Marlin Model 60 Rifling

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
It's a bad barrel. Take it back to the store and have them replace it with another ...
^^ This. The barrel is not machined correctly and accuracy as they say would be all over the place. Take it back.

 

[billt460]

The gun shop should simply exchange it for a new one. Did they have others like that in stock? It's a low cost, common model gun, so they should. Let the gun shop deal with it. You shouldn't have to. You paid good money for a new gun.

 

[DuckRyder]

The policy is usually once the transfer is done it is yours. Though policies can have exceptions. This is why you inspect it BEFORE you complete the transfer.

Also, if their supplier is Davidson's, they will exchange it in case of defect.

FWIW, this is precisely the sort of thing my local guy said he was running into after production moved from the old Marlin factory.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Also, if their supplier is Davidson's, they will exchange it in case of defect.


^^^^^^^ This isn't mentioned nearly enough. I try to purchase every new firearm I buy from Davidson's. Simply because they are the ONLY distributor in the country that has a Lifetime Free Replacement Warranty on every gun they sell.

I've used the warranty on a Ruger Mark II .22 pistol I purchased through them. It broke on the first trip to the range after about 80 rounds. (The trigger wouldn't reset). In less than 24 hours I had a brand new gun in my hand. Davidson's handles the entire Marlin line, as well as many others. And the best part is you can shop right on line, and purchase with the click of a mouse. Then just drive to the gun shop you chose and pick it up. Usually in 3 days or less.

When my guns come in, the dealer brings them out in the sealed carton as delivered by Fed Ex, and allows me to cut the tape. That way I know I'm the first person to touch the weapon since it left the factory. Pretty hard to beat in a world where most every gun shop has a sign over the gun counter that says: "All Firearms Sales Are Final".

 

[Al]

Get rid of that jam-matic and get a ruger 10/22. You'll never look back.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
The policy is usually once the transfer is done it is yours. Though policies can have exceptions. This is why you inspect it BEFORE you complete the transfer.


Like I mentioned before, I guess people better start bringing their bore light and 10x inspection loupe to look at rifling before buying any gun. Of all the guns I've ever looked at in 30+ years, this is a first for me. Guess there's always a first for everything.

The store called and gave me two options: 1) They will send the gun back for me at no charge to Marlin to be fixed/repaired how they see fit, or 2) Give me a full refund, even though this was a special order (this gun was not in their stock). Think I'll go for option 2) as I just see this getting worse before it gets better.

And I WILL be bringing bore inspection tools from now on, and I'm sure the people at the store will think I'm nuts looking down the barrel at the counter.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
The store called and gave me two options: 1) They will send the gun back for me at no charge to Marlin to be fixed/repaired how they see fit, or 2) Give me a full refund, even though this was a special order (this gun was not in their stock). Think I'll go for option 2) as I just see this getting worse before it gets better.


I think you're making the correct choice. You don't want a repaired gun straight out of the box. You shouldn't have to deal with that.

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
And I WILL be bringing bore inspection tools from now on, and I'm sure the people at the store will think I'm nuts looking down the barrel at the counter.


I think it's really sad that manufacturing in this country has sunk to this level. I keep hearing how automation, along with CNC and CMM measuring devices are all so much better. Yet these kind of stories are ever increasing throughout the manufacturing world. 40 years ago something like that getting out of the factory would be all but unheard of. Today it seems to be commonplace.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: Al
Get rid of that jam-matic and get a ruger 10/22. You'll never look back.


I've had a Ruger 10/22 for years, and it's been a great rifle. I kept reading and seeing YouTube videos of how good the Marlin 60 seemed to be, and since it wasn't much cash thought I'd get one to play with. Put an inexpensive scope on it and have some fun. I think it's a good rifle with a solid design. I just happened to get a bad one.

I'll chill and maybe look at them again in 6 months or so. Plus, by then maybe they will have the laminated stocks again instead of the solid birch stock like this one had. The stock on this one actually looked pretty nice as it did have some nice wood grain patterns in it, but I'd probably like the laminated stock better.

As mentioned in my other thread about the Marlin stocks, the factory that supplied all the gun companies with laminated stocks under the parent company (UTC ?) which Marlin, Remington, etc are under had burned to the ground about 8 months ago. I found that out by calling Marlin. So they had to switch to solid birch stocks while they scramble to get a laminated stock supplier again.

 

[billt460]

When you finally get one you'll be happy with it. I've found that out of the box accuracy with the Model 60 has always been superior to the 10/22. I have a circa 1973 Ruger 10/22 I bought new back then. It's accuracy is fair, but all 3 of my Model 60's are far better.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: billt460
When you finally get one you'll be happy with it. I've found that out of the box accuracy with the Model 60 has always been superior to the 10/22. I have a circa 1973 Ruger 10/22 I bought new back then. It's accuracy is fair, but all 3 of my Model 60's are far better.


That's what I kept reading too. I like the Marlin 60, and I will get one later down the road. This one just wasn't happening like I planned. If the rifling was good, I would have been happy even though it didn't have the laminated stock.

 

[ZeeOSix]

I just called Marlin's Service/Repair Dept just to make sure there wasn't some kind of machining treatment to the end of the barrel by design. I explained the issue without photos and he said it definitely sounds messed up. The rifling lands/grooves should go cleanly to the very end of the barrel.

I asked him if they would re-barrel the gun, and he made it sound like they would most likely just replace it with a whole new gun, but wasn't 100% sure without them seeing it. If they did replace the whole gun, I might go for another 'roll of the dice', but think I'll still just get my money back at this point and find one on the self in a local store someday so I can fully inspect it before buying.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Here's what the rifling should look like on a Marlin Model 60.

 

[AZjeff]

Good choice, get your money back and try for one later. It happens, probably on lower priced guns more often.

Never can understand how guys can (claim) to be OK with buying a new firearm, finding a problem before it's even been fired and being happy to send it back to have it fixed. At least that's the advice some give.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: AZjeff
Never can understand how guys can (claim) to be OK with buying a new firearm, finding a problem before it's even been fired and being happy to send it back to have it fixed.


I have never understood that either. If a gun is messed up before you have ever pulled the trigger, the only reasonable "fix" is give the guy a new gun. Not some patched up abortion that never should have gotten out the factory door to begin with. That would never fly with most any product. Why should it with guns?

 

[ZeeOSix]

So I took the rifle back and got a full refund since the store was willing to do so. I thanked them for being so nice and giving me a refund instead of saying it's now mine, deal with Marlin. The store will send it back to Marlin as defective and it will come back fixed, or Marlin will send them a whole new different replacement. The store will then put it on their shelf and sell it once they get one back.

I would have been happy with the purchase if the rifling wasn't messed up. Since this rifle didn't come with the laminated stock as it was shown and described to have by Marlin, the store sold it to me for only $20 over their cost, so I was disappointed I lost out on a good buy for this particular gun. I didn't mind the stained birch stock on this particular gun as it actually had quite a nice mix of wood grain in it. With the discount they gave me, I was pretty happy until the chewed up rifling was seen right after I got it home and really inspected the gun.

I'll chill for awhile and try to pick one up in the next 6~12 months. And maybe by then the laminated stocks will be back in production too.

 

[billt460]

Do you not like the grey laminated stocks on the Stainless Model 60? They are still making those, and Davidson's has them in stock.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: billt460
Do you not like the grey laminated stocks on the Stainless Model 60? They are still making those, and Davidson's has them in stock.


I do like that model. But I specifically asked Marlin if the gray laminated stock on that model was still available, and he basically said that all laminated stocks are out of production because of their supplier's factory fire - including Remington and other gun brands that have a laminated stock sold under the giant conglomerate that Marlin, Remington and whatever other brands are under. Apparently this one factory did all of the laminated stocks for multiple brands. So if they still have some at Davidson's, they might be older stock that was made 8+ months ago, or they have different stocks but Davidson's doesn't show that updated information.

The place this store ordered the stainless model with the brown stock from also showed it to have the laminated stock in the photos and description, but it came with a stained non-laminated birch stock. Marlin and non of the distributors will show any indication that a stock change has been made.

 

[MolaKule]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
In addition, some Manf. use a "progressive" twist.


I doubt the little 'squiggle' in the last 1/4" of lands as shown in the 2nd photo above is progressive twist by design. I think they were actually smeared into a different angle by whatever happened to the last 1/4" of this barrel.

You can actually see the land's material has been shred/smeared and jagged ends are left behind.


Your pictures apparently show some tooling damage, so yes, in this case the barrel is toast.

But I revisited my HighPoint 0.40 S&W Carbine.
It does show a flare with the rifling disappearing at about 0.1" from the muzzle end. The bore diameter at the end of the muzzle is about 0.403." (10.24mm).

As I said before, the gun is very accurate.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: MolaKule

Your pictures apparently show some tooling damage, so yes, in this case the barrel is toast.


As the photos showed, even if it was designed to have a flare like your HighPoint 0.40 S&W Carbine, it certainly wasn't done very well.

But as confirmed by Marlin, the lands & grooves are supposed to go cleanly all the way to the very end of the barrel. Plus the other two Marlins the store had (different models - not stainless, but blued) on their shelf had perfect rifling as it was supposed to be.

Stainless steel is a bit softer and 'smears' easier than the carbon steel used in guns, and it could be part of the factor on why the rifling was not machined correctly. I have a feeling my gun probably wasn't the only one messed up on the day they were rifling barrels.

 

[MolaKule]

True, it should have never left the factory if the muzzle was in that condition at the factory.

Some other situations may apply as well:

Shipping or mishandling, or someone poking a tool or other hard object into the muzzle just below the crown.

I know where these barrels are made (my parents hometown) and I can tell you the personnel down there consist of people who care about craftsmanship and accuracy.

So I say the damage done to the rifling was "after-the-fact."