Marlin Lever 39A - Worth the Price?

My main dislikes about the 39 is the pistol grip and big ol ugly take down screw.
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To be honest, I like the looks of a strait grip better, but when I shoulder my 336 with it's pistol grip, I can't tell the difference. As for the takedown screw, it is kinda ugly, but imagine how easy it is to clean when you can split the action in half by loosening one screw.

I don't use bore brushes on .22's as a rule, but I will run a patch down the barrel every 1000 rounds or so and it's incredibly easy with a 39a.
 
imagine how easy it is to clean when you can split the action in half by loosening one screw.
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Oh I know how it is I had one. I wish I still had it but somebody wanted it worse than I did at the time. Still wouldn't trade my Henry GB to get it back tho. :D
 
what you mean they're not $89 at WalMart any more:eek:

pitched hay bales all summer long in 1969 and earned $100 spent the whole wad at WalMart on a 39A and a brick and still had money left over:D
 
22 Rifle

The Marlin lever is one fine piece. Buy the rifle and never look back. I personally prefer the Winchester 9422. But both rifles are great. I know a lot of people like the Henry's, and they are decent rifles. But you can not compare a Henry to the Marlin or the Winnie(IMO). I personally do not care what any gun test said. Far be it for some one to be biased. Lay out all three rifles on a table, pick up and handle all three rifles. I am pretty sure which rifle you will put back first. You may pick the Henry back up if you do not have the cash to pay for the better rifle(I can understand that). But you wil not be happy about it. Tom.
 
When you're an old, old man with a long gray beard, the other .22's will be forgotten, worn out and ratty looking old wrecks that no one much wants.

The Marlin 39-A you buy today will have your great, great grand kids bitterly fighting over who gets the family heirloom so they can continue shooting it the rest of their life too.

Unlike anything else on the market, the Marlin is still made the way it was in 1891: Forged and milled steel, with American walnut.
NO aluminum, Zamac (zinc), plastic, or pot metal.

The heavy barrel with Micro-Groove rifling turns in near-Target rifle accuracy.
 
For what it's worth...

"is the 39A worth it at $500?"
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I bought my 39D in 1971 for $68.50. They're now going (in excellent condition) for $500. I'd say that's not bad. You're looking at buying a rifle that's been in continuous production longer than any other, and a true piece of Americana. As the expression goes, you get what you pay for. Good luck!
 
Has anyone ever seen a 39A with the mag tube shortened? I'd love to have one with a suppressor, but it would get in the way of the mag tube follower. I think if the mag tube and follower were shortened, perhaps there would be enough "flex" in the system to make it by the suppressor, but not sure.

Also, wasn't there a model 39C Carbine, with an 18" barrel?
 
Just shoot CB longs out of it if you want a super-quiet rifle. if you had a legal supressor on it, you'd have to remove it every time you reloaded.
 
I bought a used 39A for $350 a few years ago. It was/is like new though and it's a 1966 model.

I never regretted the purchase. The M39A is built like a tank, shoots well and is loads of fun.
 
Golden 39A

I went to buy a new Ruger Takedown yesterday and instead came home with a cherry 1966 Marlin Golden 39A. S/N AB 6615. I paid $325+ tax. I do not feel slighted. Actually I think I was very fortunate. I cycled 100 rds. through it and man this is one sweet piece. I would not sell it for twice the price. When I figure out how to post pictures here I will proudly show it off.
 
Welcome aboard.

You now own the Rolls Royce of .22 Lever Action rifles.
The Marlin is the oldest firearm in the world that been in continuous production.
 
A lot of money for a .22? Maybe, but consider this:

- If you're a small game hunter, over the years that rifle will spend a lot of time in our hands
-If you like to shoot, that rifle will send a lot of lead down range without breaking the bank
-If you are raising a young family, that rifle will probably be the first gun your sons and daughters will shoot
 
I have no ideal what a new 39A would cost, mine is dated 1950. I know with the right 22 ammo it will make a single small ragged hole at 75 yards. I have shot loads of 22 shorts ( ground squirrels ) and more LR than I could count. I feel this is a case " You get what you pay for" A accurate strong rifle that you can pass down to those who follow. Mine is already residing in my oldest sons house ( on loan , Ha ) and I know it will be passed on to my oldest grand son. My youngest son ( hell , he's already in his 30's ) had to be satisfied with my Winchester 9422M.You can buy a cheaper lever action, but it is not a Marlin 39A. JMHO and I have more in the garage.:)
 
I had a 39A I bought new back in the early 80's. Nice rifle, and it was very accurate. However, the 24 inch barrel on a .22LR was a deal breaker for me, as I just didn't like the way it handled. Today, I would have probably kept it, and maybe had the barrel shortened, but back then I just couldn't afford something I didn't shoot.

I would love to get the 20 inch barrel "Mountie" version but they are like hen's teeth.
 
I shot one as a kid and wanted one for my own since. I bought one somewhere around 2004 or 2005 and I think I paid something close to $500 for mine. The trigger was not very good and it was a problem to shoot. I took it to my gunsmith and they did a trigger job on it and it is a different rifle now. It shoots good.

It is smooth but it will get better. I bought a used 1973 Winchester 9422 at the range a month ago. I paid too much but the rifle is much smoother than the Marlin. It shoots pretty good also. I won't sell either one.
 
A dedicated black powder shooter gave me a Marlin 39 Centennial {circa 1970}, in very good condition. Anybody know what it's worth?
 
I've owned my '58 39A since buying it used in '65 for $60; by inflation that was like about $450 today. (It wears an old Redfield minature 4x scope in Redfield rings.) I bought my stainless/laminated 10/22 International for $150 in '94. Love 'em both, each fills a nitch in my needs.
 
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