Tell me about the Marlin 120

[.455_Hunter]

Greetings!

I saw a LNIB Marlin 120 at the LGS today and was curious about the history, performance and reliability of that platform. The action looks very similar to a Mossberg 500. Was there a relationship between the two companies?

Thanks,

Hunter

 

[PapaG]

I always thought the 120 resembled the Win model 12 but with easily interchanged barrels. Walnut, 3", good looking gun.

 

[Onmilo]

Good solid shooters and these are indeed patterned off the old model 12 basic design.

If you can pick one up for under $300 and don't mind the fixed choke, do it.

 

[tiamat]

Interesting timing on this question. I just took home my late father's Glenfield 778, which was the cheaper 'department store' variety of the Marlin 120 that I remember him buying from K-mart when it went on sale for under $100 back in the early 80's.
Nice, albeit heavy gun. They haven't been made since ~'85 so certain parts are going to be scarce.

 

[tiamat]

btw, I found this bit of info in my own searching, here: http://www.marlin-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9267

The Marlin Model 120 was made from 1971 to 1985. It was made in several styles:
The 120 Trap Gun of which only 298 were made.
The 120 MXR Magnum with 40 or 38 inch barrels...6,984 made
The 120 Slug gun.....1,546 made
The 120 Field Grade.....1,083 made
The 120 Deluxe Grade........ 10,689 made
and if you want to include it, there is the Glenfield Model 778 which is the cheaper version of the Modle 120, with 34,941 produced from 1979 to 1983. Marlin made 1,238 of the 778 with the longer barrels. There was a total of 48,651 of the Model 120 shotgun manufactured during the production run.
Barrel lengths available: 20 or 26 inch slug barrel, 26 inch, 28 inch, 30 inch and the 40 & 38 inches.

As with any Marlin product, it is the bottom line that probably spelled the end of the Model 120. If it did not produce enough profit, it would be dropped from the line.

and here is Numrich's available parts list: http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/MarlinGlenfield-33379/Shotguns-37334/120-41083.htm?results=All

 

[.455_Hunter]

I ran some snap caps through the gun at the LGS and about 50% of the time nothing happened when the trigger was pulled. Not sure about the issue, maybe the sear?

 

[tiamat]

Well that's definitely not reassuring. But I really couldn't say, as I've not even had mine apart yet (and still looking for a [free] owners manual for it or even instructions on how to take it down). Perhaps it's simply gummed up with old/thick oil/grease/cosmo that's preventing the hammer from falling?

 

[rcmodel]

They had a history of breaking forearm hangers.
Which once broke were very difficult if not impossible to repair.

And there hasn't been any extra ones made in 35 years.

Same with firing pins.

Rc

 

[Onmilo]

They had a history of breaking forearm hangers.
Which once broke were very difficult if not impossible to repair.

And there hasn't been any extra ones made in 35 years.

Same with firing pins.

Rc

True.
Same basic issues as the Model 12 had.

 

[eastbank]

but there are parts for the model 12,s,firing pins are about 20-25 dollars and don,t break that often as i only had one break in over 50 years of owning and shooting them.eastbank.

 

[Onmilo]

but there are parts for the model 12,s,firing pins are about 20-25 dollars and don,t break that often as i only had one break in over 50 years of owning and shooting them.eastbank.

Same thing goes for the 120.
Don't dry fire the gun and the firing pin will likely last a lifetime, or more.
Don't slam hammer the forearm and same applies as well.

 

[tiamat]

Firing pins are still available from Numrich's for a little over $16. Not so much the forearm liner & slide arms (if that's the part we're talking about).

 

[tiamat]

btw, finally got mine apart - definitely nowhere near as easy as an 870. trying to figure out how to put it back together looked like it would take 3 hands, until i figured out the trick, which is to slide the trigger assembly in front first in order to hold the shell catches in place.

 

[SwampWolf]

I owned a couple of them back in the middle seventies and always liked the way they handled. As others have noted, the Model 120 looked very much like the Winchester Model 12 and I don't think it was any accident that the first two numbers of the Model 120 was 12. All were made with steel receivers and most, if not all (I'm not sure about the Trap model), came with 3" chambers. There weren't all that many of them made and they're, accordingly, not all that easy to find. The few that I've seen have been very reasonably priced, anywhere from $250.00 to $450.00, depending on condition, of course.