Marlin 60 Compared to Winchester 290
I'm just getting started with rifles and picked up a used Winchester 290 22LR semi-auto a couple of weeks ago locally, since it was in the best shape of several guns available. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with it compared to a Marlin 60, especially regarding accuracy. They look very similar mechanically, but the trigger on the Winchester is very heavy (well over the 8-pound marking on my trigger scale) and I'm sure that it's not helping things. I'm wondering if it would be worth picking up a used Marlin to compare to the Winchester, then sell one, or should I just put the money towards a decent scope.
Thanks.
Thanks.
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You are doing things backwards.
BEFORE you buy a gun, you need to do your research. That includes reading gun magazines, browsing the web, & most importantly, asking us on this forum. We could have told you that you wouldn't be happy with the Winchester, made during the era when their quality was in the toilet. I think you need a trigger pull scale that goes up to 20 lbs to measure the trigger pull on the 290; problem is, the trigger assembly is entirely castings & stampings held together by heavy springs, & there's no way for even a skilled gunsmith to improve it.
It's difficult to go wrong with any Marlin. My personal favorite in .22's is the Browning .22 BAR. There are others that are good.
Neal
EDIT: Sorry, no intention to offend you. A Winchester 270 was my first rifle; I sent it back to have the trigger fixed under warranty, & Winchester refused. I'm still kicking myself for buying it. But, in those days, we really didn't have anywhere to go for information.0 -
A Ruger 10/22 is likely the best investment you could make. A good design to begin with, it is likely the most popular 22 autoloader ever made, and as such, there is a dizzying array of aftermarket parts made for them. The Marlin 60 is a dandy little gun, but will not give you the course of options a Ruger would. I love the T/C Classic, and I have several Savage rimfires now that I find to be great investments and they have the accutrigger. Savage 64 (non-accutrigger) is a nice autoloader, and you will note that on handling them, they are heavier than the average 22; lots of steel as oppsed to castings and or aluminum. I agree with Neil that the 290 was likely one of the saddest moments in Winchester rimfire history. Coming from the people that designed and built the model 52's, it is a sad commentary indeed as to where Winchester was heading at the time. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by nmyers
You are doing things backwards.
BEFORE you buy a gun, you need to do your research. That includes reading gun magazines, browsing the web, & most importantly, asking us on this forum. We could have told you that you wouldn't be happy with the Winchester, made during the era when their quality was in the toilet. I think you need a trigger pull scale that goes up to 20 lbs to measure the trigger pull on the 290; problem is, the trigger assembly is entirely castings & stampings held together by heavy springs, & there's no way for even a skilled gunsmith to improve it.
It's difficult to go wrong with any Marlin. My personal favorite in .22's is the Browning .22 BAR. There are others that are good.
Neal
No offense, but it's not as backwards as you think.
I did so much research that I was suffering from "paralysis by analysis." Eventually, I want a left-handed bolt-action rifle, but the left-eye dominate thing had me worried. I decided to go with a semi-auto as a first rifle to test left versus right eye. (I shoot hand guns left-handed.)
The local range was re-opening from a 9-month renovation, and the urge to purchase "something" that day was overwhelming. If I didn't buy a used, relatively inexpensive semi-auto before walking out of the store, I would have exploded from pent-up demand.
The choices were the well-maintained Winchester, a like-new, over-priced Savage 64 which I knew not to buy, an abused Marlin that I would have bought if it had been in good shape, and a POS Mossberg that should have been in the trash. Sometimes you need to choose the best option available, even if it isn't what you want.
Brownings are a little out of my price range for an "experiment." I doubt that it was the first rifle that you ever bought <g>.0 -
What did they want for the Savage 64, and why did you "know not to buy it"? In my opinnion they are really nice?! Doesn't have that whippy, "toy like" feeling I get from so many 22's. Agree with passing on the Mossy, especially if it is the Mossberg International stuff from CBC. Now THERE is a piece of crap. Worked at Dick's for a few years until I could no longer stand the institutional idiocy, and we (more accuratly, the powers that be...I would have dropped the line) put those M.I. guns on Black Friday sale and every other sale concievable, thus we sold a butt-load. About 40 to 50% were brought back, and people were none too happy about the whole thing. All we could do was send them back East for "repair" as we take no returns, and the pot metal parts were a nightmare to try to work on...I quit trying in a big hurry. 0 -
I own many of both of them. {60's and win.270/290's]. Let me just say this; The marlin model 60 has about the lowest esteem in the gun world, But it will shoot and shoot and shoot. You just have to clean it every 5 or 6 years. Everyone that owns one, will never say how great it is, but they know it. While the 10/22 has a following that swears it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, I kind of liken that to the mini-14 owners that say how good it is, while very few are accurate, most over rated plinker ever made.
For the price of model 60's, go buy a few, and try different ammo in them. When you find what your rifle likes, only a real target .22 will out shoot it. Bob0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1KYDSTR
A Ruger 10/22 is likely the best investment you could make. A good design to begin with, it is likely the most popular 22 autoloader ever made, and as such, there is a dizzying array of aftermarket parts made for them. The Marlin 60 is a dandy little gun, but will not give you the course of options a Ruger would. I love the T/C Classic, and I have several Savage rimfires now that I find to be great investments and they have the accutrigger. Savage 64 (non-accutrigger) is a nice autoloader, and you will note that on handling them, they are heavier than the average 22; lots of steel as oppsed to castings and or aluminum. I agree with Neil that the 290 was likely one of the saddest moments in Winchester rimfire history. Coming from the people that designed and built the model 52's, it is a sad commentary indeed as to where Winchester was heading at the time.
Thanks. I think that I'll eventually end up with a Savage Mark II, but I wanted to be absolutely sure that I need a left-handed gun before buying one. That meant semi-auto, lever or pump, and someone beat me to a nice lever gun, a Browning BL-22 or a Marlin 39A, I can't remember which. Of course, it was twice as expensive! (Yeah, I KNOW that it was worth it, but remember, this was an experiment <g>.)
I now know that it was a bad period for Winchester, but the gun is serviceable and is allowing me to do what I wanted: Test my eye sight. I was just wondering if it made sense to try a Marlin 60 instead. Now, I'm thinking that it wouldn't be worth the effort.
The thing that turns me off about the Ruger 10/22 aficionados is the "aftermarket parts" thing, implying the the stock rifle isn't that great. I don't think that they're doing the gun a favor. (No offense meant to you.)0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1KYDSTR
What did they want for the Savage 64, and why did you "know not to buy it"? In my opinnion they are really nice?! Doesn't have that whippy, "toy like" feeling I get from so many 22's. Agree with passing on the Mossy, especially if it is the Mossberg International stuff from CBC. Now THERE is a piece of crap. Worked at Dick's for a few years until I could no longer stand the institutional idiocy, and we (more accuratly, the powers that be...I would have dropped the line) put those M.I. guns on Black Friday sale and every other sale concievable, thus we sold a butt-load. About 40 to 50% were brought back, and people were none too happy about the whole thing. All we could do was send them back East for "repair" as we take no returns, and the pot metal parts were a nightmare to try to work on...I quit trying in a big hurry.
They wanted five dollars less for a relatively new but used Savage 64 than the price of a new one. It was nice, but not THAT nice.0 -
quote:Originally posted by babun
I own many of both of them. {60's and win.270/290's]. Let me just say this; The marlin model 60 has about the lowest esteem in the gun world, But it will shoot and shoot and shoot. You just have to clean it every 5 or 6 years. Everyone that owns one, will never say how great it is, but they know it. While the 10/22 has a following that swears it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, I kind of liken that to the mini-14 owners that say how good it is, while very few are accurate, most over rated plinker ever made.
For the price of model 60's, go buy a few, and try different ammo in them. When you find what your rifle likes, only a real target .22 will out shoot it. Bob
Thanks, I still might do that. I've discovered that there is something nice about shooting a semi-auto, at least one that works reliably, which as you noted, the Marlin does.0 -
In that case, $5 off retail "ain't no kinda' deal" indeed! I bought, along with my Dad, every 64 we had in stock at Dick's as they went on sale for $139 last year. I really like the substantial feel of the 64, and the one of the 4 that we actually shoot (the other 3 are safe-queening until my daughters get big enough to get them for Christmas) performs VERY well indeed.
My main purpose for mentioning the after market parts availability for the 10/22's was to demonstrate that if you so desire, you can make a true target gun out of them to your own tastes and do most, if not ALL of the work yourself. I have owned 4 10/22's over the years, and the odd part is, the first one I bought (the one I never altered) is still the one that is with me. All the Volquartsen parts put on the subsequent 3 never produced a gun that was appreciably more accurate than the stock carbine I started out with
(yes, I think I got a really good one at that). Granted, there were significant improvements in ergonomics, aesthetics and the Volquartsen trigger group REALLY improved the overall performance in terms of fire control, but they would all shoot about 10% better than the stock gun at best; some no better at all. So in the end equation, I have stuck with the stock carbine, and sold the rest to friends who wanted a "tuner" 22. As mentioned in my original post, the 10/22 is a GOOD DESIGN! They work very well stock, but can be morphed into something quasi-spectacular and thoroughly individual. I shot a really old 10/22 yesterday (actual walnut stock with the beefy stock design that looks like it belongs on a Ruger 44 autoloader)with a customers son and it was simply fantastic; there is also little doubt in my mind that the 10/22 has suffered a little over the years from continuing production cost reductions.
Nice choice on the Mark II; they are my favorite 22 bolt gun currently in production . I love the CZ rifles, and I would just about kill for a really nice 'ol 52, but truth be known, I think the Savage presents far better bang for your buck.
I suppose in the end all I can really advise you to do is enjoy the 290 and evaluate your vision/ergonomic exingincies and SHOOT AS MANY OTHER 22's as possible in an effort to determine what fit's your needs best.
Again, I have no issues with a Marlin 60. Babun makes an awesome (and pretty humorous) point saying that the 60 is something of a guilty pleasure for it's owners...they take a licking and keep on ticking. Good luck in your search for a south-orb rifle...it can be tough when so many options are closed to you!0 -
I tried a model 60 a decade and a half ago. I found the trigger pull pretty good, but am not really a match shooter or skilled marksman. It wasn't heavy and broke pretty clean. 0 -
I have shot both glenfield 60 and a winny 290. I think they are both about the same for accuarcy. Dirty ammo is niethers friend.
I don't see any problem with owning two rifles. After all personal experience trumps opinoins of others.
But my bias is old bolt mossbergs that were designed as target shooters many decades ago.
PS if you add to posts in ATE edit your original post for more responses. It will be locked shortly0 -
quote:Originally posted by Mossbergboogie
I have shot both glenfield 60 and a winny 290. I think they are both about the same for accuarcy. Dirty ammo is niethers friend.
I don't see any problem with owning two rifles. After all personal experience trumps opinoins of others.
Thanks for the comparison, and you're right about owning more than one.0
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