Tube fed v magazine fed in semi-auto rimfiires.

[emilianoksa]

Is there any consensus on which type of feeding method is more reliable?

All 22 semis have problems, I know, but is the tube inherently more reliable over time?

I'm going to get myself a Marlin, but I still can't make my mind up between the Mod 60 and the 795.

Love em both.

 

[Sunray]

"...All 22 semis have problems..." Hi. Always good to converse with a shooter from another country. Semi's only have issues if you don't or can't try a box of as many brands of ammo as you can to find the brand that both shoots well and cycles the action. .22's are just like that.
"...is the tube inherently more reliable over time?..." No more than a box mag. A bit easier to damage a tube mag. A wee dent will stop it. Ditto for the 'inner'(the follower). Availabilty in Peru may be an issue, if something bad happens. You'd know that better than I ever will.
A used mag tube runs $45.60US from Gunparts. Inners runs $27.35US depending on the year the rifle wasmade. Mind you, I'm not seeing 795 mags on Marlin's site or anywhere else.
"...between the Mod 60 and the 795..." You want 10 shots or 14? Prefer a synthetic stock or wood?

 

[1KPerDay]

Box mags are more reliable in my experience.

 

[cleardiddion]

I've always liked tubes on my 60 a lot better to be honest.

Sure, it can get damaged, but so can mags. It's pretty reliable when you do some basic maintinence. There aren't any bit and pieces to lose (at least easily) and I just plain like the look better.

Just my two cents

 

[Cutter]

I have a 795 and I love it! However, the magazines are not as easy to find as say a 10/22. I think with the tube fed you will just spend less time loading and more time firing. Both great guns!

-Cutter

 

[Blue Brick]

+1 795

 

[Arbor]

The 10/22 is VERY reliable with some work, so I wouldn't say that all .22 semi's have problems. There's just less reliable factory models to pick from than with centerfire calibers that have seen military use, and rimfire ammo is inherently less consistent.

As far as mag vs. tube fed, I find the tube to be pretty impractical when you are firing as much volume as you do with a .22. Reliability wise they are pretty much the same.

 

[PAPACHUCK]

The tube mag on this Marlin 60 has been going strong for 29 years now. No mags to lose or buy. Load it on Sunday, and shoot all week.

 

[H2O MAN]

I have two tube fed rifles, but they are lever action. Both are reliable.

 

[emilianoksa]

Many thanks.

 

[jerkface11]

The 10/22 is VERY reliable with some work, so I wouldn't say that all .22 semi's have problems.

Except you have to clean the mags every few hundred rounds or they don't feed.

 

[Dr.Rob]

I've got two tube magazine rifles here a Marlin 39 lever action and a Browning take down 22. I have never had a tube magazine hang up, or fail to feed in either of those in the 35+years I've been shooting 22's. My Marlin 995 (older model of the 795) however, I have to clean the magazines once in a while (and I mean after hundreds of rounds) or they CAN hang up.

I'd give a slight edge to the model 60, but only slightly. You can unload and make safe the 795 faster just by dropping the magazine and ejecting a live round out of the chamber. Completely emptying the mod 60 takes a few seconds more and requres you to remove the brass magazine tube.

Bottom line is if you bend a magazine, you replace it with a new one. You bend a magazine TUBE, you have a broken rifle. Though its possible to dent the outer tube and have the inner tube and function, unaffacted.

If you get a 795, get several magazines.

If you get a 60, you will likely never need to replace that part barring a catostrophic failure, like beating it against a tree, or dropping it more than 10 feet onto the magazine tube.

 

[Bob_P]

Mind you, I'm not seeing 795 mags on Marlin's site or anywhere else.

I bought magazines for my 795 from Marlin Firearms Source: http://www.marlinfirearmssource.com/item/5984_Marlin_Magazines_Marlin_707135_Magazine.aspx. They are currently in stock.

They provide fast, friendly, and professional service. I received my order in less than a week.

 

[10-Ring]

I've had poor luck w/ the mag fed 22's I've tried. I've just picked up my first tube fed rifle -- It has cleaned up well but I haven't had a chance to get it dirty -- after I take it out, I'll report back w/ how it functioned

 

[Furncliff]

I have three tube fed .22's and one box mag bolt action (and a tube fed Marlin 1894c) I have had the box mag break and had to be replaced. I have had no issues with the three tube guns a Marlin 60 Browning bl22 and a Savage 29 (pump). As fast as I go thru ammo, having fun with the M-60 I really appreciate the 15 round tube.

I borrowed this image from member Deerslayer7600, that shows how he made speed loaders for tube fed .22's.

Sorry about the size.

 

[Avenger29]

I've had very poor luck with tube fed .22s. Hence mine are all box fed currently. I do hope to pick up a Marlin 39A and a Remington 572...

I also don't like the awkwardness of tube fed .22s, especially in terms of unloading and clearing malfunctions.

 

[Jim K]

In my experience, under-barrel tube magazines are the least reliable, while in-stock magazines are the most reliable (think Remington Nylon 66 and Browning autoloader). Box magazines are very reliable under 6 shots, less reliable over that.

FWIW, the main problem with under-barrel mags is not damage to the tube (unless done in a ham-handed attempt to "fix" something) but in the carrier/lifter and feed lip mechanism. They get out of time, bend, or a cartridge gets jammed spreading the parts and after that they seldom work right again.

Jim

 

[ArmedBear]

My 60 has been ridiculously reliable. If it's got a little oil in the receiver, it just keeps on going -- so far, with whatever I put in it.

I shot someone's Papoose the other day, though, and it seemed to work, too. (Essentially a 795, but a takedown.)

Personally, I prefer tube-fed if I'm going to shoot a lot. It gets fatiguing to load the tiny rounds into a tiny box magazine, but with a tube, you just drop them in.

The only exception to that would be some .22 pistol magazines, where you can retract the spring while loading. Factory Ceiner magazines are also comfortable, but not the Black Dog aftermarket ones. If you have to push against a stiff spring with each round as you put them in, it gets annoying quickly in my experience. This is how most .22 box magazines are.

 

[gunsandreligion]

Except you have to clean the mags every few hundred rounds or they don't feed.

I'v put about 450 rounds through my 10/22 and never had it jam and the guy who owned it before me put abought 1200 rounds thru it and neither of us has had it jam.

 

[BCCL]

I can't honestly recall ever having a tube fed magazine jam in any of the countless .22 rifles I've had with them.

 

[jerkface11]

I'v put about 450 rounds through my 10/22 and never had it jam

I would put that much thru mine in a weekend. It simply did not like high volume shooting.