Marlin 39A (c. 1953)

Anything to do with Lever Action Guns

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boot1978
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Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:50 am

Marlin 39A (c. 1953)

Post by boot1978 »

I recently sold a 39A thru GB to an individual in Maine. Before sending, I took it to the range and did a thorough check-out, running about 20 rounds. The result was as expected, smooth as silk and dead-on accurate. I cleaned the gun and broke it down for a very complete series of pictures, reassembled and checked for proper cycling.... everything was fine. Today I received an e-mail from the guy saying that over the past week he has disassembled and inspected the rifle and determined that it was worn beyond repair... and that when reassembled, the lever action would not even cock the hammer on the gun! Is it possible that he made an error as he put the two sections back together (such as leaving it in a cocked position), or otherwise misaligning the reassembly. If so, what are some common mistakes that he could have made. The rifle functioned flawlessly when sent to him, and my visual inspection indicated no overly worn components (documented with detail pictures). Any ideas guys??
boot1978
Regnier (gunrunner)
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Re: Marlin 39A (c. 1953)

Post by Regnier (gunrunner) »

Boot1978;

Frankly, you cannot reassemble the gun incorrectly if you know what you are doing! The hammer must be in the cocked position, the bolt fully forward in the receiver and the lever up against the lower tang to reassemble a Model 39-A of that vintage. Everything must be as described or it will not go back together and the side screw tighten the two halves together the way it should be. So, somewhere he is doing something wrong if everything worked for you.
Maybe he needs to take it to a competent gunsmith for directions on how to put it together correctly.
Good luck with this guy.......
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boot1978
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Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:50 am

Re: Marlin 39A (c. 1953)

Post by boot1978 »

Thanks gunrunner!
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