Opinions on Marlin 39A Please.

[cslinger]

I have a Pre 64 Winchester thutty thutty that is a family heirloom that I love dearly. I have been toying with the idea for quite some time with picking up a pistol caliber lever gun. I had my heart set on a Marlin 1894 in .357 to go with my wheel guns but the more I have played with them and the more I think about it I think I want to go .22.

I love shooting .22 and since this gun is really just meant to be a plinker I think I am going to go .22 instead of .357. So that being said I checked out a 39A recently and was very impressed with it's look and feel. It feels like a real gun so to speak.

So since opinions are like.........well suffice to say everybody has one let me have em'.

I figure 19 rounds of .22LR makes a mighty fine plinker and the rifle is a looker as far as I am concerned.

 

[Art Eatman]

Every owner of a 39 that I've ever known has been pretty noisy about how much he liked it. I've shot a few, and they're neat critters.

I've always liked plinking with a .22 rifle--pistols, too, for that matter. Really cheap, and the rifles are fairly quiet. It's a great way to get really good in your eye-finger coordianation.

, Art

 

[22-rimfire]

Marlin 39A is a fine rifle. You will never go wrong buying one of these unless you don't like lever action rifles which is not the case for you. I seem to remember reading in an old Gun Digest or Shooters Bible that over a million have been manufactured. That says something about the rifle!

I would love to have a Marlin lever rifle in 41 magnum if such an animal exists.

 

[one-shot-one]

2 in safe now

one 39a and one 39a mountie (carbine).
both accurate and fun, both over 30 years old and still perfect shooters.

 

[Jim Watson]

A fine rifle. I foolishly let my first one go, the second one I'll keep.

You might look at a Winchester 9422, also. This is their last year of production.

 

[gm]

I like em too. dont forget that you can shoot those quieter shorts in them too.

 

[Shear_stress]

I also own a Marlin 39A Mountie, circa 1959-1960 and will happily endorse these rifles. They are classically styled, full-size, beautifully made and built to last. In my experience, they are also very, very accurate. My Marlin would be the last rifle I of mine that I would ever sell.

 

[buzz meeks]

Around the first of the year I bought a 1978-vintage 39M. It has quickly risen to the top of the list of guns I would simply never part with. It's everything its boosters say it is- lively, solid, more accurate than many other .22 sporters, built for the ages. Buy one. They rarely go down in value. Are you looking at new or used, by the way? Mine came out before the cross-bolt safety and to me that's the way it should be. It's also worth noting that in four or five years of semi-serious looking, I have only seen the one used example. People who have them would seem to hang onto them.

 

[Henry455]

This is my 39A Golden Mountie. It was inherited from my Dad and I sure wish I had the story behind the engraving.

 

[saltydog452]

39a..

Don't know about the new ones, but mine I bought from the PX in 66. Its as accurate as I can hold. It encourages an older concept of safety and responsibility.

In fact, if I could only have one rifle, it would be a 22rf, and a Marlin 39A.

salty.

 

[Eightball]

I don't personally own one, but a buddy of mine has let me shoot his--and it's an awesome rifle, a total beaut. Very accurate, high quality rifle. Good to mount a low-power scope with, in order to have some cheap, accurate fun. I'd suggest going for it if it suits your fancy and you have the $$$ available.

 

[JohnBT]

My uncle gave me a Mountie in 1963 and if I ever decide to let it go he wants it back. He reminds me frequently.

John

 

[grimjaw]

The one I've fired belonged to a friend. At 50 yards, he was able to consistently plink spent shotgun shells we mounted on target holders, and that with an el cheapo Tasco scope. I'm sure he hadn't cleaned it much, but it kept on trucking. It's a little long overall for my tastes, but still a fun gun.

Just be careful where you point it.

 

[scratchy wilson]

If you want to waste money,

to make it easier just give it to me!

For a .22, it's a tad hefty(as any true rifle should be ). I handled a 10/22 right after and nearly launched it into the ceiling. I bought the Marlin. I don't recall the year of manufacture, but it lacks the crossbolt safety. As for wear, the only marks I could find were on the hammer from working the action. That's all, nothing else. And boy, did I pay for the priviledge . But I think it's worth it.

 

[pullskinner]

I have one. It's acurate, reliable, good looking , well balanced... don't know what else a person could want. To me it's most endearing quality is the "snick/snack" of that slick little lever as it just darn near seems to work itself. From the first round, and every round since (thousands) I've always marveled at the ease of working the action. Every hunter or plinker owes it to themselves to try one out.

 

[middy]

Considering that over a million have been made and you can hardly ever find one in a pawn shop... I'd say they have to be pretty good.

 

[johnmcl]

Versus Henry Golden Boy?

Hi all,

I'm making the very same decision on an 39A. I'm interested if there's a compelling reason to select the 39A over Henry's 22 level action?

 

[dfariswheel]

The Marlin 39 is made pretty much the same way it's been made for over 100 years.....solid milled steel and American Walnut.

The Henry is made of stamped steel and aluminum.

The Marlin has (as noted above) a tremendous reputation for strength, longevity, and accuracy.
The Henry has none of this.

The Marlin is something you can shoot MANY rounds from and your grand kids can still pass on to their kids.
The Henry is no heirloom.

The more the Marlin is shot, the smoother the action becomes.
The Henry just gets looser over time.

The Marlin is like owning a Cadillac or a Rolex. It's the best in it's class.
The Henry is a cheap GMC or Timex. It's just a shooter.

 

[Clemson]

Mine is the rifle version. It will put all the shots into a 1" circle at 50 yards, as will all the other 39A's that I have fired. You won't regret the purchase.

Clemson

 

[mainmech48]

I've had my 39M for almost thirty years. Nothing's ever broken nor worn-out in uncounted thousands of rounds. The action is now slicker'n snot on a glass doorknob, but still as tight and as positive as it was on Day One. Will still put five rounds of its favorite ammo into less than an inch-and-an-eighth at fifty yards using the Williams FP when I'm up to it, too.

Of all my .22 LAs (Erma Werke 712[same as Henry], Browning BL22, Ruger 96, Winchester 9422, Marlin 57, Mossberg 400) it'd be the last one I'd let go of. Now that I think of it, it'd be the last of all my .22s to go, regardless of action type.

You can buy cheaper LA .22s, and more expensive ones. But IMO, no better ones.

 

[BJPZOO]

I got one

My 39a was my grandad's its the best .22 that I have ever owned.

Bobby

 

[waterhouse]

I had a nice case colored one from 1939. Fine gun, very accurate, killed more rabbits and other critters than I can count. Even at 60+ years old it never had a problem or breakage.

I'm a big fan of the 39a.

 

[Shane333]

I inherited my Model 39 from my dad. It's a beauty to behold and a joy to shoot.

When I go shooting with my buddies, everyone insists on having a try with the Model 39 before they'll let me go home.

Not only is it accurate, it's also pretty quiet. Also, there's something inherently fun about working that lever.

I plan on passing it on to my son someday. I have a strong impression that this rifle will still work like clockwork long after I've passed on.

 

[Cosmoline]

There are a ton of them around SC Alaska in stores and pawn shops going for peanuts. A lot of old timers or sons of old timers pawned them or consigned them in favor of a more substantial "bear gun." It used to be the legendary "white powder" rifle that could bring down the big bears, but the old .30/30 just gets no respect around here anymore.

I'm looking into recreating some vintage .30/30 loadings and I'm thinking seriously about snatching a nice Marlin 39A again just to be a contrarian.

EDITED TO ADD:
KIDS, NEVER DRINK AND POST!

 

[Clemson]

Cosmoline, if you can get a 30-30 into a 39A, you have succeeded in wrecking it. The 39A is a .22.

Clemson