Any Marlin 39’s out there?

Brian Andrews said:
I think it is one of the funnest rifles I own. Very similar to shooting a Marlin 30-30 deer rifle, but less expensive to shoot.
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That is my favorite part and focus of my gun collecting. I refer to them as father son pairs. A .22 and a matching large caliber as close as possible to each other. So much fun to take them to the range together. Plus it makes a great training tool.

Glad you had the vision to get one before they sold out.
 
a Marlin model 39 is one I've always wanted, but I've never caught up to one, but I scratched my .22LR Lever action rifle itch with a BL22. And how I got it is an interesting story in itself, one of the salesman at what was at the time my favorite local gun store KNEW I wanted one, but also I had a firearm he wanted (a browning M1906 .25acp, the predecessor to the "Baby Browning") I like the BL22, but a 39A it is not...

The prices of any of the pre-Remington Marlins has gone crazy.
 
I may just have to bite the bullet, get a post-Remington Marlin 39 and hope for the best. Surely they can't all be that terrible.
 
I have owned several ... I believe 6 through the years ... I currently only have one 39A and one Mountie ... the Mountie was my truck gun for more years then I can count ... it now is in the deer shack and is still as fun to shoot as any guns I have. It's a bonus being able to shoot shorts/longs/and LR rounds.


The other 39A is in a safe and will be passed down for sure along with a couple Winchester 9422 one 22LR one 22Mag.

but lever guns were kind of my passion ... and old single action revolvers for many years ... still have several lever actions ... just something about them that I can't help but smile picking one up.

I'll have to try to take a picture or two sometime.
 
Charlie_K said:
I may just have to bite the bullet, get a post-Remington Marlin 39 and hope for the best. Surely they can't all be that terrible.
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they have improved greatly from the first couple years the chang over was happening.

I decided to try the Henrys and bought a few and am itching to get time to put some rounds through them.
 
JJ_Colt45 said:
they have improved greatly from the first couple years the chang over was happening.

I decided to try the Henrys and bought a few and am itching to get time to put some rounds through them.
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The first couple of years were a disaster. It wasn't just a matter of poor fit and finish, the darn things would just not function most of the time.

You have to give Remington credit though, they figured things out, pulled some stuff out of production until it was ready, and then re-introduced it. My experience is that the new Remlins selling today all seem to function well. So, good on them for that. However, the fit and finish is still terrible. The wood to metal fit is bad, there are spots where you can see light completely through the rifle. On top of that the brushed finishes are a complete mess. Look down the side of the receiver at one and it is all over the place. Uneven depth of scratches, high and low spots.

Even if I wanted one, I couldn't bring myself to buy one. It's a damn shame too, because Remington is just a little more work away from making a nice rifle.

Henry's, while nice have a different feel, balance, and handling characteristic. It is like comparing a Glock to a 1911. Yeah, they are both fine, but they are different, and personal preference usually determines if you like it or not.
 
Brian Andrews said:
The first couple of years were a disaster. It wasn't just a matter of poor fit and finish, the darn things would just not function most of the time.

You have to give Remington credit though, they figured things out, pulled some stuff out of production until it was ready, and then re-introduced it. My experience is that the new Remlins selling today all seem to function well. So, good on them for that. However, the fit and finish is still terrible. The wood to metal fit is bad, there are spots where you can see light completely through the rifle. On top of that the brushed finishes are a complete mess. Look down the side of the receiver at one and it is all over the place. Uneven depth of scratches, high and low spots.

Even if I wanted one, I couldn't bring myself to buy one. It's a damn shame too, because Remington is just a little more work away from making a nice rifle.

Henry's, while nice have a different feel, balance, and handling characteristic. It is like comparing a Glock to a 1911. Yeah, they are both fine, but they are different, and personal preference usually determines if you like it or not.
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You're right ... Remington still lets some poor fitting guns slip through ... but they have gotten a lot better ... I don't know if I would buy a new one or not ... but have seen and handled some that were really nice fit and finish ... how they shoot I didn't find out ... but know a couple people how have bought new ones and they say they shoot great ..

so hopefully they keep improving ...

I was sad with Winchester closing also ... and I have not yet gotten to handle any of the newer lever guns they've put out ... but are a lot of old Winchesters and Marlins out there luckily ... but you have to look to find ones that they aren't asking 3 or 4 times what the rifle cost orginally ...

I just picked up an unfired NIB Marlin 1894C .357 Mag. manufacrured in 1991 recently and I just happened to have something to trade that the seller wanted bad enough that I got a fair deal I think.

Orginally the Henrys did not appeal to me ... then they got a better look ... but for me one of the benefits of a good lever gun is lightweight easy to handle in brush ... and the Henrys can seem heavy ... about 1 to 1.5 lbs heavier than the Marlins and Winchesters ... so that kept me from trying those for awhile ...

but after recently buying a couple Henry carbines (I got the octagon barrel case colored) ...so the are a bit heavier ... the round barrel option is much more comparable to a Marlin or Winchester weight wise and handles more like those ...

but the Henrys are great for shooting heavy loads ... with is one of my main uses ... carrying them if I am in bear country ... whether camping , hunting, or horseback riding ...

and even Henrys 30/30 really tames down Buffalo Bores heavy loads so they have a plus side too.

I will always favor older Marlins and Winchesters ... but I have to admit the steel Henrys are pretty nice rifles ... the brass adds a lot of weight so I avoid those.
 
JJ_Colt45 said:
I just picked up an unfired NIB Marlin 1894C .357 Mag. manufacrured in 1991 recently and I just happened to have something to trade that the seller wanted bad enough that I got a fair deal I think.
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If you ever decide to part with that one, please....let me know :) That one is on my very short list. With Remlin stopping production of the 357's for awhile, the JM's went through the roof. Now that they have been reintroduced, I am sure the prices on the older ones will come down. I am sure you know all this.....but I would much rather have the older one :) I love the C variant too!
 
Brian Andrews said:
If you ever decide to part with that one, please....let me know :) That one is on my very short list. With Remlin stopping production of the 357's for awhile, the JM's went through the roof. Now that they have been reintroduced, I am sure the prices on the older ones will come down. I am sure you know all this.....but I would much rather have the older one :) I love the C variant too!
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I understand I had wanted one for awhile and finally found one ... hopefully you'll find one too.
 
Brian Andrews said:
The first couple of years were a disaster. It wasn't just a matter of poor fit and finish, the darn things would just not function most of the time.

You have to give Remington credit though, they figured things out, pulled some stuff out of production until it was ready, and then re-introduced it. My experience is that the new Remlins selling today all seem to function well. So, good on them for that. However, the fit and finish is still terrible. The wood to metal fit is bad, there are spots where you can see light completely through the rifle. On top of that the brushed finishes are a complete mess. Look down the side of the receiver at one and it is all over the place. Uneven depth of scratches, high and low spots.

Even if I wanted one, I couldn't bring myself to buy one. It's a damn shame too, because Remington is just a little more work away from making a nice rifle.

Henry's, while nice have a different feel, balance, and handling characteristic. It is like comparing a Glock to a 1911. Yeah, they are both fine, but they are different, and personal preference usually determines if you like it or not.
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Maybe the public needs to step up demands and complaints about fit and finish to get Remington motivated to straighten up.

Also, there's always the Mossberg 464 lever action rifle.
 
Marlin 336 and 39
Marlin%252039A%2520%2526%2520336.JPG
 
Charlie_K said:
I don't have a Marlin 39, but I wish I did. What I have instead is the Henry Classic rifle, as it's all that was available at the time of purchase.
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Remington (Freedom Arms Group) seem to have killed off any quality 39's today.

Henry Rifles may not be to the same quality standard of old Winchesters and Marlins but, they aren't bad in today's world of large corporate money grabs using old legacy names known for quality to dump cheap poorly finished products on the unsuspecting public whose only experience with a lever-action is from movies and TV.

Henry Small Game Rifles are pretty nice if you are looking for a current production example.
 
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