I bought my son his first gun now I need your help

[GunCrazy762]

First off I would like to thank the gentleman who sold it to me for my son at the Eaganville gun show. My son is so happy. I intend to refinish it with my son so he can learn what to do. My concerns are simple:
1) original stock or bubbaed?
2) front sight original or replaced with a penny
3) rear sight was it always this wide

Im looking for parts to restore it or at least make it look and function properly. Where is the best place for parts? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Snider shooter]

A father, son project. Nice. The back site has already been screwed with. I would replace the back site with something a lot better such as one of Lyman's rear sites. Good sites can back a big difference. The stock should fit the young fellow. Spacers can later be added to lengthen the stock as he grows.

 

[Garaldtao]

It's an older model 39. The stock is original but has been sanded and some sort of oil finish put on it. It could be better finished. The rear sight is crude and home made. A dovetail has been cut in. You could see the original dovetail near the front of the reciever. The original sight should be a ramp style sight. Buckhorn rear sights were only used briefly on the very early models and without seeing a close top view of the reciever and looking at some of the markings , this might well be a earlier model, the stock is the right shape but regardless there should only be one dovetail, the one in the front of the reciever.

The front blade sight should taper up to a small bead. Earlier models are braised on but the later models are dovetailed. Later models also have a different shaped stock. I recently sold two model 39s, one for $130 and the other for $100. Same sort of situation where the buyer first picked up one from an auction only to discover that the bolt needed parts. After buying one from me and giving it to her step son, she now keeps the one she got from the auction as a parts gun.

Alternatively, you could mods some handgun sights to make them fit. It will update the sight picture on the gun but in terms of original sights, I think you might have a difficult time finding some. Handguns sights are around $40 or so. Again, for an extra $60, you could find a rifle with the original sights attached. Good luck

 

[threecentsolution]

The receiver looks like some of the ACE receivers that had a second dovetail at the rear for a peep sight.

 

[nowarningshot]

Certainly not a expert in old, low end 22's.

My thoughts are firstly; look to people from gun shows who sell parts. Secondly, check local gunsmiths or full service gun stores.

In BC, there is the HACS shows, one man sets up two tables of parts, magazines, stocks, etc. Some businesses specialize in exactly this sort of replacement and repair. The two questions for you, how much money are you willing to spend how important is original condition vs improvements.

 

[Potashminer]

I am past my 60th birthday by a few years - I can tell you that a rear "V" or "U" sight that close to the shooter's eye will require VERY young eyes. An aperture is definitely to be preferred at that back end. I doubt I could even use one on the front of the receiver - would need to be out on the barrel. Also, my Dad's generation seemed to have a thing about "take a fine sight" - not sure - a beaded front sight should be aligned in the rear sight U so that the top of the bead is centered and dead even at its tip with the top flats of the rear sight. You want to see the entire bead, with a bit of light all around so you can be sure it is centered - might require a bit of filing to get the height of the U matching the height of the bead. I sight in so the bullet strikes exactly at the tip of the bead, although some appear to want the bullet strike to be dead centre of the bead (see your target versus cover your target). I always understood a wide "V" rear sight to be an express sight - for fast shooting - larger front bead - set that round bead just so on the V and want the bullet strike behind the bead.

 

[AikiNut]

someone has filed out the notch, more on the right (in the picture) side of the rear sight - probably to compensate for... pulling to the left? See if you can find a replacement for the rear sight and let your son learn to shoot over open sights, with trigger control and follow-through on the shot. His eyes will still be up to the task for many years and it's not a bad thing to be able to shoot on open sights.

 

[struff55]

It’s not a 39 it is a version of a Ace the rear sight slot on the ace model and other similar models used s 1/2” dovetail not a 3/8” it will b defecult to find a 1/2” sight . As far as the front I would leave it for now and concentrate on the rear sight . Does it extract properly many of those old 22’s fired 1000’d of 22 short ammo which leaves s ting in the chamber and causes extraction problems

 

[GunCrazy762]

It does extract the dummy rounds that I tried. If all goes well I can try it at the range on the weekend.

 

[chanrobi]

It does extract the dummy rounds that I tried. If all goes well I can try it at the range on the weekend.

Make sure it extracts spent casings.

Mine extracted fine with unfired, didn't with spent ones.