Dear Mr. Taffin:

While reading the most recent issue of Guns Magazine, I noted your response to the reader's question concerning the magazine rod being loose in the tube, particularly when the rifle is not loaded. I had a similar issue with my Marlin 39A and would like to suggest a different fix than that which you mentioned in your response to the inquiry.

When my Marlin's magazine rod began to regularly rotate out of the locked position when empty, I went to the local big box home improvement store and purchased a very small rubber washer with an inside diameter approximately that of the tube and probably not more than 1/16" thick. It was stretchy enough to fit over the rod and the little pin that serves as the catch and compressed while providing enough tension, even when the magazine was empty, to secure the rod. The fix has held up for almost 20 years, is instantly reversible and has no danger of bending or breaking any of the small parts on the magazine rod.

I offer this to you as an inexpensive and safe alternative for rods that have lost the tension necessary to keep them locked.

Hope you find this of use.

Rem