To all those suggesting Marlin I'm curious if your gun predates the Remington buyout and their plant closings and moving that started in '08, sadly it's been well noted in other threads and other forums that the quality dropped since then and I haven't heard if that has been recovered yet. The OP wants to buy new and as much as I love my old Marlin I just can't recommend a new Marlin until I've crossed over that threshold myself.
I don't think Remington has made any 39A rifles. In their "wisdom" they have ended production on what was the longest lived production firearm ever. Good job, Remington.
The Henry is similar and I'm guessing plenty accurate enough for a squirrel gun.
One of the benefits of these lever action (or some pump action) .22s is they accept .22 short, long, and long rifle. This makes them extremely versatile.
GONRA's too "soft hearted" to go huntin' but thought all you Blood Thirsty Hunter Guys
(like our youngest Grandson) used .22 LR on the poor little fellas.
I have a Remington 504 with an Anschutz 1712 Barrel that is lights out on squirrels and paper. As good as the Remschutz is, it's hard to beat out a CZ 452 American that's been action beaded and pillars added.
I had always used a shot gun until about 25 years ago. I bought a 10/22, & first time out got 5 squirrels. It was the first time shooting it, & the sights were dead on. Not long ago I put a 3-9x40 Bushnell Banner Scope on it, & now I love it even better. It's a Walmart/ stainless steel , with a stock that kinda looks like camo, but it's not camo. Still looks brand new.
Browning .22 lever action with CB caps. Weighs very little and iron sights are very accurate.
Now with older eyes I might have to but on a small tube scope. Need to practice to find out.
Bushytail season just opened here, and I'm an avid bushytail hunter. With the trees full of leaves, this early in the season, I prefer a 20ga Remington 870. But soon, those leaves will start to fall and I'll switch to my Marlin 60 and a Simmons 4x32 scope.
My favorite isn't necessarily my best, but when I'm feeling nostalgic I'll take her out of the safe. It is a remington 514 single shot with open sights. I can't shoot it like I used to, but with some shorts it's fun to shoot the gun that I learned to shoot on.
The one I use regularly now is my 10/22 50th anniversary model and my ruger Mark IV.
1964 vintage Marlin 39A Golden Mountie with the shorter carbine, and thick, barrel. An absolute jewel in the world of 22s! A squirrel slayer extraordinaire...
A forum community dedicated to Ruger firearm owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!