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Bolt holdback on Marlin semiauto rimfires.

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emilianoksa

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Apr 24, 2007
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Is the failure of the bolt to hold back after the last shot, something that happens a lot on Marlins, or a fairly rare occurence?

Is it more or less likely to occur on a Mod 60 than on a 795?

Are the triggers on the Mod 60 and 795 identical?

I ought to point out that I'm talking about well maintained guns, and not rifles that have been left to accumulate a large buid up of crud in the action.

I can live with the occasional failure of a bolt to hold back, but, if it happens a lot, that would result in a lot of unintended dry firing, which I would prefer to avoid.

Ruger 10/22s, it seems, are not as accurate out of the box as stock Marlins, but they aren't damaged by dry firing. I'd prefer to buy a Marlin, but I've seen the hold open fail on range guns many times, and it's a worrying issue.

Getting rid of a gun in the States is a relatively easy issue - private sale or part-exchange is easy - but part-exchange is impossible here (no gun shops are interested), and private sales are a PITA. The number of trips to different government offices, and the amount of paper work needed is really off putting.

When I buy a gun here, I have to be confident it's going to be a keeper. So far I've been lucky with my other guns, but semiauto rimfire rifles have more of reputation for reliability problems than most arms.

I always appreciate the advice of forum members, and generally take it.
 
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While I have only dealt with a few 10-22s and Model 60s, I have never seen the bolt hold open not work on a Marlin. In my experience the Rugers seem to be little more finicky about ammo and magazines but have many more aftermarket options.

For just a simple, fun, accurate, and reliable semi-auto 22, I would go for a Marlin Model 60.
 
I have a Model 60 and have mever had a problem with the last shot hold open. I have heard that some 795's have had issues with the hold open not functioning due to a burr in the mechanism. This is easily solved with a little file work so Iam told.

Mals
 
A range gun is not a good representation of these guns. They get abused and most have had millions of rounds and 10s of thousands of shooters, some good some not.

I can't remember having read where an owner complains of bolt hold open problems with either the 60 or the 795. As to the triggers, they are identical in the same time frame. Older 60s are slightly different but i think since the 795 has been out there haven't been any changes. The triggers on these guns are not great out of the box. But there are plenty of threads here and even more on rimfirecentral.com on how to improve the actions of these guns.

Hope you can cut through the red tape and get you a good rifle soon.
 
Are you sure that the rifles had a LRBHO? Some of the older Marlins did not have this device.

:)
 
Yes, I'm sure they had the LSBHO.

But Pig Buttons is correct. The range guns are in poor condition. A lot of people don't seem to have been taught how to treat a gun.

I like the the look of the Ruger, but plinking accuracy and reliability are more important to me, and I'll almost certainly follow the advice I've been given and go for the Marlin.

My choice now will be between the 60 and 795. I like both and will find it difficult to make up my mind. The 795 is a nifty little carbine, but the extra weight of the 60, and the possibility that the tube fed mechanism is more reliable over time, than the detachable magazine, will probably be the deciding factor.

Thanks again for your help.
 
I have a marlin 795 and a marlin 7000. Both of them don't always lock the bolt back but I haven't had a problem with the firing pin getting messed up either. Mark
 
My 60 always holds the bolt open.

That said, it's not like a pistol or an AR-15, where you can just release the bolt when you're done reloading, and be ready to fire. In fact, I can load one more round in the gun if I close the bolt before I fill the tube magazine. Since I have to pull it back and release it to chamber the first round, either way, I generally close the bolt on an empty chamber before loading the magazine.

I find 15 rounds, instead of 14, to be more convenient, when I'm using boxed ammo that comes in 5-round rows.:)

One way or another, the only function the LSBHO of the 60 has is to let you know you're out of cartridges, and to prevent unintentional dry-firing. It's not like an AR.
 
Bolt hold open on my 995 has never worked reliably. Sure, you can lock it open but it almost never locks back like it's supposed to do on the last shot.
 
I bought a used Mod 60. The hold open didn't function when I got it. It took a thuriugh cleaning and then it worked fine. It has stopped working every time, so it's time for another cleaning, but it hasn't been a major issue that would turn me off them.

I would buy another. Also, I'm able to load 17 rounds in my Mod60. Is that usual? Or do I have a longer than normal barrel and tube?
 
It took a thuriugh cleaning and then it worked fine.
Click to expand...

This isn't the only firearm that's like this. I had an 1100 12 Gauge with the same problem. I never could figure out what caused the LSBHO to fail, but it must have been a seed from hunting or something else tiny. One way or another, a cleaning fixed the gun completely.
 
If you cycle the action it will likely hold 19! (mine does).

You have what is considered to be a somewhat rare Model 60: long barrel and tube with last shot bolt hold open latch. Bon appetit!
 
It's not so much the firing pin that bothers me. Firing pins are pretty cheap to replace.

It's the damage to the rear of the chamber from repeatedly being hit by the pin that I'm worried about.
 
I think I'm going to go for the stainless with the beech stock. I find that quite an attractive combination, even more than the carbon fibre and laminated stocks.

Now I need to find some silver anodysed mounts and a silver coloured scope - well, not need, but want. It's so much nicer to shoot a gun you like the look of than one you don't much care for. Unless it's a Glock, of course.

No chance of getting them here, so I'll have to order from Midway.

Scope mounts are a bit of a problem for me since, as a Limey, I'm used to European 11mm mounts, and I've got to think in terms of 5/8" for American tip off mounts for an American gun. I'm thinking that a cheapish Bushnell or Swift might be a good option for the scope - say 2-7 x 32. Any advice would be welcome. Especially about the rings. Aluminium I suppose. Steel might tear up the top of an alloy action. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Can I just bolt the rings onto the action, or do I need to buy a picatinny base and stick the rings on that? I've heard that scope creep can be a problem on Marlins rimfires.

Any recommendations?
 
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Some 60's scope rails slide the scope some don't. Mine would not hold a scope past about 300 rounds. I fixed one set by tapping a hole for a set screw. It worked.

I ended up buying a rail from Ebay - TO-10. Total junk in my opinion. It did not fit the rail very well and was too flexible.

BKL makes nice stuff from what I hear.

I bought a Rimfire Technologies rail which is nice. Not as easy to remove as the BKL if you want to swap to peep sights.

I like Tech sights also but have only used them on the 10-22. ( you want peeps aslo)

I like the picatinny rail for transferring a scope between 2 rifles or just removing the scope for cleaning. I can take a scope off of a 700 and put it on the 60, the return it to the 700. Picatinny give me more options in what I do.
 
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