Who’d a thunk it?
Still in production for 116 years, Marlin’s Model 39 is a rimfire classic.
As rimfire riflemen, one of the claims to fame we can make is we are still buying and still shooting the longest-lived rifle in production in the world today. A rimfire? You bet. It’s one of the most handsome of all .22s and, sporting a lever, it’s All-American. Let me introduce you to the Marlin Model 39A.
The pedigree of the Marlin 39A is distinguished to say the least. The model was designed by Lewis L. Hepburn in 1891. Hepburn was a notable New York gunsmith and marksman, whose name is more closely associated with Remington and the high-quality Remington-Hepburn target rifles.
What is remarkable about the Hepburn design of 1891 is, with few minor improvements like introduction of coil springs, it is still in production today as the Marlin 39A. Hepburn’s little Marlin is also noteworthy because it was the first .22 repeater able to handle .22 Shorts, Longs, Long Rifles and Shot cartridges interchangeably. Marlin also claimed the Model 1891 was the first .22 chambered for the Long Rifle cartridge.
At the end of the 19th century, Marlin saw a market niche and capitalized on it. The advertising copy from their 1891 catalog is almost as good as the rifle itself. To quote, “The public has for a long time been making a strong demand for, and manufacturers have often tried to furnish a repeating rifle to use the cheap rim-fire 22 caliber ammunition. We believe that the Marlin Safety Rifle of 1891, is that first to fully meet the popular want.
“The arm is designed for short range target work, both as a source of recreation and as a means of perfecting one’s skill; also for snap shooting on the wing, and for hunting small game. We also recommend it for ladies’ use.
“… the 22 short gives good results at distances less than 125 feet. The 22 long gives fair results at distances less than 150 feet. The 22 long rifle gives excellent results up to 200 yards.”
Noting .22 ammunition of the day was particularly dirty and on occasion subject to case separations, Marlin addressed the issues by stating, “After using it a few days, the ‘gun works hard;’ the action must be cleaned … we introduce our greatest improvement, a removable side plate. The unscrewing of the thumb screw on the right hand side of the action allows the entire side of the receiver to be removed and also in turn the carrier block, finger lever and breech bolt.”
The pedigree of the Marlin 39A is distinguished to say the least. The model was designed by Lewis L. Hepburn in 1891. Hepburn was a notable New York gunsmith and marksman, whose name is more closely associated with Remington and the high-quality Remington-Hepburn target rifles.
What is remarkable about the Hepburn design of 1891 is, with few minor improvements like introduction of coil springs, it is still in production today as the Marlin 39A. Hepburn’s little Marlin is also noteworthy because it was the first .22 repeater able to handle .22 Shorts, Longs, Long Rifles and Shot cartridges interchangeably. Marlin also claimed the Model 1891 was the first .22 chambered for the Long Rifle cartridge.
At the end of the 19th century, Marlin saw a market niche and capitalized on it. The advertising copy from their 1891 catalog is almost as good as the rifle itself. To quote, “The public has for a long time been making a strong demand for, and manufacturers have often tried to furnish a repeating rifle to use the cheap rim-fire 22 caliber ammunition. We believe that the Marlin Safety Rifle of 1891, is that first to fully meet the popular want.
“The arm is designed for short range target work, both as a source of recreation and as a means of perfecting one’s skill; also for snap shooting on the wing, and for hunting small game. We also recommend it for ladies’ use.
“… the 22 short gives good results at distances less than 125 feet. The 22 long gives fair results at distances less than 150 feet. The 22 long rifle gives excellent results up to 200 yards.”
Noting .22 ammunition of the day was particularly dirty and on occasion subject to case separations, Marlin addressed the issues by stating, “After using it a few days, the ‘gun works hard;’ the action must be cleaned … we introduce our greatest improvement, a removable side plate. The unscrewing of the thumb screw on the right hand side of the action allows the entire side of the receiver to be removed and also in turn the carrier block, finger lever and breech bolt.”
Get More Rimfires in the December Issue
• Quality From The Start
• Big Boy
• The 39
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