Picked up one of these in a Pawn Shop recently. Garmin 530 simulator for mac. Gold Medallion on left side of receiver, Marlin 1870-1970, oval brass plate on side of stock Marlin 39 Century LTD 1870-1970, brass butt plate, and brass forearm cap with octogon barrel. 3do emulator mac. Looks like a fancied-up 39M. First one I've ever seen. I was just reading a post on RFC about the Marlin Model 39 Century LTD rifle and noticed that I had given the wrong info on the year in this thread. So I am correcting myself. These rifles were made in 1970 only. There were approximately 34,000 produced. I hope this has answered any questions you had. Passbook verification tool for mac.
Whit Spurzon
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Whit Spurzon
Guide- Joined
- Aug 26, 2009
- Messages
- 1,000
- Likes
- 1,104
- Location
- Washington, USA
Marlin 39 Century For Sale
Of the thousands of rounds I've fired I'd be willing to bet that 80% or more of those were touched off with a Marlin Model 39 of some sort. Over the years I've owned a few and don't expect I'll every be without at least one of them.
My first 39A was of 70's vintage with the ubiquitous with the 24' barrel, pistol gripped stock. It burned though bricks of ammo amazingly fast and was impressively accurate, even with the cheap stuff, regularly producing nickel sized groups at 50 yards with open sights.
Later I happened onto a 39 TDS - a straight stocked, 16.5' barrel version.
Like all 39's it features the ability to take down quickly and stow which I found quite handy on trips that included an overnight sized backpack. The short barrel made it even easier to take along.
The 39 TDS was capable of good accuracy too but was more fussy about the ammo it liked. Dime sized groups at 25 yards were easily produced and my best ever iron sighted 100 yard group were produced with this little carbine. It's diminutive size did make shooting more challenging and as my eyes aged the front sight became more difficult to focus on.
Next to come along was a Mountie and another followed shortly there after. the 20' barrel seemed to be the perfect compromise between handiness and easy of shooting. It quickly became my primary woods/scouting rifle. Its length precludes me from carrying it inside all but my largest packs so I used a fishing rod tube safely and securely contain the barrel half when traveling deems hands free carry.
The Mountie is a joy to scout and hunt with. For me its primary quarry was Grouse. I also used it to compete in the rimfire class for levergun silhouette matches. It was the first rifle I ever broke 30 (out of 40) with and went 10 for 10 on the Turkeys. The accuracy for both of the Mounties is more than adequate for the tasks I asked of it.
Earlier this year a 39 Century Limited came along and I became smitten with the good looks of the octagonal barrel. They were only made in 1970 but they made a bunch of them so they periodically show up on the used market. They command the price of a new 39 and sometimes a more if they are in good shape. Mine had a few rust spots and the stock finish was in poor condition. I de-badged and refinished the stocks and I'm quite pleased with the result.
The Century Limited is noticeably lighter than the Mountie though the barrel length is the same that some find it difficult to shoot offhand. I've not found it to be an issue and set my personal best silhouette score with it. On paper targets my 39 Century Ltd. has shown signs of being my most accurate 39 to date.
A few weeks back I was offed a trade for another 39 Century Ltd and I could not resist. It too is showing excellent promise accuracy wise though I have only shot it at the range at the time of this writing.
Shortly after acquiring the second Century limited another less common Marlin offering appeared on my radar - an 1897 Cowboy. The 1897 Cowboy was produced from 1999 to 2001 and featured a 24' long octagonal barrel and straight checked stocks on the 39 action. I see these regularly at the silhouette matches and their owners are not inclined to part with them. When my opportunity to buy one arrived, I jumped on it.
The first thing you notice about this variation is how beautifully it hefts balancing perfectly on the forestock. Brought to the shoulder the sights align naturally and the front bead seems to be drawn to the target magnetically.
At the range I was delighted to find that the reputation for these rifles was well founded. Within half of the magazine's capacity I was sighted in and producing groups that brought a smile that returns every time I pick up the rifle. The longer barrel is easier on aging eyes. The action is smooth for such a low mileage gun - the original owner had a mere 200 rounds though it. The trigger is comparatively light and breaks crisply. I do believe it's a keeper
Sitting position, unsupported with Federal bulk (Value Pack) ammo
My first 39A was of 70's vintage with the ubiquitous with the 24' barrel, pistol gripped stock. It burned though bricks of ammo amazingly fast and was impressively accurate, even with the cheap stuff, regularly producing nickel sized groups at 50 yards with open sights.
Later I happened onto a 39 TDS - a straight stocked, 16.5' barrel version.
Like all 39's it features the ability to take down quickly and stow which I found quite handy on trips that included an overnight sized backpack. The short barrel made it even easier to take along.
The 39 TDS was capable of good accuracy too but was more fussy about the ammo it liked. Dime sized groups at 25 yards were easily produced and my best ever iron sighted 100 yard group were produced with this little carbine. It's diminutive size did make shooting more challenging and as my eyes aged the front sight became more difficult to focus on.
Next to come along was a Mountie and another followed shortly there after. the 20' barrel seemed to be the perfect compromise between handiness and easy of shooting. It quickly became my primary woods/scouting rifle. Its length precludes me from carrying it inside all but my largest packs so I used a fishing rod tube safely and securely contain the barrel half when traveling deems hands free carry.
The Mountie is a joy to scout and hunt with. For me its primary quarry was Grouse. I also used it to compete in the rimfire class for levergun silhouette matches. It was the first rifle I ever broke 30 (out of 40) with and went 10 for 10 on the Turkeys. The accuracy for both of the Mounties is more than adequate for the tasks I asked of it.
Earlier this year a 39 Century Limited came along and I became smitten with the good looks of the octagonal barrel. They were only made in 1970 but they made a bunch of them so they periodically show up on the used market. They command the price of a new 39 and sometimes a more if they are in good shape. Mine had a few rust spots and the stock finish was in poor condition. I de-badged and refinished the stocks and I'm quite pleased with the result.
The Century Limited is noticeably lighter than the Mountie though the barrel length is the same that some find it difficult to shoot offhand. I've not found it to be an issue and set my personal best silhouette score with it. On paper targets my 39 Century Ltd. has shown signs of being my most accurate 39 to date.
A few weeks back I was offed a trade for another 39 Century Ltd and I could not resist. It too is showing excellent promise accuracy wise though I have only shot it at the range at the time of this writing.
Shortly after acquiring the second Century limited another less common Marlin offering appeared on my radar - an 1897 Cowboy. The 1897 Cowboy was produced from 1999 to 2001 and featured a 24' long octagonal barrel and straight checked stocks on the 39 action. I see these regularly at the silhouette matches and their owners are not inclined to part with them. When my opportunity to buy one arrived, I jumped on it.
The first thing you notice about this variation is how beautifully it hefts balancing perfectly on the forestock. Brought to the shoulder the sights align naturally and the front bead seems to be drawn to the target magnetically.
At the range I was delighted to find that the reputation for these rifles was well founded. Within half of the magazine's capacity I was sighted in and producing groups that brought a smile that returns every time I pick up the rifle. The longer barrel is easier on aging eyes. The action is smooth for such a low mileage gun - the original owner had a mere 200 rounds though it. The trigger is comparatively light and breaks crisply. I do believe it's a keeper
Sitting position, unsupported with Federal bulk (Value Pack) ammo
