My brother and I have a deep facination with the old Marlin lever actions spurred on by the model 39 that our father inherited from our great-grandmother after she took ownership of it when our great-grandfather passed away. Both of them were incredible shots. Our great-grandfather always went bird hunting with the rifle and would be the blocking flush man at the end of the field as the others walked the fields. He modified the rear sight to increase the width of the 'v' so he could lead birds in flight.

Now on to my question. My brother obtained a 39M and the butt stock has some coloration problems where someone put a butt pad/cover on the stock. We both like to tinker with firearms and we are looking for information regarding the original finish of the model 39. From the looks of the original 39's the finish is a stain-oil-handrubbed-varnish type finish. If anyone has information on how the original finish of the 39 was done. I would greatly appreciate it. I recognize the fact that the 39M finish is not the same as the original 39 but my brother really likes the looks of the original 39 finish and wishes to duplicate it on the 39M.