Waiting to try my new trigger

[Henry88]

Virtually every male friend I've had in my life has had a 1022, it seems. I could never warm up to them, never owned a ruger.

I had a Winchester 190 (first gun), and from there went to bolt action 22s until I bought the Henry.

If in the market for a .22 auto, I would get the Marlin M60. For .22's I just like the micro groove barrel.

Good luck with your 1022 ditto..............

[ditto1958]

When I got my 10/22, the advice I was given by many people was that it was between the Marlin 60 and the 10/22 when it came to new semi-auto .22 rifles.

I handled them both in stores several times, read everything I could find on the internet, and watched every comparison video there was. In the end, a very respected gunsmith at a good firearms dealer said "buy the 10/22," so I did. I was very happy with it, and still am. It remains my favorite firearm.

However... I soon realized that I just had to have a Marlin 60, too. So I got one.

My conclusions?

The Ruger wins on:
1. Reliability
2. Modularity, and thus
3. Ease of disassembly/reassembly
4. Amazing bullet-proof 10-round rotary magazine
5. Limitless aftermarket for upgrades and customization that may still be larger than the AR-15 aftermarket
6. Customer service

Marlin wins on:
1. Looks
2. Price
3. Trigger (stock vs. stock)

The Marlin loses by a clear margin on reliability. A 10/22 is like a Glock. It generally eats any kind of .22 LR you feed it, and almost never jams. Wet, dry, clean, dirty- doesn't matter. If you get one that does jam, it's broke. You send it back to Ruger and they fix/replace it.

While some Marlin 60's are just as reliable, it's much more likely that they will be finicky, and inconsistent in their reliability. They often need the "nickel trick" adjustment done on the ejector wire. They can be choosy about ammo brands, jam when they're dirty, and jam when they're too wet or too dry.

Marlin 60's are very accurate, and the standard line is that they are more accurate out of the box than a stock 10/22. I've never seen anyone prove that to be true. I suspect that in reality both rifles tend to be about equal. Historically, the Model 60 had two advantages over the Ruger: the stock Marlin triggers are better, and Marlin 60's used to have 22 inch barrels with a longer sight radius than the 18.5 inch 10/22. Current Model 60's come with a 19 inch barrel, so that advantage is gone. Also, most shooters use scopes these days.

In the end, can't go wrong with either rifle. They are inexpensive enough to own at east one of each. My recommendation is to buy both if you can.

[Henry88]

Wow ditto, you should write for a Online Firearms Magazine, if you don't already.

Having owned neither gun, I must acquiesce to your knowledge.

The thing I didn't like about the 1022, was the short, stubby stock. I guess that's the cost of the clip that everyone loves.

The winchester, henry, and marlin are long and thin. I find that much easier to carry. That's really the only reason for my preference.

You may have convinced me otherwise, though..............

[Sir Henry]

Dang you ditto, now I want a Marlin.

[ditto1958]

Dang you ditto, now I want a Marlin.

You need one. Get a Glenfield 60 with the squirrel stock. Around here they're usually around $120 in good shape. They are plentiful.

[Sir Henry]

Dang you ditto, now I want a Marlin.

You need one. Get a Glenfield 60 with the squirrel stock. Around here they're usually around $120 in good shape. They are plentiful.

Sometimes when I'm at my local gun dealer I see stuff like that but don't know enough about them to make an intelligent purchase. Then when I do the research they are gone.

[ditto1958]

I think with something like a used Model 60, I'd just shine a light down the bore, try out the trigger and just look at the overall cosmetic condition. There's not much that can go wrong with them. The parts that most commonly need to be replaced are easy to find and cheap. Heck, when you can buy a whole rifle for around $100, you can buy one to shoot, and a second one for parts.

Brand new ones are about $169 At Wal-Mart.

[Sir Henry]

I think the new ones have a laminate stock???

[ditto1958]

They did for awhile, but now they seem to have gone back to the mystery wood hardwood stock. The laminate stock was actually quite nice looking, but the hardwood stock is the traditional look for the Model 60.