Hooded ramp front sights with gold beads have been standard, with rear sights starting out as a bent steel-flattop to a more flexible (albeit less robust) folding buckhorn in theater versions from the ‘70s on. Levers, originally rounded, were later squared in the 1980s-the only 39 to be given this treatment. The barrel is the carbine-standard 20”, and has varied in weights and tapers from its introduction in the 1950s to its demise in the 1990s. Marlin’s offering (not currently cataloged,) has been usually dubbed the “Mountie,” whether it was a “Golden 39AMountie,” or, as later versions (and mine) were called, the “Golden 39MMountie.” Same gun, different appointments. So, to keep the playing field level, we’ll let apples be apples and (usually) compare the straight-gripped 20” versions of the two, since that is what I have…mostly. In my opinion, there is no real comparison between the two the Marlin looks right, feels right in the hand, and the Winchester just looks, well…awkward, like a shriveled Model 64. While Marlin has sold bushels of them, and continues to do so, the only similar Winchester offering has been the “Legacy” model, a pistol-gripped 24” barreled version.
The classic Marlin 39A is a long 24” barreled rifle, with a pistol grip stock. It would, however be a bit unfair to compare a 1920sMarlin to a 1970s Winchester, so we will confine this comparison to more modern versions of the Marlin, say, 1950s or later. Born in 1891, its basic mechanism is the same as today’s despite going through several model and specification changes, and is what Marlin continues to call proudly the “oldest continuously produced shoulder arm.” With their long, octagonal barrels, sometimes case-hardened receivers, sculpted slim stocks, and classic, precise iron sights, the earlier models 91 and 97s, as well as some of the first 39s, were arms of a grace and beauty somewhat elusive to today’s manufacturers. The Marlin is, of course, the older of the two and deserving of consideration first. The Henry, Ruger, and Browning leverguns thus eliminated, we can move on to the only two candidates left. The category is exclusive because these are the only two rifles that meet my admittedly restrictive requirements steel and walnut construction, no plastic or aluminum parts (butt plates excluded) and a “traditional” action in which the trigger does not move with the lever, and an outside hammer strikes the firing pin.
Sadly, this category is soon to have only one, with the imminent demise of the 9422 announced recently by Winchester. 22rifles, to my mind, is an exclusive category comprising only two rifles-the Marlin 39 in its several variations, and the Winchester 9422. Riekers Sporting Agency & Gun Works | Steve's
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