10/22 vs marlin 60?

[cdb1]

When I spoke about accuracy being better with the Model 60 it was with a scope.

I don’t care for 10/22 stocks.

When I was selling firearms we moved a lot more 10/22s than Model 60’s. I prefer the Model 60.

 

[darkcloud]

I have owned and shot both. My choice would be a Ruger 10/22 in the carbine model. You can do anything with them or leave em as is. They are reliable and accurate enough for hunting and plinking with any decent ammo. They go on sale all the time and are a good value. The only other semi I would own these days is an older Remington 552 Speedmaster just because it will shoot Shorts, Longs and Long Rifle. B-I-L had one and it was slick and accurate.

 

[cdb1]

I have owned and shot both. My choice would be a Ruger 10/22 in the carbine model. You can do anything with them or leave em as is. They are reliable and accurate enough for hunting and plinking with any decent ammo. They go on sale all the time and are a good value. The only other semi I would own these days is an older Remington 552 Speedmaster just because it will shoot Shorts, Longs and Long Rifle. B-I-L had one and it was slick and accurate.

You wouldn’t own a CZ?

 

[red rick]

I have both and my 60 is a little more accurate with the ammo it likes over the 10-22 , but my 10-22 accuracy does not change as much with different ammo . It shoots all brands more accurately than my 60 . I like the feel of the 60 better , but you can make the 10-22 into anything you want , DIY .

 

[VoodooMountain]

I think a lot of the accuracy of the 60 has more to do with the weight and balance rather than the inherent accuracy of the rifle.

Especially true with the 10/22 which in some configurations can be somewhat difficult to hold steady.

I prefer the 10/22 for all the reasons mentioned above and truly don't see any real benefit to the 60 unless it just trips your trigger.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Owned both and my 2 M-60 rifles out shot the only Ruger 10\22 I ever owned!

 

[WestKentucky]

With 10-22 You get the level gun you pay for. Basic carbine basically functions. Higher prices have higher prices barrels and typically perform better. There are a gazillion models to buy, but they all come at a premium.

With marlin 60 or variant thereof you get a pretty standard setup. They only make a few models and none are notably better than others, they just come in different configurations depending upon what you want.

So...business minded... what do you trust more, the guy that does the same thing over and over for the same price every time, or the guy who sells you a product but then starts trying to multiply the price tag with the multitude of small upgrades that could have/should have been done from the start. One seems like a reliable business and the other seems pretty shady.

$20 extended bolt release...$100 stock...$100 trigger...$200 barrel... on a $200 gun.

OR

Just buy the other $200 gun that has had the upgrades made standard over time.

My family is a marlin family, always has been and always will be. I have 3 squirrelly 60s and my wife has a 795 stainless synthetic. The most accurate gun in the house, the most reliable gun in the house, and the lightest gun in the house are all the same one...The 795. I will buy at least 2 more 795s for the kids, more kids means more 795s. I might have to buy one for myself too just for good measure. BUT I do want a 10-22 And have had a few, they just don't stick around very long. I have only had 1 of the 5 10-22 I have owned that I would consider acceptably accurate, and it wasn't accurate at all until I put it into a Hogue stock.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Can't say anything good about the Remington Model 597 so will let it go at that.

What's your gripe about the 597? The very first ones had mag related feeding issues, but that was almost 20 years ago. They're fantastic little rifles, I prefer them to both the 10/22 and the model 60. detachable magazine fed with last round bolt hold open, accurate, durable, reliable and, though not as customizeable as the 10/22 with decades more on the market, pretty well supported in the aftermarket.

I have a 597 VTR that is an absolute tack driver, and runs well with factory 10 rounders, Remington 30 rounders and Promag 22 rounders.

 

[Skylerbone]

Is this really the tubby whale of uncontrollable rifle people are squawking about? 2.68”: that’s the forearm width on my quad rail AR with covers. The 10/22, 1.76”, positively svelt in comparison.

Price. My carbine pictured below was $169.97 on sale last fall so shop around if you want a Ruger.

Reliability. Bought 4 10/22s in my time, all gifts till now. Never a problem with any of them, my son’s TD has fed and fired every type of long rifle round we had during testing. I’ve only run AutoMatch and some subsonic Eley through mine so far but it functioned fine. I took the time to reprofile the hammer, bolt, and bolt catch before ever firing a round. Total time invested was about an hour.

Accuracy. I’m willing to concede accuracy will likely go to the Model 60, but the last two 10/22s are showing better accuracy than the older ones I’ve spent time with. Now that the trigger trips around 3 1/2 lbs. it’s far easier to be accurate than is the case out of the box.

Final thoughts. Either rifle is an easy recommendation normally. The caveat I have is with current production Marlins being Remington made, I wouldn’t risk my money or yours on one. What I would strongly consider if better accuracy than a 10/22 is required, is taking a look at the new T/C 22. It’s a 10/22 clone in a Magpul stock with (I would wager) a better trigger and barrel than a stock Ruger plus last round hold open. If that’s too rich for your taste, invest a little time in either the 60 or 10/22 and use them as intended (for plinking).

Ok my glove size is XXL but a 10/22 feels fine. Even my 11 year old daughter can shoot one of these with ease.


Almost nothing on the AR is skinnier than the Ruger and don’t we all seem to shoot those without issue?


Skinny.


Almost an inch skinnier than a full quad. #hatersgonnahate (not a real #, I don’t know anything about Twitter).

 

[bannockburn]

MachIVshooter

What's your gripe about the 597? The very first ones had mag related feeding issues, but that was almost 20 years ago.

The one I bought was not an early one though it had enough problems with it to make you think it was first off the production line. Besides all of the magazine related issues (both the plastic and metal ones), there were problems with the bolt, the bolt guide rails, the action springs, and the trigger assembly. The fact that there were so many "fixes" online from other 597 owners should have been a warning of worse things to come. The most frustrating thing about it all was that you could rarely get more than 3 or 4 shots off before everything came to a grinding halt. It would be impossible to say the gun was accurate because I could never get enough rounds on paper to measure any kind of group size. And all of this was with quality .22 ammo (CCI MiniMags), that worked perfectly in my 10/22. Worst ammo to try and run through the 597: Remington Golden Bullets.

 

[darkcloud]

"You wouldn’t own a CZ?"

Yes I have a 452 and it is my 1st choice for a 22lr sporter. I do not care for the 511. I think for the money you are better off spending it in a Ruger and modify it as you wish. The choices were of 22 auto's.

 

[cdb1]

"You wouldn’t own a CZ?"

Yes I have a 452 and it is my 1st choice for a 22lr sporter. I do not care for the 511. I think for the money you are better off spending it in a Ruger and modify it as you wish. The choices were of 22 auto's.

The choices indeed are for .22 semi autos. The 511 has not been made for some time. The 512 is in currently being produced and IMO is much better than any Remington, Savage, Ruger or Marlin semi-auto .22. To each his own.

 

[Stumper]

My first .22 autoloader was a Marlin mod 60. It served me well and still shoots with good accuracy. I own a couple of 10/22s now. The Marlin hasn't been out of the house in over 5 years......I think I must prefer the 10/22. Either one is a sensible choice.

 

[milemaker13]

I honestly did not expect this many replies. Folks really do have some strong opinions about their rimfire rifles!

At this point, I'm either going to suddenly order the 60, or keep looking. But that will certainly lead me down a rabbit hole... should I consider a bolt gun and go for better accuracy? Ok, how much can I spend there? How about a nicer scope? And so on... or... $185 pop pop pop pop at $25 a brick... hmmm

 

[WestKentucky]

I honestly did not expect this many replies. Folks really do have some strong opinions about their rimfire rifles!

It’s what you grow up with, so yes very strong emotional opinions for more folks than would ever admit. Kinda like starting an argument about Hot Wheels vs Matchbox or Crossman vs Daisy. Sure we like them all but we REALLY like one better.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Between the 2, I'll vote 10/22. It pains me, because my current 10/22 carbine is still very much a work in progress. But that's the beauty of the 10/22. It's like a Jeep Wrangler. You can run it box stock, you can do small upgrades, or you can throw the entire parts catalog at it and make it something the factory won't recognize. (Sorry for the analogy, my girlfriend and her stepdad are Jeep people. )

What you get with the 10/22 really does depend on what you spend on it. The basic carbines are basic, no-frills, functional rifles with that lovely, wonderful, reliable 10-shot rotary magazine. In my opinion, the only thing that matches the Ruger magazine is the double-helix magazine on the new Browning T-Bolts. And the Brownings are much less common and much more expensive. I don't go into any Ruger rifle expecting much better than useable accuracy, and my 10/22 certainly doesn't raise the bar. It's at best a 2-MOA gun, no matter what I feed it. (Full disclosure, the internal diameter of the barrel doesn't feel consistent when I push a patch through it, and in wonderful twist of fate, it's tighter near the breech than the muzzle.) The stock trigger was heavy enough that it could hold the rifle, with the safety off.

But all of that can be fixed with patience, care and even simply money. I threw a VQ target hammer into my trigger group and lightened the trigger to something more than workable. I used a Dremel and turned the stock bolt release into an automatic release, freeing up my third hand for loading magazines while shooting. I added an extended magazine release to make magazine swaps easier with gloves on. I changed the bolt buffer from the stock steel pin (riding in an aluminum receiver...) to an aftermarket nylon piece, quieting the action and avoiding wearing the receiver holes with the stock piece. I added a Hogue overmold stock to bring the length of pull out to my preference.

Next on the probable "upgrade" agenda is a 20" Green Mountain sporter barrel to see if I can get it under 2-MOA.

Nothing wrong with a Model 60 either. I've just seen a lot of older ones with broken small parts that get declared "not worth fixing." For all of its faults, I've never seen that happen with a 10/22.

 

[milemaker13]

Matchbox hands down.

I agree. I think that is a big factor in wanting a 60. First rifle I shot as a kid

 

[VoodooMountain]

I honestly did not expect this many replies. Folks really do have some strong opinions about their rimfire rifles!

At this point, I'm either going to suddenly order the 60, or keep looking. But that will certainly lead me down a rabbit hole... should I consider a bolt gun and go for better accuracy? Ok, how much can I spend there? How about a nicer scope? And so on... or... $185 pop pop pop pop at $25 a brick... hmmm

I have a couple of ruger american rimfire rifles and both are Very accurate. The new savage bolt action is supposed to be very accurate as well.

However, bolt guns aren't inherently more accurate. You might be surprised how accurate a 10/22 can be with a good aftermarket barrel that has a tight chamber.

 

[Jerseykris]

Mjsdwash - Wow, that's quite a condemnation of the 60. I don't think I'd ever shoot less than 200 rds at the range (rifle range is a bit of a drive for me so when I get to go I tend to make a day of it).

Has anybody else seen this type of reliability issues with the 60? I don't remember having this problem, but that was a much earlier production and I was much younger so I may not remember.


That's one of the more ridiculous claims I've ever heard about the 60.
Back in April, my friends and nephew were at the range, all taking turns with my model 60 while we shot other rifles as well.
After half a day off shooting, we put 1200+ rounds through the 60 - that day alone - with only a handful of duds which were an ammo issue, not a rifle issue.

My 60 is my preference over my 10/22. I've never spent any real money customizing it, unlike the Remmy.
It's definitely a tad more accurate and always has been with comparable ammo, but we are talking about fractions of an inch, at distance, so keep that in mind.
The 10/22 mag has always been 95-99% reliable, my 795 maga about 90% reliable, the tube mag also 100% reliable.
Even with the longer reload time with the tube, Speedlioader not withstanding, I still have more fun with my 60 over the 10/22.
But they're both fantastic, it's just my preference.

 

[hdbiker]

I never liked so much wood on the 10/.22. Marlin 60's need to be kept clean, not the barrel so much, but the action. hdbiker

 

[bannockburn]

WestKentucky

Kinda like starting an argument about Hot Wheels vs Matchbox or Crossman vs Daisy. Sure we like them all but we REALLY like one better.

Great analogy but I will bet some of our younger readers are scratching their heads over the Hot Wheels/Matchbox comparison comment (for myself I was always an ardent Matchbox and Crossman fan).

 

[jmr40]

I've had both. Ruger 10-22 is the much better rifle. The magazine on either gun is the weak link and the part that will wear out 1st. When the tube mag goes it costs more to repair it than the rifle is worth. The rotary magazines on the 10-22 are pretty bullet proof and even if one goes bad it is simple enough to toss it and buy another. Most have several anyway including those holding 15-50 rounds.

I've not found the Marlin to be any more accurate than NEWER 10-22's. Some of the older ones could be hit of miss. Pun intended, some were always accurate, some not and you just have to take your chances.

That said, I'm not a fan of the Ruger standard model. Ruger's website shows right at 100 different versions of the 10-22, you have other options and I like the versions with a full length stock much better.

https://ruger.com/products/1022/overview.html

One of my favorite versions.

It costs less than $30 more than the standard carbines and does this at 100 yards. That is a 7/8" group.

 

[jmorris]

Awhile back I did a side by side comparison of the Marlin 60, Ruger 10-22 and Remington 597.

Using a few different brands of ammo. The 597 shot the best group but the 10-22 was the most accurate with an average of all ammunition. They were all so close, the differences in accuracy are insignificant and ammunition dependent. Any one of them with ammunition they “like” will be more accurate that the others with ammunition they don’t like.

This is it, if your interested.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/side-by-side-597-10-22-model-60.811602/

 

[WiTom]

I have one Marlin 60, and two 10/22s'. The 60 is more accurate, but needs the action cleaned, after 500 rds. Each have their place, and both get shot alot. I like the 10/22 for small varmint control, just because I have a light and scope mounted on the one. The Marlin is open sites, and as I get older, I need all the help I can get, for vision. If it were me, I would just settle on getting both, because you can never have too many. LOL

 

[bannockburn]

jmr

Ruger's website shows right at 100 different versions of the 10-22, you have other options and I like the versions with a full length stock much better.

Always liked the look of the 10/22 International with it's full length Mannlicher style stock! My major preference is for the blued and wood stocked version over the stainless steel and laminate model.