I think they've all been 39A's since 1939, the M should be 'suffixed' on. The Mountie was only made from '53-'72. Send me the serial # and I can tell the year it was made, not that it would make much difference in the value. I wouldn't feel too bad about giving $500 for it, I don't think I could order a new one for less than $450 and you have a far better rifle.
Jim

The serial number began with a 18 indicating a 1982 manufacture.

I think they've all been 39A's since 1939, the M should be 'suffixed' on. The Mountie was only made from '53-'72. Send me the serial # and I can tell the year it was made, not that it would make much difference in the value. I wouldn't feel too bad about giving $500 for it, I don't think I could order a new one for less than $450 and you have a far better rifle.
Jim

There seems to be different dates floating around on the internet. The mountie first appeared in the 1953 Marlin catalog*, though I find info that states 1954 was the first year of production (wiki). Some info I had read said the Mountie was made until 1983 (wiki), while other info said 87 or 88 (shootersforum). Wiki claims that it was known variously as 39A Mountie, 39M Mountie and 1897 Mountie.


From shootersforum.com:

Model 39 1922 - 1939

Model 39A 1st variation 1939 - 1940
Model 39A 2nd variation 1940 - 1941
Model 39A 3rd variation 1941 - 1945
Model 39A 4th variation 1945 - 1951
Model 39A 5th variation 1951 - 1953
Golden 39A 1960 - 1987
Model 39A " Mountie" 1953 -1972
90th Anniversary 39A 1961
90th Anniversary 39A "Mountie Carbine" 1960
Model 39A-DL 1960 -1963
Model 39A Octagon 1973
Model 39 Carbine 1963 - 1967
Model 39D 1971 - 1973
Model 39AS 1988
Model 39TDS 1988 - 1995
Model 39M Discontinued 1987
Model 39M Octagon 1973
Model 39 Century LTD 1970
Model 39A Article-2 1971
Model 39M Article-2 Carbine (date unknown)

*Marlin Firearms: A History... by William Brophy

G&A Article

Is there any danger in posting the serial number on an open forum?

PM Sent

marlins rugers ya cant go wrong. i love lever actions. my next juan will be either .444marlin, 45/70, or .450marlin idiot proof brush guns snow rain mud hot cold idiot proof and safe with cross bolt safety.

i wanna be a COWBOY!

Damn fine looking gun. Nice.

What about Browning Buckmarks? For some reason I liked them better than the Ruger, although I was soured by a range rental Ruger that was a FTF machine. The Ruger revolver was nice though.

Hopefully will get the Walther to the range to see how it goes. 1K rounds of CCI mini mag showed up on the doorstep yesterday. How nice...

I'll cast my vote for the .45-70. It handles far heavier bullets than the .444. It can easily be handloaded to match the .450's power. If you don't handload, there are companies that supply loaded ammo at .450 power levels, like Buffalo Bore Ammunition. Brass is cheaper and easier to find for the .45-70. But hell, I'm biased. I have several single shots and a Marlin lever gun in .45-70. The Marlin serves as my rainy, dark woods west side gun, wearing a set of the XO ghost ring rear and white line post front sights. Fantastic brush gun. Best load launches the RCBS .45-400GC (cast from wheelweights) at just over 1800 fps. It's actually possible to hit 2,000 fps with a 400 grain bullet, but I wouldn't recommend it...

I like my MkII Gov't. I don't like the Standard or the 22/45.
I have found the MkII to be a pain in the arse when it gets gunky from using cheap ammo.

I also like the Buckmark, and even more if it has a heavy barrel.

I also like the Walther P22.

I have a 1970's Browning Challenger...very nice pistol, but it was made in Belgium.

NOT inexpensive, but SigArms makes (or made?) a line of .22 pistols known as "Trailside".
Actually made by Hammerli (sp?) a well known target gun manufacturer.

I quote from an April 2000 American Rifleman article on the Trailside...shots
made from a ransom rest, 25 yards:

"I recall watching the group develop through a spotting scope. The group did not widen until the seventh shot and it was never anything but one hole"....

My point here? Like my Browning, the Swiss made Trailside is a .22 pistol one could keep for a lifetime with no desire to buy anything else.

I'll cast my vote for a revolver over a pistol. Being a single action man, I like my Ruger Single Six. Purchased on my 21st birthday just because I could. At a Fred Meyer, no less. Try that today...

A Smith and Wesson K22 is another fine choice. Kind of spendy, but you will never own a finer .22 handgun. It would make a great companion to your Marlin, exhibiting similar quality of fit and finish, not to mention function and accuracy.

Jim -

I'd recommend finding a range that has pistols to rent and trying a few... I'd consider both the Ruger (22/45, MkII, MkIII - all slightly different) in different barrel configs (mine is a 5.5" heavy barrel) and the Browning Buckmark. I think I would've got a Buckmark, but I sorta fell into a nearly forced trade for this ruger...

I'd forgotten all about that gun. They no longer import it but it seems like they show up on auction sites. I have to wait a few weeks but I'll likely pick one up so the boy can plink with the Walther while I plink with the Trailside.

About the Trailside, from Shooting Times, June 2000
http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aasthammerli22a.htm

Tell her she'll hit the target more if she opens her eyes :D

well, if we're showing america's youth...

http://nostatic.com/photos/cshoot1.jpg

http://nostatic.com/photos/cshoot2.jpg

The ruger .22 single six is very, very nice. So is the Ruger Mk IV automatic series.

Ruger...anything Ruger makes is probably the best bang for the buck in it's class. Reasonably priced, rugged as hell, and engineered well. I mean both rifle and pistol...

Not too hijack the thread. But what's the best ammo for target shooting with a walther p22?
Is remington ammo any good?