The Marlin 39 Club
- Thread starter AStone
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chicharrones
needs more ammo
Sweet purchase. I wish that would have been at my gun shop back when I got my pistol grip version.
Culwathion
Member
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2010
- Messages
- 14
chicharrones, thanks for the info. Another goal. I just ordered some Skinner sights, plus got my eyes checked out. I think I'm catching the target-shooting bug.
So... can anyone recommend some good prescription shooting glasses?
So... can anyone recommend some good prescription shooting glasses?
chicharrones
needs more ammo
BTW, that 1.5" is on sandbags on a bench. It's not like I can repeat that regularly when standing and shooting.
Another new proud owner of a 39 here guys. I have been thinking of getting a 22LR lever gun to go with my Ruger Single Six and over the past couple of weeks have been researching my options. I finally decided on a 39.
I was a little leery of the newer models due to some of the FTE/FTF issues I've read about but couldn't find an older one at any of the local gun shops. I finally took a leap of faith and plunked down my money on a brand spankin' new 39AS.
Went out to the desert this morning to give it a test run. I took boxes of Aguila, Winchester, Remington, and CCIs along to see if it liked one over the other. The very first round in the chamber went "click" when I pulled the trigger. That was when I realized that the CB safety was still on. Re-cocked the hammer, took the danged safety off, and pulled the trigger a second time..."BANG". After that I proceeded to put about 300 more rounds down range. Out of all of rounds fired I only had 1 legitimate FTF. I tried 3 times to get that round to fire to no avail. I ejected the round an looked at the rim. Very aggressive firing pin indentation so I'm writing that off to a crappy round. It was one of the Aguila rounds and I get TERRIBLE performance with them out of my 10-22s. (1- 2 FTFs out of every 10 round magazine.) Throughout the morning, regardless of what I was shooting, when I pulled the trigger the gun went "bang". Not one FTE the entire morning. A firm cycle of the lever sent EVERY empty on it's way and pitched them a good 7 - 10 feet off to the side. Every single round ejected like it was supposed to.
Accuracy was very pleasing as well. I was shooting at 50 yards, offhand, with factory open sights. Once zeroed I was keeping the rounds within 2". I'm planning on adding a peep and once that's been done I'll shoot off bags to see what it's really capable of.
If the weather had been a little better today and the "honey-do's" hadn't been waiting for my return home I would have wandered around the desert for a couple of hours to exterminate a few ground squirrels. That will have to wait til next weekend.
So far I have to say that I am absolutely delighted with the performance of this gun. This is going to be one of the ones I take out every time I head out to shoot.
I was a little leery of the newer models due to some of the FTE/FTF issues I've read about but couldn't find an older one at any of the local gun shops. I finally took a leap of faith and plunked down my money on a brand spankin' new 39AS.
Went out to the desert this morning to give it a test run. I took boxes of Aguila, Winchester, Remington, and CCIs along to see if it liked one over the other. The very first round in the chamber went "click" when I pulled the trigger. That was when I realized that the CB safety was still on. Re-cocked the hammer, took the danged safety off, and pulled the trigger a second time..."BANG". After that I proceeded to put about 300 more rounds down range. Out of all of rounds fired I only had 1 legitimate FTF. I tried 3 times to get that round to fire to no avail. I ejected the round an looked at the rim. Very aggressive firing pin indentation so I'm writing that off to a crappy round. It was one of the Aguila rounds and I get TERRIBLE performance with them out of my 10-22s. (1- 2 FTFs out of every 10 round magazine.) Throughout the morning, regardless of what I was shooting, when I pulled the trigger the gun went "bang". Not one FTE the entire morning. A firm cycle of the lever sent EVERY empty on it's way and pitched them a good 7 - 10 feet off to the side. Every single round ejected like it was supposed to.
Accuracy was very pleasing as well. I was shooting at 50 yards, offhand, with factory open sights. Once zeroed I was keeping the rounds within 2". I'm planning on adding a peep and once that's been done I'll shoot off bags to see what it's really capable of.
If the weather had been a little better today and the "honey-do's" hadn't been waiting for my return home I would have wandered around the desert for a couple of hours to exterminate a few ground squirrels. That will have to wait til next weekend.
So far I have to say that I am absolutely delighted with the performance of this gun. This is going to be one of the ones I take out every time I head out to shoot.
eastbank
Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2009
- Messages
- 5,021
JustsayMo
Member
Icedruid- A warm welcome to the club and I'm glad to hear your new 39 is a keeper. Great pairing with the Ruger Single Six too. A fella can have a lot of fun and make a good bit of meat with those two. Sounds like you have a good amount of ammo on hand but I've found with both those guns have voracious appetites, especially in target rich environments. My recommendation, buy more
Eastbank- SWEET collection. For a spell I had the same three 39 variations at the same time.
Big problem that having three creates is Which one do you take?
That was one of the best "problems" I've ever had.
Eastbank- SWEET collection. For a spell I had the same three 39 variations at the same time.
Big problem that having three creates is Which one do you take?
That was one of the best "problems" I've ever had.
Thanks JustsayMO,
I've been trying to match up all of my SA revolvers with lever guns. I picked up an 1894P to go with my Super Blackhawk, an 1894CSS to keep my .357 Blackhawk company, and finally the 39AS to go with the Single Six.
The last two are definitely going to see the most use. I'm currently sitting on about 6K rounds of 22 LR but I don't think that will last long. I'll need to start picking up a brick or two every time I hit the local Cabela's.
I'm definitely in a target rich environment. The desert south of Boise has THOUSANDS of ground squirrels. They stand about 5 inches tall and about 1-1/2 - 2 inches wide and, like prairie dogs, stand up to check out their surroundings. One of the worlds greatest little self-erecting targets. Not any good for eating though. Up in the mountains North and Northeast of town are all sorts of edible critters. Squirrels, rabbits, and grouse just to name a few. This little rifle is accurate enough to dispatch all with good solid head shots.
Now I need to start looking for other variants. I really like the idea of having a Mountie and a TDS to go along with the full sized rifle. Especially the TDS. Those are some fine looking carbines!!
I've been trying to match up all of my SA revolvers with lever guns. I picked up an 1894P to go with my Super Blackhawk, an 1894CSS to keep my .357 Blackhawk company, and finally the 39AS to go with the Single Six.
The last two are definitely going to see the most use. I'm currently sitting on about 6K rounds of 22 LR but I don't think that will last long. I'll need to start picking up a brick or two every time I hit the local Cabela's.
I'm definitely in a target rich environment. The desert south of Boise has THOUSANDS of ground squirrels. They stand about 5 inches tall and about 1-1/2 - 2 inches wide and, like prairie dogs, stand up to check out their surroundings. One of the worlds greatest little self-erecting targets. Not any good for eating though. Up in the mountains North and Northeast of town are all sorts of edible critters. Squirrels, rabbits, and grouse just to name a few. This little rifle is accurate enough to dispatch all with good solid head shots.
Now I need to start looking for other variants. I really like the idea of having a Mountie and a TDS to go along with the full sized rifle. Especially the TDS. Those are some fine looking carbines!!
I've read about this Model 39 for quite a while. This weekend I got lucky and found one, almost new, for $325. It is safely home and looking at me. Now I have a small problem. I test fired it this afternoon, and I'm getting a 10-15% failure to fire rate. If I recock the hammer, the rate stays the same, about 10-15% the second time around. I did NOT clean the weapon thoroughly. I wiped it down, and the bore looked clean with the action somewhat oily. The ammo was Remington green box high velocity .22 long rifle. I only put about 35 rounds through it and only had the one type of ammo to try. Examination of the spent shell casings reveals a fairly wide impact area compared to what I've seen with other .22's I'm familiar with. I'm being subjective about that but it seems to be true. Any help you can give me would be appreciated. Do I simply need to change ammo, or do I need to see a gunsmith and get something adjusted? Thanks again.
That sounds like the normal failure rate for that junk. Ok, maybe a little more, but try something else before you blame the gun.
One simple thing to check is that the floating firing pin isn't dragging in the bolt. Some CLP will take care of that.
-Daizee
Whalerman, if you take your 39 down (i.e. separate the barrel and forearm from the stock and action) you can pull the bolt assembly out of the receiver and see the firing pin in the groove along the top of the bolt. The firing pin "floats" in this groove and is driven forward by inertia generated by the impact of the hammer. If there is anything in the groove that would cause the pin to drag in it's forward motion it may not hit the rim of the case with enough force to detonate the priming compound.
CLP is a gun cleaning solution that Cleans, Lubricates, and Protects the metal parts of your gun. It's made by Break Free and it's pretty good at cutting through the gunk that builds up inside a gun. I don't think you would need to break your gun down after every outing but it couldn't hurt to pull it apart and see what it looks like inside every once in a while. Some brands of 22 ammo can really gum up the inner workings of a firearm.
Hope this helps.
CLP is a gun cleaning solution that Cleans, Lubricates, and Protects the metal parts of your gun. It's made by Break Free and it's pretty good at cutting through the gunk that builds up inside a gun. I don't think you would need to break your gun down after every outing but it couldn't hurt to pull it apart and see what it looks like inside every once in a while. Some brands of 22 ammo can really gum up the inner workings of a firearm.
Hope this helps.
molesworth
Member
- Joined
- May 25, 2010
- Messages
- 5
Bent butt tang on my 39
I have just acquired a model 39 dating from about 1928. Someone must have used it as a club, causing the buttstock and the two butt tangs to be bent up slightly. I want to take out the tang screw, remove the stock and bend the tangs back into position. Unfortunately, I can only turn the tang screw about 1/4 turn before it jams. I guess it is bent too. I am scared to use too much force. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed? Thanks. Alan
I have just acquired a model 39 dating from about 1928. Someone must have used it as a club, causing the buttstock and the two butt tangs to be bent up slightly. I want to take out the tang screw, remove the stock and bend the tangs back into position. Unfortunately, I can only turn the tang screw about 1/4 turn before it jams. I guess it is bent too. I am scared to use too much force. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to proceed? Thanks. Alan
AStone
Member
Welcome to the mad ... er, I mean funhouse, Molesworth.
By that, I mean this club and THR.
Nothing worse than a bent butt tang.
Well, actually, I've never heard of a butt tang,
let alone a bent one.
But you'll get help with it here.
Hang out, be patient, help will be along shortly.
If we ignore your question, ping. (Ping = post question again.)
Nem, founder, who is going to cut the barrel soon.
By that, I mean this club and THR.
Nothing worse than a bent butt tang.
Well, actually, I've never heard of a butt tang,
let alone a bent one.
But you'll get help with it here.
Hang out, be patient, help will be along shortly.
If we ignore your question, ping. (Ping = post question again.)
Nem, founder, who is going to cut the barrel soon.
JustsayMo
Member
Molesworth, seek the advice of club member dfaris here or Swany over at the Marlin Owners forum.
Here is my '52 39a that I just picked up and shot today. I had a couple problems.
First I only shot about 60 rounds today just to quick test it before it rained and I had several problems with the round not loading. I would work the lever and it would extract the old round without a problem but every once in a while it wouldn't grab the new round to load. I ended up dry firing
because of this. Could this be due to a weak spring not causing enough pressure to push the rounds out of the tube? Do I just need to clean the crap out of this rifle?
Second I had my lever get jammed in the open position and I couldn't seem to close it. I'm not sure what made it stuck and since I know not to force a stuck part, I just took it apart to see if I noticed anything. It seems a round came halfway out of the tube and stopped so I had to use my knife to wiggle it out. In the third attached picture that thing looks bent out near the end. Is it supposed to be like that or is it damaged? Also what's the name for that thing..cartridge stop?
Edit: Wow I think I solved my feeding problem. Apparently my tube is a little loose and likes to travel back and forth about an inch or so. I just moved it back down and now the little red cap at the end of the spring sticks out just where the hole is in the third picture. I think that solves that problem...
First I only shot about 60 rounds today just to quick test it before it rained and I had several problems with the round not loading. I would work the lever and it would extract the old round without a problem but every once in a while it wouldn't grab the new round to load. I ended up dry firing
because of this. Could this be due to a weak spring not causing enough pressure to push the rounds out of the tube? Do I just need to clean the crap out of this rifle?Second I had my lever get jammed in the open position and I couldn't seem to close it. I'm not sure what made it stuck and since I know not to force a stuck part, I just took it apart to see if I noticed anything. It seems a round came halfway out of the tube and stopped so I had to use my knife to wiggle it out. In the third attached picture that thing looks bent out near the end. Is it supposed to be like that or is it damaged? Also what's the name for that thing..cartridge stop?
Edit: Wow I think I solved my feeding problem. Apparently my tube is a little loose and likes to travel back and forth about an inch or so. I just moved it back down and now the little red cap at the end of the spring sticks out just where the hole is in the third picture. I think that solves that problem...
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dfariswheel
Member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2002
- Messages
- 6,656
I've never seen a bent receiver tang, but it's at least possible if the thing was used as a club or someone fell on it. Likely, it'll be the upper tang that bent, since the lower is pretty thick
What to do is a problem, and you want to be very careful since you can easily make things much worst.
First idea is to send the rifle in to Marlin and let them repair it. They're the experts and I'm sure they've seen this before.
Second choice is a GOOD local gunsmith who knows his stuff.
Probably one or the other would use a milling machine to "drill" the screw head off. I wouldn't try this with any drill press since most of them aren't accurate enough to get most of the screw and not the tang.
If the hole isn't perfectly centered the machinist can "bump" the bit over slightly.
Hopefully, with the head off the screw can be extracted if it isn't bent too badly.
If it is, the shank can be milled down until it can be extracted.
If you insist on trying it yourself, buy a Brownell's Magna-tip screw driver bit.
I'd use a .270-5, .270-6, or .270-7, depending on the screw slot.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=417/Product/MAGNA_TIP_SUPER_SETS_trade_
First, put a drop of Kroil or another good penetrating fluid on the end of the screw. As it soaks in apply a little more.
This will lubricate the threads.
Use the fitted Magna-tip bit to unscrew the screw until it starts to get tight. Stop and apply another drop of lube and give it a minute.
Screw the screw back IN.
Then unscrew until it gets tight again, then back in.
Each time you screw it out, try to turn it JUST a little farther.
Hopefully this will allow the screw to "iron" itself out.
If it doesn't seem to get any easier... STOP. Take it to a pro who can get it out without damaging the tang threads.
When/if you get it out, use a soft copper or lead hammer to gently tap the tang back in shape.
Note that the tang may snap right off if you hammer it too hard or too close to the front.
Marlin would probably induction heat the tang to straighten it, but you can't since that would damage the receiver.
Worse case, you may have to sacrifice the stock to get the screw out.
In this case, you'd cut the stock off and away from the tangs and screw. With the wood gone you could cut the screw in half and unscrew the bottom half.
Again, my first stop would be Marlin.
What to do is a problem, and you want to be very careful since you can easily make things much worst.
First idea is to send the rifle in to Marlin and let them repair it. They're the experts and I'm sure they've seen this before.
Second choice is a GOOD local gunsmith who knows his stuff.
Probably one or the other would use a milling machine to "drill" the screw head off. I wouldn't try this with any drill press since most of them aren't accurate enough to get most of the screw and not the tang.
If the hole isn't perfectly centered the machinist can "bump" the bit over slightly.
Hopefully, with the head off the screw can be extracted if it isn't bent too badly.
If it is, the shank can be milled down until it can be extracted.
If you insist on trying it yourself, buy a Brownell's Magna-tip screw driver bit.
I'd use a .270-5, .270-6, or .270-7, depending on the screw slot.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=417/Product/MAGNA_TIP_SUPER_SETS_trade_
First, put a drop of Kroil or another good penetrating fluid on the end of the screw. As it soaks in apply a little more.
This will lubricate the threads.
Use the fitted Magna-tip bit to unscrew the screw until it starts to get tight. Stop and apply another drop of lube and give it a minute.
Screw the screw back IN.
Then unscrew until it gets tight again, then back in.
Each time you screw it out, try to turn it JUST a little farther.
Hopefully this will allow the screw to "iron" itself out.
If it doesn't seem to get any easier... STOP. Take it to a pro who can get it out without damaging the tang threads.
When/if you get it out, use a soft copper or lead hammer to gently tap the tang back in shape.
Note that the tang may snap right off if you hammer it too hard or too close to the front.
Marlin would probably induction heat the tang to straighten it, but you can't since that would damage the receiver.
Worse case, you may have to sacrifice the stock to get the screw out.
In this case, you'd cut the stock off and away from the tangs and screw. With the wood gone you could cut the screw in half and unscrew the bottom half.
Again, my first stop would be Marlin.
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