Hi - I'm considering buying a Marlin .22 rifle as a gift for a nephew. It'll likely be a Model 60 or Papoose. Its been a few years since I looked at recent new manufactured Marlins. I wasn't impressed by the quality of the .30-30 and .45-70 lever guns I inspected. My older Marlins are far superior in terms of quality of workmanship.
How are current Marlin .22 rifles ? Thanks
They've also gone downhill. They're usable though. If you're looking for something nice, get an older marlin or 10/22 at a pawn shop. Or a CZ. But the current ones work. They're just not as well made as older ones.
Based on what I've seen the Remington-manufactured Marlins have gotten better, but maybe still not as good as the older ones. Even the old Marlin plant had some QA issues before the move.
Thanks guys. Hmmm . . . well that doesn't sound good. My 22 yr old nephew does a lot of backpacking & camping. I thought the Papoose might be fun for him to have, (college graduation gift.) I was thinking in terms of the lightest & most compact rifle possible, and was leaning toward getting him one of those. I also thought of the Ruger take-down, but it would more likely be left at home rather than be thrown in his pack because of the additional weight & bulk. (I own one of the Rugers.)
Will have to do some more thinking on this. I haven't seen a Papoose in a LGS and hate to buy one blind if the current quality is sub-par.
Last edited by SamAdams; 09-27-2017 at 02:16 PM. Reason: Worst typist in the world!
Ruger 10-22 take down...
OMG! YES!
If he needs smaller, lighter:
The Magpul Backpacker stock for the 10/22 makes a nice compact package.
https://www.magpul.com/products/x-22...-10-22-takedow
I have a Marlin XT-22 .22LR I bought new a few years ago. Shoots ok with its favorite ammo ( CCI standard velocity) but will never be a thing of beauty.
I have a Papoose that is probably pretty close to 20 years old. It's nice enough, and useful, but if I were going to buy a new take down .22, I would buy the 10/22.
The Papoose really feels like a big pistol with a stock on it. The lack of a hand guard makes it a little floaty and unsteady in the front end. It's ok for plinking, but I always go for headshots with a .22 when small game hunting. It's do-able, but I've never been totally happy with it.
Once you assemble the 10/22, it's just like a regular rifle. If somebody handed you one assembled, you likely wouldn't notice right away it was a take down.
I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.
Anything Marlin, I'd go pre-2008. Based on my limited inspections, there seems to be a sweet spot in the late '90s and early '00s where fit and finish was excellent, machines hadn't worn out yet, and the collectors don't seem to be driving up the prices yet. Except 1894s in .357. Dang Cali AWB has made them gold plated.
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Not another dime.
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