Marlin 39A vs Henry Frontier Long Barrel

[fecmech]

I'm looking to get in to small bore lever action silhouette. I have narrowed my choice of gun down to a used 39A or a new Frontier long barrel.

I would go with whatever you desire. That said, both guns will easily run 40 off the bench, you're the determining factor on the line.

[farmbif]

So what are the 39a's worth? I have an early 70's one, and one of the later ones made before Remington bought Marlin, with the checkered stock, that I am thinking of sticking on a table at our gun show coming up next weekend

Remington never made the 39a after they bought out marlin and in my opinion its very unlikely that ruger will produce the 39a again. they had pictures on the web site and in the catalog but if anything it is rumored that they might have put a few together from spare parts that they got when buying marlin out.
as far as value. items sold on gun broker is a good way to figure that out. one I have is a 39a, not a mountie, from 80's and it is absolute mint except the stickers were removed, shot very little. have no idea what its worth but I got to believe its worth at least a grand

[FergusonTO35]

Much as I respect the 39A, I don't care for them. Most 39's feel heavy and awkward to me save for the uncommon straight wrist carbines. I pick Henry for everything other than resale value. My H001T has been flawless and has Henry's awesome customer service behind it. I have zilch interest in .22 rifles that I have to worry about the value going down if it gets scratched from typical field use. If I got an awesome deal on a 39 I would take it and then immediately resell. Browning BL-22 is a great choice too and they hold their value really well.

[John Wayne]

Not only is the Marlin a better built rifle, LOOK at the design of the 39A for the game you are intending to play:

Pistol grip stock vs straight wrist

Heavy barrel vs. pencil

Wide forend vs. splinter.

The 39A is basically a target bolt action in a cowboy suit.

BigSlug sums it up nicely. One of my big regrets is selling my 39A and I have owned all the rifles mentioned in this thread. The Browning BL-22 is my go to for Steel Challenge.
JW

[pdgoutdoors]

I ended up finding a near mind (90%) 39a here local. It shot .75" off the bench with CCI Standard vel. Very pleased with it

[uscra112]

Congratulations. Scoped, I presume....

[Bigslug]

NICE! If you're playing for fortune and glory, I'd highly recommend the Leupold 3-9 EFR with the adjustable objective that cranks down to airgun and rimfire distances.

[FergusonTO35]

I ended up finding a near mind (90%) 39a here local. It shot .75" off the bench with CCI Standard vel. Very pleased with it

Glad to hear it, enjoy! I gave my Henry H001T some exercise yesterday and was reminded why I love that gun so much. It'll give most sporter bolt action .22's a run for their money.

[PAndy]

I like the 39a better than the Henrys. However, we have two Henry 24" guns that have fired thousands of rounds without a hitch. The Marlins can be more particular about ammo and functioning issues, perhaps because so many of them are decades old. The Henry customer service for parts seems to have gotten worse , but they still have parts. Try calling Ruger/marlin for 39a parts and see how that goes. The marlin 60 semi auto is a great starter rifle for lever silhouette and I have seen two 40/40 scores shot with that model.

[Cast10]

Start a new history for yourself……..Who knows, maybe the Henry will become another 39a someday, and you’ll already have one! Me, I’ll keep the Golden 39A.