With a morning of no rain for a change and a chance for sun I decided to head to a small gunshow that I have not attended in a couple of years. I headed to the far right rear corner to work my way towards the entrance. On the I second table I reached was a Marlin 39A with a $325 price on it. Huh? I picked it up, cycled it, broke it down looked at the internals and the bore. All looked fine. The screws look unturned. The metal and wood looked good with some light wear in the bluing, a couple of rust spots on the inside of the lever and a handful of small dings in the wood. I offered $300 OTD and the deal was done. The serial number puts it at 1953. As my eyes really do not work well with factory open sights I am looking at the Williams receiver sight. I assume, given the number of screw heads on the receiver side, that it is drilled and tapped for said sight. Can someone please confirm. Appreciated.

You did really well to find yours for $300, congrats!

My 39a circa 1957 is drilled and tapped on the left side of the receiver, two short screws filled the holes.
I put a Lyman 66MC site on mine, ~$80 from a local gun shop.
You're gonna have some fun with the new Marlin!

Hellofa deal on that 39! I'm not that lucky at gunshows

Congratulations ! You did get a fantastic deal.

Appreciated gentlemen. I need to tear it down, clean it and get it out to the range. Hoping this week weather pending.

Nice find Ed.....my 1946 Model 39 is way more accurate than it should be and I doubt yours will be any different.

And yes.....those Williams sights will fit just fine. That's what I have on mine.

How well did you sleep that night ?

nice score !