Was sitting here sipping my Yaucono coffee and watching my food plot out the front window when a skunk came out to feed. I capped it at 112 yards! I wish my 1894CL 218 Bee shot this good!

I shoot the Winchester 40-grain DynaPoint HPs and have a Bushnell 1.5-4.5X32 scope on the rifle. That is the same scope I have on all 13 of my Marlin big-game rifles.

Michael,

Nice shot. A man has to know his rifle to hit with the 22 at that range.

I always wonder just what kind of groups I would get from my 39A if I scoped it. With aperture sights it shoots very tight groups from a rest. Fired from the standing position my inner demons take control and shake the rifle into much larger groups, but the potential is there. If I could only trade some of this excess weight for muscle.

Nice shot! You've just added one more to a growing list of reasons why I'm determined to own one of those rifles. Darn it, I said a couple months ago I was through buying guns...

eljay

Michael, Did he stink? :-D I just got back in from plinking with my 39A, which thrives on Winchester Dynapoints also but, ther're getting hard to find here. Are you in this situation also? Mine is topped with a 2.5x Lepold Alaskan which I like very much on it. -JDL

RD;

I was lucky enuff to find an old 1956 39a just last Monday for $175 bucks!!!
the barrel has lost most of her blue, and sort of turned an interesting straw color, but she shoots as you describe!!!!
I shot her yesterday off a bench at some old cans at the range, all placed at 100 yards, and hit them most of the time.
My Winnie 9422 ain't that good!

Looks like I found a keepr!

Did that skunk let go when U hit it, or did it just pass on? We shot one last year at about 50 yards and I believe it let go enuff stink for 25 skunks!!!!!

They don't stink if you hit them in the head!

They don't stink if you hit them in the head!
Y'know, years ago, I had a friend tell me that. I had bought a house on the edge of town, it was fall, and one evening a skunk came out of the field, onto my patio, and into my (attached) garage. Curled up under my table saw, and looked to be there for the winter.
And they told me that.
At the time, I had a Browning .22 automatic rifle that was a tack driver.
I loaded it, peered around the corner of the house, and put that skunk's eye out. Bullet went through the wall, into the utility room. And that skunk spewed. And spewed, and spewed.
So...let's just say that SOMETIMES if you hit 'em in the head, they don't stink. ;-)
eljay

Do you guys feel the micro groove 39's shoot better or worse than the standard rifling 39's????

I realize that the micros' have been around a while, but it just seems to me that they would lead up faster without some type of coated or "washed" bullet.

Do you guys feel the micro groove 39's shoot better or worse than the standard rifling 39's????

I realize that the micros' have been around a while, but it just seems to me that they would lead up faster without some type of coated or "washed" bullet.

For me, the Micro-groove barrels shoot better than the others. I have never had a leading problem, and my 39A is about 38 years old.

I haven't cleaned my 39A barrel in years, at least.... last time I shot it, was getting pretty good groups at 50 yards (well under an inch).

Don't recall ever having leading problems, and it's a micro-groove.

They don't stink if you hit them in the head!
Try shooting one with a 338 in the head as it is coming toward you! What a stink! :D

Alaska boys ain't used to being chased through the deer woods by a skunk. Reckoned the 338 was a bit much, but was what I had at the time.

I haven't cleaned my 39A barrel in years, at least.... last time I shot it, was getting pretty good groups at 50 yards (well under an inch).

Don't recall ever having leading problems, and it's a micro-groove.

Had mine out again today, burned thru about 300 shots. Targets included one of those resettable Cabela's metal plinking targets and a few old soda cans we found in the range trash.
The 100 yard backstop is a about a 30' high 30 degree burm of sandy soil. we had a great time with the three 39a's on the line trying to walk those pop cans back up that slope with the hits.
My $175 find is dead on...so on in fact it has been ofically counted as the premium small game getter for this upcoming season......well, everything but skunks......They DON'T taste like chicken:p

Had mine out again today, burned thru about 300 shots. Targets included one of those resettable Cabela's metal plinking targets and a few old soda cans we found in the range trash.
The 100 yard backstop is a about a 30' high 30 degree burm of sandy soil. we had a great time with the three 39a's on the line trying to walk those pop cans back up that slope with the hits.
My $175 find is dead on...so on in fact it has been ofically counted as the premium small game getter for this upcoming season......well, everything but skunks......They DON'T taste like chicken:p

Don't smell like Chicken either. :D

Had mine out again today, burned thru about 300 shots. Targets included one of those resettable Cabela's metal plinking targets and a few old soda cans we found in the range trash.
The 100 yard backstop is a about a 30' high 30 degree burm of sandy soil. we had a great time with the three 39a's on the line trying to walk those pop cans back up that slope with the hits.
My $175 find is dead on...so on in fact it has been ofically counted as the premium small game getter for this upcoming season......well, everything but skunks......They DON'T taste like chicken:p
Well, I took my 1980 model Mountie that I bought several weeks ago out this evening, in spite of the gusting 15-25 mph crosswind at my backyard range and sighted it in at 25 yards. I was getting oval shaped groups of course, due to the gusting wind, but they were right at 3/4 inch high and 1-1/2 inches wide. I then went to my 3 inch hanging metal disk and hit it repeatedly, even while still swinging from the previous hit. This with the equipment sights, and my trifocals. And I had waited until nearly dusk, hoping the wind would lay (which it didn't), so that I could hardly see the front sight.

I was pleased, and am now looking for a 39A. Need to have two, so my wife and I can compete at the dueling post target my son got me for father's day.

GREAT rifle. Why did it take me so long to figure this out?

eljay

dud'nt matter....least ya figgered it out!

I have one of the 39's. I bought it years ago to hunt squirels with. It is grosly inaccurate for the first three rounds out of a clean barrel. The first shot at one o'clock and three inches out, the suceeding two shots still at one, but closer to center. I thought that it was due to the barrel being cold. Took some experimenting to find out that it needed the lube from three rounds to settle down and shoot. This was one first models that brought out with the bent, flat spring extractor that replaced the machined one. That extractor casued trouble until it was shimed up. Works pretty well now, if I remember to foul the barrel.

I have one of the 39's. I bought it years ago to hunt squirels with. It is grosly inaccurate for the first three rounds out of a clean barrel. The first shot at one o'clock and three inches out, the suceeding two shots still at one, but closer to center. I thought that it was due to the barrel being cold. Took some experimenting to find out that it needed the lube from three rounds to settle down and shoot. This was one first models that brought out with the bent, flat spring extractor that replaced the machined one. That extractor casued trouble until it was shimed up. Works pretty well now, if I remember to foul the barrel.


I leave my .22's dirty. Maybe get cleaned once a year, if that. With the wax off the bullets and the lead coating the bore, its not going to rust.

AS I might of said before, my 39 is a 1956 Mountie. although I grabbed it at the fantastic price of 175 bucks, it's a beater[or was!!!]
The barrel was almost straw colored from lack of blue, and the wood stocks appeared to be used to stir soup. But she can shoot!
Since she really has ZERO collector value, I stripped the old stain and varnish off the old girl with acetone, steamed the dents out,refinished them in gloss tung oil and then bought one of those Blue Wonder reblue kits.
Took about a week, but she sure looks 100% better, and is better protected for this years' squirrell season!!!!

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL326/682422/5659534/181337567.jpg

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL326/682422/5659534/181337549.jpg

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL326/682422/5659534/181337524.jpg

Very, very nice job! Man would be proud to own and carry that piece, anytime and anyplace!

eljay

Looks like a job to be proud of.

thanks guys!!!!
she turned out all right!

I just picked up a 78 mountie.. love it..

Don't ya just love cheap rifles that shoot?
You did a fine job giving that rifle new life.
I bought a '83 336C in .35 Rem and the first time out shot an 1.5" group with open sight at 100yds. I still have that target and that gun today. I think I paid $180 or so for it with tax and all.
Congratulations on a nice find!

Was sitting here sipping my Yaucono coffee and watching my food plot out the front window when a skunk came out to feed. I capped it at 112 yards! I wish my 1894CL 218 Bee shot this good!

I shoot the Winchester 40-grain DynaPoint HPs and have a Bushnell 1.5-4.5X32 scope on the rifle. That is the same scope I have on all 13 of my Marlin big-game rifles.

Got mine today, to keep my Mountie company! It's a 1985 model, pre-rebounding hammer, which is what I wanted.

I am very, very impressed! No wonder it's accurate. That barrel is like a bull barrel compared to my Mountie, my 10/22Mag, and my Winnie 94. I'm lovin' it!

eljay

So What is a good or should I say fair price on a 39?

It seems that on gunsamerica site they retain their value to be nearly the price of a new one.

Is there any advantage of old or new? Other than the whole safety issue?

Also from the ones that I've shouldered. It seems to me that they are a bit muzzle heavy. Did they ever make a shorter barrel version? Or a youth model?

Just my pick on it, but G/A tends to have near retail prices.

A good price, hard to say, but it would obviously have to be LESS than retail new.
Mine cost less than 200, but a friend just purchased a near new 1953 with a pistol grip and a beauty of a stock for 300.

Personally, I'd look for an older model. Not knocking the new guns, but the look and feel of a well used rifle always hooked me.

In the past three months I have purchased: 1) a 39M Mountie, with 20" barrel and straight stock (the shorter, lighter gun you're talking about), made in 1980 (hence no rebounding hammer, and true half-cock safety) from a dealer in Stephenville, Texas, for $250, and 2) a 39A built in 1985 (same hammer/safety as the Mountie)) at a gun show in Dallas, Texas, for $365. Paid a premium for the latter, as it is PRIME! One Marlin expert on one of the forums, on seeing its picture, said the stock was of a quality usually only found on Commemorative models, which it is not, and it has not been shot much. Truly a PRIME older model.

I had been priced a new 39A at two different dealerships for $465 and $430.

I don't like the newer guns as well as those built pre-rebounding hammer/crossbolt safety, which means built before 1988. Action on my guns, as well as fit and finish, is superior to new ones I've seen.

Held out for a pair of those, found them, and I'm a happy camper. Pics of both are on a thread in Rimfire Rifles section, "Need a .22 pump or lever action, which I started long ago.

Just my opinions, preferences, and two cent's worth. ;-)

eljay

Here is my 39A the way it looks presently. I bought it in a tag sale with both sights broken for $20 it was very rusty and had a curved stock the wood has been undercut due to an overzealous refinisher. I trimmed the fore end to minimum wood. It does shoot to point of aim at 65yds into a two inch steel disk. It has filed in primative muzzle loader sights. I just done the curved to straight conversion last week.

Here is my 39A the way it looks presently. I bought it in a tag sale with both sights broken for $20 it was very rusty and had a curved stock the wood has been undercut due to an overzealous refinisher. I trimmed the fore end to minimum wood. It does shoot to point of aim at 65yds into a two inch steel disk. It has filed in primative muzzle loader sights. I just done the curved to straight conversion last week.

Congradulations, it looks great.

Hammered another skunk tonight with my 39A. 25-yard head shot. They still stink when you hit them in the head!

Hammered another skunk tonight with my 39A. 25-yard head shot. They still stink when you hit them in the head!

Lets just say I'll take your word for it. :D

Hammered another skunk tonight with my 39A. 25-yard head shot. They still stink when you hit them in the head!
That has been my experience, as mentioned earlier. We've found that, at night, with the spotlight, my wife and I can usually 'herd' them away from the house (and downwind, if possible), out near our property line fences, then shoot them. Works more times than not, if I do my part with the rifle.

eljay

Ranch dog:

you have become the :cool:Skunkinator"!!!!:cool:

He'll be baccckk!:D

I'm pretty sure they stink no matter where you hit them :D

Smoked two more large dogs today. They were busy chasing my deer and not paying attention to me. The first one went down with a head shot at 70-yards. The other took four body hits at 80-yards and went down. Boy... was I steaming. Nothing worse that f-ing dogs chasing my deer!

My first gun was a 39A in 1963. I did the usual teen age thing and refinished the stock and shot it a lot. It wears a Redfield receiver sight and now has a XS blade front sight. It has enough rounds through it that it may need a new barrel.
Last March I found a 39A Mountie. It was made in ’69. Shot very little. It shoots better than my old 39A. It now has a Williams receiver sight and a XS blade front. I find that with my cowboy shooting with a Marlin ’94 Cowboy, I now prefer the straight stock of the Mountie to the old 39A.

My first gun was a 39A in 1963. I did the usual teen age thing and refinished the stock and shot it a lot. It wears a Redfield receiver sight and now has a XS blade front sight. It has enough rounds through it that it may need a new barrel.
Last March I found a 39A Mountie. It was made in ’69. Shot very little. It shoots better than my old 39A. It now has a Williams receiver sight and a XS blade front. I find that with my cowboy shooting with a Marlin ’94 Cowboy, I now prefer the straight stock of the Mountie to the old 39A.
I, too have a 39A and a 39M Mountie. My 39A was manufactured in 1985, the Mountie in 1980. I'm using a Williams receiver aperture sight on both of them, and have the XS post on the front of the Mountie and will have one on the 39A as soon as it gets here in the mail. I also have a Winchester 94 in .44Mag with the XS Ghost Ring hunting sight set on it. It was my excuse for finding and obtaining the Marlins, and equipping them with similiar sights, so I could practice at .22 level for use of that .44Mag. I love both Marlins, haven't shot them enough to say which I really prefer, but I think the 39A may be a bit more accurate.

I have come to love that broad white stripe front post sight from XS! It is the easiest to see, and get on target, of anything I've used. You must like it too, since you've equiped both your 39's with it.

Good shooting, and be safe,

eljay

My Golden 39A was made in 1979. The first owner shot 5000 rounds a year through it competing in "Lever Action Rifle" competition for 10 years. She won the Rimfire National titles with it at least once. I bought it from her in 1989 and proceeded to do the same but never got better than third. I retired from competition in 2001 and it has sat in the safe since.
Last month I was sold a practice set of rimfire metallic silhouette targets and decided to drag the old girl out and blow the cobwebs out of the barrel. I tried shooting them with the Anschutz aperture sights that I had always used but the old eyes can't do it anymore so I decided to scope it for the first time. I was told by a friend that 14X is a good magnification for the job so I fitted a Jap made Tasco Worldclass 6 - 24X AO that I have had for a while and departed for the range.
I have found that it really likes Federal Gold Match ammo which is reasonably priced (although it shoots its best groups with Elley 10x, which is not reasonably priced). Anyway, I still have half a case of Federal left from the competition days, so I sighted in at the correct distances with this using paper targets to get the groups in the right spot for each of the animals. To my absolute delight it still shoots beautifully round groups of less than a minute of angle.
I only clean the bore when I change ammo and I too have found that it needs a few (I always shoot 10) rounds to re-wax to bore and re-achieve its best accuracy.
I love the micro-groove barrels. I shot an 1895SS .45-70 for 3 years in the centerfire competition and once I sized the .405 gr RCBS gas check pills correctly to the .460 bore, it also shot beautifully.

.22 rimfire rifles tend to develop a ring in front of the chamber with extended use. I had an Anschutz 1413 target rifle I used in competition through college and my 20’s. When the ring was first developing, it took 4 or 5 rounds to get it to shoot. As it progressed it took more and more to get it to shoot. When it got really bad, after cleaning it took 40 or 50 rds. to fill in the ring and get it to shoot. The ring started as a partial ring about 1/4” in front of the chamber about 1/8” wide for about 25% of the bore. As the wear/erosion got worse, the ring expanded to cover nearly the entire interior circumference of the barrel. The real cure is to rebarrel the gun or at least set the barrel back and rechamber. I think my old 39A is now in a similar state.

.22 rimfire rifles tend to develop a ring in front of the chamber with extended use. I had an Anschutz 1413 target rifle I used in competition through college and my 20’s. When the ring was first developing, it took 4 or 5 rounds to get it to shoot. As it progressed it took more and more to get it to shoot. When it got really bad, after cleaning it took 40 or 50 rds. to fill in the ring and get it to shoot. The ring started as a partial ring about 1/4” in front of the chamber about 1/8” wide for about 25% of the bore. As the wear/erosion got worse, the ring expanded to cover nearly the entire interior circumference of the barrel. The real cure is to rebarrel the gun or at least set the barrel back and rechamber. I think my old 39A is now in a similar state.
Thanks for the info Clem, I'll drag a brush through mine and take a good look.

I, too have a 39A and a 39M Mountie. My 39A was manufactured in 1985, the Mountie in 1980. I'm using a Williams receiver aperture sight on both of them, and have the XS post on the front of the Mountie and will have one on the 39A as soon as it gets here in the mail. I also have a Winchester 94 in .44Mag with the XS Ghost Ring hunting sight set on it. It was my excuse for finding and obtaining the Marlins, and equipping them with similiar sights, so I could practice at .22 level for use of that .44Mag. I love both Marlins, haven't shot them enough to say which I really prefer, but I think the 39A may be a bit more accurate.

I have come to love that broad white stripe front post sight from XS! It is the easiest to see, and get on target, of anything I've used. You must like it too, since you've equiped both your 39's with it.

Good shooting, and be safe,

eljay
Well, the XS front post arrived in the mail today, and I fitted it to the 39A this evening. I LIKE that front sight! I now have some form of receiver mounted aperture plus the XS post mounted on all of my lever action rifles. So I can go out and burn 100 rounds of .22 ammo in one of the 39's for practice, and expect to do well when I need to drop a feral pig or coyote with the .44 Mag. I may be kidding myself, but I THINK I got where I want to be.

eljay