Ruger or Marlin 22lr?

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Bob79

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Hello,

I'm new to rifles, I have a 336A from Marlin that I like, but I think I want to get a 22lr rifle to go along with my S&W 22lr revovlers.

Reliability is the the most important thing here, and it seems most 22lr rifles are autoloaders. How reliable are they?

I've been reading up on the Ruger 10/22, and the Marlins 60 or 795. I also saw Marlin has the 39A lever action, but that seems kind of heavy, with a longer barrel than the other guns.

I'm just looking for general information on these guns, and from people who own, or have owned these guns. Thanks for the help.
 
It might be a little heavier but the 39a is one of the finest lever action .22s available and won't let you down.

Marlin 60s are a really nice package. Cheap to buy, reliable and for its price you won't get more accurate in a semi automatic package. Of course the tube fed takes a little longer to load and the more modern ones have a little shorter tubes to hold less ammo than mine which is over 30 years and still going strong. You can also get them in stainless steel which is nice and they have an inbuilt grove for mounting optics that I like. Currently I use mine as a squirrel and other pest eradicator to keep them off my vegetable garden and plinking fun.

Marlin 975s are nice, though I know on my Marlin 25 sometimes I have trouble pressing in the release clip to pull out those magazines. They are however really handy. Its very hard to find larger magazines for them. I only fired an older Marlin in the 75 range of rifles with wooden stock and may buy one, but since I had a Marlin 60 never go around to it. If you can get hold of magazines though I think it would be well worth it.

The 10/22 advantage would be the sheer amount of aftermarket addons and modifications. There is a whole market for the thing. I would say its reliability isn't as good and its hard to find large magazines for them.
 
Marlin 60. Unless you want to go tacti-kool / Mall-ninja then go for the 10/22.
 
If you want the best 22 ever made....

Get the Marlin 39 lever rifle, if you want a great 22 auto that you don't need to spend $$$$ on to get accurate, get either the 60 (tube fed) or the 795 (magazine fed). If you want to go broke making your rifle shoot accurately, or just like hanging a lot of gizmo's, gadgets, bells and whistles on your 22lr:neener: .....get the 10/22. Any of these while probably last three lifetimes,
and 100's of thousands of rounds.

My choice....the Marlin 795:D
 
I'd get a marlin bolt or lever rifle for reliability, never had a semi that was all that accurate or reliable.
 
Most Marlin Autos will shoot...

3/4" groups at 50 yds.....my 795 will shoot 1/2" groups with CCI standard velocity, and 1" groups at 100yds with that stuff...:evil:
 
I have a marlin 60 and rugr 10/22.. the 60 is a little more accurate but the 10/22 feeds better. which one depends on you. both are good guns
 
Have both. Marlin is more accurate out of the box. Ruger was not too good from the start. Replaced factory barrel with a heavy barrel. Now shoots about like the Marlin but a a greater cost initially and finally. The lever 39A tops them both. More costly but worth it.
 
I have the 10/22 and a Marlin model 60. Both good, reliable guns all around. I also have a heavy barrel Savage MKII bolt action with Accu-trigger. It's more accurate from the factory than my $1200 rebarreled, tuned 10/22 is after all the expense! Costs $250 or so, plus the cost of a scope. It made a believer out of me!

Now to spend a fortune on it trying to wring even more accuracy out. It's a sad addiction indeed.
 
I've had a bolt Marlin since 1960 with 1000's of rounds thru it and it is still amazingly accurate. It has a good trigger too, the 10/22 will not, but there are fixes for that. Here is a a site you shoud visit.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/


FWIW those that have them love thier Marlin lever .22, but if it's uncomfortable for you....best to find one that fits.
 
I've never cleaned a 10-22, but my Mod. 60 is pretty easy, once you've done it a couple times.

It's also very accurate, very reliable and will likely sit next to its stainless sister in the gun safe one of these days.
 
I love the Marlin 60 for it's lower price-point and it's amazing accuracy for the money spent. I've had one for many years and have never been let down by it.
My younger brother took it re-did the stock's finish and really fancied it up. He colored the squirrel and oak leaves, stained it and added many coats of clear-coat. The stock has a lot of chatoyance in the light. I'll be sanding and re-blueing the barrel soon.
Here's a couple of pics:

Mvc-007f.jpg
Mvc-013f.jpg
Mvc-023f.jpg
 
I had a Marlin Mod 60, LOVED it, trying to get it back. Bought my Dad a 10/22 around '85. Between the 2 I just liked my 60 LOTS better, but I was used to it.

If you want aftermarket add-ons, go with the 10/22, if you want a basic shooter that looks great, handles well, and is just flat FUN, go with a 60. My personal suggestion with the 60 is get one that's got the 18 round tube, they are older, but better IMHO.
 
Have had and still have numerous .22lr from a Weatherby mark XXII , Remington 541t , Marlin 60 , Still have a 10-22 a Savage bolt , a Winchester 190 but the most fun and one I take out most often is a Henry H001. It really is a sweet rifle. It has some plastic parts(front sight , Barrel Band) but metal replacements are available according to e mail from company , my replacements are on the way and I will report on the results
 
For the $ get both. You eventually will.

For now, get the Marlin, then spend the extra on ammo.
 
Wow! I got a lot of replies, and quick! Thank you!

I'm not into turning the gun into an "assault" rifle hanging all kinds of junk from it. The most I could see doing is changing the stock sights, and/or maybe adding a scope, thats it. So the Ruger 10/22 would not be a choice for me based on looking for aftermarket changes/attachments.

I am suprised to see people prefer the Marlin 60/795 over the Ruger, I was under the impression the Ruger was a more solid gun. Again, to me the most important is reliability, and for the best it sounds like the Marlin 39A is king in that dept, with the downside being a heavier/larger gun, and more expensive.

Sounds like I may then try a Marlin 60 or 795, they should only cost me about $150-175 bucks brand new, but I have to decide which one? Out of the 60 and 795, which is going to be the most reliable?
 
keep your eyes open at gun shows for a 39a mountie - takes care of the length and weight issues, being a carbine, and hopefully the price issue, being used.

the weight's only really an issue (at the range, anyway) if you insist on emptying a full magazine every time you load and fire.
 
You could go with a Ruger 10/22 as I did and add a bull barrel, stock, an extended mag release, a bolt quick release, a bolt from Randy @ CPC, and a target hammer and sear.

Or, you could buy a second rifle with the money saved by not buying all of those aftermarket parts.

Reliability can be an issue--at least with my rifle. Fail-to-feed and stovepipes are not uncommon.

OTOH, the 10/22 is probably the most fun semi-auto rimfire rifle to shoot. 25 round and 30 round magazines are available from MidwayUSA and other online vendors.
 
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