Hello" to all of the other 39 fans...
I was just admiring the wide variety of 39s that have been posted in The Marlin 39 Club and thought I'd join in and share a few pictures of my own, a 1939, 39-A.
I remember as a kid the first time I ever went into a real gun shop. I asked the gunsmith that owned the place which rifle he thought was the best, most accurate 22. He said it was the Marlin model 39. Being the 13 year old connoisseur of 22s that I was, I remember being surprised that he picked a lever gun, expecting instead some exotic bolt action, but figured that there must be something to it if he held them in such high regard. Right then and there I decided that one day I would own one and see for myself what was so special about them and eventually I did...
While the Marlin 39 may not actually be the "most accurate" 22 that there is, it certainly is one of the more accurate sporters out there. One could also make a pretty good argument for it being the "best" all-around 22, being extremely well made, fast, accurate, long-lasting and the oldest model 22 in continuous production with lots of history behind it. Regardless of what a 39 is or isn't, after all of this time and lots of different 22s, the 39 certainly remains one of my favorites..