Marlin 39a Golden

[BigAl52]

I found a nice one on GB for what I thought was a reasonable price. Has a scope on it. 3x9 Bushnell nothing to fancy. Came with a nice case silicone gun cloth and one of those gun socks. Its like new and hasn't been shot very much at all. Wood stock is real nice. Serial number starts with 93. Not sure what year it was made but since its a Golden I know its not that old. I took it to the range with my sister and brother in law and did some shooting with it. It shoots very well when it shoots. It has a problem extracting fired cases after about 5 or six rounds. Upon some online research I have discovered that I'm not alone. So now I go thru the process of trying to find out if I can eliminate this issue. First thing I did was tweak the extractor spring to fully engage the rim of the 22 case. I did this a little at a time with needle nose pliers. I also really cleaned the chamber area with a bore brush. I also inspected the chamber area for any rough spots that might be holding a fired case. I'm also kind of suspicious of the spring the is held at the top by a screw the comes down thru the top of the receiver. I would need to take off the scope to get to this screw but I haven't done that yet. If one of you Marlin 39 owners would look at yours I would like to know how far down your spring is. The edge of mine seems to be right at the edge of the top of the chamber and maybe just slightly past it. Also how much of a gap there might be between that spring and the head of the chamber. Al

[North Country Gal]

Al, that screw in the top of the receiver is for a spring that functions as a cartridge guide to help feed a new round. It shouldn't have anything to do with extraction. It's there for the sake of feeding.

From what you describe, it sounds more like a tight chamber or a rough chamber, though without seeing the gun or shooting it, I can't be sure. If so, you might have better luck with some brands of ammo than others. Some brands, such as Winchester are notorious for having such issues.

Another thing to always check on a 39 is that take-down screw. Make sure it is tight, but not gorilla tight. If it is loose enough, it can really cause the action to malfunction.

On a Marlin , subtract the first two numbers in the serial number from 100. Your 93, then makes yours a 2007 vintage. That in itself, can be an issue. That 2007 is right at the borderline between the last days for Marlin as a company and the Remington buyout of Marlin. In 2007, Remington was in negotiations to buy Marlin and the deal was finalized in January of 2008. Very stressful days for Marlin workers and some claim that QC suffered as a result. Doesn't mean that your 2007 gun is inferior or a bad buy, though. Earlier 39s were not perfect, either. Just means that with some Marlin fans, that's a gun vintage to inspect very carefully.

[BigAl52]

Thanks NCG I read about one person having an issue with the rim of the case getting stuck between the end of that spring and the head of the chamber. I wonder if the firing pin after firing the round spread the brass out enough to catch that spring. This guy who made this comment said he found that the screw was loose tightened it up and had no more issues. The take down screw on mine was tight and I used CCI and Remington ammo. I havent had a chance to shoot it again and probably wont until I get back home. Another thing I thought about doing was using a mop and trying some JB bore paste in the chamber to smooth out anything that could be catching the case. I know about the winchester 22 ammo and its terrible that way. I will keep at it and let you know what I find. Its a good shooter other than that very accurate. Al

[tractortad]

39's typically have extraction problems sometime in their lifetime due to the design of the OEM extractor - it's kind of a stamped flat-spring piece that looks kind of like the ejector. Check out Wisner's new style machined extractor - I think it's part #A39A-27. I remember reading in some of the Marlin forums that replacing the original extractor with this piece is the ultimate fix for 39A extractor issues.

[BigAl52]

Thanks Tad. I did see an article about that on one of the searches I did. I will order one when I get back to Colorado. I have another 39a but I passed it on to my step daughter and now wish I would have done something different for her. This is why I bought a second one. I will keep at it thought until I find a cure. These issues like this are in my mind when I pass by other forums and see all the Marlin owners hammering away on Henry rifles for this that and the other. I think when someone puts up a post comparing anything of the 2 companys it brings out the Marlin guys who love to bash the Henrys. Seems like all gun companys have there issues to me. Al

[bandit1250]

These issues like this are in my mind when I pass by other forums and see all the Marlin owners hammering away on Henry rifles for this that and the other.

I would not say "all" Marlin owners are in the group of Henry bashers. My wife and I have 17 Marlin 39a and variations of the 39A and I have one Henry which is a Frontier 22 and I like it as well as my Marlins especially after removing the black from the receiver and the barrel band. I have a problem with it jamming if tilted over slightly when loading another round in the chamber. I have never gone on the Marlin or Winchester site and bashed the Henry for that issue. I know what it does and try to avoid tilting it any at all. I will tell anyone whether a Henry owner or other brand owner that is the only problem I have with my Henry and if you want a nice lever rim fire and are on a budget that puts a Marlin or Win. 9422 out of reach get the Henry and you will be as happy as the other owners with the other brands. Now to the Marlin extractor. The spring steel extractor is not made as well as the machined extractor but I have been able to bend or reshape the hook that grabs the rim to be 100% reliable. The older extractors can fail also but in reality should last longer. The Wisner is supposed to be a cure for the spring type but from my understanding it may not be a drop in fit and need some filing on the extractor to fit the extractor groove. Does not sound like it is a tough job as long as you go slow and don't get a to loose fit. Probably a fit where it needs tapped down in. I have never had to buy a Wisners yet and quite a few of my wife's and my 39A's have the stamped spring extractor and I have tuned them to be as reliable as any fire arm I own on feeding, firing, extracting the fired round and ejecting the empty farther than any rifles I own. Maybe I am just some one who likes to tinker with them when needed. I have really got a few of our rebounding hammer models cheap because they needed a tune up. Glad I bought them because they run fine now. Hope you get yours tuned to perfection. It can be done. Also maybe you should donate the Winchester ammo to a kid that has a single shot that may work ok with Win. ammo.

[CT_Shooter]

...maybe you should donate the Winchester ammo to a kid that has a single shot that may work ok with Win. ammo.

I feel like a kid, but I'm on Social Security and getting older by the second. Nonetheless, if you're offering, I'll take it, anyway. My Henry H001 likes them -- Winchester and every other brand I've fed it.

[BigAl52]

These issues like this are in my mind when I pass by other forums and see all the Marlin owners hammering away on Henry rifles for this that and the other.

I would not say "all" Marlin owners are in the group of Henry bashers. My wife and I have 17 Marlin 39a and variations of the 39A and I have one Henry which is a Frontier 22 and I like it as well as my Marlins especially after removing the black from the receiver and the barrel band. I have a problem with it jamming if tilted over slightly when loading another round in the chamber. I have never gone on the Marlin or Winchester site and bashed the Henry for that issue. I know what it does and try to avoid tilting it any at all. I will tell anyone whether a Henry owner or other brand owner that is the only problem I have with my Henry and if you want a nice lever rim fire and are on a budget that puts a Marlin or Win. 9422 out of reach get the Henry and you will be as happy as the other owners with the other brands. Now to the Marlin extractor. The spring steel extractor is not made as well as the machined extractor but I have been able to bend or reshape the hook that grabs the rim to be 100% reliable. The older extractors can fail also but in reality should last longer. The Wisner is supposed to be a cure for the spring type but from my understanding it may not be a drop in fit and need some filing on the extractor to fit the extractor groove. Does not sound like it is a tough job as long as you go slow and don't get a to loose fit. Probably a fit where it needs tapped down in. I have never had to buy a Wisners yet and quite a few of my wife's and my 39A's have the stamped spring extractor and I have tuned them to be as reliable as any fire arm I own on feeding, firing, extracting the fired round and ejecting the empty farther than any rifles I own. Maybe I am just some one who likes to tinker with them when needed. I have really got a few of our rebounding hammer models cheap because they needed a tune up. Glad I bought them because they run fine now. Hope you get yours tuned to perfection. It can be done. Also maybe you should donate the Winchester ammo to a kid that has a single shot that may work ok with Win. ammo.

Bandit probably should have phrased it a little better but I was referring to all the Marlin owners on those particular forums. I realize there are Marlin owners here also that dont do that. I happen to be one of them as I own Marlins as well as Henrys but refrain from those type of conversations. I like both Marlin and Henry tube feed or side gate feed. I own Uberti as well.

CT if you need ammo send me your address Id send some to you. Al

[North Country Gal]

I agree, Al. There is some Henry bashing going on, out there, and, frankly, I don't like it, even though I don't have a Henry. Have no use for gun snobs of any kind. There have been times in my life where I could barely afford ammo, let alone a fancy gun.

As for the Wisner part, I've heard good things about it, too. Certainly worth a try.

[bandit1250]

I agree, Al. There is some Henry bashing going on, out there, and, frankly, I don't like it, even though I don't have a Henry. Have no use for gun snobs of any kind. There have been times in my life where I could barely afford ammo, let alone a fancy gun.

As for the Wisner part, I've heard good things about it, too. Certainly worth a try.

NCG, We all know you could not be a gun snob with the variety you own and shoot. I am also not a gun snob with owning a variety including Remington, Savage,Marlin,Henry, Ruger, Sako, Tikka, Beretta,H&R and Smith&Wesson. I like them all and try to find time to fire them all some time during the year. I honestly have to say most of what we refer to as gun snobs I think in this area it is Winchester guys and possibly Sako and Weatherby owners. They kind of look down their nose at the lesser priced models my friends and I shoot. That's OK with me though as I sent a few of them home from the range not very happy getting beat by a "lowly ugly Savage 220 Swift."