My brother just gave me a marlin 60 (I think) as a graduation gift. This is the first gun I've ever owned and I just realized I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to take care of it. I know from reading here that some guns don't like some kinds of ammo. I also assume I'm supposed to clean it. I did order a boresnake yesterday; is that all I need to clean it or did I miss something? It came with a scope too, if that matters.
My nephew has one of those. I went shooting with him and we swapped guns. I was shocked at how accurate it was right out of the box. Nice gun.
Boresnakes are nice, but not really necessary for the average .22 rifle. I actually prefer cleaning rods. I have an unopened boresnake that has been sitting over my workbench for about seven years. I clean my .22's after about 1000 rounds.
For a gun like that, you shouldn't have to worry about it being finicky with ammo, though some brands will be more accurate and consistent than others. With .22's, I just buy big boxes of cheap stuff and shoot a lot.
In reply to thatsnowinnebago:
Get some hoppes number 9, a bore brush, some patches and a cleaning rod. Some oil to protect things after cleaning as well. The model 60 is very easy to disassemble. The bore snake is good for the first part of the cleaning, but I like to use some hoppes with a brush afterwards. My friennds model 60 will shoot anything you feed it.
Joey
In reply to Woody:
1000 rounds? This works? I clean my 10/22 alot more than that, but would love to wait some more time between cleanings. No adverse affects?
Joey
That is a nice rifle. With minimal care it will last for the rest of your life. Keep it dry and lightly lubricated. After shooting swab the bore with Hoppes #9 or something similar. Go to a range and get some instruction on safe handling of the rifle as it is your first gun. Any .22 long rifle cartridges will work with it but some will be more accurate than others. I would shoot the cheapest you can find. If you get to the point that your ammo is the limiting factor in your accuracy you have done very well. Also many firearms have online maintenance manuals.
OK, you need a gun cleaning kit. Walmart has many to choose from. Basically, you just need a 22 caliber cleaning rod (which 99% of them are), some gun oil, I use Break Free CLP as does, or did for decades, the US Army, and some cleaning patches (old T shirts are acceptable, but store-bought ones are nice), and an old T shirt for a general cleaning rag. The latest thing in cleaning rods are the one piece carbon fiber ones, which reduce wear on the muzzle in particular and the whole barrel in general, supposedly. You pay for carbon fiber.
After shooting, make sure it's unloaded, lock the action open or break down as needed, run your patches through with some Break Free on them, preferably from the breech (back) end of the barrel if you can, but not all rifles can do that and I suspect the Marlin 60 is one of those, so from the muzzle (business) end if you have to, until the patches come out as clean as when you put them in. Squirt some Break Free on the T shirt and wipe down all the metal.
That should do you.
No adverse effects at all, and usually with a modified 10/22. I buy the cheap bulk stuff and shoot two boxes (575 rounds each?) each time I go out. Every once in a while, I'll run a pad down the barrel at the range, but that's the exception to the rule.
I also love Break Free.
And, as Hess mentioned, the big advantage to the Bore Snake is that you can clean it the same direction as the bullet travels.
Get a 10/22.
Shoot it like you stole it.
Pitch it when it's worn out.. boost another one.
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NYG95GA wrote: Get a 10/22. Shoot it like you stole it. Pitch it when it's worn out.. boost another one. [/thread]
I love my 10/22, but the Marlin is more accurate out of the box. More sharp edges, though.
I've always been told to clean the barrel from the breech, if you can. Not sure its going to be that important with a 22.
Words of caution.
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, be sure the rifle is unloaded before you clean it. Then check it again. Many people have died cleaning their "unloaded" weapons. When putting the rifle into a car, be sure its UNLOADED. A good friend of my fathers died putting his .22 rifle into the back seat of his car for the trip home from the farm. Shot himself in the forehead.
And never any horseplay with a weapon.
Copper coated bullets will cut down on lead fowling, it certainly helped with my 10/22.
In reply to joey48442: I have put 2000-3000 rounds per weekend through my Browning semi auto rifle many times without any problem. Also the same number of rounds through my Ruger MkII pistol without a problem. They are dirty when I get home. I have had the Browning 37 years (since I was 5) and nver had to replace a part.
Thanks for all the good info so far everyone. Is the proper way to store this gun with the bolt open or closed?
Woody wrote: I love my 10/22, but the Marlin is more accurate out of the box. More sharp edges, though.
The better name brands are superior in quality, but you hate to leave them in the woods.to return to the earth. Personally, I'd rather have a Marlin, but I would be reticent to drop it and haul as$.
You know that's liable to happen, right?
In reply to thatsnowinnebago:
Closed.
pilotbraden wrote: In reply to joey48442: I have put 2000-3000 rounds per weekend through my Browning semi auto rifle many times without any problem. Also the same number of rounds through my Ruger MkII pistol without a problem. They are dirty when I get home. I have had the Browning 37 years (since I was 5) and nver had to replace a part.
Wow! I've torn apart my mkII almost everytime i've gone shooting. Probably 200-300 rounds. My problem is that after about 40 or 50 rounds, the bolt hold open function stops working. Not a big deal, I suppose but I wonder what the deal is. This happens with both magazines.
Joey
also, Hess, the marlin 60 is an auto similar to the 10/22, except it has a tubular magazine that goes under the barrell. So you can run a cleaning rod up through the barrel towards the muzzle. My firend has one, it's nice to shoot.
In reply to joey48442:
I have 1 magazine out of 5 that never stays open on the last shot the others all work fine.
I've got both a Marlin 60 and a 10/22. The marlin is more accurate, could be the small scope my dad put on it. 
I inherited the marlin. Good advice here on cleaning. For a .22, simple bore cleaning (swabbing) and once in a while cleaning the bolt will get you years of service. Most .22 ammo nowadays are copper coated which does decrease lead build up and recent powder is more efficient leading to less carbon build up. Clean the preservative off, attend gun safety course, treat every gun like it's loaded and have fun shooting it.
I have a question for you guys saying the 10/22 is less accurate than the Marlin are you guys using newer or older Rugers? My 10/22 was built in '76 and is damn accurate. However its an anniversary model and I have the matching .44 Mag carbine so I don't want to modify it so I was thinking of getting another new one when they are on sale.
My 10/22 is a six year old Deluxe Sporter. It's very, very accurate for a semi, but the Marlin was just more so. I'm talking about fractions of a inch.
What Woody says. Although mine is older.
In my case it's probably due to the Marlin having a scope mounted and I've never completely sighted in the 10/22. It's accurate enough for plinking. I would imagine that my 10/22 would be more accurate if I took the time to sight it in, just never felt a need for it as I have other more accurate rifles, including the Marlin and a couple other .22 rifles.
When I used to shoot competition, "they said" that with Rugers, you either got one that shot damn straight or not worth a damn, and there wasn't any inbetween, and that went for the #1s down to the cheapest they sold.
For a 22 semi auto, the 10/22 is pretty accurate, and there are a bunch of match barrel makers out there too. I read an article somewhere (SGN, I think) on someone putting a match barrel on his 10/22, fancy stock, etc. I think it was doing 1 MOA. You can dress up a 10/22 in an unlimited number of ways.
I've always heard good things about the Marlin 22's. The drawback is the tubular mag, which isn't really a drawback as much as "not cool."
joey48442 wrote: Get some hoppes number 9, a bore brush, some patches and a cleaning rod.
Best scent on earth.
Someday, Estée Lauder will catch on.
Think of the 10/22 like a Chevy 350. It's not the best out there, but it's cheap and there are more aftermarket upgrades out there for it than for any other gun in the world.
Tom Heath wrote:joey48442 wrote: Get some hoppes number 9, a bore brush, some patches and a cleaning rod.Best scent on earth.
I sent them an e-mail a few years ago asking if they made a car air freshener. They said that they were working on it.
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