Marlin 60

The Marlin 60 .22 Long Rifle semiautomatic rimfire rifle is a remarkably long lived firearm with millions of examples in service. In over forty years of dealing with firearms I can state that I have never seen a Marlin 60 failure related to the design or manufacture. Neglect in the form of a failure to clean, corrosion, and simple wear has been the usual culprit behind malfunctions of any type. Disassembling the Model 60 is easy, so simple in fact that you may do so with only a screwdriver.

That is probably a record of some type. Before looking at the common problems and how to fix them, lets dive into disassembly. Remove the magazine tube and shake the rifle with the muzzle downward to remove any cartridges. Replace the magazine tube, rack the bolt to the rear and be certain the chamber is empty.

Without the force of the magazine spring it is possible that a cartridge might be stuck in the mechanism, so be certain to empty the magazine and replace it and then confirm the piece is unloaded and the slide racked while the magazine spring is in place for the final fail safe check. With the chamber verified empty, remove the magazine tube and spring assembly by twisting the tube to the point that the tab on the tube releases its hold on the magazine tube itself.

Next, with the rifle secured in a padded vise, remove the front and rear take down screws. Leave the screw at the front of the trigger guard as well as the Phillips head screw on the right of the mechanism in place. The receiver is simply pulled away from the wooden stock. The trigger and safety need not be removed but remove the assembly post with finger pressure toward the bottom. Never exert too much force on a plastic part!

To the best of my knowledge, this part has been plastic since the beginning of production. With the assembly post removed, the hammer mechanism should spring up. Pull the hammer mechanism

toward the rear and you will note two small ears toward the front. This part is easily removed. There is a resemblance to other hammer assemblies including the M1 and M1A. At this point the Marlin’s bolt is visible from the lower receiver and there is a recoil spring that will be compressed at this point. It is desirable to remove the bolt now and it must be pressed or pulled to the rear approximately one quarter inch.

Press the rear of the bolt down at an angle and the bolt face should begin to rise out and away from the receiver. This will free the cocking handle. Little force is needed to free the cocking handle and it most often simply falls out of the bolt. When removing the bolt from the receiver be certain to control the bolt as the recoil spring holds the bolt under tension. This is all that is needed to field strip, examine, and clean the firearm.

At this point examine the parts Most of the time a good cleaning followed with lubrication solves the problems encountered with feed reliability and function. Function Problems If there is actually a problem with the rifle’s function it will likely be due to one of five springs. These springs include the Extension Spring, Ejector Lifter Spring, Sear Spring, Disconnector Spring, and Hammer Spring.

You will note as you disassemble the rifle that there are C-clips holding the pins in place in the receiver in the hammer mechanism. These clips are easily changed with a pointed screwdriver used to apply leverage to them and then simply pushing off of the pin. To change a spring, remove the C-clip and partially remove the spring retaining pin to slide the spring off. Replace with anew spring from Brownells and you are good to go. Failures to feed, load, fire, and eject sometimes occur with every firearm.

When the bolt does not completely close on a loaded cartridge then there is a good chance the recoil spring has a kink in it. To attempt a stop gap if you do not have a new recoil spring on hand, straighten the recoil spring with pliers. When you replace the recoil spring be certain the spring isn’t riding against the bolt’s rear but rather that it is contained in the opening in the rear of the bolt for proper function. Failures to load, feed, and chamber are often a result of pow- Far

der residue caked on the rifle. The .22LR cartridge is a dirty round and both lead lubricant on the bullet itself and powder residue will clog the rifle’s action. Clean thoroughly and be certain that lead slick and powder build up is eliminated. A common hiding place for sludge is the extractor indent. The Marlin has extractor indents on each side of the chamber. These areas must be thoroughly cleaned, otherwise, build up will stop the extractor and impede function.

After cleaning these areas and the feed way check for proper bolt movement. Interestingly enough, the Marlin 60 is among a very few tubefed rifles that will benefit from some lubricant in the magazine tube. Conversely, since the .22LR is a dirty cartridge with bullet lube and powder deposits common, take it easy on interior and bolt lubrication. As for failures to fire, if the rifle doesn’t fire after a good cleaning and lubrication the firing pin may be well worn.

This isn’t unusual in very old .22 rifles of any type as they seldom use hardened steel. The hammer spring may be weak. In a case of too much knowledge meets too little knowledge, some gunsmiths have clipped the hammer spring in order to produce a lighter trigger. The result is often a failure of the rifle to fire due to insufficient firing pin energy. Check the firing pin; the edge of the firing pin should be a chisel edge. There is also a small slot in the bolt with a pin that holds the firing pin in place.

This becomes worn and allows the firing pin to wobble. Also, leaving the bolt locked open isn’t good and will cause wear on the firing pin spring. Occasionally, the Marlin 60 or the newer Marlin 795 are delivered with an over-strength recoil spring. The bolt will not completely close during cycling in this case. It is a simple matter to clip (Continued on page 23) American Gunsmith Reader Services 1.

a few coils off if such a spring is encountered. A failure to extract with the Marlin is generally traced to the same problems as identified with other .22 self-loading rifles and usually indicates a need for the bolt and extractors to be cleaned. Check the extractors and be certain that they are clean and that the extractor hook is sharp. If not, they may need to be cleaned and the end trued up with a jeweler’s file. Or in the worst case, they may need to be replaced.

Regarding accuracy improvement, these rifles are generally accurate enough for hunting, informal target practice, and training young shooters. With the CCI Mini Mag loading they may exhibit a two 22 rifle bolt in the middle of cleaning. Quite a bit of elbow grease was needed! One is the primary extractor and the other simply spring loaded and primarily a guide. to three-inch group for five shots at 50 yards and that is plenty accurate. The front bedding screw is a fertile field for experimentation.

If you tighten it too much it will adversely affect accuracy. Usually the mid point of tightness is best, but experimentation at a modest 25 yards will often demonstrate a good solid group. By the same token, be careful when tightening the trigger guard screws. The trigger guard is plastic and is easily cracked or out right broken. The Marlin 60 .22 is a common firearm certain to visit the shop from time to time.

The fixes are simple and if you need a small part or spring they are very inexpensive and readily available from Brownells. AG