My beat-up Marlin 39A (traded Makarov +$20 today): refurb advice?

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MatthewVanitas

MatthewVanitas

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Greetings,
I went to the gunshow up in North Austin today, took a .380 Mak to trade. In the first 30 minutes, found a guy with a Marlin 39A labeled $239. I ended up giving him the Mak plus $20. The bore looks great on it, shiny, smooth, and Ballard-rifled. The outside on the other hand... pure truck-gun. The finish is all patina (minimal pitting though), the wood is all dinged, and Bubba carved some design into the stock.

Lever is a little stiff (carried but never fired? undergreased?) and trigger pretty good. I'm not too keen on the rear sight, so inclined to put on a buckhorn or tangsight, or at least file the notch deeper. Serial is K1527XX. I'll definitely write Marlin to get my Owner's Manual.

That aside, any advice on what to do with this sucker? I have no idea how lever actions work, and probably would have been smarter to get a brand-new $99 Marlin 60.

I take it that there's no problem with refinishing really beat-up wood? I'm inclined to get some brass-tacks, put on a Southern Cross (the constellation), since I was in the 1st Marine Division until recently. Marlin's website offers rebluing for $60 on their .22 autos, but $110 on their leverguns, so that's a little steep for me. I can live with patina, but the wood is pretty heinous (though solid and all-there).

The buttplate needs replacing, but www.gungrip.com has one that looks exactly like mine: "Marlin Model 39 oversize" for $15:

b3420.jpg


I just took some pics, but my digital camera appears to be mis-reading. Mostly wanted to post and see how I did, invite any suggestions. Especially to see if there is any reason I shouldn't refinish/reblue, etc., or if there are certain parts I should check for possible replacement. Should I avoid even disassembling it and cleaning it until the Owner's Manual arrives from Marlin? Thanks for any info, sorry for lack of pics at the moment.

-MV
 
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Here's the manual in a PDF file: Click Here

Your serial number dates it at 1953 according to this website. Nice find!

I think you did much better with the 39A rather than a Model 60. I have both a '66 39A and an '82 model 60. The 39A is a much better made rifle. Yea, the levers are a little stiff on them. I don't think there is much you can do to slick it up.

I'd take some Break Free CLP and a brass wire brush to the surface rust. That should clean most of it up. Some Formsby's Tung Oil finish will take care of the stock. Clean it up with Mineral Spirits and/or Denatured Alchohol first or you could just go all out with some chemical stripper like Citristrip or Bix.

I'll bet you could just get some new wood from Marlin. They still make 39As. (Save the original wood, don't throw it out).
 
The 39A's go for over $350 new, so you saved quite a bit. If it's in good working order, just ensure you protect it against rust and then shoot the heck out of it.

jmm
 
So far so good, I was pretty sure I didn't get ripped off (provided it shoots well).

DMK: Thanks much for the manual! Regarding the mineral spirits, etc.: will the spirits themselves strip the finish, or do I use the spirits/alcohol in conjunction with sanding? I do want to get all the old gunk off, but I don't want to take off too much wood.

Anybody have any opinions on putting on a Marble Buckhorn sight? They're only $17 from Brownell's, and they'd clutter the rifle up less than those odd side-mount receiver sights, but still no need to drill/tap. Someone on the board mentioned that they use the full-buckhorn as a sort of aperture sight, that might be worth a try.

A bunch of other posts mention a bead on the front sight; mine has no bead. Is there supposed to be one there? Should I just paint it in, or buy a tiny piece of brass?

Well, about $175 into the rifle, plus $15 for new buttplate and $17 for new sights, a couple bucks for mineral spirits and tung oil; I hope this doesn't end up getting too unreasonable... -MV
 
MatthewVanitas said:
DMK: Thanks much for the manual! Regarding the mineral spirits, etc.: will the spirits themselves strip the finish, or do I use the spirits/alcohol in conjunction with sanding? I do want to get all the old gunk off, but I don't want to take off too much wood.
Click to expand...

You're welcome!

The mineral spirits won't take off the finish or hurt the wood. Just let it dry overnight before putting any new finish on it.

I wasn't sure what the original finish looks like and if you wanted to restore it or just keep it from getting worse. If you want to get the old finish off, use a chemical stripper. Citristrip is popular. I've used Bix stripper with good success. To get the dents out, use a wet towel or washcloth and a steam iron. Use some scotchbrite pads or steel wool to smooth out the 'whiskers' after that. If there are gouges, you won't be able to do anything about them.

Sometimes with an old gun like that, it looks pretty cool if you just get most of the rust off, put some kind of finsh on the stock just to keep it from deteriorating from gun oils, moisture and leave it like that with good honest wear and tear.

An old 1953 rifle like that has a charm all it own. Some folks would gladly pay more than you did rather than buy a new one built with all the safety features and cost cutting. I don't know, maybe I'm just a sucker for old guns. For some folks it's just about the book value.

I'd love to see some pics of it if you get your camera working!
 
Well, this has been an adventure...

I tore down the Marlin today, and it was crustier than a Chief Warrant Officer.

All the parts covered by the wood had some crystalized junk; some mix of rust, wood dust, and old varnish? But it comes off pretty easily, and the metal is all there, not too much pitting.

The screws all took a lot of coaxing (note to self: next time spray WD40 down the screws and wait an hour).

Oddest of all: the receiver had all kinds of junk in it: fouling from the 1950s, random bits of fuzz, and a huge pebble of dried fouling rattling around. I presume it was a pebble of fouling, I sure hope it doesn't fill some mechanical function. I'm surprised that the action felt pretty okay despite those.

So, can I soak the receiver (metal only) in some sort of fluid overnight to loosen up all the gunk in the nooks and between the coils of the springs? I realize that I'll need to heavily oil it down if I soak it in any kind of degreaser, or if I wash it in hot water and detergent I'll need to put it in the oven to get all the water out of it. Any suggestions on either method? I really want to get this thing as clean as possible before I start using it.

The wood definitely needs refinishing: it appears that the previous owner laid some gunk finish on top of the original finish, as there's a little varnish on some of the metal parts right next to the wood. In some of the really worn-bare areas, the grain looks pretty nice. A few divots, but I figure they'll be okay once the Tung Oil gets in there.

Well, it's got a lot of character, but it's pre-safety, the bore looks great, and I'm only $175 into it. Any advice on the intensive cleaning appreciated. I'll post pics once I get things up and running on the camera, and especially once I get some "after" photos. Well, it does have a lot more color than a new Model 60...

Thanks much for the advice thus far, -MV

P.S.: I heard somewhere that I'm not supposed to move the lever while the rifle is disassembled. Is that true? If not, it'd be a lot easier to clean if I could move the lever so I could clean and lube the nooks and crannies.
 
MatthewVanitas said:
So, can I soak the receiver (metal only) in some sort of fluid overnight to loosen up all the gunk in the nooks and between the coils of the springs? I realize that I'll need to heavily oil it down if I soak it in any kind of degreaser, or if I wash it in hot water and detergent I'll need to put it in the oven to get all the water out of it. Any suggestions on either method? I really want to get this thing as clean as possible before I start using it.
Click to expand...
My SOP with crusty old milsurps is to take everything apart as much as possible, then soak everything metal overnight in a glass dish full of mineral spirits. I've got a Mauser 98K soaking right now. The next day, give it a scrubbing with an old toothbrush,then spray with brake parts cleaner and let dry. Now soak everything good with Break Free CLP (or Kroil if it's really crusty). Any rusty or still cruddy parts get scrubbed with a brass brush. Let everything soak at least overnight or leave soaking while you work on the wood. When ready, just wipe down with a lint free rag and put it back together.

P.S.: I heard somewhere that I'm not supposed to move the lever while the rifle is disassembled. Is that true? If not, it'd be a lot easier to clean if I could move the lever so I could clean and lube the nooks and crannies.
Click to expand...
You can more whatever you want. Just don't let the hammer drop while it's apart. The rifle can be a little tricky to reassemble the two halves, but you'll get the hang of it. The manual explains how it goes.
 
Go to Auto Zone and pick up a couple of cans of "BrakeKleen." It will get the grunge out of the nooks and crannys. After you clean it up, be sure to oil it so that it won't rust. The BrakeKleen will take all the lubrication off the gun. I like RemOil or spray Breakfree CLP for lube and protection. Don't get the BrakeKleen on the stock. It may damage the finish.

Clemson
 
After you've addressed the immediate problems of cleaning out the crud and neutralizing any active corrosion, the next thing would be to run several different sorts of ammo through it for function/accuracy evaluation.

Assuming the bore and chamber are decent, accuracy will likely run up against how well you can see and hold for with irons before you get to any theoretical "best it can do".

The main things in the action to take a hard look at are the ejector, extractor, FP, and locking engagement point on the lever. The feeding system parts don't need detail stripping, unless there's obvious damage or slop. Pretty much everything you need to inspect can be accessed with a simple field stripping and stock/forend removal.

The factory replacement wood can get pricey. A browse through a couple of catalogs like Brownell's, Cabela's, or Midway will give you several alternatives, even a couple of synthetics. Not strictly necessary if the set on it is basically sound, but removing the Bubbafied carving without leaving a nearly-as-ugly stock might be tough. You might want to trade a bit of cash to spare yourself a lot of work and aggravation.

Metal restoration (in the "return to factory-new appearance" sense of the term) when mild-to-moderate pitting is involved can be tricky, and doing it right is extremely labor-intensive. Unless one is very highly skilled and experienced, motor driven polishing wheels are just a faster way to FUBAR things by adding wavy flats, dished screw holes, rounded edges, and obliterated markings to the mix. If most of the pitting is minor, and you don't want to put a lot of your time and labor (or cash for a good pro's work) into the project, you might want to settle for getting rid of any active rust and touch-up with a good cold blue.

IMO, for a working gun that you want "prettier" without dumping a ton of cash into it, a better way to go would be forego the time and money consuming polishing in favor of a fine bead blasting. Done right, it leaves a very subtle matte surface which pretty much eliminates all the fine pitting and does a good job of toning down the larger ones to near-invisibility. This also offers you lots of final finishing options, from simple tank bluing or Parkerizing to electroless nickel, NP3 or one of the many "polymer" composites.

FWIW, my idea of a "belt-and-suspenders" sighting set-up would be a Marble's folding rear leaf (the one with W&E adjustments) and a Lyman 66A or Williams Foolproof receiver sight and an fiber optic front bead on the factory ramp. Your receiver should already be drilled and tapped for a receiver sight. The front blade and folding rear will fit the factory dovetails, and it's an easy DIY for all of them.

Marlin 39s are true Classics, perhaps the most durable and all-around usefull rimfire rifles ever produced. Well worth putting some time and money into, IMHO.
 
It looks like you are getting a lot of good advice on cleaning and refinishing the metal and wood. In reguards to the rear sight, forget it. If the receiver is drilled and tapped for a receiver sight, get the good Williams sight. It is much better than the Lyman sight, and light years ahead of the tang sights. Fill the open notch with a replacement blank. I also replaced the front bead sight with a XS Systems post. I prefer that to the bead. Personal preference.
 
"neutralizing active corrosion"

Okay, I'll admit that I'm not quite sure what this means.

Does rust breed rust? If I remove rust with a bronzebrush or whatnot, and then get a good film of oil on the metal, is that "neutralizing active corrosion", or is there more to it?

There's a decent amount of surface corrosion everywhere where the handguard and the metal met, and a ton underneath the rear sight leaf. I believe I drift the rear sight out Left-to-Right as I aim it, right? Definitely need to remove the sight to de-rustify. Even the buttplate screws were rusty. I think I need to go hug all my guns and aplogize for any minor neglect in the past...

Following some great advice a sergeant gave us before an inspection, I took the 39A outside to examine it under bright daylight: the corrosion shows up way more that way. Not so much corrosion that I'm concerned structurally, but plenty of reddish patches. Man, now that I look at it, even the shell-lifter is packed with dustbunnies and gunk. Well, it's a project.
 
Why is the Williams better than the Lyman? The way I see it, I prefer what appears to be a better made, cleaner design. Personal preference. I haven't had a good experience on the Lyman I had.
 
Camera back up and working

Here are a few "before" pics. "After" pics should be along in a week or so.
 

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Sanded down to 220-grit, then three coats of Tung oil. I'm going to let it dry a few more days, then buff it with a cotton cloth to smooth it up.

I couldn't have gotten all the dings out without achieving an Ultra-Featherweight stock, so once I got the carved design out, I just focused on smoothing it up. Still plenty of character left in it, including the six dots that Bubba gouged into each loop of his carving.

All that nasty rust/dust/varnish in the receiver came out with a Simplegreen soak, and I've been rust-busting with a bronzebrush out under the daylight.

I ordered the new buttplate from Marlin, but once I get that I should be good to go. I even got the buttplate spacer back to a whitish color after some careful scrubbing. Any advice on what to soak the very rusted buttplate screws in? Or should I just WD40 them and go to town with a brush?
 
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