Question on Ruger 10/22 v/s Marlin 60

[John1 S]

If you could get only one of these guns what one would get , the 10/22 or the marlin 60??

[RunningOnMT]

10/22

[jstgsn]

Interesting question. I own both, and like both. I believe you are about to get many different opinions.
The 10-22. Excellent gun. They now sell 25 round mags from Ruger, opposed to the ones available in the past from other companies, these magazines are reliable. They sell customizing kits for 10-22's to make them look like ARs with folding stock etc. They also sell target barrels to make them more accurate. The gun is shorter than the Marlin.
The marlin is also an excellent gun. It is tube fed, accurate, and fun to shoot. Been around for ages.
There are some who will say they are equally accurate.
The main difference is the way the guns are loaded, and unloaded. I enjoy being able to use a magazine for loading and unloading. The 10-22 is faster. Remove the mag, eject one bullet, move on, see a varmint, load the mag in one simple movement, pull the bolt back and let go, it's loaded with 25 rounds. The model 60, Pull the ramrod, empty the loose bullets into a bag(?), eject the chambered round, replace the ramrod, check to make sure there wasn't a round left in the tube, see a varmint, pull the magazine tube and place one bullet at a time in until you have 14 rounds in and then chamber a round.
A 10-22 with two 25 round mags loaded can fire 50 rounds a lot faster than you ever will with a model 60, if you ever need to fire 50 rounds fast. ???

Both great guns.

[Dirtypacman]

I like my 10/22 a bit finicky with different ammo but that could just be cause I keep it dirty.

I like the mag feed over the tube feed also. You can make a lot more modifications to a 10/22 overall so its fun to customize on the cheap.

[Hawg]

The Marlin model 60 is more accurate than an out of the box 10/22. It's easier/faster to load and if you use speed loaders even faster. I have both and the Marlin is the best of the two.

[Albtraum]

Own a Marlin 60, but my brother's have 10/22's. Both are great .22s, and are both very reliable, do not cost as much as other manufacturer's (Browning's and Remington's are closer to $500, while these are sub-$250) they are popular for a reason. Some features I'd like to point out between the two:

Marlin 60 +'s:
Tubefed magazine makes the gun thin and sleek in your hands. Not sure of the weight compared to the two, but the Marlin 60's stock, fit and finish is great.
Tubefed Magazine holds 14 rounds, which is great if you live in California like me.
Has Bolt-Hold-Open feature, after the last round is fired, the bolt stays open, letting you know you're out, and prevents a dry-fire, which is really bad for rimfires.

Marlin 60 -'s
Tubefed magazine - Unusual to load, you point the gun in the air, remove the brass tube, put in the rounds and put the tube back in.
Not a big market for upgrading the gun, just the stocks and triggers.
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Ruger 10/22 +'s
Upgradable. There is a huge market out there for every component of the gun, although it is pricey. Some people aren't satisfied with the stock 10/22 barrel, so that's usually the first to go. Lots of new stocks in a variety of shapes and colors, at a gun show, I tried out some nice ones and they fit really well.
Rotary magazines don't protrude from the stock.

Ruger 10/22 -'s
Rotary magazine is unusual to remove, you pull a lever and press a button and wiggle the magazine out, rather than pressing a button which drops the mag out.
Loading the magazines hurts my finger tips after pushing them in, the spring is pretty powerful.
The stock is pretty wide due to the rotary magazine, then tapers down towards the front of the foregrip. I personally do not like the wideness.

[bamajoey]

Originally Posted by Albtraum

Own a Marlin 60, but my brother's have 10/22's. Both are great .22s, and are both very reliable, do not cost as much as other manufacturer's (Browning's and Remington's are closer to $500, while these are sub-$250) they are popular for a reason. Some features I'd like to point out between the two:

Marlin 60 +'s:
Tubefed magazine makes the gun thin and sleek in your hands. Not sure of the weight compared to the two, but the Marlin 60's stock, fit and finish is great.
Tubefed Magazine holds 14 rounds, which is great if you live in California like me.
Has Bolt-Hold-Open feature, after the last round is fired, the bolt stays open, letting you know you're out, and prevents a dry-fire, which is really bad for rimfires.

Marlin 60 -'s
Tubefed magazine - Unusual to load, you point the gun in the air, remove the brass tube, put in the rounds and put the tube back in.
Not a big market for upgrading the gun, just the stocks and triggers.
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Ruger 10/22 +'s
Upgradable. There is a huge market out there for every component of the gun, although it is pricey. Some people aren't satisfied with the stock 10/22 barrel, so that's usually the first to go. Lots of new stocks in a variety of shapes and colors, at a gun show, I tried out some nice ones and they fit really well.
Rotary magazines don't protrude from the stock.

Ruger 10/22 -'s
Rotary magazine is unusual to remove, you pull a lever and press a button and wiggle the magazine out, rather than pressing a button which drops the mag out.
Loading the magazines hurts my finger tips after pushing them in, the spring is pretty powerful.
The stock is pretty wide due to the rotary magazine, then tapers down towards the front of the foregrip. I personally do not like the wideness.

I have 4 10/22 mags. One is from a 1968 carbine, the other three are new. When I bought the carbine several years ago I took the mag apart to clean it. When putting it back together, I didn't tighten the spring up as tight as was recommended but it loads and feeds just fine, and is very easy to load compared to the new ones.
As far as to which I prefer, I enjoy shooting the 10/22 better than the Marlin 60. Both are stock, neither are accurate.

[Old Grump]

Have both like both, both are accurate out to 100 yards. Serious target work I choose the 10/22 with bull barrel but for walking in the woods I take the Marlin 60 because of it's light weight, quickness to point and just nicer to carry. Unloading it has never been a problem.

[jim brady]

Gotta be the 10-22, hands down. Have owned 4 over the years, and the best is a 1981 made. The factory mags are very good quality, and if you keep the rifle reasonably clean, never jam. Some guys don't like the factory carbine stock. It looks classic to my eyes. And the 10/22 can be 'hot-rodded' to no end with aftermarket do-dads.

Marlin does make a good quality product these days. I never had one of the older ones that didn't jam.

[rcairflr]

I've owned both, but only own a 10/22 now. My vote is for the 10/22 and I would disagree that the first mod most do is the stock, I would say its reworking the trigger. I just installed a Voltsquarten hammer on mine for $32 and got the trigger pull from about 8 pounds down to 2.5 pounds.

To get the stock version accurate, you need to find what ammunition it likes. Mine likes Winchester Wildcat and Remington Cyclone. I haven't tried any of the expensive match grade ammo other than the Wolf match.

[pickenup]

Have had "multiples" of both.
Still have a M-60, don't own a 10-22.

[Ledslnger]

10/22 without question. You can find several books about modifying the Ruger and doubt you can say the same for the Marlin. You can buy all types of mods including countless heavy barrels. The 10/22 in my opinion is the AK47 of the rimfire world....except with better accuracy. It is tough like the AK, guess that is what I am getting at. Have had my on countless hunts and target shoots. Has taken a beating over the years and still ROCKS! It is more compact and easier to move around while hunting in brush. Just an all around good gun.

Oh, on a side note heard today you can't get some repl. parts for the Marlin anymore due to it changing financial hands. Won't be any more new made either for the same reason....could change in the future. But, who knows how long that will be.

[woolleyworm]

I like the feel of the Marlin better. I've had both and only have the mod 60 left; it's my daughters choice too. She shoots it better than the 10/22 and it's easier for her to load. ( she's going to be 14 in Jan ) She shot the 10/22 when she was 10 and I got the mod 60 a couple years ago. She didn't pick up the 10/22 after her first range day with the Marlin.

[Albtraum]

With so many modifications available to the Ruger, and even guides and books on modding them, you begin to question it's factory design. From it's 8 pound trigger, short stock/ length of pull (designed and fitted for younger shooters), barrel band (diminishes accuracy), lack of bolt buffer (rough action). No wonder serious shooters spend the $$$ on new barrel, new stock, new trigger group, new hammer, firing pin, springs, etc, to improve the gun from how it came out of the factory. With all the modifications, how can it still be a "Ruger" when only a few Ruger parts are left on the gun? Perhaps it's not very good to begin with, thus requiring improvement by upgrading essential components to the firearm.

Just food for thought. I don't mean to bash the Ruger, my brothers' 10/22 are great, but they do need some modifications out of the box. Both had thick black paint inside the receiver which was revealed after the first time at the range, as the bolt scratched off streaks of bare metal . Paint thinner and steel wool on the entire receiver made both guns' actions much smoother. Eventually both got the recoil bolt buffers which made the action even smoother. They shoot awesome now.

[Old Grump]

Agreed with the above post. I bought it in 1990 had to replace the trigger, clean all the flashing off the inside of the stock and replace the scope with a good one. Then a few thousand round fired through it to make it the tack driver it is now.

The Marlin 60 came out of the box and all I ever had to do since 1964 is shoot it, clean it, shoot it some more. Was good from day one and just as good today.

[mr.t7024]

I have both.The one I grab all the time is the 60. Why, because it carries nicer, It is sleeker, and the longer barrel is quieter when I shoot Remington Sub-Sonics. BTW did I tell you I like better!

[Blackshirts]

I like Marlin better than Ruger, but I like box mags over tube. Ergo Marlin 795. Basically the magazine fed version of the 60. The 795 would be my first choice, but if it was only between the 60 and 10/22 I would go with the 10/22. Both great rifles, but I like the action of loading the mag into the rifle. And the 795 mags are compatible with the Marlin bolt actions so you don't have to have get separate mags.

[Ledslnger]

Originally Posted by Albtraum

With so many modifications available to the Ruger, and even guides and books on modding them, you begin to question it's factory design. From it's 8 pound trigger, short stock/ length of pull (designed and fitted for younger shooters), barrel band (diminishes accuracy), lack of bolt buffer (rough action). No wonder serious shooters spend the $$$ on new barrel, new stock, new trigger group, new hammer, firing pin, springs, etc, to improve the gun from how it came out of the factory. With all the modifications, how can it still be a "Ruger" when only a few Ruger parts are left on the gun? Perhaps it's not very good to begin with, thus requiring improvement by upgrading essential components to the firearm.

Just food for thought. I don't mean to bash the Ruger, my brothers' 10/22 are great, but they do need some modifications out of the box. Both had thick black paint inside the receiver which was revealed after the first time at the range, as the bolt scratched off streaks of bare metal . Paint thinner and steel wool on the entire receiver made both guns' actions much smoother. Eventually both got the recoil bolt buffers which made the action even smoother. They shoot awesome now.

Using that school of thought....Mustangs, Corvettes, and Chargers SUCK AZZ!!!!!!!

[Telcotech]

I also own both rifles...actually two of the 10/22's and three Marlin 60's....The Rugers are a '68 completely stock , and also a '80 version, slightly modified. The Marlins are actually a '67 Revelation, a '74 Glennfield, and a '01 Marlin. The Marlin 60's in my opinion and experiance are more accurate ( hard to beat Micro-Groove barels), but the Ruger's can be made to be really accurate with a bit of $$. Both are really great 22's for the buget minded shooter. I have put many rounds down range with both model's and have not had many issues....the Ruger's, as stated earlier, are a little more ammo sensative though.

[tymbrewolf]

BTW, tomorrow is the last day to buy a marlin 795 and get a $25.00 rebate from marlin. We have been looking at these for several days. It is a hard decision. Glenfield 25, J.C. Higgins pump, rossi single, savage stevens single, norinco Browning copy and now we want another autoloader. I must say the tube fed guns are never as much fun or safe with a kid in the field or on the range as a magazine fed. I luv my norinco with a browning buckmark reflex sight. We are looking at the 10/22 for modding and a marlin for simple accuracy. The 10/22 is more expensive of course, but has more choices. My vote would be the marlin 795 if leaving stock. Btw, the reason we would be looking at these two over other manufacturers is the fact that we may want to shorten the overall length by utilizing a muzzelite bullpup kit at some point.

[CampingJosh]

Originally Posted by Ledslnger

Using that school of thought....Mustangs, Corvettes, and Chargers SUCK AZZ!!!!!!!

I would say that tricking out Mustangs, Corvettes, and Chargers is more like this thread.

And bringing a 10/22 up to snuff is more like turning a Honda Civic into a 10 second 1/4 mile car.

[gdmoody]

I have a Marlin 60 that was given to me back in the mid 80's. An acquaintance ask to hold it for him when he was deployed to Korea (I think). While he was gone, I was transferred and we lost contact with each other. I am holding it with the thought that someday he will show up and claim it. I fire it occasionally and keep it cleaned and oiled for him. It shoots very good from what I remember. It has been a couple of years since I fired it last.

I bought a 10/22 several years ago that I have shot quite a bit, the modifications I made to it were a Green Mountain .22 bull barrel and a Hogue synthetic stock. The accuracy increase greatly with the new barrel. I also bought a "kit" from E. A. Brown so that I could shoot the 17 Mach 2 through it. The kit consisted of a .920 barrel and heavy bolt. I guess the only thing left of the original gun is the receiver.