What sight set up would you recommend for my older 39A

[sciguy309]

I have a "G" prefix (1950??) 39A that I would love to do a bit of silhouette
shooting with. My 56 year old eyes don't really love the original sights so I'm looking for
recommendations as to a good aperture set up.

There are appropriate holes for the Williams style sights on the left side and I've been
lead to believe that the older 39As like mine are already correctly drilled to receive a Marbles
tang sight as well. Is this true?

After spending a winter season showing Bullseye pistol, I'm excited to do a bit of rifle shooting.

Thanks for any informed replies.

Hugh

[ppkny]

I've tried both the Williams and the tang and prefer the Williams mounted on the receiver. You do get a little more sighting radius with the tang but unless you buy a expensive tang sight ( I didn't) there is too much chance for error in the adjustments unless you get the tang mounted dead on center. Mine wasn't and I had to adjust windage every time I adjusted height.
Probably if the tang was mouted true it would work.
ppkny

[sciguy309]

ppkny,

I'm willing to go the Marbles tang coupled with Lyman 17A if they are really a good setup.
When you take into account the cost of ammo, driving to and from and all the other incidentals
the cost of a good sighting system doesn't strike me as too bad if it really helps one shoot to
the rifles ability.

I'm still looking for more input.

Hugh

[jnyork]

I have used the Marbles/Lyman17a for years, have 3 rifles set up that way, works great for me. My eyes (along with the rest of me ) are almost 70 and by using a Merit adjustable aperture in the tang sight I can still see my front sight as well as ever. I shoot sillhouette a couple times a week with several other guys, almost all of whom have the same setup. Was worth the price to me.

[sciguy309]

I have used the Marbles/Lyman17a for years, have 3 rifles set up that way, works great for me. My eyes (along with the rest of me ) are almost 70 and by using a Merit adjustable aperture in the tang sight I can still see my front sight as well as ever. I shoot sillhouette a couple times a week with several other guys, almost all of whom have the same setup. Was worth the price to me.

jnyork,

Thanks so much for the experienced feedback. Now, do you know if my old Marlin will accept a Marbles tang without needing to be
drilled and tapped? I wrote the factory last week but they haven't replied yet. There is one large screw through the top tang plus
two much smaller ones that I assume would hold the Marbles.

Best Regards,

Hugh

[jnyork]

Hugh, assume nothing!!

You can contact Marbles, give them the year of manufacture for your marlin, they will be able to give you the correct number for the sight. If you try to order it from Brownells, etc, using their part number chart, 50% chance of getting the wrong sight. This has happened to me maybe 6-8 times. Marbles: 1-906-428-3710. Ask for Joan. Might have to talk to Troy, althought Joan is very knowledgable.

Now, if the holes dont line up, not to worry. Just mount it using the stock bolt ( you will have to order this from Marbles, it doesnt come with the sight ) Snug up the stock bolt and go shoot. You might want to put a drop or two of good epoxy under the sight base, but not really necessary in most cases. I have done this and know several others who have done it, never had any problem with sight moving around.

There are 4 heights of Lyman 17a front sights. Usually the lowest one works well for this application but a lot will depend on how your eyes see the sights and if you want to use a center hold or a 6 oclock hold

[Washita]

I have a 1946 Marlin 39A ("C" prefix) that my dad bought right after the war. It was factory d&t'd for a Marbles tang sight. If the spacing on your small tang holes is 1-1/8", yours is too. The older 39A's don't take the same sight as the newer ones, I think. The correct sight for my rifle (and yours too, if it has the holes 1.125" apart) is Marbles #009827.

I just got my sight from MidwayUSA. When I went to the range to sight it in, I found that it shoots over a foot high at 40 meters with the sight on its lowest setting. The front sight and ramp are one piece and I didn't want to change them, so I contacted Troy at Marble's and he said if I'd send my sight to Marble's they'd change the upright for a lower one. I'll be doing that next week.

One thing I noticed on the new Marble's sight is that there's a locking ring on the upright. A several-year old one on my Henry GB doesn't have that. I think it'd be neat if they could put a tiny set screw on the ring. With that, you could set mark the zero point for 40 meters & reduce the no. of clicks you'd need for the other ranges. Probably not--the ring is very small. But it'd be nice if they could.