Marlin 60 vs Ruger 10/22

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Is ruger 10-22 a rip off of a marlin 60 with some changes


Which came first?

Can someone link to or post photos of the guts for the marlin ?


I had never known of the marlin sixty until today
 
I have both - I like the Marlin better mainly due to the trouble I have with rotary magazines getting dirty and malfunctoning in my Rugers.

Both are good guns, and accurate and easy to shoot.

The Marlin has a tube-feed magazine and the Ruger has those rotary magazines.

I would not call the Ruger a rip-off of the Marlin.

best

mqqn
 
mqqn said:
The Marlin has a tube-feed magazine and the Ruger has those rotary magazines. I would not call the Ruger a rip-off of the Marlin.
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Marlin has versions with detachable magazines too. An automatic made for .22LR is a very simple device so there isn't much mechanism to "rip off". They are similar in appearance but not that much different from some other brands. The Ruger seems a little bit classier to me but these days also seems overpriced compared to other brands. The Ruger is very popular which probably lead to its current pricing.
 
The Marlin Model 60 tends to be more accurate out of the box than the standard Ruger 10/22. Both are very good 22 rifles.
 
I fired a Marlin 60 about 20 years ago. It was a fun little 22, but I didn't like manipulating things near the barrel to load, and it's so easy to eat through a brick of 22 between friends on a long, outdoor range day. You also can't take the magazine out for outdoor ranges that require shooters to unload and lock open when it's time for everyone to go and get or change their targets.

I have two 10/22's and have been thinking of getting a third for the last 15 years. It's nice to be able to load a few magazines at a time if you are going to be shooting all day long. The only reliability issues I ever had with the rotary magazine or with the 10/22 in general was:
1. Trying fancy target ammo that had really thick wax coating.
2. Trying certain HP ammunition
3. Trying to install a trigger kit on an older model that had some strange specs in the trigger area (certain year(s) had issues).

It's my understanding that sometimes you get lucky (or unlucky) with the 10/22 for stock accuracy. Is also my understanding that some plinkers do very basic smithing mods to have great accuracy. I went the aftermarket route, and like the variety of accessories available.

I don't think the Marlin has as many options for accessories, but if you aren't in to that, either should be a fine rifle.
 
The 10/22 is definitely more popular currently. But I received a Marlin 60 when I was a kid. I've put more thousands of rounds through it than I even dare estimate. I purchased a 10/22 a number of years ago for my youngest son. Though he much prefers to use my old 60 when we take them out. I know it's not average, but my 10/22 is also a jamb master. Had a number of people look at it, and none can figure it out. It almost never gets used anymore. When he was super little, I started him off on a Rossi single round break action. It was a little too slow to keep his attention. Which is why he eased into the 60 on the bench before he could even hold the thing.

So now my old model 60 still gets used on occasion. But the 22 rifle that gets the most use is a little S&W M&P 15-22 (Realtree version). Because it's mostly plastic, it is very lightweight. My boy likes that it looks almost identical to any standard AR. And it has been flawless on every outing.
 
Interesting article and history of the Cooey firearms. Personally I would say that the 1960's through early 70's were the golden years of the inexpensive but reliable semi automatic 22 rifle. Mossberg had a lot of models and a Mossberg was my first 22 rifle. Some Mossberg production is in Canada.
 
The Marlin Model 60 was originally the Marlin model 99 which was introduced in 1959. A couple changes like a bolt hold open and less expensive wood and it became the model 60.

If you've handled both the 60 and the Ruger 10/22 you can see that, without even getting into the internals, one is not a rip-off of the other. The 10/22 is box magazine fed, has a much wider receiver, uses a barrel band, etc..

There are companies that are putting out trigger upgrades and spring kits for the Model 60 now. The heavy, "crunchy" trigger has always been the Model 60's Achilles heel.

If you even think that you will start throwing parts and money at a .22 rifle and are the type that likes to keep improving something until only the receiver is what's left original, buy the Ruger.

If you want something accurate out of the box, serviceable, durable, fun as it is and all you might add is a scope, get the Marlin. A box magazine fed version is available, The Marlin 795.

To throw another into the mix, the Mossberg 702 is similar to the Marlin 795 but around $20 cheaper if you shop around. Not enough to sway me from the accuracy of the micro-groove barrel of the Marlin (just my opinion).

Edit: I have two Marlin's. A 60 and a 99. They've been a lot of fun. I've had issues with certain ammo types but once you figure out what any .22 rifle likes or dislikes, you're good.
 
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IIRC, the Marlin was produced first.

I've never owned one, but I've always read that they are generally more accurate than a 10/22.

I wouldn't mind picking one up some day, but I'm pretty heavily invested in the 10/22 and S&W 15-22.
 
I'd say they are more dissimilar than similar.

I've had 2 Marlins a 60 and a 75 (almost a youth version of the 60 that never became popular). I sold the 60 to a friend, it was a solid rifle but didn't bring anything else to the table.
I've had 3 10/22s one I tinkered with and had it painted then gave it to my father in law. Another I stripped it down to the reciever and put together an off hand shooter, the other I bought a stripped reciever to begin with and spent WAY TOO MUCH $$$ putting an awesome beast together !!!
 
10/22 is the most popular, has unlimited selection of accessories much like an AR-15. You can build a superior version of the 10/22 with no Ruger parts at all. The last 10/22 I bought came with a noticeably bent barrel.
 
leghog said:
Many a Marlin 60 have been uncorrectable jam-o-matics.
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I had one Marlin, a take down papoose.

It was a jamomatic with any magazine I tried in it. Sent it back to Marlin and they "worked on it" and sent it back to me and it was still a jamomatic. Was accurate as hell when it worked, but couldn't count on more shots after the first one was fired.

Never had a problem from my Ruger 10/22.
 
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