Would you buy this 39A?

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Plinker82

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So I thought I finally found a great deal on a 39A. The rifle is rough in the sense it has minor pitting all over, the barrel is all patina but functions 100% and is complete minus the butt plate. I work at a shop that buys, sells and trades and this was part of a collection that was recently handed down to a customer. Since we purchased several rifles at once, this was picked up at a bulk buy and priced low enough to tag it at $250. Since I enjoy "refurbishing" old rifles, I thought this one would be a great next project though due to the nature of these things, I was only planning on cleaning it up versus refinishing the metal and wood as I'd normally do.

Today I was cleaning it up a little when I noticed a ring inside the barrel about 4 inches from the crown. Then I felt the bulge and my heart sank. I plan on seeing how it groups Friday with some CCI mini mags but even if it shoots straight, I don't know that its worth the $250 bargain that I had originally thought.

What do you guys think? This is a "K" serialized rifle with 24" barrel and not a mountie. I don't know a ton about 39A's... only that I haven't seen one in quite a while and they always bring more than most lever action 22's.
 
A Marlin 39 with a bulged barrel isn't worth $250 to me. I bought a rusty 39 a few years back, also about $250. It looks good now and runs well, but I must have $600 in the thing (re-blue and smith work done by a pro). In this case I just wanted to put the gun right. I would not do it again.

The 39 has a threaded barrel, if you could find one you can expect to spend some time getting it set up correctly. I did a quick google search and couldn't find one.
 
My thinking is for $250 I could possibly clean it up and throw it in a friends hot bluing tank for next to nothing. Then strip and refinish the stock myself as well. If the value has already been trashed with the bulged barrel then I can't make it any worse by restoring its luster.
 
I wouldn't buy it, not for $250, too many issues. $150 maybe. I've seen too many that didn't need a thing go for around $450 to make it worth the trouble.
 
No telling exactly how it happened for sure since it could have happened 50 years ago. I would guess though that a bullet stuck in the barrel without the shooter knowing and fired another round behind it.
 
You might want to shoot it first, if you can. One of my uncles had a High Standard HD Military with a noticable ring in the barrel and it was a great shooter.

Sometimes problems turn out not to be problems.
 
Tomorrow I am going take it to the test range to see how it groups. Being that it's only a .22, I don't know that there would be any safety concerns. I know one thing though. They will have to mark it down to cost before I will consider buying it. Had the guy properly inspected this rifle, we wouldn't have ever purchased it in the first place.
 
I'd offer $150, do the restoration, and cut the barrel to carbine length while you're at it.
 
Plinker82 said:
No telling exactly how it happened for sure since it could have happened 50 years ago. I would guess though that a bullet stuck in the barrel without the shooter knowing and fired another round behind it.
Click to expand...
I don`t see that happening with a .22.................
 
Pressure from a .22 LR = 20,000 psi. It's little but it's loud.

Anecdote 1. I once saw a K22 - actually a 4" Combat Masterpiece - on the back shelf at the then largest local gun store. It was JUST what I wanted so I asked about it. The dealer said that it had come in on trade and when he cleaned it for display, he felt a bulge in the barrel. It was set back to go to S&W for a new barrel. I asked him to call when it returned, he did, and I bought it. Well, my Dad did, this was a LONG time ago. Still one of my favorite guns. The barrel replacement is obvious, the gun is a 1950s dull blue and the new barrel is a 1960s bright blue. But it shoots and it is MINE.

Anecdote 2. I bought a Remington 788 .223 at a gun show. I gave no thought to the fact that it was dirty, after all, who makes corrosive .223, right? To make a long story short, the barrel was bulged about 1.5" from the muzzle and accuracy was gone. Cutting off 3" did not help much. Remington kindly rebarrelled it, even though a discontinued model, and it is a good shooter. But it is no longer a bargain.

Recommendation. If you have a 24" barrel with ring 4" back, you will have to cut it to maybe 18" to be sure of a straight bore. Then you have to cut the magazine tube and reset the ring. Better get it cheap.
 
Bulged barrels on old .22s are very common. Especialy on semi autos. You get a squib load during rapid fire and a stuck bullet. The next shot and you got a ring/bulge. Theres plenty of pressure to cause this. The good thing, many times it doesn't make a difference in the accuracy unless you have a target rifle. I have 4 semis with a bulge or ring and they shoot fine. 2 of the guns I have a identicle model to compare it to. No difference. I'd try if to see how it shoots. But I wouldn,t pay more than 150.00 for it. A high power rifle as mentioned above is a different story. A stuck bullete can exspand and burst the barrel.
 
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