The Marlin 60 Mouse House

[pwsamiam]

At least the mice weren't able to get the trigger lock off. No telling what mayhem could have occurred in their mousy neighborhood.

Not looking forward to the lock drilling!

 

[codytrucker]

I guess this will be a real test of the Mar-shield finish . If after you get it hosed off , the finish is still intact , you should be able to strip it off and come away with a usable stock .

 

[pwsamiam]

Question, can you get the trigger lock off?

I might still have the actual keys in my key pile.... else it might be a long time on the drill press... sigh

 

[pwsamiam]

That's a horrible shame but after detox it should be salvageable. I would sanitize the rifle and burn the rest mice included.

Crying shame as Ruger has destroyed the Marlin 60. Will attempt salvage out of a guilty conscience.
Mice or is it really Red Pine squirrel? Mouse drags acorns up 10 feet??? Hmmm....

 

[pwsamiam]

I guess this will be a real test of the Mar-shield finish . If after you get it hosed off , the finish is still intact , you should be able to strip it off and come away with a usable stock .

Hope so. I like the lines in the cheap wood. Stock might likely be cracked due to vast temp swings of -25F to 90F+ ???

 

[Frulk]

It would have to hold some very deep sentimental value for me to have to deal with that for a run of the mill $200 gun.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

I wonder if the bullet lube preserved the bore.

Let me know

 

[pwsamiam]

Let us know how it goes, I'm curious to see how the stock looks after all that crap has been sprayed off!

Yes, hope stock is not cracked, but plenty of spare parts out there. Wood has OK lines on butt.

 

[Varminterror]

It would have to hold some very deep sentimental value for me to have to deal with that for a run of the mill $200 gun.

If it's been in there for 25+ years, it was a long way cheaper than $200!

 

[Varminterror]

Crying shame as Ruger has destroyed the Marlin 60.

Ruger didn't destroy the Marlin 60.

Ken D'Arcy destroyed the Marlin 60 while he gutted Remington and the subsidiary companies to pay himself and other stakeholders, before he ultimately lit fire to the company in its entirety so he could profit on purchasing parts of the ashes. It's not Ruger's burden to bring back every model that Marlin ever produced, certainly not a loss leader in the Marlin 60 which had a very slim profit margin to begin with, and likely contributed to the reason Marlin was compromised to the point of being sold to Remington in the first place.

 

[Varminterror]

Not looking forward to the lock drilling!

For what it's worth, Marlin trigger guards are around, and they're cheap. Between the time you'll spend and the cost of smoking a drill bit on the lock, I could easily justify simply buying a new trigger guard. Hopefully this is a JM stamped Marlin with a metal trigger guard, but especially if it's a plastic guard, I'd buy a DIP metal replacement, or an older vintage metal replacement, and ignore the lock.

 

[horsemen61]

Ruger didn't destroy the Marlin 60.

Ken D'Arcy destroyed the Marlin 60 while he gutted Remington and the subsidiary companies to pay himself and other stakeholders, before he ultimately lit fire to the company in its entirety so he could profit on purchasing parts of the ashes. It's not Ruger's burden to bring back every model that Marlin ever produced, certainly not a loss leader in the Marlin 60 which had a very slim profit margin to begin with, and likely contributed to the reason Marlin was compromised to the point of being sold to Remington in the first place.

This right here

 

[Boattale]

Trigger lock + angle grinder = no problem

 

[Frulk]

If it's been in there for 25+ years, it was a long way cheaper than $200!

Yup, you are of course correct. I quoted today’s prices I’ve seen on the secondary market.

 

[3Crows]

I would just bury that poor thing in a hazardous waste disposal area. Not worth it. Not a rare rifle or even IMO and particularly good rifle. Especially that one .

 

[orionengnr]

I still have a Marlin Glenfield M-60, bought it used in 1982 or so for about $60. No idea how old it is. Still shoots just fine.
Doesn't owe me anything, but it's still probably not worth any more in 2025 dollars than it was in 1982 dollars.

Helped a widder out a year or two back selling all her (recently deceased) husband's guns. Sold them all but the Marlin Glenfield M-60, advised her to keep it as she wouldn't get maybe $50 for it. Pretty well worn/abused. She did so, and hopefully she will give it to a grandson or something.

For that one, not sure I'd spend a whole lot of time or effort on it. Maybe sell it to Numrich so they can part it out.
Your time, your money, your choice.

 

[Show Me]

Question, can you get the trigger lock off?

Destructive disassembly may be called for.

 

[Show Me]

Let's not get so squeamish and dramatic.
You want to see mouse and even worse raccoon evidence let's go to the hay barn and the few little grain bins I have left.

Put on those black disposable gloves we use from the auto parts store. Sit on the back steps and lets clean this thing up.

I'd much rather spend an hour doing that than change out an exploded diaper .
You want nasty . Shovel out a truck bed containing rain soaked moldy rotten soybeans.
Let's pump and shovel out a septic tank. The kind that there's so much hair in it you can't hardly pump it.
That will gag a maggot.
Some of you have no idea what nasty and hazardous is.

 

[danez71]

But what you fail to realize is the gun multiplier factor.

Example

Spill soda on your couch... wipe it off.

Spill soda on a family heirloom 100+yr old table... wipe it off and rub a little extra to blend the streaks.


Spill soda on a older budget gun.... call Servpro, block off 4-6 weeks on your calendar and start praying for forgiveness.

 

[flightsimmer]

A friend of mine left a model 60 in the back of his pickup truck with a bunch of junk.
It was covered with a camper shell but that's all.

He brought it to me and said I could have it.
It was badly rusted and pited but the bore was in good shape but the stock was beyond help as far as the finish went.
All that could be done with the stock is sand it down and paint it brown.

The action wasn't too bad because it was covered but the barrel and feeding tube were in terrible shape. The aluminum receiver was corroded pretty good but cleaned up decent enough and I painted it satin black.

I used rust remover and steel wool to clean up the metal and used bottle bluing to help it look better but the pits remained.

A mounting screw was broken off in the receiver so I removed it and got a new one.
Then I put it all together and gave it back to him as a birthday present and told him not to leave it in his truck again.

I've got before and after pictures but I don't know how to post them here.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

If the pits aren't too bad after you clean it up, but they are still visible, it might be a good candidate for parkerizing. It won't cover or eliminate the pits, but it does disguise them some.

 

[jmorris]

Not looking forward to the lock drilling!

Most gun locks are only good for children and really old people that need medicine bottles with lids that lift off instead of twist off. Even if it is one of the few good ones, picking it is probably less work.

 

[rust collector]

There may be some useful information out there.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=trigger+lock+removal

 

[DustyRusty]

Lost several nice soft cases in the barn last year.
They were empty.
I bought a big box of those yellow mice balls that's supposed to ward them of and sprinkled them around.
Not seeing damage lately.
They will chew up anything to make bedding for themselves. Targets, backboards, anything.
How did the bugger get through the plastic? Chew?

 

[pwsamiam]

The Marlin 60 will be restored regardless of whether it is "worth it" or not. Some things are beyond money, some people get that, others never will. There is the crowd in this country that must have their over-priced Starbucks coffee and then there are those that still drink their day-old coffee.