An old Levergunner walks into a gunshop

[fordwannabe]

Well you guys probably already figured out where this is going but, my "pusher"(some do coke, or heroin, I do guns) and Mr. PUSHER SAYS, I have been waiting for you. OH Poop! What did I do now? You are going to take a rifle home with you today. No way! uhuh, ain't gonna happen, I am being really good as I leave for a 7 day elk and mulie hunt in two months. NO! I think I know what gun he is huckstering, as a couple months ago he had a pretty nice, though not perfect, but decent,Marlin 97 for sale. At that time he was asking $600. Nope, not gonna happen(after all I am a man of resolve and integrity..umm). Then last month the same gun,( by serial number should be between 1908 and 1910, the records were destroyed in a fire many years ago) is now $500 hmmm, nope ain't gonna happen. I can't afford it. I am a pillar of steel on this. So fast forward to this last Friday when I walked into the shop, and he is telling me about how I am gonna go Home with a rifle blah blah, I am Positive I can deflect any offer to go to the dark side, he places in front of me...steel willed. $350 out the door, poop, so much for willpower and all that other artsy fartsy mumbo jumbo..gimme. So what do y'all know about the model 97 that I don't know, yet. I can eat beans all the way to Colorado I am sure of it.

[Blaine]

You should have bought two.

[2ndovc]

$350? That's almost free!!
I was way more bad last night. I bought five of the Zastava Tokarev recent imports. Someone finally figured out how to put a Glock style trigger safety on them without F'ing up the frame with those tacky thumb safeties. At $219 ea. I haven't seen a deal like that in years! Couldn't help myself. In the early 90's we would buy 5-10 Enfields, Mosins, Mausers at a time. Thought that stuff would go on for years. I had over three hundred firearms at one time. Kept some good stuff but really wish I had hung on to more of them.

My FFL guy is getting really tired of me.

jb

[Sixgun]

Jason,
This is what I've learned on pre approx 1924 ....going from memory.......includes early 39's too.

It's hard to find an early Marlin .22 that has a decent bore and even if the bore is ok, usually the crown is worn which is extremely imperative for accuracy with a .22.

Don't shoot it with high speed ammo. Once again, going from memory that early Marlins, like Colt Woodsmans will develop cracks if using high speed ammo. At some time in the 20's the factories of both Marlin and Colt had some kind of a fix for it.----6

[2ndovc]

Jason,
This is what I've learned on pre approx 1924 ....going from memory.......includes early 39's too.

It's hard to find an early Marlin .22 that has a decent bore and even if the bore is ok, usually the crown is worn which is extremely imperative for accuracy with a .22.

Don't shoot it with high speed ammo. Once again, going from memory that early Marlins, like Colt Woodsmans will develop cracks if using high speed ammo. At some time in the 20's the factories of both Marlin and Colt had some kind of a fix for it.----6

I was being a goof. I've had a couple of '97s. neither one shot worth a snot, but what those things are going for online, $ 350 is a deal for a good one.

Anyway, I've always been more of a military arms collector, with lever actions being a close second.

jb

[Pete44ru]

Don't shoot it with high speed ammo.

Once again, going from memory that early Marlins, like Colt Woodsmans will develop cracks if using high speed ammo.

At some time in the 20's the factories of both Marlin and Colt had some kind of a fix for it.----6

AFAIK, the fix was to install a new/upgraded bolt.


.

[fordwannabe]

Jason, funny but Unused to do the same thing. SOG (they still in business?) Have a price break at 3 guns, 5 guns, and I think 10 guns. I would order either 3, or five milsurp, pick the one I wanted and sell of the others to lessen, or eliminate the cost of mine. Then of course I would spend weeks or months looking for the correct sling, cleaning kit, bayonet, frog for the bayonet, and ammo. Once complete, the whole process would start over. I have always had leverguns but was heavy into msurp for a while.

[fordwannabe]

Jason, funny but I used to do the same thing. SOG (they still in business?) Had a price break at 3 guns, 5 guns, and I think 10 guns. I would order either 3, or five milsurp, pick the one I wanted and sell of the others to lessen, or eliminate the cost of mine. Then of course I would spend weeks or months looking for the correct sling, cleaning kit, bayonet, frog for the bayonet, and ammo. Once complete, the whole process would start over. I have always had leverguns but was heavy into msurp for a while.
I plan to take that 97 to the range on Saturday morning, along with a 30/30, I loaded some rounds for. It belongs to a friend's son and this will be his first deer rifle. I am also going to take some test 38-55 rounds I have had loaded for three months and actually shoot them.
THEN I am going to Hershey park stadium to see Hank Jr, and the farewell tour of Lynyard Skynyard. 40 plus years after I first thought I would see them but I am going to see them. Actually met Jr a couple times when I lived in Mt, he also enjoys a good gun show.

[2ndovc]

Southern Ohio Gun is still there.

jb

[2ndovc]

Jason, funny but I used to do the same thing. SOG (they still in business?) Had a price break at 3 guns, 5 guns, and I think 10 guns. I would order either 3, or five milsurp, pick the one I wanted and sell of the others to lessen, or eliminate the cost of mine. Then of course I would spend weeks or months looking for the correct sling, cleaning kit, bayonet, frog for the bayonet, and ammo. Once complete, the whole process would start over. I have always had leverguns but was heavy into msurp for a while.
I plan to take that 97 to the range on Saturday morning, along with a 30/30, I loaded some rounds for. It belongs to a friend's son and this will be his first deer rifle. I am also going to take some test 38-55 rounds I have had loaded for three months and actually shoot them.
THEN I am going to Hershey park stadium to see Hank Jr, and the farewell tour of Lynyard Skynyard. 40 plus years after I first thought I would see them but I am going to see them. Actually met Jr a couple times when I lived in Mt, he also enjoys a good gun show.

Met Hank Jr. At an Ohio Gun Collectors Show when it was still at the IX Center in Cleveland. I'm not a Country Music guy so I had no idea who he was until some dude asked him for an autograph. Nice enough guy, looked over my table and chatted about some BP pistols I had. All I remember is the big sunglasses.

Jb

[marlinman93]

$350 is a great price, and worth more than that in parts!

PS-There was never a fire at Marlin that destroyed records. They simply ceased recording serial numbers when they determined it wasn't required by US Government.

[fordwannabe]

Hmm, learn something new all the time. I have always been told, the fire story. THANKS FOR SETTING ME STRAIGHT.

[Pete44ru]

I have always been told, the fire story.

There's other, true, "fire" stories in the gunspeak world.




* In 1922, the US Govt. prosecuted Savage Arms for price gouging during World War I, and subpoenaed all their production & serial number records,

Savage's response to the court: "We just had an office fire, and those records are no longer available" . .
(Why Savage/Stevens SN/DOM information is hard to come by)


* In 1996, several Thompson/Center factory buildings in Rochester, NH burnt to the ground, obliterating 4 specialty lines of T/C's, including the blueprints, spare parts and remaining inventory - Cherokee, Scout & Seneca rifles, and the Patriot pistols. (Why those model's resale prices have been rising steadily/exponentially in the ensuing years)


.

[JB]

He dropped from $600 to $350 out the door. You have to wonder about the poor guy that sold it to him for $200 You need to post some photos!

[fordwannabe]

I will post photos tomorrows, God willing and Blaine willing.

[Blaine]

I will post photos tomorrows, God willing and Blaine willing.

Send them on over... (I never got that last batch you wanted to post )