I am considering the purchase of a Marlin M39A. I would appreciate your opinion of the M39A and if you think I should consider other options. I'm looking for an "adult" size rimfire.

Thank you.

The 39A is a classic. I had one a long time ago, and loved it.
That rifle has been in production probably longer tha any other 22 Rimfire lever gun.
No issues with that rifle at all.

Don

I have an older version of the original 39A and love it. It is extremely accurate with just about any ammo you feed it. Of course, mine was produced before lawyers/lawsuits came into prominence in firearms manufacturing, so the trigger, as-is, is excellent.

Overall, I am not much of a lever action fan. But this rifle is the exception.

There is definitely a group of shooters out there that love the 39's. Myself, I have never been a lever gun shooter, but with several grandkids growing up, I thought a lever gun, or several, around might be fun for them. A couple weeks ago, there suddenly appeared a Golden 39A and a Golden 39AS for sale in the local sporting goods store. I took a very close look at both, knowing they were desirable to some shooters. I felt they were unnecessarily heavy for a .22LR. So I passed. The next day I reconsidered, and went back, thinking to buy one, at least, and try it out. Of course, both had been sold! You snooze, you lose!

The good news is, two days ago, while once again looking at the .22's in the same store, I noticed they now had a very nice Golden 39M. This is what is called the "Mountie", I believe. It is much lighter, with a shorter and lighter contour barrel, straight grip stock, and is more in line with what I was looking for. Needless to say, I didn't snooze on this one! Can't tell you how it shoots yet, but I am very pleased to have scored on this one! Good luck!

A 39A is a half pound heavier than a 9422, and every bit of it is in that long, heavy barrel. Kids can't shoot it, in my experience, but I love the way it steadies on a target. If you want a man-sized .22, this is it.

I had the trigger lightened on mine, for about $35. As was noted above, that isn't needed for a lot of older rifles.

I'm keeping mine.

My Grandfather introduced me to the Marlin 39 in the 1950s and it remains my favorite 22 rifle. I've owned numerous versions over the years, as well as other 22s. My "go to" rifle today which stays on the farm is a 39C.

Could you explain what is a 39C please? I might decide I need one of those too!

+1 to explain what is a 39C. I might need one of those also.

The 39 series are great guns, made the old-fashioned way with steel and walnut. Like their centerfire big brothers, the 336 series, the barrel contour on the 39's were unnecessarily heavy, making an otherwise fast-handling lever carbine somewhat cumbersome. But they are accurate and well put together.

The M-39 is an accurate and classical .22 cal rifle that can and does shoot right with bolt guns. I've never found a Winchester that would shoot with a M-39, I only wish I had not sold the last one that I owned. Certainly, lever guns are slow to reload when compared to a magazine gun, but that's not a problem in today's world.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
The 39 series are great guns, made the old-fashioned way with steel and walnut. Like their centerfire big brothers, the 336 series, the barrel contour on the 39's were unnecessarily heavy, making an otherwise fast-handling lever carbine somewhat cumbersome. But they are accurate and well put together.

Actually that heavy barrel is what attracts many shooters to the 39. All the Cowboy silhouette shooters (I know) like them. The extra mass out there helps the barrel settle nicely for offhand shooting. Of course, this is a personal thing. I've always preferred the Mountie.