Anyone have a Marlin 39A? SCORE pic added

[cj3a]

The Marlin is a nice gun but have you looked at the Win 9422? The one I have is really smooth.

[alukban]

Your background is as deep yankee as one can get Mr. Bradshaw

One of me good friends who passed away just last month was a walking history book. He told me about Connecticut's past history with tobacco and which buildings were used for what that are now delapidated relics. The 34 along the Connecticut River has a lot of stories alright. Up to about just a decade ago, there was still that one older, retired gentleman who would checker your stock for a mere 30 dollars because he could practically do it in his sleep. Another buddy/older co-worker who knew the Rugers told me of a story about his needing some prop guns for a school play when he was much younge - he ended up with a brace of nickel-plated Bearcats. These kind of stories make me smile.

I am not that old - only 44 and been living in the tri-state area since only '94 but even I have noted the ridiculously marked change in the gun industry in the North East. Friggin' Dannel Malloy blow goats. The are suppsoedly much more deer now but there definitely less grouse! I have seen/flushed/heard maybe only 3 in the 5 years that I have been in the North West corner of my state (where moose and black bear now abound). I would love to try my hand at something as pedestrian as grouse in my woods. Mr. Bradshaw, I bet you never realised how very lucky you were to have enjoyed shooting at grouse in Connecticut, near Hatford no less! Classic New England

PS. David Bradshaw <--- please check you private messages. I sent you something a couple of weeks ago

[bradshaw]

cj3a.... very limited shooting with Winchester 9422 revealed accuracy and smooth feeding. My impression is that the 9422 was poisoned by the period of rotten so-called 94s made when clowns upstairs thought the Winchester rollmark would cover anything, good as wool over the eyes. That arrogance brought down the company. Speaking of rotten, that was a rotten shame.

The era spanning black powder well into smokeless saw brilliant .22 repeaters, including great pumps from Winchester and Remington. I love the action and buttstock feed of Browning's 1900 .22 auto, but the takedown separates barrel from receiver, and accuracy suffers.
David Bradshaw

[redlevel42]

The first gun I ever bought with my own money was a Marlin Golden 39A. I gave $100 for it in 1961 0r 1962. I think that was about what a new one cost way back then. My Uncle was bad about buying guns and then having to sell when he got in a tight for cash. This is where I got this one. I made the money selling boiled peanuts on the streets of Butler, GA. I still have it of course, and it is one of three or four that I will never trade off. My daughter gets it on my death. About 20 years ago I was in the local gun emporium one day when a fella came in with a Mountie he was wanting to trade. He was all in heat for a Ruger 10-22. I hung around until he made his deal. I looked at the old Mountie, and it was loose, and very finished challenged. It was a 1962 gun, if I recall correctly. It also had a broken ejector spring, a fairly common malady with these rifles. I offered the proprietor $145 and he took it. The gun shot fine as it was, but I wanted to fix the spring and possibly refinish the metal. I finally got a new spring from Numrich, and I sent the rifle to what was then Checkmate Refinishers in Florida for a brushed chrome finish. It came back looking good. The refinishing evidently tightened some of the tolerances, because a bunch of the slop is gone. Shoots good, with good accuracy. I believe these are the finest .22s anyone ever produced. That old 39A from the early 60s started me down the road to shooting lever actions almost exclusively.

[squawberryman]

cj3a if you are referring to an older one I'd be inclined but I want that looooooong barrel and curved grip. I have a real Winchester 9422XTR 22WMR that is a joy to hold and bring to life. I CANNOT wrap my heart around any W/Japanese gun. I'll be selling a high wall 22 high grade soon for that very fact. I was born in '65 and right now there's one for sale an hour from me that looks new and is a '66. Missed a '64 two days ago almost as pretty. Bradshaw there's a CCH 39 on GB right now, they sure are proud of it.

[cj3a]

I hear you about the pistol grip. I love to have a Winchester made up to look like a 71,

[squawberryman]

1966 With a Lyman. I honestly do not believe it's been fired. Broke it down and as well as there being no residue of any kind there are no wear marks. Tickled pink. Thanks for the other stories

[bradshaw]

squawberryman.... beautiful Model 39. I'd remove the hammer spur extension. Those things are for scopes. Even for the short period I used a scope on my little Mountie, I refrained from a dad-blasted spur extension. Those Marlins come from the era when trigger shoes were still in vogue. I count myself of the generation tried trigger shoes and ditched 'em fast. Artifact of pocket pool offhand shooters and other paper punchers. Recently saw photo of S&W with trigger shoe, and remember numerous Colt Officer's Model Match revolvers vulgarized with shoes. Likewise, have seen 1894's and Marlins with spur extensions----whose owners hunted iron sights only.

Never religious about my Mountie, just an all-business, take-down protein gun. Reliability, accuracy, wonderful scale of the action for the rimfire, the great tubular magazine, ease of maintenance, and the break-it-down thumb screw SCREAM SIMPLICITY.
David Bradshaw

[Chip]

Marlin 1897 Cowboy, love it except for the stupid crossbolt. I'd love to have a 1962 Model 39, year I was born.

[coyote]

my marlin trio: 22LR Mountie, 45LC and 45/70, all with XS sights.

[vonfatman]

coyote,
I like that pre-Golden 39A!! I should have one (circa 1954) this week. Can't wait....the hard part will be selling off the Golden 39A that sits in the safe!! Can't see having both.

Bob

[coyote]

thank you. but i NEVER see a problem in having a nice back-up/loaner/trainer/truck-gun to any fine firearm! keep 'em both Bob.

[MackaySagebrush]

I own a Mountie, and it is without question, my hands down favorite long gun. While I have numerous custom precision rifles that cost many times the Marlin Mountie, it is the one that brings the biggest smile to my face when afield chasing jackrabbits in fresh snow,out on the high desert.

It truly is "the last rifle I would part with".

[AxeHandle]

Knew that my 1952 39A did NOT have a micro groove barrel but didn't remember much more. Did a quick look and read that July 1953 was the start date for the Micro Groove barrels in the 39. When I finally got around to shooting mine I found that my 61 years old eyes could not see the original sights. A Williams rear and Lyman front fixed that..

[bradshaw]

Stan & squawberry man.... put the Williams Foolproof in huinting trim----sans target knobs----on my takedown 39. Much preferred it to a vernier peep, which as a kid I couldn't afford anyway. Mainly, I don't want a sight on the small of the stock where my hand belongs. Not to mention it would require drilling & tapping the tang. A receiver peep puts your face where it belongs, crawling the stock.

Williams sold a great many Foolproof and Guide peep sights, thanks to affordable high quality. Many superior goobers came out of automobile alley in the midwest, a tradition carried into handgun silhouette by Lansing Shooting Supplies width & height adjustable 4D Globe front, and Bo-Mar rear adaptations. Those were all automobile alley boys.
David Bradshaw