Hello all. Just got my first 39 this past weekend. As a kid I could never seem to be able to afford one, and actually was really into handguns and centerfire rifles. I've shot them and liked them, but can't say I ever owned one. Life is a bit slower for me now, and a good .22 rifle seems like just the ticket for some off-duty fun.
I was leaving a gun show and walking to my car on Sunday when I saw an elderly gentleman who worked at the exhibit hall taking some guns out of his trunk. I walked over to say hello, and spied a Marlin Model 39A with what looked like surface rust on it, a leather sling that was disconnected at one end, and an old steel tubed scope hanging off of it by a loose mount. Overall things looked bad.
But when I picked it up and handled it, I got a feeling that this old girl could be cleaned up and put back in service. He told me to make him an offer, to which I replied "$150". He wanted another $25 for the scope which was falling off, and I gave in and said ok. I got it home and spent several hours cleaning it up. Leaving a coating of Break-Free on the metal for a few hours allowed me to get rid of the surface rust and also cleaned up the tube of the scope, which turned out to be a very old Weaver K-4! Surprisingly, the glass was still clear and crisp when I cleaned the lenses.
My new/old rifle turns out to be a 39A Golden Mountie probably made in 1969. It now looks much better, and a bit of plinking on my range confirms that it feeds well, even with CB caps, and is accurate, or at least as accurate as it needs to be for fun. I was shooting old golf balls with it at distances out to maybe 60 yards with some old Winchester Wildcats. Amazingly, the scope did not require re-sighting because it never came out of its rings.
I feel like I got a little bit of history for $175 and some elbow grease, and I think I am really going to enjoy shooting this rifle.