Marlin/Glenfield M60 > So what now?

[Henry88]

Hey gang,

So I replaced the trigger assembly in my brother in laws squirrel stock glenfield, take it out back and shoot half a box of CCI standards, a few clicks on the scope, and everything is fine; good as new.......

So what do I do now?

It's sitting here cocked, are you suppose to dry fire it ?
I'm kind of a nut about that, so don't like that solution.

Should I just keep it cocked ?

Do i put in some kind of snap cap, or fired shell casing and pull the trigger? What a PIA

I'm reminded why I haven't had an auto rifle in 25 years; don't like stuff like this.

BTW, The only auto I have is a pistol with a hammer that can be lowered, relieving the spring.

[Cofisher]

My understanding, and practice, is the occasional dry fire is not an issue. It is only repeated dry firing that causes a problem.

[Henry88]

Yeah Cofisher, that's probably the answer.

Next time I get the urge to buy a M60 or 1022 I'll remember this thread.

I don't intend to shoot this gun much, so it won't be a problem, just storing it in my safe.

[tractortad]

Actually, it's ok to dry-fry a Ruger 10/22 - they have a shallow slot cut into the top of the breech face to accommodate dry-firing.

[North Country Gal]

I would not advise leaving your 60 cocked for fear of damaging it from dry firing.

If a dry fire at the end of emptying a mag on a semi-auto rimfire were to actually cause damage to the gun, manufacturers would have been swamped with repairs on rimfire autos from the beginning, all the more so on models which don't have a bolt hold open feature after the last shot. I've been shooting such guns for forty years and have never damaged one that way.

It's constant dry fire practice that hurts and then, only on some rimfire models. Not all rimfires are damaged by dry firing. When in doubt, check with the manufacturer.

For me, it's a matter of safety. On all our semi-autos, rifle or pistol, at the end of a session, I point the gun downrange, cycle the action several times and intentionally dry fire to make certain the gun is clear before it goes back in the case. In fact, I never put a cocked gun of any kind back in the case.

[RanchRoper]

Agreed. Can't be too careful.

[Steve51]

I had a Marlin 60 for a lot of years. Bought it when I was 16 yrs. old. Sold it a few years back when I started teaching the grandkids to shoot. I thought the lever actions were much safer for them (and for me too). Don't own any semi-auto rifles now and I really don't miss it.

I have one semi-auto shotgun - an Ithaca Model 51 Ducks Unlimited. It does not cycle well with low-recoil field loads. My other shotguns are pump guns and they get the most use.