Marlin 39A Buyer’s Guide (2026): Values, Serial Dating, JM Stamps and What It’s Like to Shoot

Last updated October 2026

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Ask a room full of old .22 shooters which lever gun they’d keep if they could only keep one, and a lot of hands go up for the Marlin 39A. It’s a takedown, all-steel, walnut-stocked rifle that feeds Shorts, Longs and Long Rifles from the same tube, and its family tree runs back to the 1891 Marlin that Annie Oakley trusted. Marlin built the Model 39 from 1922, and by 2007 more than 2.2 million had been made.

It’s also a gun with a lot of folklore. Forums argue about JM stamps, pre-safety guns and Micro-Groove barrels, and plenty of pages still say the 39A is in production. It isn’t. This guide sorts fact from legend, with 338 completed sales broken down by model, era and condition, a serial-dating guide, the one ammunition rule that matters on early guns, and a morning in the squirrel woods with a 1974 Golden 39A.

Marlin 39A Pros and Cons

Marlin 39A at a Glance

Table of Contents

What It’s Actually Like to Shoot a Marlin 39A: Myth vs. Truth

Our range gun is a Golden 39A with the gold trigger, a JM-marked barrel and a serial that dates it to 1974. It has about 85% of its blue, a walnut stock with a few honest dings, and the half-cock hammer of the pre-safety guns. Before we shot it we took it down, cleaned the old grease out of the action, checked that the ejector wasn’t locked, and put the takedown screw back finger-tight plus a quarter turn.

Over two mornings we fired 400 rounds: CCI Standard Velocity 40-grain, CCI Mini-Mag 40-grain high velocity and a box of CCI 29-grain Shorts. The lever is short, light and smooth, and the action cycles with a clean, oily click that cheaper .22 levers never quite match. The trigger broke at 5 lb 10 oz with a little creep. Recoil? There isn’t any.

With the iron sights, five-shot groups averaged 0.7 inches at 25 yards with the standard-velocity load. At 50 yards they opened to 1.3 inches, and with a scope on the drilled-and-tapped receiver the same load averaged 0.8 inches at 50. The Mini-Mags shot about an inch higher and a touch wider. The Long Rifles fed without a hitch. Two Shorts out of 50 hung on the carrier, which is the classic sign of a tired carrier rocker spring on an old 39, and not a design fault.

Who the Marlin 39A Is For (and Who Won’t Enjoy It)

Buy a 39A if you are

• A squirrel and small-game hunter. It carries well, points fast and is accurate enough for heads at 40 yards.
• A shooter who likes classic lever guns. No modern .22 lever matches its all-steel action and walnut.
• Someone buying a rifle to hand down. A good 39A will outlast you, and it holds its value.
• A plinker who shoots Shorts. It feeds .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle, and Shorts are quiet and cheap.

Skip the 39A if you are

• Set on a new gun with a warranty. Buy a Henry H1 Classic or a Browning BL-22; both are still made.
• On a tight budget. A semi-auto like the Marlin Model 60 shoots well for a fraction of the price.
• After a .22 WMR. The 39A is a .22 rimfire only. Henry makes its lever gun in .22 WMR.
• Expecting factory service. Ruger won’t work on pre-Ruger Marlins, so plan on an independent gunsmith.

What a Marlin 39A Costs in 2026

These are sale prices, not asking prices. We tracked 338 completed sales of Model 39 family rifles: 327 GunBroker sales from October 2025 to September 2026 and 11 Morphy Auctions lots, which include the buyer’s premium. Commemoratives are counted separately below. Most GunBroker sellers don’t state a grade, so treat the condition figures as a guide.

Prices by model

Prices by year made and condition

A few things stand out. The plain 39A is the value buy, at a $609 median, and the straight-grip Mountie sells for a little more than the pistol-grip rifle. Condition moves the money far more than anything else: a 90%+ gun brought $1,100 against $611 for a shooter. And the things forums obsess over barely move it. A “JM” stamp in the listing added about 5% ($737 against the $704 median for the rest), and we saw no clear premium for pre-safety guns in our data.

Commemoratives

Asking prices run well above what these rifles sell for. On the day we checked, Model 39s listed on GunsInternational had a $1,072 median asking price, about 51% over the $711 median sale. Pre-war Model 39s showed the widest gap of all, asked at more than three times what they sell for.

So what should you pay? Use the sold medians as your anchor, not the asking prices. A solid, honest Golden 39A with original finish and a sound action is a $650 to $750 rifle in today’s market, and a Mountie a little more. Pay toward the top only for genuinely high condition, a box or a scarce variant like a pre-war Model 39 or a 39D. A refinished or pitted gun should cost shooter money, around $600 or less, however good the story sounds. And don’t pay extra for a JM stamp or a pre-safety hammer on their own: in our data neither moved the price much, while condition moved it by hundreds of dollars.

These are the Marlin 39s our dealers have listed right now. Most are single used guns, so they come and go.

Guns.com lists used 39As and Mounties with close-up photos of each rifle. See every Marlin 39A on Guns.com

One warning before you shop online. A site calling itself a Marlin store ranks for “marlin 39a for sale” and offers a “new” 39A at a low price with a WhatsApp contact. No company makes a new 39A, so treat any listing like that as a scam. Compare real listings in the USA Gun Shop price checker, and see our guide to buying vintage guns online.

Which Marlin 39 to Buy: The Variants

The Model 39 changed less in 90 years than most guns change in ten. Here’s how the family breaks down.

Model 39 (1922 to 1938)

The original had a 24-inch octagon barrel and a case-colored receiver, and it sold for $26.50 in Marlin’s 1922 catalog. Early guns with no serial prefix or an S prefix have a weaker bolt; Marlin strengthened it around 1932 and marked those guns with an HS prefix. A clean pre-war 39 is the collector’s prize, at an $828 median in our data.

Model 39A (1939 on)

In 1939 the 39 became the 39A, with a heavier round barrel, a new stock and coil springs. Pre-war 39As kept the case-colored receiver; postwar guns are blued. Ballard-rifled barrels ran into the early 1950s, and Micro-Groove rifling, with 16 shallow grooves, arrived in 1954. Marlin added the gold-plated trigger and the Golden name in the late 1950s; sources give dates from 1957 to 1960.

Mountie and 39M

The Mountie arrived in 1953 with a straight-grip stock, and the 20-inch carbine version followed in 1954. It became the 39M in 1972 and was replaced by the 39TDS takedown carbine in 1988. It’s lighter and handier than the 39A and sells for slightly more, at a $730 median.

Golden 39AS (1988 on)

In 1988 Marlin added a crossbolt hammer-block safety and a rebounding hammer, and the rifle became the 39AS. Some shooters dislike the crossbolt, but it doesn’t change how the gun shoots, and in our data it doesn’t change the price much either.

Remington and Custom Shop Guns

Remington’s parent company bought Marlin in December 2007. North Haven kept building 39As with the JM proof until production moved to Ilion, New York, in 2010 and 2011. Standard 39As were discontinued around 2015, and from 2017 the 39A Fancy was a Custom Shop gun at $3,195 to $3,495 until Remington’s 2020 bankruptcy. A dealer notes that Remington-built Marlins carry a REP proof mark rather than JM. Judge any Ilion-made gun in hand.

Are Remington-Era 39As Any Good?

This is one of the most-searched questions about the gun, and the honest answer is that most of the bad reputation belongs to other Marlins. The complaints about Remington-era quality center on the centerfire 336, 1894 and 1895 rifles built after the move to Ilion. Most 39As built under Remington ownership came out of North Haven with the JM proof before the plant closed around 2010, and they’re the same rifle as before. Ilion-built 39As are uncommon, since the standard model was gone by about 2015. If you find one, judge it in hand: look at the fit of the receiver halves, the finish on the lever and the way it feeds Shorts.

Commemoratives

The 1970 Century Limited, the 1971 Article II and the 1960 90th Anniversary guns are collector pieces with their own market. A Century Limited sold for a median $827 in our data, and an Article II for $995. Unfired, boxed examples bring more.

Scoping and Setting Up a Marlin 39A

The solid-top receiver is one of the 39A’s quiet advantages. Because the rifle ejects to the side, a scope can sit low and centered over the bore, and the receiver is drilled and tapped for a base. Marlin shipped an adaptor base with the rifle, along with an offset hammer spur that screws onto the hammer so you can still thumb it back under a scope. If your used 39A came without the offset spur, find one before you mount glass, because cocking the hammer under a low scope without it is a fumble.

Keep the scope light and simple. A fixed 4x or a small 2-7x rimfire scope suits the rifle’s balance; a big tactical scope ruins the way it carries. We shot our 50-yard groups with a 3-9x rimfire scope in low rings, and the rifle still balanced right at the receiver. Many owners leave the irons alone, since the folding semi-buckhorn rear and brass bead are quick in the woods and the 39A shoots well enough with them to take squirrels at 40 yards.

For hunting, Long Rifles do the work on squirrels and rabbits, and Shorts are a quiet, cheap choice for close shots and backyard pest control where the law allows. Sight in with the load you’ll hunt with: in our rifle the high-velocity Mini-Mags shot about an inch higher than the standard-velocity load at 50 yards, which is enough to miss a squirrel’s head.

Marlin 39A Condition Guide

Collectors grade a 39A on original blue, original wood and an unbuggered takedown screw. Shooters should grade it on the action first: a 39A that won’t feed Shorts or eject cleanly needs springs before it needs anything else.

The wear points are the takedown screw (pliers have chewed up plenty), the ejector and its spring, the cartridge guide spring, the carrier rocker spring and the cartridge cutoff. Look for cracks at the wrist and at the forend tip, a sanded stock and a dull, pitted bore from years of corrosive ammo. Original springs and screws still turn up at parts dealers, though some are sold out.

How to Date a Marlin 39A by Serial Number

Marlin’s factory records only run to 1906, so no Model 39 can be lettered. The serial is your dating tool:

For the full postwar letter chart, the reference is William Brophy’s book Marlin Firearms, pages 628 to 631. Serial charts from forums are good guides, but treat any year as approximate.

What to Watch For: Refinishes, Parts Guns and Scams

• “New” 39As for sale online. No company makes one. A low price, a new-in-box claim and a WhatsApp contact are the classic scam pattern.
• Refinished guns sold as original. Washed-out roll marks, rounded edges and too-bright blue. A refinish costs a 39A real money.
• Mismatched halves. The barrel and stock halves are separate assemblies. Check that the receiver halves fit flush and the finish matches.
• Commemorative claims without proof. Century Limited and Article II guns have specific markings and furniture. Check them against the model before paying the premium.
• A Model 1897 or 1892 sold as an early 39. The older guns look similar but predate high-speed ammo. Read the tang and barrel markings.

Marlin 39A Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Here’s the check we run on every used 39A before we pay, with the rifle unloaded and the magazine tube emptied:

1. Pull the inner magazine tube and confirm the rifle is empty.
2. Read the serial and the barrel stamps: date the gun, and note JM, REP or any prefix.
3. On a pre-1939 Model 39, check for the HS prefix before you plan on high-velocity ammo.
4. Look at the takedown screw: buggered slots and pliers marks mean a careless owner.
5. Take it down if the seller allows. The halves should separate with a tap and go back together flush.
6. Check that the ejector isn’t locked down from a past cleaning.
7. Cycle dummy rounds of all three lengths, Shorts especially. They should feed and eject without hanging on the carrier.
8. Check the hammer: half-cock on older guns, the crossbolt safety on a 39AS.
9. Look down the bore for pitting and rings, and check the muzzle crown.
10. Inspect the wood for cracks at the wrist and forend, and for sanding.
11. Look for refinish tells on the receiver, lever and barrel.
12. Get a return privilege in writing if you can’t handle the rifle first.

Shooting and Caring for a Vintage Marlin 39A

The 39A was built for standard factory .22 ammunition, and Marlin’s manual says the rifle isn’t meant to be single loaded: feed it from the tube. Every 39 and 39A takes .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle interchangeably. The one hard rule is about age. A Model 39 made before about 1932, with no serial prefix or an S prefix, should only get standard-velocity ammunition, because its bolt wasn’t built for high-speed loads. HS-prefix guns and every 39A handle high velocity. One writer found that soft lead bullets clogged Micro-Groove rifling and that copper-plated bullets shot best, so if your 39A’s accuracy fades, clean the bore before you blame the gun.

For takedown, Marlin’s own instructions are simple. Unload, close the lever and lower the hammer, then loosen the big screw on the right of the receiver until it’s loose but still in place. Tap the left side of the muzzle on a folded cloth until the halves separate, without touching the lever, and slide the bolt out to the rear. Before cleaning from the breech, lock the ejector down with a small screwdriver, and remember to release it before you reassemble. A forgotten, locked ejector is the classic reason a 39A won’t eject.

These .22 loads are on sale at our dealers right now. We filter out hyper-velocity Stingers and Vipers, shot shells and CB caps.

A Short History of the Marlin 39A

The 39’s story starts with the Marlin Model 1891, designed by L. L. Hepburn and, in Marlin’s words, “the first repeating rifle to be chambered for the 22 Long Rifle cartridge.” According to Guns of the Old West, on March 10, 1893, Annie Oakley used one to put 25 .22 Shorts through the center of an ace of hearts at 12 yards in 27 seconds. The Model 1892 followed, and the Model 1897 added Hepburn’s takedown receiver. It was renamed the Model 97 in 1905, and production stopped during the First World War.

Marlin brought it back in 1922 as the Model 39, and in 1939 it became the 39A. American Rifleman tells of a Filipino boy who fought Japanese troops on Leyte with a rusty Model 39, a story Marlin used in its wartime ads. After the war came Micro-Groove barrels, the Mountie, the gold trigger and a run of commemoratives, and Marlin billed the 39 as the oldest shoulder-firearm design still in production anywhere in the world.

Then the owners changed. Remington’s parent company bought Marlin in 2007, North Haven closed around 2010, standard 39As ended around 2015 and the Custom Shop guns ended with Remington’s bankruptcy in 2020. Ruger bought Marlin that year and has built only centerfire Marlin lever actions since. As of October 2026, no 39A is made or announced.

Why the Marlin 39A Is Still So Popular

Part of it is quality you can’t buy new anymore: machined steel, walnut and a takedown that works the same after 50 years. Part of it is versatility. A rifle that feeds Shorts, Longs and Long Rifles from the same tube will do anything a .22 can do, from quiet backyard plinking to squirrel hunting. And part of it is scarcity. Nobody makes a 39A now, so every one on the market is a used gun, and good ones get passed down instead of sold.

It’s also simply a joy to shoot. If you grew up with a .22, our Colt Woodsman guide covers the classic .22 pistol that pairs with it.

Marlin 39A Legal Status: C&R and Antiques

Under 27 CFR 478.11, a firearm made at least 50 years ago is a curio or relic, so any Model 39 or 39A made before about October 1976 qualifies, and the line moves forward every year. ATF’s C&R list also names the 1960 90th Anniversary Model 39-A rifle and carbine specifically. No Model 39 is an antique firearm, but the ancestors can be: every Model 1891, and Model 1892s and 1897s made in or before 1898, count as antiques under federal law. State law may differ.

Where to Buy a Marlin 39A

• Guns.com. A steady supply of used 39As and Mounties, with detailed photos. Browse Marlin 39As on Guns.com.
• Dealers. Estate guns turn up regularly; our price card above shows what’s listed today.
• Auction houses. The place for pre-war Model 39s and commemoratives, but expect a buyer’s premium on top.
• GunBroker and gun shows. The widest choice; handle the rifle when you can.

Wherever you buy, ask the same questions before you pay:

• What’s the serial, and what’s stamped on the barrel?
• Does it feed Shorts as well as Long Rifles?
• Is the finish original, and has the stock been refinished?
• Is the takedown screw original and undamaged?
• Can I return it if it isn’t as described?

Marlin 39A vs. Its Rivals

Marlin 39A vs. the Henry H1 Classic and Browning BL-22

If you want a new .22 lever with a warranty, these are the two to look at. The Henry is lighter and cheaper; the BL-22 has a short, quick lever stroke and a lovely finish. Neither has the 39A’s all-steel heft or its takedown, and neither holds value quite like it.

Marlin 39A vs. the Winchester 9422

Google’s other favorite comparison is the 39A against Winchester’s discontinued 9422, and both are excellent. The 9422 has the classic Winchester profile; the 39A has the solid top for low scope mounting and the one-screw takedown. On the used market both sell as collector-grade rifles. If you plan to scope it or take it down for cleaning and travel, the 39A makes more sense. If you want the classic Winchester profile, look at a 9422.

Final Verdict

The Marlin 39A is the .22 lever action every other one gets measured against, and the used market still lets you buy a good one for less than many new premium .22s. Buy a clean Golden 39A or Mountie to shoot and hunt, pay for condition rather than stamps, check the HS prefix before feeding high-velocity ammo to a pre-war Model 39, and ignore anyone selling a “new” one.

Four generations of shooters learned on this rifle. Yours can be next.

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