I just ordered a Marlin 39A from my dealer. Does anyone have any suggestions on what ammo or sight configuration I should try to find the best possible group from this piece?

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bloodhound

As with any 22LR, only trial & error will tell you the best ammo for your rifle. I was shooting a Rem M541-T and a M541-T HB today. The regular barreled rifle loved CCI Green Tag (1/4"-3/8" at 50 yds). The heavy barrel shot them into about 1 1/4" at 50 yds. It showed a preference for Rem Target.

Grab as many brands/types as you can get your hands on & try them. You will "probably" have the best results with a standard velocity round, although some rifles actually prefer the high velocity stuff.

Without being able to handload rimfires, you are at the mercy of what your rifle chooses to like & shoot best...

Greg, I agree with Gary - buy several boxes of low velocity stuff, don't ignore Federal and Win., especially T22s. If you're hunting squirrels and/or plinking set a 6X scope of most any mfr. on it, it'll ride pretty well and stay on zero. My Mod 39 was mfg. in the '30s, re-barreled in '49, and sports some non-descript 6X scope - has felled crows, groundhogs, cats (oh God no, not cats!) squirrels, and yes, even whitetails (way back when) for some 70 years (not all mine, as it was my dad's before me).

Enjoy. And your son or daughter would be blessed to take it afield after you.

I have an old Savage....pre serial numbers....and I put hundreds of rounds through it growing up as a kid. It never mattered which brand of ammo I used, it hit the target every time. Now that it is "aged" it is very finicky. Every year or so I have to change brands to get it to shoot half way decent. Seems like the older it gets the heavier bullet it prefers. I think this is due to the throat being worn away. I have on hand about 8 different ammos for it because I never know what will make it shoo the next time I take it out.

Among the standard American brands, I've had the best typical success in the decending order:

Winchester
CCI
Federal
Remington

This is NOT to say you'll find the same thing with your particular rifle. Also, don't dismiss the "bargain" unplated ammunition sold for as little as $8.00 per carton at K-, W-, or X-mart. It does as well or better, brand for brand, as the plated bullet variety and you don't have to feel guilty about shooting up a few hundred rounds a day.

The above post should give you a good starting point. For sights I use a 4-12 scope with a fine cross hair, better optics better shooting, If you can't see it you can hit it.

Greg,
I remember the first time I fired a gun. I was five years old and my father proped his model 39A over a saw horse and taught me how to shoot. It was the most exciting day of my life. I still have that rifle(and a safe full of others)and I still give it a work out from time to time. For hunting ammo, it seems to like CCI mini-mags the best. I've never run target ammo through it (no point with open sights.) Good luck and be sure to share your model 39A with your children.

I use a Leupold 4X Compact scope on my Marlin 39A. It is most accurate with Federal Lightning's (the cheap stuff). Winchester Super-X is next. I have a friend who likes the Ely subsonic HPs, but I haven't tried them.