Avoiding Mistakes With the Marlin Model 60

This dandy little autoloader has been around as the Glenfield Model 60 from 1950 to 1982, and as the Marlin Model 60 since 1983. At one time not so long ago, it was classified as an "assault weapon" by hysterical gun-control advocates in New Jersey because of its magazine capacity.

Marlin’s neat fix for this problem was to introduce what they referred to as the "Jersey tube." What it amounted to was a shorter magazine carrying fewer rounds that would stifle the outcry, and every Model 60 shipped to the Garden State was equipped with it. As far as I know, this little Marlin is no longer considered an assault rifle anywhere within these United States. The Glenfield was mostly sold through chain stores.

It had thicker side plates housing its firing mechanism and a hammer of a different design than the Marlin Model 60s, so I can provide no assurance whatsoever that current Model 60 parts will interchange with those of the Glenfield. Other than that tidbit, this article has a dual purpose: The first of those is to update an article on the M60 that appeared here several years ago, reprints of which are no longer available.

The second purpose—equally important—is to address at least one sporting magazine’s report that the .22 LR Model 60 can be switched over to .17 MK2 by changing the barrel and recoil spring. To that I say: "No way, seekers of truth in gunsmithing." The Model 60 has a magazine tube designed to house .22 LR round-nose bullets. The .17 MK2 features a sharply pointed ballistic tip and is shorter in overall length.

When the .22 tube is charged with .17 MK2 rounds, the ballistic tip can become lodged between the case rim ahead of it and the wall of the tube. Inside, conditions take on the aspects of a traffic jam in a fog on the Hollywood Freeway. Nothing can move. What can’t move can’t feed, and what can’t feed, you can’t shoot in an autoloader. The .17 MK2 is a high-pressure little tyke that’s not to be trifled with. Moreover, it’s not going away anytime soon.

With its clean, fast-burning powder, it is capable of putting 200 to 300 rounds into a 3/4-inch group at 33 yards, but it will not feed back from a Model 60 tubular magazine. It also requires a higher bolt mass in combination with a slightly modified bolt, a larger receiver to house the bolt, different extractor springs, and a different stock to accommodate the larger receiver.

Marlin engineers, cognizant of the .17 MK2’s increasing popularity, have resolved all these problems with the smaller cartridge by introducing the Marlin Model 717, which includes all the alterations just mentioned. The firing mechanism of the Model 717 reflects the Model 60, Being a .22 caliber, the rifle is often poorly maintained, leading to a multiplicity of minor problems.

but the new model is clip fed. You see? No magazine tube means no feeding problems. I have great respect for those Marlin guys. They are true executors of the KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid). Field Stripping As usual, there are no rounds in the rifle, the safety is on, and you’re wearing eye protection. A vise with padded jaws should be standing by. Unscrew the front and rear takedown screws (#58 and #59), and remove the inner magazine tube (#40).

Separate the stock and trigger assembly from the barreled action. The action is composed of two side plates (#51 and #52) plus everything trapped The clamps should also be used to secure the plates when reinstalling the clips during reassembly. Attaching self-adhering felt pads to both contact points of the clamps will prevent scuffing or scratching of the action plates. between them. Remove the assembly post (#1) by squeezing its split end together, pushing in, and pulling it from the action by its opposite end.

The action then slides to the rear, then upward and out of the receiver. Secure the receiver upside-down in your vise. Remember that the recoil spring (#46) is compressed. If you move on to the next step regardless, the spring will bid you adieu after it ricochets sharply off your safety glasses. (You were wearing them, weren’t you?) Pull the charging handle (#14) back slightly.

With the forefinger of your other hand, lift out the muz Left top: In reassembling the bolt to the receiver, the rimmed or "studded" end of the recoilspring guide must meet up with the guide’s housing in the receiver. Left bottom: The arrows indicate the locations of the three small E-clips that must be removed from the right-hand plate. The large E-clip remains where it is. zle end of the bolt. As you do, the charging handle will free up and you will have easy access to the recoil spring (#46) and its guide (#47).

At this point, the barrel, action, and receiver can be thoroughly cleaned. The action should be flushed clear of any fouling with solvent, dried with a hair dryer, and lightly lubricated before going back in the rifle. Detailed Disassembly As you go through the process, make a list of the parts you remove and the order in which you remove them. I suggest you use a digital or Polaroid camera to take photos of howa part fits in relation to its companion parts.

Or, if you’re a great artist like I am (right!), you could simply make little sketches like I do. This rifle goes back together in an order that’s the exact reverse of disassembly. The Bolt. The firing-pin retaining pin (#26) is grooved on one end and is driven out from right to left. I suggest you only drive it far enough to free the firing pin (#25) and cartridge-lifter

1 Assembly Post 2 Barrel* 3 Barrel Retaining Pin 4 Bolt Release Lever 5 Breech Bolt 6 Buffer 7 Buffer Pin Ring 8 Bullseye 9 Butt Pad 10 Butt Pad Screw (2) 11 Butt Pad Spacer 12 Cartridge Lifter 13 Cartridge Lifter Roller 14 Charging Handle 15 Disconnector Spring 16 Ejector Lifter Spring 17 Extension Spring 18 Extractor, Left 19 Extractor, Right 20 Extractor Pin, Left 21 Extractor Pin, Right 22 Extractor Spring, Left 23 Extractor Spring, Right 24 Feedthroat 25 Firing Pin 26 Firing Pin Retaining Pin roller (#13).

Two extractors are involved here; don’t get them mixed up. They are retained by two pins of different lengths. Don’t get them mixed up, either. The shorter pin (#21) secures the right-hand extractor and spring (#23); The longer pin (#20) does the same with the left-hand extractor and spring (#22).

Clamp the 27 Front Sight Ramp Base 28 Front Sight Ramp Base Screw 29 Front Sight Ramp Hood 30 Front Sight Ramp Insert 31 Hammer 32 Hammer Spring 33 Hammer Strut 34 Hammer Strut Bridge 35 Hammer Strut Pin 36 Hammer Lifter Pin Ring bolt upside down in your vise, use your thumb to hold an individual extractor tightly against the bolt, and drift out the pins one at a time. Magazine Tubes.

The inner tube (#40) doesn’t come apart and is available as a complete replacement unit if anything ever goes wrong with it. 37 Lever Retaining Pin 38 Magazine Tube Band 39 Magazine Tube Band Pin 40 Magazine Tube Inside (complete) 41 Magazine Tube (outside) 42 Rear Sight Base 43 Rear Sight Elevator 44 Rear Sight Folding Leaf 45 Receiver* 46 Recoil Spring 47 Recoil Spring Guide 48 Sear 49 Sear Pin Ring 50 Sear Spring 51 Sideplate, Left 52 Sideplate, Right 53 Stock 54 Stock Reinforcement Screw 55 Swivel Stud, Rear 56 Swivel Stud, Front 57 Swivel Stud Nut 58 Takedown Screw, Front 59 Takedown Screw, Rear 60 Trigger Guard Nut, Front 61 Trigger Guard Screw, Front 62 Trigger Guard (complete) *Restricted to factory service only The outer tube (#41) is taken off by drifting its tube-support band (#38) from the dovetail in the barrel and pulling the tube, with band attached, from the receiver.

The Action. I assure you, this is not easy. The action mechanism is so touchy that a number of special

fixtures are employed at the factory to assemble or disassemble it. What I said about making an item-by-item list and making drawings or taking photographs was good advice. Act accordingly. There are two straps or sideplates (#51 and 52). The left plate is fes tooned with welded-on pins and is held to the right plate with E-clips.

Because the last thing you want to happen is to have this action "take itself apart" before you get the opportunity to study it, clamp the plates together before you start popping off the three small E-clips from the right-hand side. Ignore this precaution and you might jar a spring loose and start a chain reaction involving other springs, the carriage lifter (#12), and probably the sear (#48). This will leave you with a huge mystery when it comes time to reassemble the Model 60’s action.

So take my advice and use the clamps. Remove the small clips and put them somewhere where you won’t lose them. Once they’re off, you’ll be tempted to take off the large E-clip (#36). Don’t. It holds the bolt-release lever (#4) to the right-hand plate and should be set aside as an assembly with the plate once the sideplates are eventually separated. If it isn’t already cocked, cock the hammer. You’ll see the hole in the end of the hammer strut (#33).

Snip off a short length of paper clip and use long-nose pliers to "pin" the hole. This will capture the recoil spring and retain the hammer assembly intact. Reach into the assembly from the top with a pair of tweezers. Disconnect the extension spring (#17) from its groove in the pivot stud of the bolt-release lever. Loosen the clamps, get them out of your way, and secure just the left plate in your vise.

This is the critical moment: You have to separate the upper plate from the lower plate without disturbing any internal components. Don’t attempt to drive the plates apart. Begin by forcing up the front end of the top plate to clear the studs in the feed throat (#24).

Work your way to the rear of the top plate very slowly until it is free of the bottom plate, then set it aside. (I used three wooden tongue depressors glued together and beveled at one end as a wedging/prying device.) I know it must be getting tiresome by now, but the reason I mention photos and drawings and notes so often is because there is no drawing available of the Model 60 action. If there were, it would be in this article.

Therefore, once the top plate is off, sketch or photograph what you see after every disassembly step you take. Lift out the buffer (#6). The cartridge lifter (#12) occupies the same stud (pin) as the hammer (#31), and getting ham-handed while removing the lifter could free up a spring or

Right top: The author’s wedge, made of three tongue depressors, aids in the cautious separation of the right and left sideplates. Right bottom: Even a casual glance at the action of the Marlin Model 60 encourages the use of personally prepared reference materials to assist in reassembly. two. Now pick out the feed throat (#24) and ejector-lifter spring (#16). The hammer assembly (parts #31, 31, 33, 34, and 35) is removed as a unit.

The other end of the extension spring (#17) is still attached to the sear, or should be. So is the sear spring (#50). One end of the sear spring is up against the heavier stud on the lower plate. The rest of part #50 is wrapped around the sear. Memorize this setup for reassembly purposes. The disconnector itself is riveted to the left sideplate. The disconnector spring (#15) is not. Depress the disconnector so it is below the sear, then pull out the sear, sear spring, and extension spring.

The disconnector spring can be popped out of its recess in the plate with a small screwdriver. It’s all apart now. Unless you’ve kept the records I’ve been urging you to keep, there’s little help I can offer on putting the action back together—except for one thing: Before you pull the pin from its hole in the recoil-spring guide, restrain the hammer and ease it back up to its fired position. Bolt Reassembly Here area few tips worth mentioning.

The firing-pin retaining pin #26 must be aligned with its slot in the firing pin prior to installation. If not, the firing pin will be jammed and prevented from moving forward to impact the cartridge. After installation, both sides of the retaining pin must be flush with the sides of the bolt to avoid any drag between the bolt and receiver. (Dragging the bolt is a frequent cause of feeding/ejection problems in any kind of self-loader.) Install the extractors separately, springs first.

Hold the extractor against the spring pressure with your thumb, align the pin hole in the extractor with the pin hole in the bolt, place the pin in the hole, and push it in to be flush on both top and bottom. When replacing the spring and recoil guide, secure the receiver upside-down in your vise, and insert the guide into the spring with its "stud" end sticking out. Place that end of the guide into the housing in the receiver (see photo). Feed the spring into the bolt and then get ready for a little tussle.

You know how the magazine spring on a shotgun can fight you when you’re putting it back into its tube? Well, the Model 60 recoil spring is the shotgun spring’s demon baby brother. Hold the bolt between a thumb and forefinger and the spring between the other thumb and forefinger to support it. What you’re trying to do is prevent kinking of the spring as you compress it until the guide enters the bolt.

After awhile, you’ll have the little devil trapped in the bolt and held there by the guide, also trapped in its receiver housing. Now you have a free thumb and forefinger; use them to install the charging handle through the ejection port into its bolt slot, and release the bolt to the spring pressure. Check for free movement of the bolt in the receiver by working the charging handle back and forth.

To replace the action, pull the charging handle all the way back to its locked-open position and reinstall the action by sliding it forward and pushing it down. When you remount the barreled action to the stock, the receiver must be seated as far back in the stock as it will go. If not, the rifle may not fire. Check all functions manually with dummy rounds and then test fire the gun.

If your customer hassles you because what he really wanted was for you to convert his Model 60 .22 LR to .17 MK2, tell him he should have bought a Marlin Model 717 in the first place. Then you can tell him why. ■