Sa-22 and 1957 marlin 39a

[jmarriott]

I picked these up and never got around to posting them up for you all to see. Gun Porn.

These are the worst pic's of guns I have ever taken. They were snapped after i drove all night back from bristol tenn for the nascar race and before a 10 am gun show. On a backpack on the kitchen cabinet.

Dad is going to give the marlin a new tru-oil finish. Other that that is is near perfect for a rifle built in 1956. The stock is not in bad shape but it appears someone took it off and restained and the foreend and butstock do not match. The grain is there just needs a little help to show it off.

The sa-22 is mint with box and groups offhand at 35 yards into a pop can end. The marlin will beat it in group size but it is a longer barrel so the shooting for groups size is just me. . The now reside in dad's second gun safe. Mine is full and to small.

The feel while carring the browning sa-22 is possibly the best carring 22 I have ever had. A true pleasure to shoot and carry. I can see why it is still being produced by browning. A JMB original that is nearly perfect. I though the BL-22 was nice untill i shot the sa-22.

My love affair with the model 39a you all know. This one i traded a 139 dollar 10-22 for. I am sure that the marlin will go up in price better that the ruger I did not shoot much. It even has the original front sight hood something that most do not.









Sorry about the poor pic's.

[Jack]

Nice finds. Those Browning auto's are sweet.

[jimh]

is that Marlin a Mounty? i can't tell from the photo if the grip area goes into a pistol grip shape or is going straight back (Mounty) to the stock. my Mounty was a '56 and i really would like to get that one back. i love those Marlin 39A, they are everything a lever gun should be and then some! nice couple of rimfires you have.

[jmarriott]

I have 2 mounties (well to some a model 39M is not a mountie) 1958 and 1982, I have two regular model 39a's 1956 and 1985.

this one is just a 39a. I am currently looking for a 39TDS take down special with a 16.5 inch barrel to round out the collection and a regular model 39 but I can never get the money up when i find them.

Mountie porn.
1982 mountie

1958 mountie

[jmarriott]

you get nice pictures of my toes also.

[Like this one some marlin fans think all real mounties are round levers not the squared off version.


barrrels were much bigger in size back on the old ones also.

free pick of my dads belly in this one.

[dovehunter]

Those Mounties are sweet little guns. My son inherited one from my dad that I believe was made back in the early 60's. I posted a picture on HF a while back. It is a tack driver and hell on squirrels.

I have always loved the little Browning take-down .22 autoloaders and have always wanted one, but the cost (at least around here) is absolutely prohibitive (at least for me) in nearly any condition. I did the next best thing though and got one of the Norinco clones when Wally World was selling them for $99.95. It is obviously not finished as well as the Browning but it looks nice too me. It has also been extremely dependable (don't recall it ever having jammed) and has been quite accurate. I put a 4x scope on mine. Fortunately, the Weaver mount made for the Browning fit perfectly.

[jimh]

so what is the difference between a 39A mounty and a 39M? also what is the significance of the square shape lever opposed to the rounded models. i also understand there was a carbine model that some confuse with a mounty.

[dovehunter]

Aug 31, 2011 18:25:14 GMT -5 jimh said:

so what is the difference between a 39A mounty and a 39M? also what is the significance of the square shape lever opposed to the rounded models. i also understand there was a carbine model that some confuse with a mounty.

It's always been my impression that the one with the pistol grip stock is the rifle version (with mile-long barrel) and the straight stock version is the carbine (Mountie?). The rifle version also always seems to have that thick, bulbous forend, whereas the carbine version aways seem to have the thinner (and to me more pleasing) forend. If you've gathered by now that I don't care for the rifle version, you'd be right.

[Jack]

My Dad has a 1955 vintage 39A. His is the rifle version with pistol grip stock and 24 inch barrel. The forend on his appears similar to the forend pictured above.

[jmarriott]

To kind of sort things out as I know them from reading brophey's marlin book: To the real marlin purists there are golden 39M's, 39a mounties, K prefix mounties with 24 inch barrels, plus the carbine artical II's, Deluxes century limiteds (Which really were not limiteds) there are 39a M octogon also. So a lot of what one could call mounties. I have yet to see a octogon 39a at all.

GOLDEN 39A
Similar to Model 39A, with gold-plated trigger, sling swivels. Mfg. 1957-87.

GOLDEN 39M
Similar to Golden 39A, except is carbine variation. Mfg. 1972-1987

MODEL 39A "MOUNTIE"
Straight grip stock, slim forearm, 20" barrel, otherwise similar to 39A. Mfg. 1953-1957.

Model 39A "MOUNTIE" with K prefix
24 in. barrel and slender forearm. 4,335 mfg. 1953 only.

GOLDEN 39A MOUNTIE
Mfg. 1957-1969.

Some consider the square lever introduced in 1973 to be the end of the true mounties. The forearms were the same as the 39a for the fact they did not have to have 2 different parts. These purests are a little overboard as to me they are mounties as long as the grip is straight and the barrel is 20 inches long.

The carbine has the mounties 20 inch barrel and the pistol grip stock. If you see one for sale buy it but once again buyer beware as for many years you could order a mountie barrel and install it on a 39a and make it a carbine. The M and Mountie marked 39A’s were never made at the same time. The “Mountie marked 39A’s were made from 57-69. The fore arms on the Mounties changed through the years just like the 39A’s did. Some are fatter than others. The later 39M’s Had a barrel closer to the 39 Carbines than the “Mountie" marked 39A’s they are very thin. The early 1980’s 39M is my favorite but I love them all.

the TDS came out after the mounties were no longer produced. The Mountie was introduced in 1953 with a 24-inch barrel. The description in the 1953 catalog says it is a 20-inch barrel but the picture shows a 24-inch barrel. The 1954 guns had 20-inch barrels and the catalog has the correct 20-inch barrel pictured. 1953’s had Ballard rifling. There were 58 Ballard rifled 20 inch Mounties made in 1954. From 1953 thru late 1956-1957, the barrels were marked only 39A. The 1954 on with Micro Groove rifling say Micro Groove on the barrel, Ballard rifled say nothing. Marlin started to drill and tap the receivers for scope mounts in 1956. In 1957, the gold trigger, white line spacer and sling swivels were added. The barrels were marked “Golden 39A-Mountie". This continued through 1969. All mine from 1957-1968 say “Golden 39A Mountie on the barrel. In 1970, only the 39-Century Ltd was in the catalog. In 1971 the 39D, 39-Century, 39A Article II and 39M Article II were in the catalog. In 1972 the 39A, 39A Article II, 39M and 39 Century Ltd are in the catalog. In the description of the 39M, it refers to it as the “Mountie”. This description as a “Mountie” in in the catalogs for several more years. In 1973 the 39A, 39A Octagon, 39D, 39M, 39M Octagon and 39 Century Ltd are in the catalog. In 1974, only the 39A and 39M are in the catalog. The 1974 catalog is the first that the 39M is pictured with a square lever. Some of the late 1970’s on 39M’s had a more tapered barrel but are not as slim as my 39 Carbines. The 39M was discontinued in 1987. It was replaced in 1988 with the 39TDS. The gold triggers were discontinued in 1982 and reinstated in 1985.

Bold parts copied dirrectly from my notes in ms word.