1989 Marlin Model 60

[1srelluc]

What year was "the change"?

I've not pinned it down exactly....Sometime in the mid to late 80s.

 

[The Duke]

I've not pinned it down exactly....Sometime in the mid to late 80s.

Well that one's '89 and still is "full".

Dangit! I was hoping you knew.

Someday we might find out. If I do 1st I'll let you know and if you do please let me know.

 

[JGalt]

What year was "the change"? I know mine held 18+1 in 1982. That was the "squirrel handle" model.

The stock was beautiful.

Another thing I remember is that other .22s might cycle Thundercraps, but Model 60s do not.

Those were 17 rounds before the late 1980s and 14 rounds after then. Marlin also produced the lower-priced Glenfield, which was pretty much the same thing.

 

[The Duke]

Those were 17 rounds before the late 1980s and 14 rounds after then. Marlin also produced the lower-priced Glenfield, which was pretty much the same thing.

Not 17. 18+1.

My memory is pretty good.

 

[JGalt]

Not 17. 18+1.

I would guess the tubular magazine spring gets weak after a few years and you can stuff another round in there. I have some 10-round magazines for my wife's Taurus G2C but after shooting it a lot, I can stuff 11 round in one.

 

[postman]

Not 17. 18+1.

My memory is pretty good.

I have to go with the duke on this one.
18 rounds in the tube with standard .22 LR, and the opportunity to have one in the chamber. 18+1

With 18 in the tube, it would tend to flatten out the ends of hollowpoints.

 

[The Duke]

I would guess the tubular magazine spring gets weak after a few years and you can stuff another round in there. I have some 10-round magazines for my wife's Taurus G2C but after shooting it a lot, I can stuff 11 round in one.

These things were around way before Taurus.

 

[JGalt]

These things were around way before Taurus.

True. But one thing I've learned in 58 years of being around guns is that springs weaken over age. And when that happens on tube-fed .22 rifles, the first thing that gets lost is the inner magazine tube. There quite a market for them on Ebay.

Marlin 60 inner magazine tube for sale | eBay

 

[1srelluc]

Well that one's '89 and still is "full".

Dangit! I was hoping you knew.

Someday we might find out. If I do 1st I'll let you know and if you do please let me know.

I asked the question over on rimfire central and got crickets thus far.

Either the wiki is way off or the change was a bit later.

After Remington bought Marlin (2007) and started changing things for the worse I remember that the "RemMarlin" Model 60s all had shorter barrels and a lower capacity.

Of course when Ruger bought Marlin the Model 60 ended and given Ruger won't bring it back due to the 10-22 the used market is it.

 

[The Duke]

I asked the question over on rimfire central and got crickets thus far.

Either the wiki is way off or the change was a bit later.

After Remington bought Marlin (2007) and started changing things for the worse I remember that the "RemMarlin" Model 60s all had shorter barrels and a lower capacity.

Of course when Ruger bought Marlin the Model 60 ended and given Ruger won't bring it back due to the 10-22 the used market is it.

I think we'll figure this out within a year or 2.

 

[1srelluc]

True. But one thing I've learned in 58 years of being around guns is that springs weaken over age. And when that happens on tube-fed .22 rifles, the first thing that gets lost is the inner magazine tube. There quite a market for them on Ebay.

Marlin 60 inner magazine tube for sale | eBay

I have tube fed .22s much older than I am and owned many more and have NEVER seen a spring strength issue unless it rusted and broke.

Most issues are damage/maintenance related issues.....in fact many of the Marlin and Winchester tube issues on the early ones was because the tubes were made of steel and would rust causing it to stick to the outer tube.

The reason you see brass tubes it to prevent the rusted inner tube issue.

 

[The Duke]

I have tube fed .22s much older than I am and owned many more and have NEVER seen a spring strength issue unless it rusted and broke.

Most issues are damage/maintenance related issues.....in fact many of the Marlin and Winchester tube issues on the early ones was because the tubes were made of steel and would rust causing it to stick to the outer tube.

The reason you see brass tubes it to prevent the rusted inner tube issue.

Marlin Model 60 tubes are brass. Owait, "tube followers".

Marlin Model 60> Ruger 10/22. All day every day.

Oh! I retain that sentiment even with a guy that used to work with me. Yessir!

Yeah, no detachable magazine, but the accuracy is about the best of any rifle ever.

That was my 1st gun, and I got spoiled. I used to set off shotgun shells with that thing for fun.

 

[1srelluc]

Marlin Model 60 tubes are brass. Owait, "tube followers".

Marlin Model 60> Ruger 10/22. All day every day.

Oh! I retain that sentiment even with a guy that used to work with me. Yessir!

The model 60 (older) is a better shooter but not as reliable as it needs to be cleaned more often than a stock 10-22.

 

[The Duke]

The model 60 (older) is a better shooter but not as reliable as it needs to be cleaned more often than a stock 10-22.

OK. Don't use Thundercraps, either.

 

[1srelluc]

OK. Don't use Thundercraps, either.

It's CCI Mini-Mag, Standard, or nothing for me.....Other than my match .22s of course.

I even make my own sub-sonic hollow points out of CCI Standard.

 

[JGalt]

Marlin Model 60 tubes are brass. Owait, "tube followers".

Marlin Model 60> Ruger 10/22. All day every day.

Oh! I retain that sentiment even with a guy that used to work with me. Yessir!

Yeah, no detachable magazine, but the accuracy is about the best of any rifle ever.

That was my 1st gun, and I got spoiled. I used to set off shotgun shells with that thing for fun.

Marlin Model 60 tubes are brass. Owait, "tube followers".

Marlin Model 60> Ruger 10/22. All day every day.

Oh! I retain that sentiment even with a guy that used to work with me. Yessir!

Yeah, no detachable magazine, but the accuracy is about the best of any rifle ever.

That was my 1st gun, and I got spoiled. I used to set off shotgun shells with that thing for fun.

I've owned four or five Model 60s and Model 336's in 30-30 and 35 Remington in my lifetime, but have always ended up traded them off for something else. They're decent enough rifles, especially the 336. But the one Marlin I've kept over the years was this 1952 Marlin Model 80 bolt-action magazine-fed .22. It's the most accurate .22 I've owned and comes in handy for shooting coons that get in the wife's bird feeders. I popped one of the bastards just the other night and let the dogs chew on him.

 

[1srelluc]

I've owned four or five Model 60s and Model 336's in 30-30 and 35 Remington in my lifetime, but have always ended up traded them off for something else. They're decent enough rifles, especially the 336. But the one Marlin I've kept over the years was this 1952 Marlin Model 80 bolt-action magazine-fed .22. It's the most accurate .22 I've owned and comes in handy for shooting coons that get in the wife's bird feeders. I popped one of the bastards just the other night and let the dogs chew on him.

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The Marlin 81 was the tube-fed version.

Like the Model 80 it came in a few versions, the main difference being the trigger guard and type of wood.

I bought one this past winter like the above that was missing the trigger guard.....Come to find out the first ones had a metal TG, the second, like the above, and the last one like your TG.

Early ones had button rifling instead of the Micro-groove.

It was set-up sight-wise like the above. I traded it to a friend who was missing one in his Marlin collection.