Marlin 39M receiver damage

[LeadHead72]

A while back I took my young son's 1976 Marlin 39M to a local smith for a barrel swap (the old one apparently suffered from a squib from the previous owner). We went to pick it up a few days ago and found the following damage (pictured below) from when the receiver was put in the vise or whatever he used. He said he hadn't seen it until we mentioned it but would "make it right". It literally makes me sick because this was my son's first rifle that I bought for him a while back. I've done some checking around but it appears that receivers are almost non-existent without simply buying another rifle. What do you guys suggest? The gun does function, but that's a major boo-boo and must significantly affect the gun's value, not to mention being a huge disappointment to my 14 year old son.
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[redhawk0]

No words...I feel like crying for you. I hope your "smith" (or butcher) really can make this right for you...but that's likely rebuilding from another rifle completely.

redhawk

[reivertom]

Not much you can really do other than just try to ignore it and shoot it. It isn't that bad, and it shouldn't affect the function.....sucks though. I'd find another Gunsmith and tell everybody how shoddy this one is.

[Iron Whittler]

Check out the thread by rickw55, repairing a broken receiver tang. You might be able to find out from him who did the repair work (welding) for him. The catch is it will need to be reblued afterwards. The plus is it will look as new afterwards. My Mrs. bought me one in 71. Still have it today. A sweet piece for sure. Best wishes on getting it repaired. I would expect your smith to make good his mistake. Mistakes happen to the best of them. If your smith is a stand up man, he will stand up and do what is needed to make your piece whole again. His rep. and business are on the line. Hope this a help to you. Iron Whittler :Fire:

[Jniedbalski]

It could have bad metal in the receiver to begin with. If it was a forging I doubt it but could be a bad cast receiver from the factory. It does suck though. But I have seen stuff Welded that I didint Thank that could be fixed.

[Chad5005]

in my mind the only way to make that right is for him to replace it

[eck0313]

I had a similar scar show up on a revolver I sent to S&W years ago. In this case, while it is possible to weld, reblue, etc. . . . the reality is you run the risk of making it worse trying to cover it up. The filler material most likely won’t blue the same as the receiver, so . . . I’d just leave it as is. If he’s the type of craftsman that created that mark in the first place, he doesn’t know how to make it go away.

[JimB..]

Check function again, not sure how he get those marks but concerned that he may have torqued the receiver without it being well supported. Mistakes happen, let us know how he makes it right.

[oldred]

Replace the receiver after replacing a barrel and it's just not the same rifle anymore! Really not much different than buying another rifle and then swapping your wood out with it, point is that if the rifle really means something to you and obviously it does then repairing it is about the only option besides just accepting it as it is. It would be pricey to have someone like Turnbull repair this for you but they would do it right, make it look new and most importantly of all it would still be the same gun! There are others out there that may be cheaper but doing this is going to involve welding and thus a complete refinish, expensive as it may be that so-called Smith "should" be liable for it, there simply is no excuse for doing something like that!

[LeadHead72]

Thanks for the info, guys. You've pretty much corroborated what I've feared, and yes, replacing the receiver after replacing the barrel would indeed make it a completely different gun. It does seem to feed bullets ok and the accuracy seems to be good. I just feel sick for my son that his pride and joy has been damaged in such a manner that makes it extremely difficult to "fix", yet still be his "first gun".
I'll give the smith some time to come up with a solution. He's not really a close friend, but he's a good enough acquaintance that I feel bad for the fact that for him to "make it right" would likely be quite expensive. A bit of an awkward situation, at best.
Jniedbalski, these guns have forged steel recievers, so while I suppose it's possible that it could have had a flaw it's not too likely. Look at the 2nd picture and you can see that he torqued on it hard enough to "mash" the lower edge of the solid side of the receiver. He said he did this job at about 11PM at night, so maybe there was a drink or two involved, who knows. I truly want to be fair with him but at the same time want him to be fair to my son.

[LeadHead72]

Check function again, not sure how he get those marks but concerned that he may have torqued the receiver without it being well supported. Mistakes happen, let us know how he makes it right.

Very likely scenario, JimB.

[oldred]

yes, replacing the receiver after replacing the barrel would indeed make it a completely different gun.

Yes it would, even down to having a different serial number!

[LeadHead72]

Yes it would, even down to having a different serial number!

Right. Both halves of the receiver are serialized, IIRC. Does anyone know if these were made consistently enough that you can use non-matched receivers or do they have to be made to fit each other? Or is it even legal to swap half a receiver?

[JimB..]

Right. Both halves of the receiver are serialized, IIRC. Does anyone know if these were made consistently enough that you can use non-matched receivers or do they have to be made to fit each other? Or is it even legal to swap half a receiver?

I’m a long way from mine at the moment, but isn’t the serial on the lower tang? I don’t recall them being marked in a second location, but I could just not remember.

[LeadHead72]

Yes, on the lower tang, but I'm pretty sure they're stamped on the inside of the front half of the receiver as well. I need to take his down and look to be sure.

[Dan Cash]

If the ham handed work offends you, one solution only: NEW GUN. That means gunsmith finds an acceptable vintage 39, not a Remlin.

[Hogtamer]

Sure he's not a blacksmith?

[Texas by God]

He must have used the Crescent brand receiver wrench!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[LeadHead72]

Sure he's not a blacksmith?

Yes, I'm sure. I've seen better blacksmith work. :roll:

[Preacher Jim]

Leadhead I am rebuilding a model 19-2 Smith the same type fellow used his crescent wrench to remove and try to replace barrel. I bought it as junk but now about to become a shooter.

[LIMPINGJ]

Have the parts changer send it to powersmetalworks.com to fix his screwup.

[LeadHead72]

Leadhead I am rebuilding a model 19-2 Smith the same type fellow used his crescent wrench to remove and try to replace barrel. I bought it as junk but now about to become a shooter.

That's cool. I've bought some less than pretty pieces to refinish and use, myself. There is a real sense of satisfaction in taking an abused gun and transforming it back to beauty. The latest one is a Smith 48 no-dash that someone left wrapped in a cloth in Florida humidity, and while I haven't yet sent it for a re-bluing I hope to be able to do so before long.

[marlinman93]

I've had worse tig welded and then draw filed and rust blued again. It's a shame it happened, but it can be fixed to look like new by the right person. I'd send the barreled action (minus wood) to Al Springer at Snowy Mountain Blue, and Al will make it look original again. Hopefully the "gunsmith" is good for his word, and will make it right by paying for the welding and repairs.

http://smbgunrestorations.com/

[waksupi]

I would leave the gun with the smith, and let him make it right, one way or the other. Replace or repair.

[Texas by God]

Leadhead I am rebuilding a model 19-2 Smith the same type fellow used his crescent wrench to remove and try to replace barrel. I bought it as junk but now about to become a shooter.
Sounds like a good thread idea.

[LeadHead72]

Yeah, with "before", "during" and "after" pics, of course.

[2152hq]

It certainly looks like the mark of the use of a large cresent wrench to remove the action from the bbl.
It's not all that uncommon a practice even in shops where you'd think they'd know better.

I worked in one of the best restoration shops in the country ( you know the name) and what did they use to remove the Model 97/39 action with?..
A big *** Craftsman cresent wrench. Plus if the bbl was an octagon, they didn't even bother with the regular bbl vise. Just a wrap of leather and tighten it in an equally as large machinests vise with smooth jaws.
Get 'er done....

They hated my careful approach with the proper tools,,,took too much time.
Any damage or marks could always be 'fixed up' with the 'Orange Monster' (the antiquated TIG machine at the time). This goes back some years. They probably have learned a few lessons by now.

This M39 can be fixed..it's cosmetic damage.
Since no metal appears to have been removed,,just displaced,,you'd be surprised what can be done by simple peening and punch work to move that metal back into place.
It will require polishing and refinishing afterwards of course. It may need some careful weld touchup in addition to that.
It all depends on how bad the displacement is and how good the restoration person is.

Not a loss by any stretch. Just needs a careful hand and some work.

..and get rid of those cresent wrenches around the gunshop.

If they don't want to do that, or can't,,then they in the least own you a same vintage M39 in the same condition you started out with,,straight accross trade.
It ain't the same as the orig. But the orig isn't the orig anymore either and sometimes you just have to pick up and start over again.

[LeadHead72]

It certainly looks like the mark of the use of a large cresent wrench to remove the action from the bbl.
It's not all that uncommon a practice even in shops where you'd think they'd know better.

I worked in one of the best restoration shops in the country ( you know the name) and what did they use to remove the Model 97/39 action with?..
A big *** Craftsman cresent wrench. Plus if the bbl was an octagon, they didn't even bother with the regular bbl vise. Just a wrap of leather and tighten it in an equally as large machinests vise with smooth jaws.
Get 'er done....

They hated my careful approach with the proper tools,,,took too much time.
Any damage or marks could always be 'fixed up' with the 'Orange Monster' (the antiquated TIG machine at the time). This goes back some years. They probably have learned a few lessons by now.

This M39 can be fixed..it's cosmetic damage.
Since no metal appears to have been removed,,just displaced,,you'd be surprised what can be done by simple peening and punch work to move that metal back into place.
It will require polishing and refinishing afterwards of course. It may need some careful weld touchup in addition to that.
It all depends on how bad the displacement is and how good the restoration person is.

Not a loss by any stretch. Just needs a careful hand and some work.

..and get rid of those cresent wrenches around the gunshop.

If they don't want to do that, or can't,,then they in the least own you a same vintage M39 in the same condition you started out with,,straight accross trade.
It ain't the same as the orig. But the orig isn't the orig anymore either and sometimes you just have to pick up and start over again.

Yeah, I hear ya. Gonna have to discuss it with my son to see what he would consider to be fair in the event the smith comes up with a plan. He's a pretty level-headed kid, but it IS his first rifle and it's very doubtful he'll be very fond of the idea of swapping it for a totally different gun. When I bought it from a friend, I had to completely refinish the stock and do some touchup bluing before gifting it to my son. He and I both knew the barrel would need replaced eventually so that didn't bother him, but it's highly likely that he'll always want to hang on to his "first" rifle for sentimental reasons.

[john.k]

Not so much a crescent wrench,damage is caused by using too small a wrench.....if he had used a biggie,the points of the jaws would have been well clear of the receiver.....I have them up to 3 ft,used to have a bigger one,but a guy really wanted it for the (gasp) mancave.

[oldred]

...I have them up to 3 ft,used to have a bigger one,but a guy really wanted it for the (gasp) mancave.


That's not a Crescent wrench, that's a vise with a handle on it! :mrgreen:

[2152hq]

That's what we had,,the 3 footer model.
What ever the size,,it still isn't the right tool for the job of removing fragile gun frames from their bbls nor putting them back together.
Yes you can get away with it. The place I work at did it for a long time. The number that they did damage or marked up they really didn't seem to care about as they were being refinished anyway.
It was faster to use,,no putting on the frame wrench with it's separate bolts and then taking it back off again.
It was all about time spent,, how come it's taking that long..

For a parallel flat sided frame, there isn't anything easier to make up than a frame wrench from two pieces of 1" sq stock and a couple bolts.
It clamps tightly and evenly to the sides of the frame with a shim of paper or leather betw and can't slip or run off like has happened in the OP.
A cresent wrench clamps down no tighter than the jaws can be tighten with the thumb screw.
That leaves them loose as soon as you start to pull on the handle.
The damage shown is nothing more than what you see on the flats of a large bolt head or nut as the wrench flats twist and round off as it isn't tight.

Cresent wrenches on flat recv's and wooden hammer handles through the cylinder window on revolver frames to remove bbls,,,two handy dandy methods that can work,,but can also really screw up your firearm,,, or that of your customer.

Then you have to go explain your reasoning for using the cresent wrench on the rifle to the OP's son.

[PaulG67]

"He said he hadn't seen it until we mentioned it"

BS, ain't no way he did not see that. At the very least he should not charge you a dime for the work, or rather butchery he did. At best he should get you another rifle at "$0".

[LeadHead72]

"He said he hadn't seen it until we mentioned it"

BS, ain't no way he did not see that. At the very least he should not charge you a dime for the work, or rather butchery he did. At best he should get you another rifle at "$0".

^^^My thoughts. It makes it a bit more awkward because it's someone with whom I really don't want to burn bridges, if you know what I mean. It's a tough call.