Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Marlin Model 60 owners, it's time to replace your buffer

When they go, they go.

I still had the original white buffer in mine. Evertime I break it down to clean it, I check the buffer. No cracks, flakes, chips, looks good. And it goes back together. Today pulling the trigger fast, all was good, then tink, tink, tink. What the hell? I checked and now I've got a bolt handle imprint on the back of my ejection port. Opened her up, and this poured out. Broke apart like glass. I ordered a few aftermarket buffers from MGW, and a new recoil spring. Should have replaced the buffer years ago.

yep I got an old Marlin model 60 the squirrel edition I call them .. I noticed last time I tore it completely down for a good cleaning it still had the original buffered it and it was starting to get cracked up.

I have a Glenfield model 75, the carbine version of the model 60. It's been in the back of my safe for too many decades now, should probably tear it down and replace the buffer. Cause you never know when I may decide to shoot it again! Lol!

Picked up a Browning Gold Hunter 20ga a few years back. It stopped working in the middle of a round of clays. Tore it down and found bits of Delrin from its buffer scattered around inside. Those are hard to come by at times, so I ordered two.

Those M60s are iconic. Hope to run into one someday, but you guys seem to hang onto them.

Time to replace it. They usually show cracks before they fall apart. I've replaced the buffer in my 989M2 three or four times since I got it in 1977. Last time with one of the black ones that are supposed to last longer. We'll see.

I need to pick me up another model 60

Just replaced the buffer in the Marlin Glenfield Model 75 (carbine version of the 60). Buffers come in 2 sizes, pre-81 and post-81, they have different size pins.

I have a post 81. MGW only sells the pre-81 buffer. They are very easy to modify with the right size drill bit.

Had no problem finding the pre-81 I needed. No drilling required....

I saw them on Etsy after I bought these. But it was easy enough. The dimension difference was so minor that I probably could have just pushed the pin through without opening it up any.

Found what I got on eBay. There's more than a few of each listed.

Ebay. Meant to say Ebay, not Etsy.

Yep inherited my dad’s model 60 several years ago. It was the first rifle I ever shot. The buffer was shot as soon as I cycled the bolt the first time. You don’t have to remember to bring a mag with a model 60. Great little 22’s

The biggest tip I can offer when changing the buffer is to cock the hammer and put a pin or something through the hole in the strut, then slowly release the hammer. This keeps the hammer spring on the strut. I did not do that at the spring retainer shot across the garage when I took the side plate off the assembly. I found it easily but had to use a long tool magnet and do some contortions to reach it. That hammer spring is hella strong and compressing it to put that retainer back on is very, very hard. Once it was on, I stuck a little wire nail bent to 90 degrees through that hole to retain it. Otherwise, it's a fairly straightforward job.

Check out YouTube videos they can help make life simple.

Have one need to check that

The broken one in the pic is an old one. You can tell by the off colouring. A newer buffer will have a whiter color to it. The buffer on my model 70C is nice and white.

New ones I just got are 3D printed and gray in color. My 75 is from the 70's and still had the original buffer in place. Even though it looked fine, it got changed out.

I don't know how old my Model 60 is, at least 20 years, and it has a lot of rounds through it. Damn thing still shoots a single hole at 25 yards, and nearly at 50. I plan on keeping it until it, or I, dies. I went ahead and ordered all the springs, spare e-clips, and a couple of recoil springs, too. Hopefully can keep it running for many more years.

I have A Marlin 60 that was a garage sale find.
It's exactly 40 years old, according to the serial number.
I opened it today to look at the buffer, and it seems fine.