Favorite Firearms: A Marlin 39 Legacy

by
posted on January 14, 2025
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
grandfather with twin grandsons holding Marlin 39A
NRA member Donald E. Brandt (ctr.) with grandsons and a passed-down Marlin 38A rifle.
Photo courtesy of author.

I am standing here with my twin 17-year-old great-grandsons. Tyler, on the right, is holding a Marlin 39A rifle I bought as a 16-year-old in 1948 and have, at his request, gifted it to him. It is in excellent condition, retaining its original accuracy, with the stocks refinished by Turnbull. Matteo, on the left, is holding his 39A, which is in like-new condition. I gifted him this rifle as purchased at a gun show. I am holding a new, unfired 39A that, as fortune would have it, was manufactured in the same year as the one I purchased in 1948.

Both of these young men, as well as my two sons, have been brought up learning to shoot with my original 39A and have chosen the same model for their own .22 rimfires. We live on sufficient land to have rifle, pistol and trap ranges. Our family is a shooting family—sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren all shoot if older than 6 years old.

My old 39A, with thousands of rounds through it, has served as early training and then recreational equipment, including hunting. I was a very proud teenager when I bought this rifle 77 years ago, and I expect (hope?) Tyler will get a chance to hand it down to his great-grandchild after another 77 years.

—Donald E. Brandt

Latest

Hopkins & Allen Gunmaker
Hopkins & Allen Gunmaker

Hopkins & Allen: The Armsmaking Giant That Didn't Survive

Founded in 1868 in the northeast U.S., Hopkins & Allen grew from a friendly business venture into a prolific maker of affordable guns for brand names such as Merwin & Hulbert and Forehand & Wadsworth.

Burris Optics Celebrates 50 Years Of Fullfield Riflescopes

Firearms and ammunition ballistics have changed greatly over the last half-century, but one of the biggest leaps in performance hit the scene five decades ago, when Burris Optics introduced its Fullfield line of riflesopes.

I Have This Old Gun: Heckler & Koch P7

In the mid-1970s, the German federal police sought a replacement for its existing World War II-era sidearms and put out stringent guidelines for what it wanted in a handgun. The result was the Heckler & Koch P7.

New For 2025: Smith & Wesson Shield X

Smith & Wesson's new Shield X micro-compact handgun combines elements from the company's M&P Shield Plus with some cues from its smaller Bodyguard 2.0 design.

Review: Tisas PX-5.7 FO

The idea that a faster-moving, lightweight projectile can do the same work as a heavier, slower-moving slug has been around for ages, and the math clearly supports it, even if some in the general public don’t.

NRA Awards Grand Scholarships To 2024 Y.E.S. Students

The Y.E.S. program—which launched in 1996—is held each summer in Washington, D.C., and brings together high-achieving high school students from across the country for a week of immersive learning focused on the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and American government.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.