Marlin Model 39

I've had my 39A a lot of years. According to the serial number mine was made in 1956.

It's the one on top.

Marlins Forever

One of the Best 22lr Lever Release Bolt Actions out there.

Marlin TDS

The Norseman said:

One of the Best 22lr Lever Release Bolt Actions out there.

Marlin TDS

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I don't understand. Are saying that the accuracy of the Marlin equals most bolt action .22s?

One of the guns I’ve found since April is a M39: one of the ones with the star on the tang and a King aperture sight.

My granddaughter likes it almost as much as I do.

My 1st rifle was a Marlin22. Fond memories.
Only Marlin I still own is a 1990 production, camp 9. It takes S&W 5900/6900 series magazines

She's a beauty.

I have a 39 Centennial carbine from 1970, given to me for Christmas when I was 12. Tens of thousands of rounds through it, shoots as good as ever. Had a scope on it once but it never seemed right so I took it off. It's last active use that I recall was executing a pen full of trapped feral hogs a couple of years ago. I learned that subsonic .22 LR ammo cannot be depended on to penetrate a hog skull unless you put it right in the ear hole.

I really like the 39s. They're the most honest .22 repeater ever made, IMO. Very accurate. I refuse to put a scope on mine because at RF range, I don't need one...yet.

I had a 39M but lost it in an Armed Robbery. My ex-wife took it in a divorce, and since she'd got other guns, she was Armed. Wonderful little gun, square lever, IIRC. I got it from a fool on a trade; he wanted a short .22 lever, and I had one, a Palomino, Ithaca? He was happy and I was very happy. So I still miss it.

Come to think about it, I've owned my 39A longer than any other gun I have.

I think my dad gave it to me when I was around 12 or 13 years old.

Matter of fact he gave me every gun in the pic I posted.

Those old Stevens, one was his dad's, and the other was my great grand dads on my moms side.

How in hell have I gone 75 years without having one of these?
The theory of relativity is easier to understand.

SuperMan said:

Great story....

My first .22 rifle was a 39A Golden in 1966. Sold it when I went to college thinking I wouldn't need a .22 for a while...

Have had one other 24" Golden, four Mounties and three Carbines since...still have one of the Carbines...

I think the Carbine I kept came out of the Marlin Custom Shop that I didn't even know existed till a few years ago. The gun had been found in a closet of an older gentleman who had died and his family wanted nothing to do with guns so took it to the nearest gun shop and sold it. STUNNING AAA walnut, receiver engraved with some scroll and the owners initials and a high polish blue....

Have a good time with your new heirloom....

Bob

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Nice find, great looking walnut on that one.

Marlin had a Custom Shop of sorts in the old factory when they were still in New Haven and it was in operation up to WW2.
Special order guns, wood work, checkering, engraving could be ordered. But a good portion of the work was done outside of the factory, especially the engraving. The same engravers that famously engraved for Winchester in the pre and post WW2 era had also engraved for Marlin.
Wood work was done in house but some checkering was also farmed out. Most all checkering was done outside the factory post war.

When MArlin moved the North HAven in 1968/69,,there was no in house checkerers, special stock makers, engravers, ect.
Any special guns were made outside the factory.
Robert Kain of Vt. engraved a good number of the 336/39A sets that were done right about that time. His mark/signiture is a R with a small walking cane engraved thru it.
He had help with the project.
Some unkn engraver guy named Winston Churchill, also from the hill country, Vt.
Churchill did quite a few of the sets. He marked those he did with a WC underneath the stock on the frame IIRC.
There were a few odditys lying around the Service Dept that had Kain's or Churchill's engraving on them. I remember distinctly a Model 49DL 22semiauto with scroll and game scenes.
There were others. A 39A with just a small amt of scroll.
They told me those were pieces done as test and 'see if they would sell' pieces. Just sitting then on a back shelf. Wonder where they are now.

Special wood came from the Marlin Wood room. Especially fancy stocks came thru every once in a while and were set aside for special projects.
They usually got nothing more than an extra coating of the spray-on finish they were using and maybe a rub-down or two. Checkering was done outside the factory usually. No one left from the old days that could or wanted to do that work.

But surprisingly most of the outside checkering was still being done by a husband & wife team that had been doing that since just after WW2. The Arthur's did work for Winchester, MArlin, Hi-Standard, Colt,,just about everybody that still wanted hand checkering.
Harold had worked at Winchester in the 'Wood Room' pre-WW2. His wife Mildred, had not worked at Winchester but checkered as fast or faster than Harold did.

Impressed checkering was all the rage at the time but there was plenty of hand checkering work around. ,,and no one wanted that job!

They both worked at Pedersen Custom Gun in the early 70's. Millie still did checkering and taught some others the art.
Harold was a shop manager though he also would join in and checker when needed.
Unfiltered Cigarette dangling from his lips as he rapidly checkered the patterns with his old 2 handed Winchester multi lined tools.
Great people, I miss them.


Marlin/ North Haven made up a few other special guns as time went on with hand engraving and checkering. One-of's,,all farmed out work AFAIK.
Milestone guns, ect. 'Name' engravers usually.

Then a couple yrs ago,,I think since Remington took over,,they set up a 'Marlin Custom Shop'
What it is actually is Dakota Arms in Sturgis doing the work.
Marlin has it's dealers become 'Custom Shop' dealers and take orders, fill out the paperwork for the specs, take payments, ect. Then Dakota builds the gun on a plain off the assembly line MArlin.

Remington Custom Shop is now set up the same way. Dakota Arms in Sturgis doing all the work. Remington Custom Shop 'Dealers' doing the middle man paper shuffle.

More than you ever wanted to know most likely...

Nice rifle, nice story and a nice job on the wood. I've had a few of the older Marlin 39's in recent years and always wondered why Winchester 94's were such a big deal compared to the 39's. Marlin has always been a great gun manufacturer, very consistent in their quality.

Mine is a mint 1965. An elderly gentleman, well, older than me, knew his time was growing near. He asked me to help get rid of some guns for him. After I set him up with a few PPTs, he gifted me this 39. Now my son will not only get my Apache Black Nylon 66 but an even more classic .22 to go along with it.

Mine I think is from ‘52. It is the one year model that has the brass crescent on the pistol grip.

Marlin Golden 39A

I've owned several over the years and deeply regret every one I sold. I'm currently the owner of exactly one Marlin Golden Model 39A, manufactured in 1981. This one won't be getting away from me.




ETA:

I finally got around to taking a picture of my latest target. For any of you real riflemen out there, please be aware that I've never considered myself to be any more than sub-mediocre when it comes to shooting rifles.

I've said a few time, the only 4 guns a normal person really "needs" is a...

Marlin 39A
Remington 870
Winchester 70 in 30.06
S&W Model 10

I can't think of anything in the US that these 4 wouldn't cover.

Well in a normal times anyhow.

True...but we are in anything but normal times...so I would substitute an AR15 for the 70 and maybe a double stack 9 for the 10.

joe44va said:

How in hell have I gone 75 years without having one of these?
.

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You have lived a very deprived life. Larry

I have a Golden Model 39A. It was Manufactured in 1964 and came with a Vintage Marlin Micro-Vue 4X Scope,
Larry

Posted before. My 1958 Golden 39A. Bought at estate auction in 2017. Looked to have been stored away for many years. Installed a Simmons 4-9x32 scope. Excellent condition. Even got the original paperwork and scope mount with it. Most accurate 22lr I own. (Remington 572, Marlin Model 60, and M&P 15-22)