AStone
Member
Marlin 39
I'm going to nail this first post on page 101 of the Marlin 39 Club and make a speech. Here goes.
On March 11, 2007, I started this thread, this "club" about one of the most venerable .22 rifles in American history, and arguably THE most venerable .22 lever guns in American history. (You'll note I specifically did not specify .22 LR, because the 39 shoots long and short, also.)
This is not the Marlin 39A Club, or 39M Club, or any other subcategory. No, it's about all 39s and their ancestors.
We now show up in Rifle Country as having 2500 replies and 158,259 views.
That makes this one of the most popular threads in THR history. And it ain't because I started it. I'm nobody. It's because this rifle is something. It's because this is an amazing rifle with an amazing legacy, going all the way back to Annie Oakley, who used one of its predecessors to shoot playing cards in half in the air.
This rifle in all it's manifestations, models, years of production is a masterpiece of gun design. One may criticize this or that about it. Fair enough. Suit yourself. But anyone that even attempts to criticize the rifle itself - its design, its beauty, its usefulness, its legacy - is, put bluntly, an idiot.
I love this rifle. I have had it for 2.75 years. I see it almost daily, and fondle it often. But because of an insane work schedule - being a small business owner, which means I've had 4 days off work in 2.5 years - I've shot it so few times that I'm embarrassed to say. (Same can be said for my beloved 336.) I've yet to kill a squirrel with it, which is the main reason I bought it. But I know - or hope - that someday sooner than later, that will change and that I can begin to give this rifle the time it deserves. I want that deeply.
Yet, it's clear from reading posts here, in the same club in a sister forum, on other forums (like Marlin Owners), and from my own experiences of FTF described earlier in this thread - an ongoing issue yet to be resolved - that current production of the 39 is suffering a bit. Like nearly every other corporation in the world - but not all - it's clear that Marlin Firearms is cutting back on its production standards. It's putting out too many damn rifles that don't work correctly, even right out of the box. That sucks.
However, that isn't the rifle's fault. That's Marlin's fault. No wait, that isn't even Marlin's fault. Marlin isn't a person, it's a corporation. It is driven by the people that run it. If the people that run it are schmucks, then the company will be a schmuck. It's that simple.
But even though John Marlin started it, if there are QC problems with the 39 (or any other of their firearms) today, it's not his fault. No, if fault is to be assigned, it's with the current group of people running Marlin Firearms, starting with the president. In fact, especially the president.
So, to the president of Marlin Firearms, Inc. I, Nem A. Tocyst, president of the Marlin 39 Club, say this to you. Get your act together. Stop producing inferior 39s. Stop it immediately. Get your QC in order. Don't let any rifle get out of your door that won't work right the first time, everytime.
Need to go up a few bucks on the price to compensate? Do it. But don't **** with this rifle. It is your responsibility to keep the name of the Marlin 39 held in high esteem as the paragon of lever 22s far into the future.
Long live the Marlin 39.
Those are my ideas.
Nem
Yeah, I have some ideas.
I'm going to nail this first post on page 101 of the Marlin 39 Club and make a speech. Here goes.
On March 11, 2007, I started this thread, this "club" about one of the most venerable .22 rifles in American history, and arguably THE most venerable .22 lever guns in American history. (You'll note I specifically did not specify .22 LR, because the 39 shoots long and short, also.)
This is not the Marlin 39A Club, or 39M Club, or any other subcategory. No, it's about all 39s and their ancestors.
We now show up in Rifle Country as having 2500 replies and 158,259 views.
That makes this one of the most popular threads in THR history. And it ain't because I started it. I'm nobody. It's because this rifle is something. It's because this is an amazing rifle with an amazing legacy, going all the way back to Annie Oakley, who used one of its predecessors to shoot playing cards in half in the air.
This rifle in all it's manifestations, models, years of production is a masterpiece of gun design. One may criticize this or that about it. Fair enough. Suit yourself. But anyone that even attempts to criticize the rifle itself - its design, its beauty, its usefulness, its legacy - is, put bluntly, an idiot.
I love this rifle. I have had it for 2.75 years. I see it almost daily, and fondle it often. But because of an insane work schedule - being a small business owner, which means I've had 4 days off work in 2.5 years - I've shot it so few times that I'm embarrassed to say. (Same can be said for my beloved 336.) I've yet to kill a squirrel with it, which is the main reason I bought it. But I know - or hope - that someday sooner than later, that will change and that I can begin to give this rifle the time it deserves. I want that deeply.
Yet, it's clear from reading posts here, in the same club in a sister forum, on other forums (like Marlin Owners), and from my own experiences of FTF described earlier in this thread - an ongoing issue yet to be resolved - that current production of the 39 is suffering a bit. Like nearly every other corporation in the world - but not all - it's clear that Marlin Firearms is cutting back on its production standards. It's putting out too many damn rifles that don't work correctly, even right out of the box. That sucks.
However, that isn't the rifle's fault. That's Marlin's fault. No wait, that isn't even Marlin's fault. Marlin isn't a person, it's a corporation. It is driven by the people that run it. If the people that run it are schmucks, then the company will be a schmuck. It's that simple.
But even though John Marlin started it, if there are QC problems with the 39 (or any other of their firearms) today, it's not his fault. No, if fault is to be assigned, it's with the current group of people running Marlin Firearms, starting with the president. In fact, especially the president.
So, to the president of Marlin Firearms, Inc. I, Nem A. Tocyst, president of the Marlin 39 Club, say this to you. Get your act together. Stop producing inferior 39s. Stop it immediately. Get your QC in order. Don't let any rifle get out of your door that won't work right the first time, everytime.
Need to go up a few bucks on the price to compensate? Do it. But don't **** with this rifle. It is your responsibility to keep the name of the Marlin 39 held in high esteem as the paragon of lever 22s far into the future.
Long live the Marlin 39.
Those are my ideas.
Nem
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Breath control, dear friend, breath control.
