just got my first rifle... marlin 39a

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pauli

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only one i could find at the gun show, which surprised me greatly. $343.25 out the door for an apparently used (but seemingly unfired, from the looks of it) 39a. though, the sights are already adjusted to the right a bit, so maybe it has been fired. who knows. who cares, it's clearly not worn out.

i was halfway home from the show when i turned around, after deciding that really, i didn't want to risk it not being there in the morning. given that in the ten minutes it took to find and buy a sleeve, two people tried to buy it off of me... i figure i was right.

the serial is AA 40xx. anybody got an idea on age?

now i'm just hoping i can get tonight's grocery run done in time to hit the range... they're closing tomorrow (i guess to clean the backstop). who the heck closes the range on the weekend when the biggest show on the east coast is being held five minutes away?
 
Calvary,

You are the very first person I have ever heard utter a cross word as far as the Marlin 39A is concerned. Could you elaborate?

Chris
 
Marlin makes a cheep gun, I’ve had around six and have yet to be satisfied with any and refuse to buy another, that might be my Sako-Tikka arrogance coming out though, but who knows
 
Like cslinger, that is the very first negative I've seen/heard about the 39A. It is anything but a cheap rifle, solid and well designed.

Congratulations pauli, you will not be sorry you went back for her. :)

I made a similar mistake a few years ago, but my outcome wasn't nearly as good as yours. I was at an antique shop in PA a few years when I spotted a color case hardened Winchester 1890 in fair but working condition. I debated buying it for a long time, passed it up and drove back home. I couldn't stand it, so the next day I drove all the way back to PA (Adamstown) and went directly to the antique shop - he had sold it only a few hours before I arrived!! :cuss:


[Added]
Almost forgot - your rifle was made in 1965.
 
Wow! I am also in the "never heard a bad word about a Marlin 39a" crowd.

These are classic rifles, the oldest continuously made American rifle in existence, and was the first rifle to be chambered in .22 LR. Blued steel, beautiful walnut, what is there not to like?

Mine is a later model, and I have installed XS ghost ring sights. There is something very satisfying about working the lever, especially when you do it time, after time, after time,...after time without reloading. (If you want a real kick in the pants fill the tube with a coule of handfuls of Aguila Colibris, and hear the "clink, clink, clink" of little lead pills dancing a can down range.)
 
apparently used (but seemingly unfired, from the looks of it) 39a
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Sounds contradictory. How do you use a firearm without firing it :scrutiny: ? I'm just picking on you, sounds like you got a steal. And, chalk me up with the "never heard anything bad about Marlin" group--they've been around for a long while, so it seems like they know what it's about. If you ever want to offload that rifle, please--look my way :D . They're a hoot to shoot, and a total gem of a rifle. I don't have one myself, yet, but I'm working on it :eek: . Pics???
 
i do need to get myself a camera, so i can take pictures of my toys... maybe next week.

it seems unfired to me, in that it looks and smells like a new gun - not a dirty gun, and not a cleaned gun, but a new gun. it's got that factory iron filings in factory grease look and smell in the odd corners, exactly like my nef shotgun, which i know hasn't been fired since it left the factory fifteen odd years ago. there is wear from the action being worked (it's a levergun - anybody within 10 yards is apt to find an excuse to work the action), but that's about it... other than the sights being off to the right. sunday, i'll find out if they're like that for a reason.

oh yeah... i'm going to need a new snapcap. apparently, the one i tried to feed was a TAD more worn than this rifle liked. took me a while to get it freed up, and now it's really mangled. good thing i'm going back to the show tomorrow ;)
 
Great gun. They are much more accurate than they should be, plus a gun like that is MADE for shooting .22 CB longs quietly at things. Plus they are a takedown as well. Whats not to like.
 
You'll never regret buying that 39A. My dad has a Golden 39A that will flat outshoot any 22 rifle I've ever shot. 39A's are weapons of danged near perfect beauty and I doubt anyone who would bad mouth them has ever had the pleasure of shooting one.
 
"Marlin makes a cheep gun, I’ve had around six"

Ah, a new day dawns (and a fresh pot of coffee, too.)

Have you had 6 39A's or 6 garden-variety hundred-dollar Marlins? Have you owned a 39A for more than a week? Just curious what problems you had with the 39A.

My Mountie is just getting broken in and I've had it since 1963 (as everybody who's been here longer than a month already knows and is tired of hearing. :) )

John
 
Not to highjack the thread, but I've bought, cleaned up, and given away a few dozen garden variety Marlin/Glenfield mod 60's and I prefer them to any stock Ruger 10/22.
 
as everybody who's been here longer than a month already knows and is tired of hearing.
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Amen :rolleyes: . Kidding, kidding, I'm just picking on you. Okiecruffler is right--if you've shot one, I don't think you can honestly badmouth it. And pauli--take us to the show with you :D .
 
Now lets not jump Calvary he certainly could have gotten a crappy 39. Every manufacturer makes it's share of crap from time to time.

I wasn't trying to flame or call Calvary out I was just sort of shocked to here a cross wordl thrown at the ole' 39a since I literally have never heard anybody make a negative comment about it.

So Calvary, again out of curiosity, is your bias towards Marlins due to 39s or due to some of their cheaper offerings. I really want to know since I have a bit of a hankering for a 39 myself and I would like to hear negative as well as positive.

Chris
 
pauli,

Congratulations on a great find at the gun show. If I ran across a 39A for that price I'd have to snatch it up. I can't say enough good things about my Marlin 1894C.
 
Excellent gun; congrats! I don't understand what Marlin rifles have to do with baby chickens (and hence the "cheep" reference)...You're not banned yet Cavalry? - surprising.
 
Interesting story...

I love the Marlin 39A, and will never never never part with mine, but I know of at least 2 bad 39A's, and have an interesting story about 'em...at least I thought it was interesting when I heard it...

Back in the late '70's, my Dad was an FFL, he ran a hardware store and did a lot of horsetrading in guns. He got a 39A from Marlin, and was absolutely thrilled with the little sucker. He recommended it to one of his buddies, and buddy says, "Yeah, I need a good .22," and orders one. Gun shows up, buddy goes out and shoots it, and can't hit the ground. Absolutely horribly put together. Buddy comes back, says, "Hey, this thing is awful! I want my money back!" Dad says, "Easy, I'll get you another one." They wait a couple weeks for a replacement, and when it shows up, it's even worse! Couldn't hit the feed shed from the back door, and it was a BIG feed shed!

Dad says, "Alright, something ain't right here, I'm sending it back, we'll make it right." So he calls Marlin up, says something to the effect of "This is the second bad 39A I've gotten, and it's only the third one I've ordered. Please make this right for my customer."

The president of Marlin himself called him back within an hour! :what:

The pres says, "Sir, I am very sorry about this, and I will replace your customer's gun, and by the way, I will be sending something along for your time and trouble. We occasionally make mistakes, and hope you will not hold this against us in the future, once again, very sorry, Sir."

The "something" to make up for Dad's time and trouble was a Golden 39A, with a note from the president of Marlin, apologizing once again for the trouble. That 39A is the one I've still got!

Long winded story, I know, but like I said, I thought it was kind of interesting...

S/F

Farnham
 
I've owned four Marlin rifles in my life, a "cheep" 25n, a 39m, a 336 and a 1895. Every one of them was a shooter. Every Marlin I've ever touched has been a shooter. You done good on your 39a. If you wear it out, you'll be the first.
 
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