easy on and off. Brownells cataloge number 57, page 325.

salty.

 

[Tom C.]

I have a 39A and a Mountie. I refinished the stock of the 39A back in the 60's. I also threw out the open rear sight. The full buckhorn is fine if you like open sights, but I know I do better with a receiver sight. Your receiver should have a couple of holes on the left side for a receiver sight. It is possible that yours is old enough it may not have the holes. A gunsmith can drill and tap the receiver if you decide to go that way.
I like to use a large opening for the rear sight, so I often shoot with the aperture removed. For a front sight, I find I prefer a square post, rather than a figure 8 post with a gold bead. I find that the Williams receiver sight, without the target adjustment knobs, works best for me with a XS Systems slanted post (.250" high) for the front. These are available from Brownell's.

 

[saltydog452]

Tom, our eyes must be about the same. I had to remove my Lyman 17 front sight and install an Ashley Outdoors front sight also. I've forgotten the measurements, but a fold down rear sight in the existing rear sight dovetail on the barrel will allow the use of either receiver apperature rear sight such as the Lyman /Williams or a conventional rear sight mounted on the barrel.

salty.

 

[GunNut]

When was a Mountie made that has a serial number with ABXXXXX as the serial number.

I can buy the gun for $250, and was wondering if was a reasonable price.

Bluing is almost gone and there is some freckling, but overall not terribly bad. Has factory sights and scope base/rings.

Steve

 

[MatthewVanitas]

Mine is indeed tapped for receiver sights, but I'm really trying to keep the lines simple on this one. As cool as receiver sights are, the seem a bit fragile.

I'm probably going to go w/ the Marble rear and shop around on the front sight. I'm still perplexed that generations have come to adore this rifle, and I can barely see the stock sight. Have my eyes gone that bad since last rifle qual? Heck, I shoot IDPA with a 1948-built 1911 with the miniscule G.I. sights, and do just fine.

Will shop online for front sight options over Christmas break.

IRT removing the rear sight from it's dovetail: I may just need to break down and buy a vice. Actually, I don't have any table to put a vice on (living the monastic life). Alternate ideas, or should I just bolt the vice onto a thrift-shop coffee table?

-MV