The oldest rifle I own is the Marlin model 60. This is an inexpensive .22LR semi-automatic rifle. It holds 18-rounds in the tubular magazine. I don’t know exactly, but I think I have owned this rifle more than 20-years.
I added a red/green dot sight to it. As I mentioned before, my old eyes don’t like iron sights. I found a cheap Walther 1x30 red/green dot scope that will either mount to a Weaver/Picatinny rail or the grooved receivers on many .22 rifles. All you have to do is reverse the built in mount. This sight is non-magnified and is great for quick and accurate target acquisition.
The Walther 1x30 red/green dot scope works great on my Marlin 60 .22 rifle. It has Picatinny rails on it to attach a laser or light. There is a dot size and color selector. I think the dot is about a 5-MOA size dot. At 25-yards, the dot covers about two-thirds of a 4-inch circle.
The Marlin model 60 is just a fantastic little tack driver. The wood stock is cut for an adult length of pull and had a nice cheek weld. The iron sites are “ok”, but you start to see its true potential when you add a scope. The barrel has what is called “micro-groves”. This has 16 smaller grooves that is marketed to be more accurate. I can attest to that fact!
Yesterday, I tried three different brands of ammo. The Federal 36-grain hollow point in the bulk pack. You know…The cheap stuff at the mart store. The Winchester Super Speed round nose. This is 40-grain copper plated ammo that is traveling at around 1300 FPS. The last is the CCI Mini-mag which is 40-grain round nose, copper plated ammo.
I was not surprised by the cheap Federal bulk pack ammo. It is fun to shoot, but not very accurate. I was shooting about 4-inch groups at 25-yards. I guess you get what you pay for.
A big surprise was the Winchester Super Speed ammo. The ammo fed 100% but wasn’t as accurate as I expected. It shot about 2-1/2-inch groups at 25-yards.
The CCI Mini-mag ammo really shinned…Again! This ammo is the most consistent .22 LR ammo I have every used. I get the same results from a box I buy today as one from last year. It cycles 100% and gives consistent accuracy performance.
In the image above, the white circle is 1-inch in diameter. What you see is a 1/2” group using a 5-MOA green dot non-magnified scope on the Marlin model 60 .22 LR rifle at 25-yards from a seated position. Click on the image to see the full target.
The Marlin 60 rifle has always been very accurate. More accurate than anything I have. When using good ammunition like the CCI Mini-mags, you can drive tacks!
Great Article! It sounds like it has been a great rifle. I picked up the exact same one at Walmart for $165 2 weeks ago and I could not be happier! This is my first gun purchase and I am excited to invest in a scope very soon.Have fun!
ReplyDeleteMatt
Simpsonville, SC