Marlin 60

Marlin Model 60
Type	Semi-automatic rifle
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1960–present
Production history
Designer	N/A
Designed	1960
No. built	Over 11 million
Variants	60, 60C, 60DL, 60S-CF, 60SB, 60SS, 60SSK, 60SSBL, 600
Specifications
Weight	5.5 lb (2.5 kg)
Length	37.5 in (953 mm) since mid-1980s, 40.5 in (1029 mm) before mid-1980s
Barrel length	19 in (483 mm) since mid-1980s, 22 in (559 mm) before mid-1980s, both with Micro-Groove rifling
Cartridge	.22 LR
Action	Direct blowback
Rate of fire	less than 2 seconds per shot, typical
Muzzle velocity	1,280 ft/s (390 m/s)
Effective firing range	100 yards
Feed system	15 or 18 rounds; tubular magazine capacity is either 17 rounds (before the late 1980s) or 14 rounds (since the late 1980s)
Sights	adjustable open rear, ramp front sight; receiver is grooved for a scope mount

The Marlin Model 60, also known as the Marlin Glenfield Model 60, is a semi-automatic rifle that fires the .22 LR rimfire cartridge. Produced by Remington Arms in Mayfield, Kentucky formerly by Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut, it has been in continuous production since 1960 and the company says it is the most popular rifle of its kind in the world. Major features include a micro-groove barrel, a cross-bolt safety, hardwood stock with comb, and brass inner magazine tube. The Marlin Model 795 is a very similar rifle and based on the Marlin Model 60, changed only to accept a detachable box magazine.

The Marlin Model 99 was developed in 1959 by Ewald Nichol. Internally, it was essentially what would become the Model 60 in 1960. However, major differences were visible from the exterior. The Model 99 featured a walnut stock, and the receiver, instead of being grooved for tip-off scope mounts like the Model 60 would be, was factory-tapped to accept screw-on scope mounts. The Model 99 was offered from 1959 through 1961, and a lower priced version, Model 99G, was offered under Marlin's Glenfield line.

The Marlin Model 60 was developed in 1960 from the Model 99 design. The primary difference was that the stock was made of birch instead of walnut to reduce the recurring production costs for the more expensive wood. Marlin also moved away from their practice of using steel inner tubes with their tubular magazine. They moved back to brass inner tubes as other companies had done. This, instead of the steel tubes often seen on earlier Marlin .22 rifles, completely eliminated the rust problems that the all-steel tubular magazines had experienced which helped make the inexpensive Marlin rifle as durable as more expensive .22 caliber rifles. The Model 60 additionally featured a 16-groove rifled barrel, utilizing Marlin's trademarked Micro-Groove rifling technology, which had been developed in 1953. This rifling, with its precision-crowned muzzle, gave the Model 60 an inherent, enhanced accuracy over competing rifles, which used traditional deep grooved rifling, because the bullet was not as severely deformed while traveling down the barrel, and downrange.

The Model 60 has a manual "fully open" bolt hold position, activated by pushing the charging handle inwards towards the gun when it is in the fully retracted, open breech position. To close the bolt with the manual bolt hold-open engaged, the charging handle must be pulled out, away from the gun, before the bolt will go forward. Since 1985, the Model 60 has also included a patented automatic "last-shot" bolt hold-open. This latter feature is a safety feature that locks the bolt half-way open after the last cartridge is fired, thereby allowing the safe inspection of the now-open action. This also notifies the user when the gun is empty.

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