Older Marlin 60

[red rick]

I just bought me a very clean older Marlin model 60 .

This is the 17 + 1 model . It has the plastic trigger assembly .

What can y"all tell me about it ?

What year did they start with the plastic trigger assembly ? I didn't realize it until I got it home, not that it would have kept me from buying it .

Is it ok to dry fire it ?

How far do you go with cleaning it ( remove the stock and trigger assembly ) ?

I know that they are not as easy to work on as my Ruger 10/22 .

 

[HammsBeer]

My 1981 glenfield model 60 (made by Marlin) has the alloy trigger guard. Not sure when they switched to plastic.

Do not dry fire a rimfire, it's very hard on the firing pin when it smacks into the edge of the receiver.

I remove the stock and trigger group to clean, thats it.

If you take the first two digits of the serial number and subtract from 2000 (or 2100), thats the year of manufacture. So mine has 19 as the first two, which makes it 1981.

Examples: 25 would be 1975, 05 would be 1995, 95 would be 2005 (since it's obviously not 100 years old)

 

[Cee Zee]

What plastic trigger assembly? Are you talking about the trigger and the trigger guard? That's been plastic for 30 years or more. It has never been a problem except for a short time when they switched to another type of plastic for some rifles. They replaced them when the problem was discovered. There are exactly two plastic parts that are part of the action BTW. One is the buffer which has to be plastic. If it was steel it would defeat the whole purpose of a buffer. The other part is the pin that holds the action in place. It's not exactly a part that gets a lot of wear and it probably works better than trying to use a metal pin which can't be compressed to hold tension to keep the action in place. There are far more plastic parts in many 10/22's than there are in a 60. Yes the trigger is plastic but it's not exactly something that causes a lot of problems. The trigger guard is plastic too. It isn't any more of a problem than steel would be unless it was very thick steel. Steel bends so any hard contact would cause it to bend. Plastic would break. Neither is a good thing.

It's a little tough to disassemble the action. You ask about removing the trigger assembly which you said was plastic - I have no idea where you got that idea. Most people take the action out and clean it the best they can without taking it apart. The hard part about putting it back together if you do disassemble the action is the ejector wire. If it isn't put back in perfectly the gun won't feed well. There's a trick to getting it back right using a nickel as a gauge. That works pretty well. But most people don't take apart the action. The worst thing you have to worry about if you don't disassemble the action is not bending the recoil spring when you put the action back in. It takes paying attention or it can happen even to people who have been taking Marlins apart for years.

I've owned one 60 for almost 25 years and I've never had the action apart though. I have used cleaner on it then blown it all our with a compressor and repeated that process several times to get all the grime out of the pivot points. I had to do that once. I've probably shot that gun at least 150,000 times and that's all that's had to be done to the action. Of course I put the right lube back on the action after I cleaned it like I did. But remember a very small amount of lube is all that is needed on an action. Any more will cause more problems than it fixes. BTW I have a 2008 Model 60 too. There are no more plastic parts in it than in the 1989 model. None.

If you do want to learn how to take the entire action apart here are 3 videos that go into detail about how to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Hz1ZiVpHs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiLWWjadkcw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pzA4QIroNU

 

[HammsBeer]

AFAIK the only plastic on mine is the magazine tube follower and the nylon buffer block.

Funny thing, I bought my 1981 practically unfired new in box. Second time out in the cold the old brittle nylon buffer block shattered and dumped bits of nylon in the action locking it up. PITA to change the block, but runs great now.

 

[tactikel]

I have an old 60, it was accurate out of the box, has been beat up,(stock broke at the wrist by a baggage handler at O'Hare-don't ask). Cleaned every year whether or not it needs it, shoots the cheapest ammo I can find, and is my go to gun for plinking or squirrel hunting.
Please do not dry fire a rim fire, you can break your firing pin (did it twice) and you can peen your chamber causing a dimple that must be ground off (only once).

The Marlin 60 is IMO the best .22 for the money hands down.

 

[red rick]

Yes I was calling the plastic trigger guard the trigger assembly, but after watching the video I see that it is not . Thanks for the information . It looks like mine was made in 1986 . Thanks for the video links .

 

[Cee Zee]

Funny thing, I bought my 1981 practically unfired new in box. Second time out in the cold the old brittle nylon buffer block shattered and dumped bits of nylon in the action locking it up.

Were you using hyper powered ammo at the time? Those buffers won't take the pressure those rounds produce. It says in the manual that you shouldn't use them.

 

[Rom828]

An 1981 Marin 60 is a new gun at my house. I love the Model 60. Mine are Glenfields from the seventies. Easy to clean, just drop the trigger group out and spray it down with brake cleaner/gun blaster. Pull the bolt back to compress the recoil spring and tilt down to remove the charging handle and the bolt comes right out. Be careful when you re-assemble not to kink the recoil spring. Compress the spring as for back as you can get it before you drop the bolt back in. They like to be run kind of dry, go easy on the oil on the innards. If you need parts, they are available and reasonably priced. Have fun with it and be warned. They are addictive and will multiply around your house like rabbits. Head over to rimfire central for more in depth info.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Great gun. I love mine. I like them better than a 10/22 myself (which is why I bought a M60 and not a 10/22).

DO NOT DRY FIRE RIMFIRES.

For cleaning purposes, if I'm doing a deep cleaning, yes I remove the stock and trigger assembly and hose it all down with Gun Scrubber, then wipe down and oil.

I went forever without cleaning it at all. It was 8 years old and had many many thousands of rounds through it before I ever broke it down. I've still never cleaned the barrel. It groups them so good I'm scared to.

 

[red rick]

What is the max velocity ammo that I can use in my 60 ? I know that I can't use CCI Stingers , but I have some CCI Velocitor that are 1435 fps . Are they to hot ?

 

[thriller]

I picked up a nice used stainless one a few weeks ago at a fair price. It was made in 02 and the action had never been cleaned. I took it apart, which was very easy and cleaned it. I just downloaded the manual from Marlins website and followed their instructions. It was FILTHY. Shot it today for the first time. Shoots awesome, ts my first model 60 and I like it better than my 10-22

 

[red rick]

I like the feel of my 60 better than my 10/22 also . I like the thinner forearm and longer, thicker barrel . It feels like a adults rifle similar to my 452, but not near as pretty .

I was getting some pretty good groups out of my 10/22 a couple of weeks ago when I tried 8 different brands of ammo in it . I hear the 60 is more accurate , I can't wait to see for myself .

I have a Weaver Rimfire 3-9x32 scope on my 10/22 . I think that I am going to put a Leupold Rimfire 2-7x28 scope on it or just a 4x28 .

 

[HammsBeer]

I was using regular CCI standard velocity .22 I could tell it was just old age that had deteriorated the buffer block as it just crumbled in my fingers. The new one was much more pliable.

 

[red rick]

What rings are y'all using .

 

[Prophet]

I loved my Marlin Mod 60 before I sold it. One thing you want to watch for is that when removing all of the ammunition from the tube, sometimes a round sticks somewhere below the bolt and can be subsequently loaded into the chamber even though you believe the tube is completely empty. Check, check and triple check that chamber is all I can recommend. Otherwise have fun plinking! I had a scope on mine and it was unbeatable fun on the range.

Funny thing, I bought my 1981 practically unfired new in box. Second time out in the cold the old brittle nylon buffer block shattered and dumped bits of nylon in the action locking it up. PITA to change the block, but runs great now.

Wow! I totally forgot that happened to mine. Exact same scenario. If you have an older 60 it would pay you to take the thing apart and check for this before it happens.

 

[Cee Zee]

Check, check and triple check that chamber is all I can recommend.

I count my cartridges to make sure they are all out. I also know that you have to rack that last bullet into the chamber then eject it. I don't like doing that but most of the time I just shoot all the ammo out anyway.

I haven't heard of too many buffers going from getting old and brittle. Learn something new everyday I guess. BTW I wouldn't use Velocitors in my 60's. It's hyper velocity ammo.

 

[TPD211]

I have a Model 60 stainless and a 1970's Glenfield I rebuilt. Both are tube feeders and are very accurate. Check out http://rimfirecentral.com for tons of info on Rimfires and the Marlin 60.

 

[red rick]

Went there, but received much more information here @ THR .

Still looking for some recommendations on rings using a 28mm objective .

 

[Temp430]

I used a one piece BKL-260D7-MB ring mount to put a Leupold 4x scope on my Marlin 60. A one piece mount was recommended to me since it is less likely to "walk" on the receiver. The BKL mount goes for around $60 at pyramidair.com. You might find one for less if you shop around.

I didn't like the plastic trigger guard either so I installed a DIP trigger guard and trigger on my Marlin 60. Pricey but much nicer looking.

I think you'll find Marlin 60s to be extremely accurate unlike Ruger 10/22s. I can put 5 rounds of CCI mini-mags inside a dime at 60 yards which is where my Leupold is adjusted for parallax.

 

[moxie]

I've fired some, not a lot, Stingers in mine. No problems.

 

[Cee Zee]

I don't think it's a certain thing that Stingers will break the buffer but I've seen reports of it happening within less than 5 shots.

As for rings I have a set of Simmons medium aluminum rings on my 60SS. They're holding Nikon ProStaff 3-9X40. They have never slipped even a tiny bit. It's always better to match aluminum with aluminum IMO. Changes in temperature affect steel and aluminum differently so that one expands faster than the other. That could make for a situation where the rings move IMO. But the best thing is to put a couple of small dents under the lip of the tip off rail so that the screws for the rings get down in the dent and won't slide as easy. It just takes a very slight dent to make the rings stay in place better. Also you may be able to use the low rings with a 28mm objective.

BTW I ended up with a DIP trigger guard and trigger because I got the bad plastic set with my rifle new. After having 2 trigger guards just crumble I bought the DIP setup. Right after that Marlin sent me the old style plastic guard that has never been a problem for me. The problem with that plastic was that they tried to add stuff to make it silver and it really messed up the quality of the plastic. It was almost like it was just a dirt clod painted silver they had on that rifle. But the plastic on my 1989 60 has never had a problem. It's a lot better plastic. Now I have plastic that is good for my trigger and trigger guard for my 60 but I bought the DIP stuff because I got tired of waiting and I knew I'd always be glad I bought the better trigger anyway. That rifle shoots very well. I got lucky and got one that shoots very accurate. It isn't as dependable as my old model but that is something that happens when you get a rifle with tighter tolerances. You get more accuracy but more problems too. I just have to clean it once a month or so if I shoot it a lot. It's probably about every 3000-4000 rounds I have to clean it. As long as I do that and don't use real dirty ammo it works just fine. I'd trade the cleaning for the better accuracy any day. The last squirrel I shot with that rifle I put a bullet right behind it's ear from 50 yards. And yes that's where I was aiming. It shoots very accurate from a cold bore too which is important for a hunting rifle. I have rifles that shoot much better but they need to get warmed up to do their best. First shot the Marlin beats both of my really good shooters. My 795 is accurate on the first shot too.

 

[red rick]

Thanks for all the feedback so far .

 

[red rick]

I installed a Leupold 2-7x28 , using Leupold medium 3/8 groove rings . It was a perfect fit if you do not remove the rear sight .

I sighted it in today and only had to move it 8 clicks up & 1 click left . It was a 3 shot sight-in .

I shot my first squirrel with it today , the only one I saw .

I am not sure it is as accurate as my 10/22 yet . I only shot one brand of ammo thru it today , because I wanted to hunt .

I might try to beat my Ruger tomorrow with different ammo but with what shot best in my Ruger ( Wolf Match ) and with less wind it wasn't as accurate ( surprisingly ) . It is still very squirrel accurate though .

 

[76shuvlinoff]

Mine is a 90, hard to believe that's a 24 year old rifle now. Runs great on CCI Mini Mags.

 

[StrutStopper]

Mine loves CCI SV. It's a late 80s or early 90's. 17+1 and has the last shot bolt hold-open design.