Just got a new Marlin 60, my first gun...Now have Questions!

[Hunter125]

I agree completely with JDMorris. When my Model 60 gets dirty I just take the stock off and rinse it with hot water. If it is really nasty I use a little Dawn and a toothbrush. After washing I blow dry it. Once you get the metal warm you can let it sit for an hour or so. I lube it lightly with remoil or 3 in 1 oil. Then put the stock back on it. It's good for 120 days or 500 rounds.

^^^Please don't do this. Learn how to take your gun apart. It really is not difficult, but clean it properly and it will outlast you. Use products made for guns, they are the best things for your gun. Only do something like this^^^ if you jhave no other options. Takes me 15 minutes tops to thoroughly strip and clean my 60. Learn to do it, get familiar with your rifle. Then you will know if something is not right and a part needs replaced.
My buffer was broken once (after many years and many thousands of rounds) and I was able to order a $3 part and replace it myself because I knew my gun.

Don't store it in a soft case, that is the best way to rust your gun. Foam is even worse. I paid $80 for a simple sheet metal locking gun cabinet, nothing fancy.

I clean mine maaybe every six months, but I go through probably 2000 rounds or so a year.

Take care of it and your great grandchildren will be shooting it.

 

[IdealFugacity]

Last night I stripped it down, swabbed the barrel with my Otis cleaning kit, running Hoppes 9, dry, Hoppes oil, dry thru the bore, the action didn't have any gunk or manufacturing debris on it so I might have put one drop of oil on the slide. Oiled the outside of the barrel and stopped storing it in a rough case.

By noon today my girlfriend, my dad, and I had each fired off around 25 rounds of CCI standard velocity 36 grain. 15 and 25 yards, at the "back yard range" in the neighborhood. Had a "blast"...had a few 2" groupings with the iron sights, first time out so I was happy. 2 hours on the lake in the boats, then took my mom and girlfriend to the PA state gameland range, which was 25 mins away and, as luck would have it, we each got off 3 shots at the 25 yard target before rain storms hit. Due to the heavy sudden downpour, I stripped and ran a patch thru the bore again when we got home, and oiled the outside to remove finger prints. Mom had a 4" grouping centered around the bullseye, not bad for a first-time shooter in her 60s.

Love it!!!! Going to keep practicing the iron sights and invest in a scope next. Got permission from the GF to hang a squirrel on the wall, so marksmanship practice as much as I can before the fall : )

 

[IdealFugacity]

I hope this picture works, as I enabled Privacy settings on Flickr but think the links may work anyway. Let me know if they didn't work and I will change it!

I came up with a storage solution, to use what I believe is the very last nook and/or cranny available in our apartment, adds a layer of child deterrent (of course in addition to the action lock), is very subtle, and lets me store the rifle after oiling the exposed metal on the outside, handling the stock from the table to the rack, and put it somewhere where it won't gather fingerprints.

I wouldn't post this on a woodworking forum but I think it is pretty utilitarian!








Go in the closet and look up... (this is immediately above the door frame, about 20" above the open space between the shelf and the wall)




I am registering for the PA independent study Hunter Education program. I would like to do the classes, but they are not available to me due to the distance my permanent residence is in NJ from where the classes are held. New Jersey is a joke with their regulations so I am not even bothering with thinking about hunting locally. I'll do the PA safety courses and do my hunting there. I found out that there are THREE state gamelands within 30 minutes (on FOOT) from our cabin up there, including one which actually butts up against the shooting range in the neighborhood, and several more within easy driving distance.

 

[IdealFugacity]

Bought a Nikon Prostaff 4X32 yesterday. Found out today I can't use the semi-auto marlin 60 in pennsylvania for hunting : ( guess I'll try to get good with the rifle then pick up a bolt-action that can accept the same scope if I like it.

 

[One_Jackal]

^^^Please don't do this. Learn how to take your gun apart. It really is not difficult, but clean it properly and it will outlast you. Use products made for guns, they are the best things for your gun. Only do something like this^^^ if you jhave no other options. Takes me 15 minutes tops to thoroughly strip and clean my 60. Learn to do it, get familiar with your rifle. Then you will know if something is not right and a part needs replaced.
My buffer was broken once (after many years and many thousands of rounds) and I was able to order a $3 part and replace it myself because I knew my gun.

Don't store it in a soft case, that is the best way to rust your gun. Foam is even worse. I paid $80 for a simple sheet metal locking gun cabinet, nothing fancy.

I clean mine maaybe every six months, but I go through probably 2000 rounds or so a year.

Take care of it and your great grandchildren will be shooting it.

ERRRRMMM, I have been doing this for 35 years. My guns last as long as anyones. the military has been cleaning guns like that long before your great grandfather was born and they still shoot well.

If I wanted some snob to talk down to me I would go to the high dollar gun shop.

 

[Hunter125]

I wanted some snob to talk down to me I would go to the high dollar gun shop.

No need to be nasty. Not being a snob, just trying to steer a new gun owner in the direction of proper gun care. He ought to learn how to care for his guns well before he starts taking short cuts.

I guess if you call rinsing and blow drying proper gun care over using solvents and gun oil we'll just have to agree to disagree.

High road gents, high road.

 

[R3PTIL3]

I have a Model 60. Good gun, but sometimes mine is a little finicky with what ammo I put through it.

 

[One_Jackal]

@Hunter125 If rinsing a rifle passes a military inspection it's pretty darned good. Telling someone with no experience to disassemble a model 60 is not very responsible. It's one of the more difficult guns to reassemble. But hey, getting a newbie to trash his new rifle makes you look cool. That is your high road?

 

[snake284]

Dont worry too much about it. A 60 is a great gun, in part because they are durable and reliable. As long as you clean it well periodically, theres really no problem keeping it in the case under your bed, in a closet, etc. Dont think that you need to run out and spend $200+ on a gun safe. Now if it would make you feel better to have it locked, by all means, go for it.

My 60 lives in a cheap safe (maybe $150? - its been awhile) with my other guns, and Ive never had a problem. Now if I spent $3000+ on a fancy safari rifle with gorgeous wood, then Id think about a humidifier and a big expensive safe.

Now - go out and enjoy your new toy

I agree with benatilstate. Also, I don't know where you are geographically, but if you use AC it is more the better. AC keeps humidity down and I've never had problems with corrosion in my home for my firearms unless I failed to clean them when I had hunted with them. Like what was said, just with regular cleaning you will never have a problem. And by all means, when you've had your firearms out in the elements swab out the bore and wipe off the outside with Break Free or Rem Oil and you'll never have a problem. Just spray a little Break Free or Rem Oil on a patch and run it through the bore. Just don't oil it up with thick oil. And don't shoot it with a thick coating of oil in the barrel. In fact, I would swab out the bore before shooting with a dry patch. That will generally leave a thin fine coating of oil in the barrel but not so much as to damage the barrel when it's shot. Remember, Liquids don't compress.

 

[snake284]

^^^Please don't do this. Learn how to take your gun apart. It really is not difficult, but clean it properly and it will outlast you. Use products made for guns, they are the best things for your gun. Only do something like this^^^ if you jhave no other options. Takes me 15 minutes tops to thoroughly strip and clean my 60. Learn to do it, get familiar with your rifle. Then you will know if something is not right and a part needs replaced.
My buffer was broken once (after many years and many thousands of rounds) and I was able to order a $3 part and replace it myself because I knew my gun.

Don't store it in a soft case, that is the best way to rust your gun. Foam is even worse. I paid $80 for a simple sheet metal locking gun cabinet, nothing fancy.

I clean mine maaybe every six months, but I go through probably 2000 rounds or so a year.

Take care of it and your great grandchildren will be shooting it.

Well, all I do now in my semi old age is maybe take it out of the stock (maybe not) and spray the metal parts down with Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber, let it sit for 5-10 minutes and wipe it down. Then I spray a thin covering of Breakfree or Rem Oil on it and wipe this down. On my 22 Rim Fires I will swab out the barrel from the Chamber End if possible. If not I use a Muzzle Bore Guide and swab it from the muzzle end with a bronze brush and some Deaton's Deep Clean. Then I run dry patches down the barrel until they come out clean. But with the 22 rim fires I may or may not do this and usually clean it every two or three outings. With my center fire rifles I clean every trip to the range or field.

Another thing, the DDC has Ammonia, but it also contains lubricants that prevent it from drying out the metal and causing rust which can pit the bore. And it is also a great rust preventative. I wipe the outside metal down with it on a cloth before I store my guns.

 

[IdealFugacity]

No need to argue folks! Don't want my thread to turn into a battle over the right way to clean a .22. I have had no issues separating the bolt, action, and barrel from one another for the basic cleaning that I will give this rifle on the manual-spec basis, and until other issues occur that will be enough. I have done it 4 times and got better at it each time. As the spring breaks in it should get easier.

Thanks to all the advice about not bending the thin-but-long recoil spring, I've been careful to re-insert the bolt as follows:

1) Insert the thin metal rod thru the center of spring
2) Insert the small tip on the road into the hole for it at the back end of the barrel/breech...a few times I would reinsert the bolt and had to take it out again because I wasn't careful about keeping the rod in this hole
3) Slide the other end of the spring into the bolt
4) CAREFULLY pull the bolt back (this is hard free-hand, but until i build a vice my only way) - until the metal rod is into the hole of the bolt. This will prevent the spring from bending because you're using the rod as a guide now.
5) THEN lower the bolt into the breech. Put it all the way in and then let it slide forward while trying not to get fingers stuck.

My scope shipped yesterday. I will be improvising some sand bags to try and zero it next Friday. Yesterday I tested and was able to get a rock steady platform even using things like a bag of flour for the forend and a bag of lentils for the rear stock, so I think I will be able to DIY enough to zero it at 50 yards.

 

[Sav .250]

Clean it after you fire it. Wipe it down with a little RIG. Put it back in it`s case. Put it in your closet and rest easy. J s/n.

 

[Hunter125]

One Jackal, I'm just suggesting that a new gun owner needs to learn how his gun functions and learn the proper way to care for it, sounds like he's well on his way.

Kudos, IdealFugacity, and that rack it pretty clever. Good work.

Rinsing may pass military inspection and it may be your preferred method, but I hardly doubt anyone would say it's the best way to care for your gun and make it last. If somebody can't strip a gun to clean it and get it back together, maybe they ought to reconsider owning that particular gun.

My CCW instructor believed everyone who owned a gun should be able to detail strip, as in take absolutely everything apart. He said if you can't get it back together, take it to a gunsmith and have them show you how. I'm sure most would be happy to teach a little.

 

[SlowFuse]

You've gotten mostly good info so far... Great choice on the rifle. I have an old Glenfield Mod 75 (basically same as a Marlin mod 60) that still gives my newer rifles a run for their money in the accuracy dept. All you need is common sense, clean it every now and then and you shouldn't have a problem. As far as disassembling, mine only get it about once a year. Other than that, its a few patches down the bore and a wipe down.

 

[Wildcat_Charlie]

A lot of guys spray some CLP (google that, there are many brands and it stands for Clean, Lube, Protect) with the little spray nozzle straw thingy and get it all wet up in there with the product (make sure you shake CLP well before spraying) and then they blow it out with either an air hose or that canned air stuff. Doing that a couple times should do a halfway decent job of cleaning all but the filthiest gun. That's going to be messy so take the action out of the stock in one piece and do it somewhere outdoors or in a shop.

That's exactly how I clean my 60. It works like a new gun afterwards. The cleaner you use makes a lot of difference. CLP works great IMO. It won't leave enough residue to create a new problem when the burnt powder starts to accumulate in the oil. But that's only true if you do a good job of blowing out the excess. All that will be left will be the oil that got down inside the places where the moving parts meet their mounts. And that's what you want. Find yourself a needle type air hose nozzle. It will clean things out much quicker. But watch not to spray your hands with high pressure air from a nozzle like that. I wear a glove for protection. If you use too much pressure it can rip your hand open. Not likely especially if you limit how much pressure you use. I have a small compressor that only gets to 110 lbs. but I still wear a glove just in case.

If you just put oil on the action it will cause more problems than it fixes unless you spray it down every time you shoot it and I'm talking spraying half a can of cleaner in it.

Some people use brake fluid to completely clean all the crud from the action. It certainly cleans things up but it doesn't leave any lube for the moving parts. If you want to clean things that well it will be necessary to take the action apart and lube all the moving parts where they connect to their mounts. The CLP and air hose method are much easier.

Also there are some soft cases you can store your rifle in permanently. They will be treated with silicone inside. Foam rubber holds moisture and will cause a gun to rust in a big hurry if you keep a gun inside a closed case with regular foam rubber. If the foam is treated with silicone or has some other barrier to moisture on it then it's ok to store a gun in there. But I've seen new guns rust bad in a week inside a foam case. You could actually see some rust occur overnight. Those bags with just foam are for carrying your gun from place to place and protecting it while you're moving it. The only time I use one is when I'm taking a gun to a range etc..

 

[IdealFugacity]

Thanks - I'll definitely pick up a spray cleaning / air system then.

I will be keeping the gun in that closet-mounted rack for long term storage. If it can rust overnight in the soft case it makes travel tough (to the vacation home where there are very few places I can safely keep the gun if kids are around) but I'll figure something out. I just left it out on the table when I was there with aduls only this weekend. No climate control in the mountains and it was so horribly humid I definitely wouldn't want to zip it up in a case.

 

[Hunter125]

The type of rust that accumulates that quickly is a cosmetic surface rust. It can be prevented in most cases just by having a thin coat of oil on the exterior metal surfaces of the gun. Any rust that does accumulate after that can be wiped off with a rag and some oil. It won't do any damage. I'd check it over and wipe it down before you put it away for any extended period of time.

 

[HoosierQ]

This has been a very positive, affirming thread. It is exciting for us old dogs to be able to participate in helping somebody new to the sport (I think we're all assuming the OP to be young as well).

First thing I do when I get a new gun is learn how to take it apart as far as is advisable. I just purchased a 10/22 and that's probably one of the easier .22s to take apart. Not as easy as an AR-15 or a Glock or something...but pretty easy.

CLP is a product that everybody recommends...I do too. But there are others. I have been using a "home brew" of 50/50 Mobil 1 Synthetic Motor Oil to Marvel's Mystery Oil. Wow is that some slippery stuff!!! I have been using that on my 10/22 since I can easily get it apart and clean it and then get a thinish coat of that stuff on the bolt. Glides real easy which is good in a .22 auto.

Now opinions on this subject very, and somebody is going to disagree with me...and more power to them...but here goes. .22lr ammo is dirty. It's pretty much all dirtier than centerfire ammo. Also the way it's primed, it does not fire as reliably as centerfire ammo. For those reasons I am sticking to CCI standard and CCI MiniMag 22lr ammo. It is renowned for being cleaner than most and much more reliable that most. It is also more expensive but it certainly is not centerfire expensive. I do not find the margin prohibitive to have less crumbs and soot all up in the action and to have the thing go bang every time. I have been through probably 500 rounds with my new gun with not one single malfunction of any sort...nary a one. I cleaned my very thoroughly before firing it as the factory oil is more for preserving than lubing.

 

[HoosierQ]

So you can't hunt with a semi-auto .22 in Penn? Did I read that right? Too many rounds in the tube or just semi-auto in general?

I know for centerfire rifles, a lot of states prohibit more than 5 or 10 rounds in a hunting gun, but never heard of that in a rimfire. Double check that would you? That doesn't sound right but what do I know, I don't live in Penn.

 

[IdealFugacity]

Cannot use a semi-automatic rifle in PA for hunting. I am not a legal expert but believe from what I have read that a semi-automatic shotgun is allowed and a semi-automatic pistol may be carried on your person while hunting as well. In NJ (where I reside when not at the lake home in PA) I can't use a rifle, AT ALL, I probably won't even bother with a hunting license here. I will be taking the PA hunter safety education classes soon.






Had the day off today so I installed my scope, a Nikon 4x32 Prostaff Rimfire, on UTG Leapers .22 mount, set what I believe to be the correct eye relief and put some tape on the shed wall outside in order to "level" the crosshairs vertically and horizontally. I will be able to zero it on Friday at the range. Then I fashioned a workable removable cheek-rest once I figured out that there was no way to hold the rifle with proper form with the scope on there. I stitched some pipe insulation to velcro and glued on a bit of old t-shirt. It's not pretty but it'll work for now. Buy the stuff that matters and DIY the stuff that I can, works with my hobbies.

I am 27 btw, saw a comment about my potential age range above. Young to guns for sure, I got a CCW permit when I lived in Connecticut in '07 but never pursued it, moved to NJ in '09 and immediately got my purchaser ID card and 2 pistol permits but never used those before they expired. Now that I'm rapidly approaching the point where I may have a wife and kids within a couple of years from now, I want to ease us (As a couple) into gun ownership so there's no quarreling about the way we choose to protect our home. She has liked the .22 rifle, next I will be introducing her to a Ruger .22 pistol once I save up for one. I am looking forward to taking the both of us to an Appleseed event (she is excited as a history lover as well) and also NRA safety courses.

 

[HoosierQ]

Sorry man...that was me who suggested, fondly, you may have been "a kid". Well, you're a lot younger than me...but obviously no kid. The amount of pride you've shown in this thread, I think, probably reminded a lot of us of ourselves when we first owned a fine firearm...or maybe got our kids same. Doesn't matter, it's all the same emotion. Still a great rifle. I just got a 10/22 and I am very pleased. My problem in my eyesight. Old eyes and iron sights don't mix. I like that scoped setup you got there.

I maybe an gonna go too far here but I have a suspicion that these hunting restrictions regarding rifles pertain to centerfire rifles...just a hunch...you probably have done your homework. I say this because we here in Indiana were prohibited from hunting with any sort of "rifle" until very recently when they began to allow the use of pistol caliber rifles for deer... .357 magnum or higher. They didn't leave it to chance, they just made a list of calibers acceptable to hunt deer with (.357 magnum, .44, .45 LC, .454 Casull). 7 or 8 years ago the gun racks were filled if .357 and .44 lever guns. Try to find one now!!!

I say this because none of that ever applied to rimfire .22 and nor semi-auto. I'd make sure that .22 rimfire is covered in the "no semi-auto rifle" prohibition. I just can't imagine in a state like Penn, with 400 years of hunting tradition, you can't hunt a squirrel with a Model 60. Just saying.

 

[IdealFugacity]

Yup it applies. People on PAFOA.org (pa firearm owners association) etc have been trying for years to get .22s on an exception list.

 

[HoosierQ]

Wow. That's amazing. Well I guess you'll just have to have fun shooting targets with it...something at which that rifle should excel. I personally don't hunt anymore. I do have rural property that needs caring for and so I do some varmint control and whatnot...rats, raccoons mostly. My go to gun for that is a Savage 24 22mag/20ga over-under.