Home Forums Lever Action Central Rimfire Levers Where to send a Marlin 39A for rebuild?

I have on old beat up 1958 ("R:" prefix)39A. Blueing is mostly brown, with some freckling. Stock has a split at the tang, fore end ok, but both need to be refinished. Was in this shape when I bought it 20 years ago. Only thing is shoots worth a damn is old White box Military/DCM Winchester, which I think is T22. Point of impact varies with changes in the way fore end is held. Recently noticed the case heads are bulged, well more dome shaped towards the bolt, so I assume the head space is off.

Question is who to send it to for rebuild? Any idea what it will cost? I would rather return this old gun to its previous form than buy one of the new guns.

Michael

Just my perspective.

Unless this particular 39A has special personal value to you, I'd sell it for what you can get for it and buy another. Not a new Remlin, but a good pre-Remington 39A. They are pricey these days, but you will probably still get a nicer rifle for less than a complete rebuild and refinish would cost you.

Even with the high demand and high prices, you can occasionally get a good deal on a decent 39A if you shop carefully and the timing is right.

Paul

Paul,

You are probably right. The gun does not have any sentimental value, it is a pawn shop "find" that turned out to not be such a find.

Right out of high school in the late 70's I bought a brand new 39A at JC Penny of all places. It didn't shoot much better than this one, but I didn't get to shoot it much before it was stolen. Anybody run into a a 1979ish 39A with a 7/8" Weaver 3-6 scope shimmed into 1" rings with a Mississippi drivers license as a shim material?

As an aside, contrary to the glowing articles I read as an kid, both Marlin semiautomatic 22's I have owned shot better than the 39A's. Of course they are both worn out and gone, the 39A is at least still functioning.

Michael

Michael,

Your last sentence is particularly interesting to me. Until a few years ago, I had zero interest in lever rifles. Then I tried lever rifle silhouette and got hooked, and now have three rifles for the respective classes, including a 39A for smallbore. Smallbore and pistol caliber targets go out to 100 meters, so the accuracy requirement is fairly stringent for a lever rifle. The ram at 100 meters is only about 2.5" deep through the body, so even a minute and a half rifle is none too accurate, especially since shooting is offhand.

Despite all the internet claims of pinpoint accurate 39As, I haven't sensed that this is the norm, at least not among silhouette shooters. Mine isn't what you'd call a tack driver. Since NRA rules do not permit rebarreling, I've heard of serious silhouette shooters buying and selling several 39As in their search for one that is accurate enough to suit them.

So, I take all claims of accuracy with a grain of salt, unless they are backed by credible basic scientific controls. If anybody has a really accurate 39A, I consider them lucky, and they should hang on to it.

Paul

Michael,

Look at this http://www.grizzlycustom.com/custom_lever_action_rifle_backpacker_lite.html

I love looking at this and their scout offerings. I really like them, but there are better things for me to spend that coin on right now.

I have two 39's one (50's-era) Mountie and a (barely) pre-Remlin. Again, neither are tack drivers, but both are fun to shoot!!

Paul,

I could hardly wait to get off work an go by the JC Penny mail-order desk and pickup the new 39A. I went straight to the gravel Pit, and shot several groups with the iron sights. Groups mediocre, I could see all the individual holes, whereas the 60 would put them in one ragged hole. I figure it must be the iron sights, so I took the Weaver 3-6, only scope I owned, off a Marlin 60 and mounted it on the 39A, with the same results. I was crushed, like getting a long, thin, heavy well-wrapped present and opening it to find a hedge clipper and a pair of work gloves. I tried all the normal stuff I could find locally Federal red box and Lightning, Remington Golden bullets and Thunderbolts, and Winchester SX and Wildcats, never did find anything it really liked. The 60 would shoot everything better than the 39A. It was stolen later that summer. Every time I see a 39A in a pawn shop or at a gun show I look to see if some dumb kid has shimmed a 7/8" Weaver into a set of 1" rings.

Michael

George,

Thanks for the link. Grizzly does some really good looking work. I don't think I could bring myself to spend that kind of money on a toy even if they could turn my old 39A into a tack driver. I notice there is no claim made about improving accuracy? I might end up like my original 39A "looks good but it don't shoot to good".

That does give a couple ideas though, bed the stocks an re-crown the barrel and see if that helps, or at least make it not so finicky about the way it is held.

Michael

Excellent advice!

Maybe just me but every Marlin 39 I have laid my hands on was a shooter.