Fun with "Peanut" and a stop at LGS

[bandit1250]

I went out and shot some rounds through my '51 Marlin 39A. I had not had it out since the last snows. It has a old Japan made Tasco 1-3.5 scope on it that works flawless and is really clear but puts a limit on shooting much past 50yds. on the smaller targets due to low power. Been a good squirrel scope/rifle combo. Shot empty shot shells and left over clay target pieces that were lying around. I call this one "Peanut" because it is the year they put the peanut shaped brass insert in the grip cap. You could get your initials engraved in it if you wanted to. I am glad mine was left as is. The peanut cap is said to have only lasted a year or less due to the stopping of using brass for anything except the Korean war. This rifle also was built when they used 6 Groove Ballard barrels instead of Micro-groove that would arrive in '54. I have a '54 that was sent out with a Ballard barrel as Marlin was finishing up using what they had on hand. After finished shooting I went to a LGS I don't go to very often to see if they had any Henry caps. No Henry caps there and the girl said they may not have ever had any. I told her they should add the Henry cap and coffee mug to their order the next order they do. She tried to sell me a Browning mug and I said "no thanks." So I looked around and under some camo hats I found a hat for my wife and myself. Not a Henry but goes with our "other brand."

[Sir Henry]

Tell me more about the two different barrels. You don't have to keep that information "under hat".

[RetiredSeabee]

Nice looking Marlin and the caps ain't too shabby. I keep looking for old Marlins so far only one in decent shape was a Mountie but Cabella's thought it was made of diamonds and gold.
Sure would like to find a Peanut someday.

[Travlin]

I always liked the perch belly forearms on the older Marlins.

[bandit1250]

Tell me more about the two different barrels. You don't have to keep that information "under hat".

The Ballard barrel is the older style rifling that was 6 grooves and cut deep. It was the same type rifling Marlin used on the Marlin Ballard target rifles. Then they came up with micro-groove around the latter part of 1953. It has 16 very shallow grooves and very narrow lands. It was touted to be better because it didn't distort the bullet with the shallow grooves and some what oversize bore. Rumored to not foul and was easier to clean. I believe this was a sales pitch because they were already committed to the new cheaper way to make barrels. I find the opposite to be true for me owning both that I can shoot the same day under the same conditions the Ballard would come out ahead in accuracy and it cleans easier and does not foul as fast as all those narrow grooves do. The folks that think micro-groove is more accurate that could be because micro groove was only out about three years until Marlin started to drill their receivers for scope mounts and I think some got judged for accuracy with scopes and most the pre micro grooved rifles were open or peep sighted. I have 3 or 4 Ballard rifles and out of the other 14 that are micro-groove there may be about 2-3 that shoot as well as the older rifles. Micro groove is not usually as accurate in the center fires shooting cast because of the larger bores unless you cast and size bullets a few thousandths larger. Then Marlin switched a quite a few models back to Ballard to handle cast and jacketed bullets. Some of the standard models in the hunting calibers are still micro groove. Experts on this could tell you more and there is a lot of differing opinions but my opinion is that micro groove is more hype than actual fact.

[Sir Henry]

Thanks for the great reply. I had a micro-grove in .22WMR but I didn't shoot it much and sold it. One of the few I would like back.