Marlin 39A Problem

A

anfnfalfan

New member
I just purchased this used Marlin 39a circa 1965 and I'm not happy with the hammer and bolt assembly. When the hammer is released to engage the firing pin, the hammer catches on the right side of the bolt. It looks like it has for some time now due to the wear on the side of the hammer and bolt. Is there a part that needs replaced? Does anyone have suggestions to fix this? Anyone ever had the same issue? The hammer does strike the firing pin, it just hits the rear side of the bolt first. Thanks for the help!
 
Might be a dumb question but are you sure the take down bolt is tight and the two halves are properly mated?
 
It's possible something happened to cause the hammer to be bent slightly.

Since it still fires, it's obvious it's only a few thousandths of an inch

If the visible wear is only on the upper half of the hammer, you can probably polish it or the bolt to give it the needed relief
 
I have seen this before on the early Marlins, in fact I had a 1951 Marlin 39A that did the same thing. I simply ( everything was tight as it should be ) smoothed every thing and kept it shooting for another 20 years ( for me, now my son has had it for 10 years )
 
Trimming a bit off the bolt will be less obvious than taking some off the hammer. There may be some other problem, but if you can rule out a bent receiver, bent bolt, canted bolt, etc. and that rubbing is the only problem, I see no reason not to just file or stone a bit off the bolt at that point.

Jim
 
I'm like Jim, about trying to trim the bolt to keep it from rubbing. What has most probably happened, is that one of the parts, most likely the bolt, has been a few thousandths out of spec, but was assembled anyhow. The hammer will be noticeable, unless it is modified, polished, and blued back to the state it was originally. If I remember correctly, the rear of the bolt has an ear that sticks back on the right side that matches the receivers contour, and that is what the hammer would be hitting? If so, then remove the bolt, and the firing pin. Then, use a flat mill file to take away a little of the inside of the ear, on the firing pin side, and cold blue that after the fit is fixed. One would not probably be able to tell it afterwards.
 
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