Looks like a keeper to me. Marlin started marking them 39A-Mountie in 57 and 39M in 72.

 

Very nice looking Mountie indeed. Congrats and welcome

 

Your Mountie is 1 of 58 made in '54 with the Ballard barrel. Very rare to find one in a Ballard barrel for that year. There was 271 39A 24" barrel rifles supposed to have been made in '54. I have a 24" 1954 Ballard. Had a Ballard '54 Mountie here but it went to a collector of Marlins. Congratulations on a nice rare Mountie.

 

Dog229
Thanks for your info. i knew from the start that rifle was special with having ballard barrel. That gun has been hanging in that store for 2 months and i held it every time thinking better by it or it won't be the next time so finding out with all the info from you guys i went and got it today.
Are there any books that show the production numbersfor this rifle so i can keep with it. Does the marlin book show this?
Thanks bandit1250 for your post and ayoneelse that can give me info on this rare 39A.
Dog229 Gone

 

Dayum I want a 39!

 

There was a picture on the internet of a paper showing the number of Marlins in the different models for each year. It was a PITA to ever find it and was not easy to read. Marlin used all their parts and didn't waste stuff so they used the Ballard barrels until they were gone. If I recall '55 and '56 may have had more Ballards turned out than in '54. I think '57 there was only one. I prefer mine to be Ballard barrels.

 

Here's the data from Marlin records for production runs on the Mounties.

My info indicates that the Mounties were cataloged as 39AM in 1954-57. So the designation 39M was not used until 1958, and 823 were made that year.
Here's the Mountie info by years:
1953-4,335
1954- 58(ballard rifled) 1162(microgroove)
1955- 236(B) 12,766(MG)
1956- 5(B) 9,682(MG)
1957- 1(B) 93(blued trigger) 10,714 (MG)
1958- 9,346 & 823 W/scope
1959- 8,769 & 1,084 w/s
1960- 10,536 & 799 w/s
1961- 7,297 & 663 w/s
1962- 6,532 & 683 w/s
1963- 4,145 & 528 w/s
1964- 8775
1965- 7,992
1966- 6822
1967- 11,759
1968- 10,338
1969- 10,670
1970- 164 CLtd-33,965
1971- 1 Art 2 39M-3824
1972- 4320 39M oct.-450
1973- 4006 39M oct-1689
1974- 5037 39M oct- 1
1975- 5127

Vall

Found my paper and realized the list is in the reference library here on Marlin owners.
I think 39A-Mountie designation was used 58-71 then in 72 the designation was changed to 39M.

 

Hey Dog - you got a dandy there! Thanks for the pics.

 

Dog229 Here
You can never have enough Marlin 39's and like they say sometimes a blind squirrel finds a nut!
My collection now is my 39D 1973/39a 1956 aka mountie/ 39a 1954 Mountie ballard 1 of 58!
Dog229 Gone

 

Dog229 again
would there be a chance of the 58 rifles been in a certain number order by serial number to know which of the 58 is mine was it the 10th or 43rd or where they made and jumped around between other style of rifle being made during 1954?
thanks
dog229 gone

 

That would be a question for some one on here that knows a whole lot more than I do about Marlins. I know just enough to get me in trouble collecting 39A's. There is a member here that worked for Marlin that knows enough to write a book. I think it is Tomray? Stubfarmer is another one with a whole lot of info on Marlins. Marln54 is really up on these 39A guns also. Vepr762 on RimfireCentral is a great source for information. It wouldn't surprise me if they were made just as the barrels were pulled from the barrel racks and no certain order. But they could have run them in sequence. I just wonder how they kept coming up with the Ballard barrels for several years.

 

schtoolee has a wealth of Marlin knowledge

 

I have 1955 Mountie with Ballard rifling, the most "common" variation with 236 made. Mine has mint untouched factory drilled scope holes on the barrel so it likely sold through Wards.
Question is: Why were any Mountie barrels made Ballard at all? The first Mounties in 1953 were Ballard but they were 24" long so just the same as on rifles. So there were No left over 20" Ballard barrels to use up. The only thing I can imagine is that Marlin had some uncut Ballard barrel blanks in inventory and simply used them as needed on both rifles and carbines until gone. Marlin was touting there new Microgroove rifling so they would have to be careful where they sent the Ballard's which were then not as desireable?

 

Nice Dog - Congrats - Pretty cool 'Folklore' around the older Marlins and mixed production runs - sounds like you found a needle in a haystack

 

| think us 39A "nerds" are way more worried about production numbers, order of production and procedures than Marlin ever was. They were just making guns. Grab a receiver from a bin full take a barrel from another then assemble a gun. I do not think the older stock was all used up when new parts were added to the inventory. Think of it like a grocery store putting the oldest bread or milk at the front of the shelf. Marlin did not seem to do this. Marlin was always every frugal so as older parts turned up they were used not thrown away. I am sure guns were not made in serial number order and I do not know if the serial numbers were model specific or shared across a range of models. As to Ballard and Micro-Groove rifling as the switch was made it would seem possible that a line of ballard machines and a line of Micro-Groove could of been running at the same time. As the barrels were made they possibly all just went into one big group then on to assembly. I am sure the assembly procedure was more hands on one at a time than an assembly line.

 

Another possibility is that Marlin couldn't keep up Microgroove barrel production and was forced to make some Ballard's to keep production going.

 

Dog 229 here
a lot of good answers and opinions found the correct hood for the front sight today at outback guns she is all together now
i can't wait to shoot her
Dog gone

 

Looks like I have a close relative to yours my Mountie is a Ballard, L prefix, 1954 model also with serial numbers L 31XX. It's gonna make a nice shooter. And best of all my wife bought it for me for my birthday.

 

I stood on my head to look and yes, that's a dandy.

 

here's one I just purchased......should have it 3/21 or so........1954 #L245xx

just looked at one of the close up pics..stamped 'Micro groove'

anxious to get it & clean her up........and S H O O T it !!!!

yes....barrel drilled & tapped.....

 

Now........I have to find a '54 Ballard...........

I hate you guys...........

 

Figured I'd post a pic of my '54 Ballard 39a Mountie that my wife gave me Monday for my birthday!! She knew I had been looking at it for a while and seriously for the past two weeks. But didn't want to pull the trigger. Well she came home with it Monday at a decent price too. It needs a little TLC but that's all. It's gonna make a fine squirrel rifle this fall. Oh and the serial is L31XX.