Marlin 39A

About the Marlin

The story of the Marlin company started in 1836 in Connecticut, the birthplace of John Mahlon Marlin. As the civil war commenced, he began his working carrier at the Colt plant in Hartford. Five years after the war, he started his own company in New Haven, Connecticut, and named it Marlin Firearms. Between 1870 and 1899 the company produced a manifold of pistols, revolvers, and derringers with one of the biggest strategic moves being made in 1881 when it introduced its first lever-action repeating rifle – Model 1881. Another breakthrough was made by the company with the introduction of the 1889 Model - a lever rifle with a solid top that ejected the empty cartridges out of the side of the receiver. This was the feature that in later years became equated with the term "Marlin Safety". The concept was further utilised in the following years on a .22 rimfire lever-action - Model 1891. That led to the development of Model 39, introduced in 1922, with almost 3 million rifles produced to date. Two years later, a new model was released under the name Model 1893 which was later renamed the Model 1936/Model 36, manufactured up until 1948. It was improved and renamed Model 336 in the same year. For some time, Marlin also produced rifles for Savage as they lacked manufacturing capabilities.

After the death of John Marlin, his two sons inherited the business, and the company went through several ownership changes. It was sold around 1915 to William Bonbright & Co. and Kissell-Kinnicut & Co. - a group of investors associated with J.P. Morgan. Shortly after, A.F. Rockwell became the president of the company and renamed it Marlin Rockwell Corporation in 1916; however, in 1919, John. F. Moran took over. After World War I, the economic decline became apparent, and the company shifted its focus to various other businesses. They manufactured ball bearings, roller bearings, radiators, wires, bombs, and even automobiles. In 1921, a simplified manufacturing line was formed that specialized in the production of sporting firearms and was named Marlin Firearms Corporation. Due to a decrease in sales, the company was put on the auction block in 1924 when it was bought for a small price of $100 by lawyer Frank Kenna.

The after-war years offered new opportunities and the sales gradually improved. In 1949, Model 36 was redesigned and renamed Model 336. It is still manufactured today as one of the most popular lever-action rifles in the world. Additionally, the company pioneered the Micro-Groove rifling which was supposed to allow for better shooting accuracy and was the standard on Marlin rifles up until the 1990s.

In 1956, the company introduced Model 56 which featured a modernised lever design with a short lever throw allowing for fast reloading. The series was later named Marlin 'Levermatic'. Shortly after, Model 57 and a centrefire Model 62 were presented. However, the Levermatic series did not sell too well and was discontinued in 1973. Some of the most recognizable models from that time were Glenfield Model 30, Model 444, and reintroduced Models 1894 and 1895 which are still manufactured today. With new regulations taking place, Marlin added a cross-bolt safety to their rifles around 1983. Numerous models were presented in later years such as Model 700, Model 780, Model 80, Model 7000, Model 2000, Model XL7, and XS7 along with some pump-action shotguns like Models 16, 17, 19 etc.

In 2007 Marlin was bought by Remington Arms, however, the ownership changed again in the following decade. Since 2020, the Marlin is owned by Sturm, Ruger & Co. Over 6 million guns and 150 years later, they carry on Marlin’s legacy of innovativeness and quality.

Marlin 39A Rifle Review

Marlin 39A is a rimfire lever-action rifle first presented in 1939 and is still considered one of the most accurate .22 rimfire rifles ever produced. It succeeded the Marlin 39 which was introduced in 1922. Over the years, Marlin managed to sell well over two million copies, making it the best U.S. selling rifle in history. The production of 39A ceased in 1983 when it was replaced by Golden 39A; however other than some minor design changes, the rifle remained the same throughout its production period.

The feeding of a tubular magazine that can hold up to nineteen rounds is carried out through the loading gate at the bottom of the tube rather than through the side of the receiver. Model 39A does not come with a cross-hammer safety; however, Marlin 39 series rifles produced after 1983 have this feature added. The rifle features a square bolt with a recessed receiver on the right side. The same square-bolt design can be found on Marlin Model 1894. All models manufactured from 1950 onward come with a Micro-Groove barrel. The factory pre-set single-stage trigger is on the heavy side and breaks predictably at a pull weight of approximately 1360 g (3lbs).

One advantage of M39A is a simple takedown design which allows for the entire rifle to be separated into two halves for maintenance purposes. The dismantling is carried out by undoing the large screw positioned on the right side of the receiver. The receiver is drilled and tapped for optic mounts and comes with a shorter distance between the screws compared to most other Marlin lever-action models. The barrel features ramped and hooded iron sights, with the rear one being adjustable for windage and elevation.

Marlin 39A comes with a barrel length of 610 mm (24-inch).

Figure 1: Marlin 39A, chambered for .22 LR (Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2374316732782556&set=p.2374316732782556)

Marlin 39A can be chambered for the following calibres:

• .22 Short

• .22 Long

• .22 LR

The rifle is available in the following variants:

• Marlin 39A 2nd Model

• Marlin 39A 3rd Model 1st Variation

• Marlin 39A 3rd Model 2nd Variation

• Marlin 39A 3rd Model 3rd Variation

• Marlin Golden 39A

• Marlin 90th Anniversary 39A

• Marlin 39A Mountie

• Marlin 39AWL

• Marlin 39A-DL

• Marlin 39A Octagon

• Marlin 39A/AS

• Marline 39A Article II

• Marlin 39

• Marlin 39A Mfg.

Marlin 39A receivers come with two holes for mounting purposes, one on the front and one on the rear mounting surface.

Figure 2: The receiver of Marlin 39A, chambered for .22LR (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/marlin-rifles---rimfire/1956-vintage-marlin-model-39a-mountie--22-lever-action-rifle---------nice-honest-marlin--quot-mountie-quot-----sold.cfm?gun_id=101219642)

Marlin 39A takedown option allows for easy dismantling of the rifle for maintenance purposes.

Figure 3: Marlin 39A dismantled (Source: https://www.riflemagazine.com/150-years-of-marlin)

A: /

B: 50.8 mm

C: /

BHU: 0 mm

Ø: 8-40

R1: flat

R2: flat

Which Rifles Have Interchangeable Mounts

Two-piece mounts

All the rifles listed in the category below have two-piece mounts interchangeable with Marlin 39A. To meet interchangeability conditions, two-piece mounts must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart. Rifles that meet such criteria are:

• All Marlin 39 series rifles

One-piece mounts

All the rifles listed in the category below have one-piece mounts interchangeable with Marlin 39A. For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces on these rifles must match in every dimension. Rifles that share the same dimensions and mounting surface with Marlin 39A are:

• All Marlin 39 series rifles

Our Recommendations for Mounts 

Picatinny Rails

This Picatinny rail, manufactured by the American company EGW, is suitable for Marlin 39A. It is made entirely of aluminium and comes with a two-year warranty.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu