As does my 2 Marlin 39A. I must have 20,000 rounds through the thin since I got it as a kid. Eats, shoots and ejects all manner of .22. A bit on the heavy side but waaay accurate. For lighter weight the second 39 A is a “Mountie” a shorter saddle version. Just as reliable and accurate.
About as crude as you can get. Iron sights are as simple as you can get.
It will still take a squirrel at 75 yards, bulged barrel and all.
Funny thing with that rifle, the cheaper the ammo the better it seems to shoot.
Same here. Marlin 39A with the gold trigger. When I was a kid, we lived on a farm with lots of oak trees. Back when my eyes were good, I'd shoot acorns out the oak trees with iron sights for practice. I killed a few quails in flight with it in the day.
Recently, I've been thinking about adding a 22 Mag/LR revolver to my lineup. The .22 Magnum is a very nice rifle round for general critter control.