1890: The "39" started out in the 1890s as the Model 1891 which was the first lever action to chamber a rimfire cartridge. Invented by L.L. Hepburn whereas John Marlin only gets credit for having "improved" an existing design invented by someone else. A common occurrence back then. But, if you want a more detailed history about the early Marlin 39 and its predecessors, go HERE.
1922: The first year of the 39 as it was introduced post WWI. I have not read any good reason as to why it was called the Model 39 as such a date would suggest it's origins to be either 1839 or 1939. Neither are realistic so we are just left to our imagination.
1924: Frank Kenna Sr. purchased the bankrupt Marlin Firearms company for $100 and assumed all debt. The beginning of a long and fruitful family owned business which sadly came to an end in 2008.
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| 1939 Catalog. |
1942: 1942 to 1944 Marlin ceased production of the 39 to focus on war time production of machine guns. I wonder if Micro-Groove was a byproduct of the war?
1953: "Micro-Groove" rifling was introduced which from what I read, turned a good rifle into a GREAT rifle for those in pursuit of accuracy. It also increased manufacturing efficiency. Micro-Groove was adopted by both rimfire and centerfire guns.
1957: Although Mounties had been in production with 20' barrels and straight stocks before 1957, starting this year, all Mounties were now stamped "Golden 39A Mountie" to avoid any confusion. Now folks can understand how there can be both 39A Mountie. This topic gets deeper and deeper and is not really material to a new shooter looking for a Smallbore Cowboy Silhouette gun. But if you insist, here are some links. Source. Source2
1960: "Original Golden 39A" is said to have been made from 1960 to 1983 with a "gold" finished trigger. I have an issue with that as mine is a "Golden" and was made in 1985. Wikipedia says gold triggers were "phased out" by 1985. I also read that the golden trigger was re-introduced in 1985 and remains a feature to this date. Not really that important but something people use to ID guns. See source2 above.
1968: Between 1968 and 1973 Marlin worked out the kinks with a new serial number (SN) methodology. I'm not clear why there is so much conflicting info out there but at this point, take it all with a grain of salt. There is a transition period when some odd numbers came out and you may need to rely on other factors to date or at least "periodize" your firearm if you fall in this time frame. Basically, they went from an alpha prefix to define year of manufacture to using the first two digits in the SN subtracted from 100. So, if the first two digits are 15 like mine, it would be 100-15 or 1985. If your gun starts with an alpha, see the list at the end of this post. Alpha SN tend to be under the lever on the tang. Non alpha SNs tend to be on top of the tang in clear view.
1971: The 39D was introduced which is a Mountie with 20" barrel but WITH a pistol grip. Made from 1971 to 1973. This is an excellent solution for smaller shooters who find the barrel too heavy to support. Some folks say D stands for Deluxe. I am unclear if this is true, slick marketing or lore. Because of its relatively short production period, these are rare guns and tend to command a premium. I have never seen a 39D so I cannot comment if it stands for Deluxe or not. The D is what causes confusion with new shooters and I wanted to straighten that out. Source
1972: Mountie markings were changed. Instead of roll stamping Golden 39A Mountie, they just stamp 39M. Guess that saved money by using less tooling and time. The 39M was discontinued in 1987 and replaced by the TDS. See below.
1973: 2,550 or a "short run" of 24" Octagon barreled 39As were produced. Highly sought after variant made for one year. If you find octagon barrel with the numbers 27 starting the SN, buy it if you can.
1988: Crossbolt safety (CBS). Due to legal liability issues, Marlin introduced the CBS in 1988 on the 39A but earlier on big bore models. When this change is made the 39 went from 39A to 39AS adding the S for "Safety", or that is what I was told. 1988 is not a perfect date as I have seen 1987 dated rifles with a CBS
1988: Introduction of the Marlin 39TDS. TDS was short for "Take Down System". I read they were made from 1988 to 1995. The intent of this rifle was to offer an "ultra portable" rifle that could be taken apart and put in a bag or "papoose" is what they called it. The barrel is just 16.5" long making it easy to slip into a bag, canoe or whatever your desire. This is not a suitable gun for silhouette IMO. But if you stumble on one that has a serial number that starts with TDS, that is the first year of manufacture and has some collectable value I gather. The TDS also replaced the now discontinued Mountie.
2000: Marlin buys H&R aka Harrington & Richardson of Gardner, MA. In an odd way, I wonder if this was not the beginning of the end for Marlin. The CT based firearms manufacturer tried to find avenues for growth as the "Gentleman Shooter" faded into the sunset. The new "gun buying public" wanted semi-auto and full auto arms as used in self defense and/or simulated self defense competition shooting sports. Why would you want to buy a company who's claim to fame is being the world's largest producers of single shot rifles and shotguns?
2008: Change in ownership. Like Colt, Winchester and Schwinn, just to name a few, products become brands only and ties to roots, history and what a gun stood for changed forever. Investors drove the market as this family owned business looked for a way salvage three generations of fortune before nothing was left. In 2008 Marlin Firearms was sold by the Kenna family, which had run the company since 1924, to Remington Arms, which was already owned by The Freedom Group which is owned by Cerberus Capital Management. Need we say more? Marlin RIP.
2011: 141 years of history ends. In April of 2011, the Marlin plant in North Haven, CT was shuttered and production moved to other plants in the Freedom Group's portfolio. Specifically, the 39A was moved to Ilion, NY. The only way to accurately determine which plant made your gun is to look for a JM or REP stamped in the barrel where it is joined to the receiver. Proof marks by definition define the plant that made the barrel. JM is now an extinct proof mark.
For the Silhouette shooter.
Although I have never knowingly had the pleasure to shoot a pre 1953 39A, the "net consensus" is that the Micro-Groove technology greatly enhanced the accuracy of the 39A. Given that opinion and the silhouette shooters preference for accuracy, I will limit the following comments to post 1953 guns. Not that I can even begin capture the many variants produced over those 60 years.
Armed with your new knowledge about the 39, 39A, 39M, 39D, let's cover the even more challenging area of 39 variants. The objective being to help inform you of what you are looking at when a 39 is presented to you for sale. For simplicity, I am going to break it into three groups.
Rifle
The most common variant is the 23-24" barrel version. You'll see both lengths listed because some folks measure external barrel length from the receiver and some actually know the factory specification which is the distance from the breech to the crown. There is one "rifle length" and it is 24". Don't worry about those details. What is key is whether the barrel is over 20". If yes, then you have a full rifle version.
Early "alpha SN" guns have a "fat" or what is sometimes called a "semi-beavertail" walnut forearm and a simple butt stock with no white "inlay" or cap on the pistol grip. Later versions got a pistol grip cap with a matching white "accent" stripe sandwiched between wood and plastic. The forearm went on a a diet as well and thinned down. A key visual to an original gun is that the white accent piece tended to shrink overtime so what was once a "factory" smooth transition between wood, accent and end cap is disrupted. This is normal and a sign that no one has attempted to alter the gun. At some point this accent piece was dropped. The details about the 39D suggest 1973 but my 39A made in 1985 still has the white accent piece.
Carbine:
Marlin introduced a short barrel version called the Mountie. Sometimes 39M or 1897 Mountie in homage to the Marlin model that was the precursor of the Original 39A. This gun has two distinct features. The barrel is 20" and the stock is straight. Void of a pistol grip. This is an issue of personal taste.
My taste. Longer the sight radius the better. Pistol grip feels better. All that said, I shot a 38/40 with a Mountie unknowingly. My 39A was still in Texas and John B. put his in my hands and it shot great!
Promotional:
Where to begin? The sales and marketing team would often make limited runs of 39A with certain "embellishments". For the competitive shooter, they are all cosmetic and neither add or detract from the utility of the gun. To the collector, it can be important. They underlying gun did not change. Sometimes octagon barrels were added to replicate earlier versions. Gold like inlays, engraving, wood checkering etc etc. Unless the gun is unfired and in box, the value of this "short run" 39s are a small premium unless you just love the way it looks. It's marketing. Some are very rare and thus command a premium. Some were marketing gimicks and there is not a whole bunch of demand for them.
What to look for?
Quality trends and year of manufacture:
Ultra passionate Marlin lovers feel it was down hill since 1988 when the crossbolt safety was added. Some say it was downhill when management lost their focus on manufacturing and succumbed to the lure of Investment Bankers with their acquisition in 2000. Now the focus had become the income statement and balance sheet. More people get down on Marlin quality when Remington/The Freedom Group/Cerberus Capital bought them in 2008. And finally, just about EVERYONE says the brand and the quality it stood for completely imploded when production was moved to Remington in Ilion, NY in 2011.
Condition considerations:
Factory drilled and tapped (D&T'd) holes vs DIY D&T'd holes. At some point in production, the factory
added two small holes on the left side of the receiver for attaching a micrometer sight. Later, they added tapped holes in the top of the receiver to accommodate attachment of a scope rail. Factory holes are preferred. But, home gunsmithing may not be bad. Just not original. I view guns with mars, drill holes, pitting as an opportunity to get a bargain that will shoot just as well as a pristine specimen that cost 4x as much. It depends what you want. My advice, keep your eyes open for both and know the range of prices for poor aesthetic quality "shooters" and wonderful "time capsule" finds. They typically all shoot if made before 1988.
Serial number cheat sheet.
C-1946
D-1947
E-1948
F-1949
G-1950
H-1951
J-1952
K-1953
L-1954
M-1955
N-1956
P-1957
R-1958
S-1959
T-1960
U-1961
V-1962
W-1963
Y-1964
Z-1964
AA-1965
AB-1966
AC-1967
AD-early 1968
68-late 1968
69-1969
70-1970
71-1971
72-1972
27-1973
26-1974
25-1975
24-1976
23-1977
22-1978
21-1979
20-1980
19-1981
18-1982
17-1983
16-1984
15-1985
14-1986
13-1987
12-1988
11-1989
10-1990
09-1991
08-1992
07-1993
06-1994
05-1995
04-1996
03-1997
02-1998
01-1999
00-2000
99-2001
98-2002
97-2003
96-2004
95-2005
94-2006
Reference links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Model_Golden_39A
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Firearms
http://www.wisnersinc.com/additional_info/marlin_LARF_rifles.htm Article about early 39s
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/01/chris-dumm/classic-gun-review-marlin-model-39/ Nice pics of early 39.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5mfbtaZzhkSS1N1VW5ybVJlTW8/edit?usp=sharing SN info from Marlin
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=261635 In the event you can't sleep. The Marlin 39A club with 4,500 posts and counting.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=3362653&postcount=245 Post with an array of folks selling Marlin parts.
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