That other Model 60

[sigp220.45]

They only made 11 million of them!

There it was, in the Fudd Room of the range at which I shoot. A nice clean Marlin Model 60, circa 2003, still made in New Haven. The tag said 149, I got it for $120, which after taxes and a background check was right back at $149. Oh well.

I couldn’t pass it up. I’ve never actually owned one, but 25 years ago I did give one to my oldest son who still has it.

A bit of arcane trivia - in my experience this humble rifle is the #1 reigning champion murder firearm on any of the Indian reservations on which I worked during my so-called career in the FBI. NOT the #1 murder weapon: that dubious honor would fall to knives, rocks, fists, feet, logs, and gravity. But if you found yourself on the receiving end of gunfire it was likely to be coming from a Marlin (Or Glenfield or Coast to Coast or Montgomery Ward or Sears) Model 60.

I could have built a lengthy fence using confiscated Model 60s as posts. I took one that had been sawed off at the pistol grip and at the barrel just ahead of the forestock - right through the magazine tube. It was the world’s biggest and least efficient .22 single shot pistol, but it killed a guy nonetheless.

I went to a conference once with a bunch of other Indian County agents and none had worked a non-fatal shooting with a .22 repeating rifle. Every one was a fatality. If a tribal fella took after you with his Model 60, you’re not long for this world.

I tried this one out today, and it went through 5 different kinds of .22 ammo without a bobble. It’ll go to my grandson one day.

So - who else has one?

 

[Lee Barner]

the model 60, and 99 before it spawned so many other Marlin model that use the same action, the 75, 99M1, 989M2 and 7000 and I probably forgot some. I have been shooting a 989M2 since I was 15 or 16. my dad bought it and all I have had to do to it was replace the buffer about 10 years ago. I still have it, a model 60 and a 7000. great guns. Lee

 

[45Smashemflat]

Marlin/Glenfield Model 60 owner here. It was my first “owned” rifle, easily 50 years old now. It’s got a few battle scars, but still runs like a champ. I learned to shoot with Dad’s Sears gill gun (AKA the ol’ Click Clack). I received the Model 60 around age 9 as a Christmas present.

 

[fiasconva]

I've hit numerous pawn shops the last few years hoping to find a decent one but so far have had no luck. I'll keep looking.

 

[TJm15.38]

Love it. I like all vintage Marlins. Wish I had one like yours.

 

[gmiller0737]

I still have My 1972 Marlin Glenfield Model 60 that My Dad bought Me when I was young haven't shot it in years maybe it's time to take it to the range

 

[pasound]

I cruise the used rifles at my LGS always looking for a 60, true Marlin, or a Sears or similar. No luck yet.

I have 2 10/22's, a Charger, and a Ruger American 22 bolt-action. All shoot very well. But still want the Marlin. Dad had one, got a squib stuck in the barrel squirrel hunting, and he sold it to the gunsmith instead of paying to have it cleared. Said he was hunting with his 20ga from then on.

 

[Ματθιας]

Congrats! That's a NICE one!

I inherited a Glennfield and scope combo from my Dad. It's easily 50 years old. An accurate little shooter!

 

[alwslate]

I found one in a pawn shop a few years ago in nearly new condition. Brought it home for $120 OTD. Great little rifle. Probably never sell it.

 

[desi2358]

They are good little guns and very popular. Doing gunsmith work I have dealt with a few that had been used a lot! Only 2 common issues I have seen are the nylon buffer at the back of the receiver getting brittle and breaking and the plated feed block wearing out. The buffer usually scatters bits of itself through the action but the gun often still works. The feed block is a soft metal casting, plated for wear resistance and if it wears through you get jams, failure to eject and misfeeds.

Buffers can and do break but the feed block usually requires a LOT of shooting to wear out. Most people probably will never run enough through theirs to wear one out but it can be done!

 

[firefighterjohn]

Glenfield Model 60 was my first gun

Great stories sigp220, glad you were able to find such a nice one too!

My first gun was a Glenfield Model 60 with a scope. I was 11 at the time and it was the best Christmas present up to then. I shot hundreds and hundreds of rounds thru it. It was so cool. But as time wore on and after several moves, I somehow lost the push rod and ended up trading it on something...can't even remember what.

I always wanted one again but finding a nice one had been tough. I found my first replacement one over 10 years ago...but lost that one to my wife...she loves shooting it. So, I found an all stainless model and then just last month found one from the early 70's (around my original one) with the original Glenfield scope...for $200. It's in excellent shape, has the JM stamp and will eventually be passed down to my grandson.

They are fun rifles to shoot for sure. Congrats on finding yours. And to the others still looking...they're out there occasionally.

 

[Birdhunter6]

I had a Glenfield in my late teens. Great little rifle. All my buddies had Nylon 66s though, so I HAD to have one, and the 60 went away.

Probably my first "should have kept it" regret. Sadly, not the last.

 

[mauser9]

Read that they outsold Ruger's 10/22 not too far back. Never owned the 60 butthe Model 99 Marlin M-1 carbine look alike. Some nice walnut for short money back in the day.

 

[JohnHL]

I purchased my first Marlin Model 60 brand new in the late 1980s from K-Mart for $49.95.

I only ran a few boxes of ammo through it.

Shortly thereafter, my brother sent me his old Glenfield (with the impressed "squirrel" stock) and the infamous worn out feed block.

Marlin sold me a new action assembly for about $20.00 (iirc), which fixed it.

Needless to say, when I got the Glenfield, I put my new model 60 back in its box where it remains to this day.

A little while later, a fellow with whom I worked sold me a beat up model 60 for about $25.00 so I bead blasted it to the white and refinished the stock.

All three have been amazingly accurate and .22 "reliable".

The Glenfield hasn't been used much since I refinished the beater (my most used .22 rifle).

Couple years back, my shooting buddy sold me a Ruger 10-22.

I replaced the wood stock with plastic and replaced the blue barrel with stainless for an "all-weather" .22 rifle.

I'd probably sell the like new, complete in box, 1980s model 60, and maybe even the Glenfield if somebody wanted them.

I do believe the Marlin model 60 had to be the best semi-auto .22 (for the price) ever sold.

The Ruger 10-22, with detachable magazine and removable barrel was a close second due to its customizability (is that even a word?).

John

 

[kaaskop49]

Does the Marlin Papoose qualify? Got one of those: a takedown feeding from 7- and 10-round magazines. I believe the action is the same, yes? Haven't touched it since I arrived in the valley 14 years ago. Been too busy buying handguns I don't have to beg to buy.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[2152hq]

They are good little guns and very popular. Doing gunsmith work I have dealt with a few that had been used a lot! Only 2 common issues I have seen are the nylon buffer at the back of the receiver getting brittle and breaking and the plated feed block wearing out. The buffer usually scatters bits of itself through the action but the gun often still works. The feed block is a soft metal casting, plated for wear resistance and if it wears through you get jams, failure to eject and misfeeds.

Buffers can and do break but the feed block usually requires a LOT of shooting to wear out. Most people probably will never run enough through theirs to wear one out but it can be done!

Buffers in these have always been a problem. The different plastics used over the production time of the rifles (Mod 99 and then later called the Mod 60 after the Glenfield line was discontinued).
They get brittle seemingly with age alone. The battering they are intended to take doesn't help them along with brittleness already setting in.

We used to replace the Buffer on any 99/60 model/varient in for service at the factory just because of that.
Some showed no ill effects (yet), some were just splinters of plastic in the action.

The Feed Throat was a Sintered Metal 2 piece assembly that was vendor provided. (The Buffers came from outside sources as well.)
The earier edition had the rifles Ejector cast intomplace on the LH half of the thing.
It worked out well till into the early 70's when something happened with the QC of the part and also the overall quality.

That small protruding Ejector tab cast into place was often out of spec and would barely be high enough to reach the cartridge rim of the case being extracted.
So the case failed to Ejected often when the rifles were range tested right at the factory.
It wasn't much,, just a 1/64" maybe lacking in height perhaps, but no way to change it.
The other problem was the Sintered Metal material was not up to the job of being an Ejector.

The Feed Throat was plated for wearability as stated previously, but that tiny surface meant to strike the back of the case rim as the bolt came back was just not strong enough and the edge of it battered and failed very quickly on many of the guns.
Again, many of the rifles could not pass the Range which was 1 proof rd, followed by 5 HS rds for function fire.
Then 5rds for targeting.
The rifles would FT Eject was the Feed Throat/Ejector tab was already worn or had not been up to spec to begin with. Sometimes a combination of both.

We would get pallets of them back to the Service dept from the big box stores that were taken in on straight across warrantee exchanges.
Most every one was a FTEject and the Feed Throat was the problem.
We'd rebuild them, to new condition (most were still 'new'!).
They'd be repackaged and resold again as a new rifle.
They had a new Feed Throat in them,,but they had the same old problem as the one we took out and trash canned when it came in.

That FThroat problem was finally fixed when the Ejector was changed from a cast protrusion of the LH piece of the FT.
The new style was to use a longer carrier torsion spring. The short end that was being hooked and held into position on one of the sideplates of the action assembly was lengthened.
That extra length was brough up and bent so as to lay in a groove in the FT where the cast ejector had been.
The end of the spring wire was now the ejector, never to wear out.
Better quality FeedThroats from another bendor helped some wear-out issues with feeding as the plating on them had been poor.
The newer FT's work well.

The idea for them came from a gunsmith in the Service dept. a longtime employee. (pre-ww2).
He made a conversion and the parts, gave the rifle to the Range and had them fire it till it jammed. It didn't. This was in 1972
He submitted the idea into the factorys employees idea for cash thing.
His got refused,
The management told him that R&D had already thought of the same idea and was in the process of making up a rifle to test,,,so thanks anyway Larry. Go back to your bench.

The 99 (as it was called at the time, The Glenfield version was the Model 60) was a well liked rifle and actually the bread winner .22 for Marlin. They were very worried that the problem with the feed throat back then was going to hurt that image and sales.

Long story , not so short.

 

[tops]

I have a Marlin M60 and a .22 H&R M929 pistol stuck back for "just in case". Larry

 

[Rubone]

I've got two Glenfield 60s, a Glenfield 70, and a 780 bolt action. They are all good shooters.

 

[Mainsail]

The very first firearm I ever purchased!

Dad was not a gun guy growing up, so I shot a firearm once in my youth.

Then when I was stationed at Travis AFB in 1983 I suddenly realized that as an adult I could buy myself a gun if I so desired. Drove down to the Big-5 in Vacaville and bought a Marlin Model 60 and a 3X9 Scope.

The only reason I sold it was because it was a lot of walking back & forth to set targets out at rifle range, so replaced it with a Ruger Single Six (which I still have).

 

[merl67]

Great guns I have the M1 model 99 version now. I had a model 60 once the only issue I had was the above mentioned nylon buffer breaking easy fix....