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Rebounding Hammer - Marlin .22LR Lever Action 39A

manderson
I'm interested in a .22LR lever action. All the guys at my local dealer recommend the Marlin 39A. However, I've been reading on another forum that there are issues with the "rebounding hammer". Okay, here's the display of ignorance: What is a rebounding hammer, and what are the issues these guys are talkng about? Most of the discussion was related to filing down the hammer or something to fix it. Doesn't sound like something I'd want to mess with. How do the other .22LR lever actions compare; i.e, Winchester model 9422, Henry H001. I looked at the Henry H001 and it felt pretty good. Looking for accuracy 'cause I want to put an awesome scope on it. Thanks for any input/opinions.
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • gskyhawk
    the Marlin is one of the finest lever 22 out there as far as the rebounding hammer means after firing the hammer comes back a very short distance so it doesn't rest on the firing pin , I don't know what your guys would have been talking about,( maybe filing off the notch?)but filing on the hammer would not be a good idea, any action work should be done by a good gunsmith ,, you can also go over to
    www.marlinfirearms.com and check out their Marlin talk forum,, here is a direct link to the rimfire forum
    http://www.marlinfirearms.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=5
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  • gotstolefrom
    I have a 39A given to me by my dad in 1965, and he had it for as long as I can remember. There are no holes to mount a scope, and I did not want to drill on this one. In all that time, the only repair that had to be made was in 2002, a weak (ejector ?) spring that pitches the empties out. I also bought a used 'golden 39A' for Christmas for my Bro'in law about 12 years ago that was scoped, and it has performed well too. One of the things I like about the 39's is that you can break it down w/o tools using one thumbscrew.

    I had a Browning (don't recall the model just now) for a while that I picked up in a trade. The thing I remember most was that you only had to throw the lever about 1" to reload. (the Marlin lever 'throw' is about 5"). That was a nice operating feature, but I stayed with Marlin and it has never let me down.
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  • thunderbolt
    Buy the Marlin and enjoy it. It is a fine gun and doesn't need any
    homegrown "improvements".
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  • manderson
    I guess it comes down to personal preference sometimes. I liked the Henry rifle much better when I held it. Is the Marlin really that much more accurate?
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  • gskyhawk
    I don't think you would see that much difference in how they shoot unless you put scopes on them , open sights should be abou the same
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  • rockford
    quote:Originally posted by manderson
    I'm interested in a .22LR lever action. All the guys at my local dealer recommend the Marlin 39A. However, I've been reading on another forum that there are issues with the "rebounding hammer". Okay, here's the display of ignorance: What is a rebounding hammer, and what are the issues these guys are talkng about? Most of the discussion was related to filing down the hammer or something to fix it. Doesn't sound like something I'd want to mess with. How do the other .22LR lever actions compare; i.e, Winchester model 9422, Henry H001. I looked at the Henry H001 and it felt pretty good. Looking for accuracy 'cause I want to put an awesome scope on it. Thanks for any input/opinions.


    To me, the big difference between the Marlin model 39-A and guns like the Henry become more evident with the passing of time. In my opinion, the Marlin will hold it's value much better.

    Fred
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  • Pearyw
    I don't know what level of accuray you are looking for. I have a 39A that I have had for 30 years. It works very well and is a joy to shoot, but it is not a tack driver. It will do about 1 1/2" groups at 50 yards. I have a Kimber 82 that will do 3/8" groups at 50 yards. I have a Thompson Center Classic 22 semi-auto that will do 1/2" with good ammo. I think the best groups that I have seen from a lever action 22 was a friend Browning. I don't think they have made them in quite a while.
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  • manderson
    Browning still makes them, model BL-22. I'll try to find one of them to look at. Guess I am looking for something like a "tack driver". Maybe none of the lever actions are very good for that.
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