Just found a 1983 marlin Golden 39A

[tazman]

I ran across this at a local gun shop. Action is smooth as silk. Used but not abused. No rust. Some carry wear but no big scratches or gouges.
I have been wanting one of these for about 15 years.
Attachment 102592
Attachment 102593
Attachment 102594
Attachment 102595
Attachment 102596

[enfield]

So obviously you took it home with you, .... you did take it home didn't you, RIGHT.

[tazman]

[QUOTE=enfield;2740953]So obviously you took it home with you, .... you did take it home didn't you, RIGHT.[/QUOTE

OOOOOH yeah!
Just got done with the waiting period today. Only a one day wait so it wasn't too bad. Going to shoot it tomorrow and see what I can make it do.

[Baja_Traveler]

I'd be interested if you found that plated .22's shoot better than plain lead. Mine is much more accurate using plated bullets for some reason, and does not seem to like plain lead. Must be something with the microgroove rifling...

Love mine though - got it for my 13th birthday in 1974, and now gets regular monthly use in two different lever gun silhouette matches. Dad lucked into getting me what would later become the #1 lever gun for cowboy silhouette use...

[starmac]

It is a funny story how I came by my 39. I had to deliver a load just outside of ely Nv a few years ago, and got there too late in the evening to deliver, so had to wait till morning. I parked at a little casino for the night, but noticed a going out of business sign about a block before I parked, even the shelving was for sale it claimed. I didn't notice what kind of store it was, but decided to walk back and see what kind of deals they had. lol It turned out to be what was called a headshop, a store for dopers, stoners, etc. They had all kinds of weird and dragons and such, but I circled the inside of it anyway and laying on a table, in an open hardcase was a like new 39a with an old 50 round box of ammo. I asked the poor tatooed and fish hook covered girl if it was for sale, and she said she didn't know. lol I ask if there happened to be anybody she could call that MIGHT know, and she said it wasn't theirs, but belonged to a guy in the back tearing out shelves, so now I'm in luck and go ask the guy. He said yep it is for sale, but he doesn't have a clue how much. I ask there was anybody that might know how much. lol He said he had owned it for years and didn't know what to ask, he was taking it to the gun shop the next day, and find out what to ask for it. This was on Sunday evening, so he said come back tomorrow, I told him I was leaving early the next morning to unload and was headed the other way then. He followed me outside and down the side walk a couple doors, explaining all the while that he didn't have a clue what to ask for it. I finally told him what I would give right now, and he said lets go back and get it. I won't say what I gave for it, but I will say, he had visited that head shop toooo many times, and wasn't lying, he didn't have a clue.

[Mumblypeg]

I have several. There are my favorite .22. Got a couple of Century Models, one new in the box. I have had a few others that I let friends have as I got tired of hearing them beg. All of them shoot well. You used to find them for about a hundred dollars but those days are long gone. You will enjoy it. Don't dry fire it though... you will break a firing pin if done too much.

[94Doug]

[enfieldphile]

I also lucked into a 39A a few years back.

The LGS had just (like 30 minutes prior) taken in a 39A (1960 production) that was utterly filthy!

Old guy had kept it in the pump house @ a farm. When he passed, his lefty son promptly took the nasty 'ole rifle to the GS and took first offer.

The sight hood was missing. Screws (not plugs) for the sight base were present. The sight base had been removed.

As I was a "Perferred Customer" @ the LGS, I got the "clean it yourself" price of $279.00

The rifle cleaned right up! The metal is 90% +. The wood is 95%, but finish was somewhat worn. A rubbing with 0000 steel wool and a couple of BLO coats made it look good. The bore is perfect. Eventually it had been shot very little.

I had a Marlin hammer spur extention in my parts stash and found a NOS (correct type) sight hood on line. I made a sight base from a piece of multi-slot Weaver base.

[tazman]

Excellent luck.
I just got to shoot mine this afternoon. It shoots better than I do.
I got a quarter size 10 shot group at 20 yards with iron sights and Remington thunderbolt ammunition.
Now I may just have to find out what it can do with a scope.

[94Doug]

I wish I had some of the old photos that were hanging up around the town. I recall a cool one with The Colonels' wife with a piece of chalk in her mouth the instant that he shot it with his 39.

Doug

[tazman]

I'd be interested if you found that plated .22's shoot better than plain lead. Mine is much more accurate using plated bullets for some reason, and does not seem to like plain lead. Must be something with the microgroove rifling...

All I had with me last night was plain lead Remington thunderbolt ammo. It shot quite well with those. It will be interesting to try some plated ammo when I run across some.

[Petrol & Powder]

I learned to shoot with my father's model 39. Love that gun!

[jlkehoe3]

I have 2 39s. One i bought in 1975, new for $75.00 and one I inherited from my cousin. He bought it new the first year they came out. Tapered octagonal barrel and not marked for hi-speed ammo and with factory tang peep sight.
Both shoot quite well. I use standard speed ammo only.

Larry Kehoe

[enfieldphile]

BTW, my39A is not wearing that same Chinese scope as in the above pics! That scope was acquired in a trade deal on another rifle. I just used that scope as a test mule because it was handy. There is now a nice Japanese B&L 3X9 on my 39A.

Steer clear of the Remlin 39A's, 9 out of 10 need repaird right from the box! Our club secratary bought one. It had FTF and misfires right away. There is a guy on Rimfirecentral.com that knows how to fix the Remlins.

[Gunslinger1911]

Nice score ! Had a 39A as a teen, some dummy sold it. lol
I've been looking for a 39M for years, 39A is hard to find for a reasonable price - 39M just hard to find !!!!

[mainiac]

Good find for you! You say its a 1983,,thats one year before they came out with the stupid crossbolt safety,,,id say you are lucky....

[starmac]

Other than the crossbolt safety thing, were there any periods that the 39A's were better or worse than other years.

[Mumblypeg]

I never understood why they started drilling that extra hole in the left side of the receiver near the chamber.....???????? More stupid stuff I guess.... They made a LOT of different variations of the 39A. I would love to had all of them but I guess I got my share... Mountie, Century, and Article 2 and a couple of regular ones. Yea.... I'm bragging just a little.....

[Old_School]

Colonel Larson. I got his signature on a Marlin catalog back in the 1960s when I attended an NRA convention with my Dad. Being a kid, I didn't understand who he was. Wish I could go back in time....

[Harry O]

The first gun I ever owned was a Marlin 39A. I learned to shoot with it. It shot better than I did. Eventually, I was able to shoot nearer to what the gun would do. I put about 5,000 rounds through it before I went away to college.

Much later, when I was in high school, I shot .22 target rifles in the ROTC (that is back when they not only had them in schools, they even had a target range in the schools and you could shoot on school time). I learned that the feel (or heft) of the Marlin was exactly the same as the Savage-Anchutz target rifles we used. It was heavy on the front with a long barrel and a peep sight that settled down on target quickly and was reluctant to move off center. That is at least one reason why it was so accurate.

I still have the gun, but many times through the years I wished I had a Mountie instead. A few years ago, I ran across a brand new, in-the-box Mountie and bought it. After getting a peep sight for it and sighting it in, I decided to stay with my 39A. The Mountie is set aside for my grandson when he gets old enough to shoot it.