Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Marlin Model 60 experiences?

So, what's the scoop on them? I'm talking about the older "real" JM Model 60's. These haven't attained rock star status like the 39 and there are a bunch on gunbroker in good shape for well under $200.

Was the stock actual walnut or was there a time they were walnut and they went to hardwood?

How is the reliability? I had a Marlin 99-M1 back in the 1960's that was dressed up like an M1 carbine and it was a jam-a-matic. Plus the aluminum receiver wouldn't hold the scope tip off rings, no matter how I tightened them they kept sliding. Has anybody had that problem with them?

Basically looking for a longer barreled semi-auto than a Ruger and there aren't a lot out there except the older 22" barreled Marlins and some scarce Lipsey's "walmart special" models of a 10/22, which are also twice as much as the M60 when you can even find them.

Fired about two truckloads of ammo through mine!

It's not a walnut stock I don't think, would have been new in the early 80's.

Not bench rest accuracy but kept the squirrel population at bay!

Mike

Model 60 started out as a Glenfield model which was Marlins economy line. They dropped the Glenfield moniker sometime in the 80's and it became just the Marlin 60. The 60 always had birch stocks. More recently they switched to laminated birch. There were Walnut stocked Marlins that were essentially identical but with Walnut stocks and upgraded sights. Those would have been the models 99C and 990 if memory serves. I have a model 60 that is very accurate for an inexpensive semi and dead reliable when fed quality high velocity ammunition.

I picked up a NIB Model 60 JM Marlin Carbine with the rare 16" barrel about 10 years ago on GunBroker for $150. At that time it was a little high at that price, but I had owned one as a kid, that I gave to my little brother way back in the early 1970's, and wanted a new one just because. And ever one I ever seen has had the hardwood stock.

I've owned about every type and style of .22 rifle ever made, but my two favorites have always been my Nylon 66 & the Marlin Model 60. While they are not as accurate as my HB Ruger Target Model10-22's, but they are my favorite .22 Rifle to go out and plink and hunt with. The thing I love about the Marlin 60 and my Nylon 66 is that they are bothTube Fed and don't have a damn magazine that you spend half your time re-loading.

My Model 60's and Nylon 66 have always been uber reliable, and will shoot well under an inch at 25 yards and right around 1 inch at 50 yards shooting 5- shot groups with CCI Stinger, WW Super X JHP, and the HV Aquilla HP ammo.
Not a tack driver or "match" rifle by any means, but damn sure minute of Turtle heads at 25 yards, and plenty accurate for coons, skunks, and other vermin here at the Ranch.

My recommendation to you is buy a really clean Marlin Model 60 on Gunbroker for less than a new 10-22 and have fun. They are plenty accurate & reliable in my experience.
As reliable as most claim the 10-22's are supposed to be, that has not been my experience in the cheaper Wallmart versions. I've never owned a 10-22 that didn't jam, and I'm not a fan of their Rotary Magazine design.

Likewise, I don't think the stock was walnut but some hardwood species. Not a tack driver but plenty accurate as offered for squirrels, crows and such.

My oldest son has had one for a bunch of years now. It isn't walnut. But it has never jammed or failed to fire, extract, and eject with cheap ammo.

It's a fun blaster with pretty good balance. We did crack the stock and have to replace it though.

Ruger #1149 and 1150 are Lipseys specials with 22" barrels that are currently available.

Thanks for all for the replies. Not looking for bench rest accuracy but just a good plinker. I've been going back to open sights recently just for the heck of it and the longer barrels and sight radius really help with that.

Didn't know about the 990 model but looked them up on gunbroker. Those are very nice, at least the owners think so. Seriously, the walnut stocks definitely look nicer and I like the dovetailed front sight vs. the one piece ramp of the 60, that could be easily replaced with something higher if I mounted a peep sight.

I bought one new around 1984. Really wanted a 10/22 but couldn't afford it at the time. Seems as best as I can remember, it was around a 1.5" 50 yard shooter with its preferred ammo. Always made me nervous to have my fingers up around the muzzle to open the loading tube... especially if I needed to clear a jam!

I ended up selling it several years later and did buy a 10/22. That being said, after doing some reading on them on Rimfire Central awhile back, I did kind of lust after the Walnut-stocked 50th Anniversary model they put out a couple of years ago.

First firearm I ever bought with my own money. Paid $45 for it brand new at Woolco in the early '80s. I cannot imagine how many rounds have been through it or how many squirrels it has put in the pot. As long as it is kept reasonably clean, it keeps on shucking and it is more accurate than it should be expected to shoot. It is a one holer at 25 yards with most any ammo. It doesn't get used much any more, due to its more sophisticated safe mates, but does still get an outing when I feel like going back to my childhood for awhile.

The Model 60 I had was as accurate out of the box with open sights as any out of the box semiauto 22 I've ever bought. Because of the Marlin's longer barrel it's open sights were easy to use. The Marlin always worked ok as long as I kept the area around the chamber relatively clean. Wish I had kept it.

After all the nice reviews of the Marlin, I went ahead and got a Ruger 22" Sporter, the blued 1150 model.

I'd looked for one of those for months but all of the online stores were out of them and nothing on gunbroker except a stainless one a few months ago at near MSRP. Saw a stainless model at a gunshow in January but again, the owner wanted more than MSRP for a used rifle.

Just for the heck of it I made one last search on gunbroker last night for "ruger 1149" and "ruger 1150" and lo and behold, one dealer had one of each. So after cogitating overnight I bought the blued model this morning. The Marlin is a good rifle, I even went down to Sportsman's Warehouse last night to look at a couple, but I'm familiar with the Ruger and it comes with a scope rail and dovetail front sight and a couple of other things that make it a bit more desirable for me.

Anyway, thanks again for the replies, it's always good to have choices.





If anybody's looking for one the dealer still has the stainless model for sale, $275 starting bid with $285 buy it now. Just search on gunbroker for "ruger 1149".

The first rifle I ever bought was a model 60. It was very reliable, after 3 to 4 hundred rounds it would start to FTF/FTE until it got cleaned. Very accurate as well. Only real bad thing was the trigger, pretty bad.. No easy way to improve at he time.

My little brother received a new Model 60 for Christmas in the mid '80's. It had a birch stock and from what I recall, the open sights were very well regulated right from the factory. Scoping it was not a big deal. The grooves on the receiver were much better than the ones on my Nylon 66. I don't ever remember an issue with the scope slipping or losing zero like the Nylon 66 did.

Very reliable, which is good, because you really don't want to take it apart unless you have to.

I think they're great little rimfires.

My Model 60 was made about 1964. Stamped
Western Auto - "Revelation". Grandad gave it to me about 1966
when his eyes got bad. It is extremely accurate and
shows it's age. I had to buy the obligatory Ruger 10-22
some time in the 80s. Ruger lives in the safe. I like to
shoot regular ammo in the Marlin. I shoot Stingers,
Velocitors(sp) etc. in the Ruger. I am confident with
the Marlin open sites and that's what works for me.

Mine had some problems feeding and I found out there was an upgraded feeding piece and spring and wala, worked like a champ. Pretty sure mine is a birch stock but seems to run well and is plenty accurate for me and the kids to shoot.

Based on the walnut stock, I think this was a transitional rifle made during the shift from 99s to 60s. Dad got it at Otis AFB BX in early '64. He passed in '12. I put a scope on her and a better trigger afterwards and drove a Velocitor thru this gal's head with it in August '13. Her crime was chasing does and fawns.

My Model 60 experiences have been great for the last 50 years...

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Have never owned a Marlin M60 but have cleaned several that the owners said were acting up. After thousands of rounds you would be surprised at the gunk that piles up inside the reciever. They arent hard to take apart after you do it a couple of times. After a good cleaning they are good to go thousands of more rounds.

Mine is a 1971 vintage, hardwood stock, and it'll outshoot any factory 10/22 without a problem. It's not as reliable, but I've had it longer, and have probably killed a traincar load of squirrels and rabbits with it over the years.

In the same period of time, I've had a half-dozen or more 10/22s and none of them could begin to shoot as well as the old Marlin does. It's ammo-fussy, to be sure, if it's not round-nosed, it won't feed with a crap, but it shoots that stuff awfully well.

It was my first rifle, and I'll keep it until I pass on.

Last year I had an friend who knew I was into guns ask be to sell a few guns his neighbor inherited from his deceased father.

I at the time was not interested in the two ,22 rifles so I took them to a local gun shop for consignment. The 22's were Marlin model 60's. After reading this I wish I had kept them for $45.00 each.

Doc

When I was a kid, we were expected to put squirrel on the dinner table on a regular basis. This had nothing to do with "sporting" it was all about putting food on the table. The season opened in early September, and I hunted 2-4 times per week, every week, until the season ended. We had a Marlin 60, just with the little 3/4" 4x scope on it. We shot truckloads of squirrel guns with that little rig over the years. Normal maintenance, regular cleaning. It never failed, never miss-fired once. Somewhere along the line, an old United 4X x 40 scope found it's way onto the gun, and it just kept killing squirrels. My brother got that gun when we split up Dad's stuff after he passed. It's pretty beat up-scratches, dings in the wood, all the marks of an honest working gun. In my opinion, for the price, they're a good gun. As far as accuracy is concerned, this one always seemed to like standard velocity Remington stuff the best. We always took head shots as we were sternly coached not to waist any meat. That gun put many a meal on the table, and we sold one heck of a bunch of tails to Mepps that came from the work that gun did.