A couple of old girls plinking.

[North Country Gal]

Yeah, me and my Marlin Model 38 pump 22 are a couple of old girls, but as plinkers go, we still got it. How old? As for my age, well, it's up there. As for the Marlin, best I can tell is was made in the mid 1920s, so it probably celebrates its 100th birthday pretty soon. How's that for old?


I really love this old girl of a Marlin. Once you start shooting, it gets hard to stop. You just want to keep pumping and shooting and shooting. The action is a very short throw, about the same as my little BL-22 lever 22, but working the Marlin is effortless. Just a flick of the wrist and shoot, again, the gun staying on target the whole time.


Yeah, that's my homemade scout scope rig via a Skinner barrel scope mount and an old 2x Tasco pistol scope. The 2x scope gives me just enough magnification and brightness to see my spinners at 25 yards, but without enough weight to alter the feel and balance of the old Marlin.

Got the scope sighted in this morning. Here's one of the targets. That group up and left out of the bull is 4 shots. Just wanted to see how the Marlin could group and, yeah, she's still got it (the gun). Finished sighting in on another target, then went 10 in a row on steel.


I shoot CCI Quiets with the Marlin and with that 24, barrel, yeah, the Marlin is very quiet. Bullets hitting steel are louder than the shot.

It's hard to explain just how special it is to be shooting a 100 year old 22. Such a fine old gun. They really don't make them like this anymore and I doubt they ever will, again. I think Annie would have loved this one. I sure do.

[Sir Henry]

Great report. I’m sort of partial to pumps although at this time I only have one Henry pump.

[John M]

I also like to play the trombone with the old Brownings.

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[Ozarkwoodswalker]

Sounds like good times with a great gun!

[daytime dave]

Great report NCG. I'm glad you like the Marlin so much. You are right, they don't make them like they used to. I don't think they would be able to. About the only gun I have heard that is still made the same is Henry's Original. Hat's off to them for doing that. I want to own one someday, I just have never seen one to buy one.

The oldest gun of mine I've shot is my 1917 Smith and Wesson made for WWI. It clobbered a couple bowling pins around the 100 year mark.

[BrokenolMarine]

Nice report, love the old guns. I used to shoot an old pump 22 my grandfather had, but when his house in Murphy NC burned to the ground one winter all his guns went up with it. I was deployed, at sea above the Arctic Circle at the time and by the time I got back to the US, the guns were gone. I didn't get a chance to see if they could be saved.

[North Country Gal]

Thanks, guys. I would love to find a Browning Trombone, but very scarce gun in these parts. All the old walnut and steel guns are getting hard to find, now, not just the pumps and going from premium prices. Over the years, I've had some great ones and would love to have some of them back. We all know how that goes.

[fortyshooter]

Very nice looking and shooting old Marlin NCG! Yeah the old hand craftsmanship just isn't there anymore.

[Vaquero]

Looks like it shoots as well as it looks, NCG. Interesting scope mount.

RP

[North Country Gal]

Thanks. Yeah, a one ring scope mount, scout style, is something you won't see very often. I do not recommend it for a 45-70, but for a 22 LR it works fine.

[Hatchdog]

NCG and John M,

Thanks for posting the pics and the results. Good looking old rifles that still get the job done.

[John M]

This old girl still works just as good as it ever did.

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[North Country Gal]

John, beautiful rifle. Tell us more.

[John M]

It's a Steven's mod1915 Favorite. I went into a sporting goods store that know me well . They mostly sell fishing gear but deal in firearms new and second hand. The owner called me over and said look at this, an old guy just left it with us to sell for him. The shop owner said I've never seen one before and have no idea on price, would $100 be too much. I said I'll give him $300 for it. He phoned him, and he was very happy with my offer and I took it home.

[John M]

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[North Country Gal]

What a great find. I would not have passed that one up, either and good on you for getting a fair price for the owner the way you did. Very commendable.