Hey guys, trying to identify year and possible worth of a Marlin Model 39 22 caliber rifle i have. This is an octagonal barrel, lever action. The serial is 10033. Mod 39 with star tang
Pictures? Condition? Bore? They vary but bring good money in high condition. I have one in my project pile.
You need to go to
http://marlin-collectors.com/forum/index.phpThe site owner routinely answers such questions
The 'star stamp' on the tang was a QC mark.
During the time of it's use,,EVERY Model 39 that passed final inspection off the assembly line was stamped with that Star.
It WAS NOT something of a special marking only applied to a very few of the extra special best quality rifles selected and given that mark after a careful going over.
Every M39 got that Star Marking.
What makes M39's kind of rare with that marking is the fact that Marlin only used the Star stamp QC mark for about 4 or maybe 5 yrs.
Rifles made before the use of the Star stamp and those made after it's discontinuance won't be seen with that mark of course.
But the rifles received the same inspection, QC, and care in mfg and assembly as any of those made during the short time the Star stamp was in use.
Marlin used that Star mark as a marketing point and mentioned it in their adv of that time span. A mark to look for to be assured of quality of mfg.
Why they dropped it after such a short time I don't know. But Marlin was and has always been a penny pincher of a company. Perhaps to save a 1/2cent /per rifle, it may have been the decision to do so.
There will be a very few Mod39 rifles builtduring the period that the Star marking was used that Will Not have the Star on them,,BUT these will be marked 'Second' on the frame.
They are exactly that,,second quality. Usually cosmetic in nature. Something Marlin at the time thought not worth the trouble to go back and dissassemble and re-do.
These 'Seconds' were sold to Dealers at greatly reduced prices.
The idea of selling rifles marked Second finally dawned on them that it probably wasn't a very good idea. Once the rifle left the factory it was a poor adv of their work.
So the whole idea was scraped after too long. But the rifles with that marking (and w/o any Star of course if from that era) do exist).
I don't recall the exact yrs the Star mark was in use, but it was in the mid to late 1920's IIRC.
Marlin collector sites will have it nailed down I'm sure.
They can also most likely give you the mfg date or come very close to telling you what it is by the ser#.
Those Model 39 rifles were built for use with Standard Vel ammunition.
They carried over the same bolt style as the Model 97,also built for Standard Vel ammo.
A weak web betw the lever arm slot in the bolt and the firing pin slot can and does crack with HV ammo use.
Later mfg Model 39 rifles had a modified bolt that could handle HV ammo.
The ser# on those has a 'HV' prefix;
I believe the Model 39 with the HS bolt came to be in about 1932/33.
The Model 39A always had the improved bolt, so any 39A can handle HV ammo.
A 39A bolt can be fitted w/o much trouble so HV ammo can be safely used in either a 97 or 39.
But finding a Model 39A stripped bolt for that purpose is difficult and $$.
It's just as easy to use StdVel ammo and they work and survive just fine.
Kutter nailed the era. Mid to late 1920's. When the Depression started Marlin stopped using the star as a final inspection mark. The Kenna family took ownership of Marlin in 1923 when Marlin Firearms Corporation filed bankruptcy, and not long afterwards Frank Kenna started using the star inspector's mark as an advertising gimmick. They stated in advertisements that the star stamp indicated these guns had gone through final inspection and were the highest quality Marlin produced. In more recent years people transposed this to mean some guns were chosen to get the star stamp because they were deemed somehow special. But as Kutter mentioned, ALL Marlin rifles during these years got the same star stamp, not just some.
One correction to Kutter's mention of high speed ammo. Those guns with the bolt modified to handle high speed .22RF ammo has a "HS" prefix.
Thanks Guys for the replies. And history of the star tang. I would like to upload some images. Not sure how.. I was using the site Imagur and posting the links. Does not seem to work.
You need to use the link called "direct link" from Imgur
Joe
Please place an [img] in front and [/img] behind each of
the strings
Not sure, but it appears your 39 might be blued over the color cased receiver, and lever? If so, that will hurt value quite a bit. Bolts and hammers were blued, but not receivers and levers.
If this is cold blue, then rust remover will take it off and leave whatever case colors were underneath. I've done this on old Marlins that were blued, and if they didn't polish the metal first they come out fine. Even when hot blued the bluing still comes off and leaves whatever case colors were there.
Looks like your 39 had a tang sight also,as those screws are sight base screws, and not the usual factory plug screws.
And your barrel has the "Corporation" rollstamp, so it's one assembled soon after Frank Kenna bought Marlin from bankruptcy, and those barrels were used for a year or two until they switched to the newer rollstamp. Yours also has the Marlin "Bullseye" in the stock that started around 1924, and was used up until the Depression.
Some bolts were replaced by the factory to High Speed, but your great picture shows yours still has the low velocity style bolt, so standard velocity, or target velocity ammo should be the only ammo fired in it.
If this gun had strong original case colors they go in the $1500-$1800 range. If there's bluing over the case colors it's half as much. If the wood finish is non original, then that's a little less. But yours appears to be the high sheen used then, and wood to metal fit looks great too.
Yes.. you are correct. The gun was blued over and the stock refinished as well. That was my fault. I received the rifle when i was 16 from my grandfather. And a young 16 year old did not know any better, and i thought a shiny looking gun was thing to have. Anyway i do recall this was done with a sporting goods store rifle refnishing kit that i had purchased 38 years ago. I will probably never part with the rifle. I was more interested in the history of the rifle and its potential "original" worth. Thank you guys for all the responses, i learned alot about the history of the Marlin 39
Thanks. I am going to try Birchwood Casey Blue And Rust Remover too see if that brings it back
