[Thundermtn]

The vintage examples I've shot are remarkably accurate, with an almost unmatched level of fitting. I shoot as much as possible standing freehand, they're aren't many rifles that are as steady and comfortable. It just parks on the target for me with no wiggles or tiny circles, .22s from a bench at 200 yards trying to shoot one hole groups holds zero interest for me. Shooting a 1" groups offhand from almost any position to 30 yards is my jam and the 39A delivers.

I'm sure they won't be as nice as vintage, but I'm going to support them with my cash if they do as well as they did with the 1895. This model deserves to survive!

Now if I could just get new pump Winchester 62's and original configuration Savage 23A's I'd be set.

 

[USMM guy]

Maybe not the cost of living, but most certainly the standard of living. Most folks in Brazil and Italy can't afford 4x4 pickups the size of a Tiger tank and a 60" big-screen TV in every single room like we Americans often have.

Credit is a whole lot harder to come by over there than it is here. And a tiger tank sized vehicle in Italy is a non starter anyway both from a fuel cost perspective. Plus you would be able to drive it on the roads in most of the cities. And I do not consider that any correlation between the size of your television screen and your living standard is really a valid one.
Your point is however, taken.

 

[Barefootdog]

Hat's off to Ruger for bringing back an American classic. They appear to be making an honest effort to do it right.

I'd look at a Ruger era 39a....and in the future a well made 336 in .35.....with a waffle top receiver.

Marlin was running out of money and quality was falling before the Remington garbage era.

 

[dsk]

The question still remains if they will bring back the Model 60. It was the only .22 rifle that outsold the 10/22, and it did so by a long shot.

 

[Thundermtn]

There's so many of them out there in the wild for so cheap I don't know how they'd do it. I love a Model 60 too though. A 60W was my second .22 and it was reliable and accurate, more so than my first 10/22. The guts of that gun are a nightmare for newbs though, probably more so for production.... all wacko with springs and side plates with e-clips.The 50th anniversary Model 60 I got for my son is beautiful. Not very many walnut stocked 60 were ever made.

 

[wproct]

A Marlin 39A or Winchester 9422 should not be compared to a Henry. The Henry is a very smooth and serviceable rifle, but I'm sorry, but no comparison.
Now, two of my longtime desires have been to see the Smith & Wesson model 41 and the Marlin 39A made in of stainless steel. The model 41 isn't gonna happen, but the Ruger/Marlin 39A, one can only hope.

 

[Thundermtn]

I would agree with you on no 41, it would be really cool though.

A stainless 39A with the salt and pepper laminated stock like the first 1895 they brought out last year would be really cool too. I'd be really tempted to get one of each if they did that and a blue version.

My buddy's first rifle is a .22lr polished stainless shortbarrel Taurus/Rossi copy of the Win. Model 62. It's way cool looking, and is pretty nice except for that they gave it a safety and a disconnector.

 

[dsk]

The Model 39 I always wanted was the straight-stocked 39M. I've never seen one for sale ever, except on GB of course.

 

[hardluk1]

I had a model 39 many many years ago dad bought me as a lighter shorter better hunting rifle . It was used but very a smooth functioning but never as accurate as a older rem 511P . I think someone most have broke the stock as the wood on the forend was a very different color from the stock and the forend was dinged up more . Anyhow I kept it for any years before selling it .

Then when my wife and I were married my mom-in-law gave me a winny 9422M with a real nice wood presentation box . I used it some to dispatch a few hogs in a large corral trap only made out of half a roll of concrete mesh - 5' x 75' . It was to pretty to really hunt with so it sat in the safe for about 15 years . My wife did not care for it ether . A guy I told about it told someone else about it and this second guy came over to ask if he could see it and then offered 800 dollars back in '96 , wife said sell it so away it went and gave the money to my wife .

About a year ago enough lever guys has sold at our general store I could see into the corners of the display case and saw a Henry 24" frontier 22mag for $477 out the door . They had it in stock for almost 2 years and that was before the gun price started to climb so I got a good buy . The action was very smooth functioning , trigger pull is crisp with a 2lb 9oz break average its accurate , wood was walnut but lacked any nice graining and looked more like the winny 9422m did . I keep an old burris 6-18 scope with a 1/8" dot reticle to see what any new long gun can manage and with norma , cci and armscor ammo all 40gr it would shoot just under 1" up to 1.25" groups at 100 yards with only about 40 rounds fired . So I'll keep this one . I took the scope back off and have dropped a couple ground hogs at a more modest open sight 40 to 50 yard distance . The octgon barrel has some beautiful bluing on it and the alloy receivers paint is nice but could be smoother but has a nice shine to it .

For 22lr my wife prefers that old rem 511p or her 10/22 lite custom and I prefer my savage mkii bv . I also have a 10/22 customs but its really more of a bench gun at almost 10lbs . Only thing ruger is the bolt and receiver on both of them .

That Henry 24" frontier is a great shooting lever action

 

[bmcgilvray]

The older Marlins Model 39s and 39As are everything they are cracked up to be as far as craftsmanship, accuracy, and durability. They are very gratifying to own and use.

I've only owned this 1953 vintage Model 39A for a few years. My only regret is that it didn't come along early in my shooting career for it'd be a .22 rifle one can live with for a lifetime.

This one pre-dates the advent of Micro-groove rifling by one year, being produced with Ballard rifling. I don't know if Micro-Groove rifling is all its cracked up to be, but this one groups very well off the bench rest, equal to some good bolt-action .22 rifles kept on hand.


Was a San Angelo Silver Spur gun show purchase, said to be freshly off of a ranch west of Snyder, Texas. Don't know about the story, but it had red dust in the cracks and crevices.

 

[Thundermtn]

For some reason the 511 is tough to find here. Seems like maybe our local hardware store wasn't a Remington dealer or something to that effect. Plenty of old Winchesters and Marlins though.

Saw a Scoremaster in pawn shop about five years ago that had been thoroughly Bubba'd. I was sorely tempted though as it felt great in my hands and I thought it was a cool rifle from a mechanical and aesthetic point of view.

It was probably a barn gun that they had wire wheeled and tried to re-blue it. I didn't even want to see the guts. I knew it would always get passed by for my Savage 23A if I was grabbing a bolt gun. If I find a decent example though I'll see how bad they want to keep it in the store.

 

[bmcgilvray]

There's still a gob of "500 series" (510, 511, 512, 513, and 521)Remington .22 bolt-action rifles out there and a lot of accurate .22 fun can be had with them.

The Remington Model 514 is a different breed of cat than the 500 series of rifles, being a much cheapened design. Model 514s are still big fun a worthwhile to own.

 

[BBBBill]

The Model 39 I always wanted was the straight-stocked 39M...

Mine is a 39 Century Limited straight stock with an octagon barrel.

 

[dsk]

Mine is a 39 Century Limited straight stock with an octagon barrel.

Now THAT would be the one I'd want to have. Apparently some 39A's were sold with octagon barrels as well. My dad would keep repeating the story about how he found one new in a gun shop back in the 1960s, but there was a scratch in the stock so he didn't buy it. He never saw another one. I guess passing on it must have been one of his biggest regrets in life.

 

[weisse52]

I am waiting to see. I like the idea and will pay the freight if meets my requirements.
It may not be the original, but I am open to seeing what comes out.

 

[19ontheslide]

While I realize that the new 39As won't be as nicely finished as the originals, Ruger could still do them right enough that they would be worthwhile. I'm not sure that they'd have to price them under a grand, either. I don't think the target market will be new/young/economy-minded gun owners but rather old sentimental farts like us. Older folks tend to have more money and gun guys and gals typically are great at spending too much of it.

That being said, if it's going to sell it has to at least be done right. If Ruger pisses around and adds a push button safety behind the trigger (for example) or some other gross deviation from the original they won't sell many. They need to learn from Browning/Winchester's mistakes with current production 86s and 92s. Beautifully crafted and finished guns. And also so messed up design-wise that virtually all traditionalists turn their noses up at them.

 

[riposte191145]

The question still remains if they will bring back the Model 60. It was the only .22 rifle that outsold the 10/22, and it did so by a long shot.

I'm guessing not, but I don't have a history of accurate prognostication I like the Model 60 just fine, but it would compete with Ruger's 10/22 directly - the Marlin Lever guns don't really compete with Ruger's other lever guns.

Mind you I would sort of like to be wrong on this, but I have a 60 and I have a 99M1 and I imagine I'll have to live with those.

I'll likely have to live with my 1951 39A as well, it would be nice to see a quality lever gun in .22 though - even if I couldn't afford it.

While we are at it, I'd like to see a reintroduction of the Camp Carbine in .45, taking 1911 mags (but I suspect that won't happen either).

Riposte

 

[USMM guy]

It returned to me a couple of weeks ago. Mine is a 39-B early fifties gun complete with factory glass.

 

[DarkLord]

That would be very good news. The 39 is my favorite Marlin.

 

[19ontheslide]

Now THAT would be the one I'd want to have. Apparently some 39A's were sold with octagon barrels as well. My dad would keep repeating the story about how he found one new in a gun shop back in the 1960s, but there was a scratch in the stock so he didn't buy it. He never saw another one. I guess passing on it must have been one of his biggest regrets in life.

My Mom's 39A has a straight grip and octagon barrel. Dad always told me he snatched it up as soon as he saw it because he felt it was likely a use-up of excess parts from the Century Limited but without the commemorative decoration. It's one of the rifles I remember first shooting as a very young boy.