Will Ruger continue making Marlin Model 60?

[ccather]

Now that Ruger owns Marlin, I am wondering if they will "retire" any of Marlin's products.

A recent article included: “The important thing for consumers, retailers and distributors to know at this point in time,” continued Killoy, “is that the Marlin brand and its great products will live on. Long Live the Lever Gun.”


https://www.businesswire.com/news/h...ompany-Inc.-to-Acquire-Marlin-Firearms-Assets

No mention of other Marlin products. May mean nothing

 

[MarkS]

I hope they keep making the Model 60 as it has always been my favorite 22 rifle


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[wildrider666]

Marlin won't be "competition" anymore, Ruger gets all profits. There's always product eliminations but Marlin had a strong following for non erector set .22s. It could boil down to a numbers game and per Unit production profit. Doesn't make financial sense to expend the same resources on a gun that is less profitable, especially since they're selling the default alternate.

Ruger really hasn't stuck with lever action repeaters in past production. Ruger bought the Guts but not the real estate, so the question is about set up space and employees qualified for production. It will probably be at least a full year before an in house Marlin is produced. Training/production may do a few batches from on hand parts. I think that will show priorities and unfortunately what gets long term storage might never surface. Some of the production may need to be changed to Ruger's casting. Ruger will build "their versions" of Marlin firearms. This is the perfect time to shit can the lever actions Safety, which I think is a major deterrent; pushing buyers to Henry. In Marlin productions favor is that Ruger doesn't keep slow horses in the barn very long. They will build ahead of sales projections for slow mover Stock, then tool up and produce a new offering on that Line. That may open space for a Marlin run. I think the handgun production Lines will not shift with current and continuing high demand.

If you have Marlin "keepers" especially. 22s: you may want to buy a few spare parts like detachable mags, springs maybe a firing pin. What little after market stuff that's out ther will dry up because Marlins are out of production.

 

[Ric-san]

That’s a good question considering they have their own “great” 22 carbine in the 10/22. Kinda like when Chrysler bought Jeep back in the day and they killed the Comanche because Chrysler just came out with the Dakotas then...

 

[ccather]

Marlin won't be "competition" anymore, Ruger gets all profits. There's always product eliminations but Marlin had a strong following for non erector set .22s. It could boil down to a numbers game and per Unit production profit. Doesn't make financial sense to expend the same resources on a gun that is less profitable, especially since they're selling the default alternate.

Ruger really hasn't stuck with lever action repeaters in past production. Ruger bought the Guts but not the real estate, so the question is about set up space and employees qualified for production. It will probably be at least a full year before an in house Marlin is produced. Training/production may do a few batches from on hand parts. I think that will show priorities and unfortunately what gets long term storage might never surface. Some of the production may need to be changed to Ruger's casting. Ruger will build "their versions" of Marlin firearms. This is the perfect time to shit can the lever actions Safety, which I think is a major deterrent; pushing buyers to Henry. In Marlin productions favor is that Ruger doesn't keep slow horses in the barn very long. They will build ahead of sales projections for slow mover Stock, then tool up and produce a new offering on that Line. That may open space for a Marlin run. I think the handgun production Lines will not shift with current and continuing high demand.

If you have Marlin "keepers" especially. 22s: you may want to buy a few spare parts like detachable mags, springs maybe a firing pin. What little after market stuff that's out ther will dry up because Marlins are out of production.

I think you are spot on about new Marlin production. I read they are moving Marlin production equipment to one of Ruger's facilities and that it would be late 2021 before new "Ru-lin" products will be produced.

 

[Big Shrek]

...
If you have Marlin "keepers" especially. 22s: you may want to buy a few spare parts like detachable mags, springs maybe a firing pin. What little after market stuff that's out ther will dry up because Marlins are out of production.

There's actually stuff out there for Marlins that most folks don't know about.
Mostly because all that really ever is needed for a Marlin are a few odds & ends,
Which is why they sold over 12 million of 'em since 1960.
Ruger's only sold around 8 million 1022's at this point.

Currently...
J&P Springs carry the spring kits & buffers for the 795/60 and variants.
DIP (Diversified Innovative Products) carry trigger/guard kits & bolt handles.
DIP also plans a firing pin when needed once supplies run out of OEM.
Boyd's Riflestocks carries wood stocks...

And having 12 million 60's, another 7 million of 70-Papoose (takedown),
millions of 99/70-HC (High Capacity)/795/995 and about 30 other rifles with the same guts...
means you can find one in almost every pawn shop in the USA.

Then there's the aftermarket stuff that fans tracked down over the years..
like the Ramline Model 70 lockarm stock with SKS retrofit kit to make it a folder,
originally created for the Marlin Model 70-HC, the grandpop to the 795.
Also fits the 995, the daddy to the 795 & the 70-P Papoose takedown rifle,
but requires widening for takedown nut removal. To put a 795 in it,
it requires a small hole to be cut for the LSHO lever to go thru.

Or slipping a 795 into a TAVOR airsoft rifle body that's too skinny for a 1022 (DEFCONSKYLUDE's mod)
(note the bolt, that's a 795 bolt there with an AR15 magazine cover glued on to hide the 795 mag)

Or if you have a spare M1 carbine stock lying around you can do a little inletting and WHAMMO!!
This one was too beat up to put a nice M1 in it, so it was perfect for the 795!

You're only limited by your imagination when working with a Marlin Rimfire!

 

[wildrider666]

Big Shrek, Great information and very nice and unique Marlin upgrades. I've had a handful of Marlins over the years All were very good shooters except the .22Mag, which I attribute to the cartridges know general shortfall in accuracy compared to the .22LR. It was great badger medicine and that was its job. I've shot a few 1022s & Savage (Lakefield) and started with old Remington single shot then a Cooey 60. Marlins were better then equivelent Remington and Winchesters.

Got to say the very best lever action I ever owned was an early Browning (Miruku, Japan) 1892 in .44Mag. Fit and finish was flawless, the action cycled like silk with only the resistance in lockup upon open and closing. I think the straight walled cartridge supported that but can't explain 50 year wear smoothness on new factory gun. Half notch safety hammer. The stocks were a nicely figured grain but a rich cocoa brown, unlike evey other very light yellow/redish stock 92 I've seen. They pobably went way darker because of a bad prior stain effort/flaw but the result was beautiful. Brownings Buckmark logo was engraved and filled on the Lever. If you know who Miruku builds for, you will understand the level of quality they share.

Back to Marlin and bi-passed gold:
I was at the Ontario, Oregon Bi-Mart Store, as a shopping hostage for my Wife, which happened about every fwo weeks. Seeking a mental diversion, I snuck off to the Sporting Goods Section. I passed small talk with the Clerk who said something like" let me show you a few guns so I look busy!". I looked at the rack and again noticed the slim compact medium barreled bolt gun. It had been there so long dust clung to the sides. The Clerk crabbed some paper towel and created a dust cloud with one hand, Sorry he said as we laughed. He handed me a brand new "old stock" Marlin 880SQ! Yes, the one Marlin enginers played with: taking the Olympic single shot barrelled action, modified the receiver to mag feed and slapped it in a light stock. If had a yellowed and faded price tag and stock number. I'm staring at the tag trying to make out the price, Clerk thought I was hesitant DO TO the price and jumped in saying it been in inventory a long time so he's going to call it Mgr for price cut. I think it was $35 the Manager cut. Deal! They couldn't find the box and papers but did find the the old FFL Ledger and the inventory number got us to probably the only blank line in it. Lol I think I paid $179 and that was when 1022 and Mdl 60s were around $100.
The accuracy of the 880SQ spoiled me: After the second time I took it out, I swapped the 4× for an old school (Loong) Weaver 10× with Parrelex Adj. And streched it legs. It loves Fed 550 bulk ($8) and I bought cases of it. Handed down or sold all my other .22 rifles, they were unemployed. That's been over 25 years ago. I did break down a few years ago and get a Sig 522 tactical trainer to match my primary 556s.

Another too long ramble from a night owl.

 

[Big Shrek]

I've found two really good .22-mag Marlins. The 25MN and the Camp 922M.
Both wear good glass. The 25MN I found in a pawn shop for $85 without a mag,
$12 later at Walmart and that was solved...a quick trip on a windy day to the
ERML range where after sighting in seriously outshot a guy with a .17
Part of it was knowing how to gauge & time the gusts...but I was just NAILING
the bullseye like it was a rail gun, in 20-30 mile gusts, it was a shooter indeed.

So it deserved some care and attention, puled it apart, deep cleaned everything,
(on the "Top Hat" bolt-action Marlins, the trigger is the worst thing about it, so the
best thing to do is take it all apart, clean and polish the SIDES of the trigger & sear,
and between the posts that hold the assembly). Once all that is smooth, a light
polish that doesn't change any trigger/sear angles is done. Oil everything &
place it in a ziplock overnight, reassemble the next morning.

************* the area below the stars is why its called a Top Hat action...look at a 90 angle.

Then test. If everything works the way it should, on to Stage Two.
Some folks like to do a buncha stuff at once, then put it all back together.
I prefer to do ONE group mod at a time, test, then continue...
because if something goes wrong, it can easily be reversed/repaired.

Stage two is a Bolt/FP polishing, oil, bag overnight, reassemble.

Stage three is adding a second action/stock screw.
For some reason the 25MN & 25M only got one, where later models got two.

Stage four is Pillar Bedding...makes a HUGE difference on some rifles,
and it's really easy after the first time...

Finally, added a DIP pic rail with a Marlin engraving Gotta have a great Scope Mount!!

The 922M...all I did to it was add a Nikon Scope & a sling...good grief does it shoot!!
it is almost as precise as the 25MN, which surprised me.
It also utilizes any of the .22-magnum mags from the "Top Hat" bolt actions.
What it does to coyotes is beautiful...DRT headshots out to 150 yards!

 

[Dave308]

Marlin won't be "competition" anymore, Ruger gets all profits. There's always product eliminations but Marlin had a strong following for non erector set .22s. It could boil down to a numbers game and per Unit production profit. Doesn't make financial sense to expend the same resources on a gun that is less profitable, especially since they're selling the default alternate.

Ruger really hasn't stuck with lever action repeaters in past production. Ruger bought the Guts but not the real estate, so the question is about set up space and employees qualified for production. It will probably be at least a full year before an in house Marlin is produced. Training/production may do a few batches from on hand parts. I think that will show priorities and unfortunately what gets long term storage might never surface. Some of the production may need to be changed to Ruger's casting. Ruger will build "their versions" of Marlin firearms. This is the perfect time to shit can the lever actions Safety, which I think is a major deterrent; pushing buyers to Henry. In Marlin productions favor is that Ruger doesn't keep slow horses in the barn very long. They will build ahead of sales projections for slow mover Stock, then tool up and produce a new offering on that Line. That may open space for a Marlin run. I think the handgun production Lines will not shift with current and continuing high demand.

If you have Marlin "keepers" especially. 22s: you may want to buy a few spare parts like detachable mags, springs maybe a firing pin. What little after market stuff that's out ther will dry up because Marlins are out of production.

I certainly agree with getting rid of the cross bolt safety. That is one of the main reasons I have two Henry’s and 0 Marlins.