[mike481]

I am looking for ways to improve the accuracy of my Model 60. I was wondering, at what point am I better off just buying something else? I have had this rifle for 20 years and don't want to get rid of it. However, I would like something with more accuracy.

So what do you guys think.

Thanks
Mike

 

[sgtdeath66]

what distances are you shooting from. when i had mine a few years back i could shoot bugholes at about 25 yrds, what are your groups lookin like

 

[30-30remchester]

what kind of accuracey is your model 60 giving you? did you try different brands of ammo? 22's hanguns and rifle in general are built relatively inexpensive and so you cant exspect fine accuracey. the old wives tales of "grandpa lighting matchs" is pretty much fantasy. useing high grade match rifles with 12x scopes, shooting at 50 yds different brands and bullet types hit all over the place. though most were fair accuracy their impact was nowhere near any other brand. if you can shoot 1" at 25 yds be happy. when you find a brand that shoots well use it exclusively.

 

[mike481]

Maybe I am being too picky. I was at the range this morning and I could put 6 shots in a 3" group with maybe one or two strays at 50 yards. At 100 yards I was shooting 6"-8" groups. I just have a cheap Tasco 3-9x40 scope for optics and I was shooting from a decent bench rest. As far as ammo goes I was using the cheap walmart stuff (550 rounds for $13). I just realized I see a trend when it comes to the word "cheap".

I don't expect perfection but would like something better than what i have been getting.

 

[30-30remchester]

check out kimber 22's they are guarenteed 1/2" groups at 50 yds. better be sitting down they are pricey

 

[cpttango30]

check out kimber 22's they are guarenteed 1/2" groups at 50 yds. better be sitting down they are pricey

Kimber stopped making 22 rifles. You can still find them though on gunbroker.com and other sights.

With the gun and ammo I say you can do a little better with target ammo but not a whole lot.

My old remmys will shoot 1/2" at 50 yards. My mossberg will shoot better than that at 50 yards with a cheap Simmons scope on it.

I am not a fan of the microgrove rifling used in many marlins.

I would try and give it a good cleaning and see what happens.

 

[mike481]

Kimber stopped making 22 rifles. You can still find them though on gunbroker.com and other sights.

With the gun and ammo I say you can do a little better with target ammo but not a whole lot.

My old remmys will shoot 1/2" at 50 yards. My mossberg will shoot better than that at 50 yards with a cheap Simmons scope on it.

I am not a fan of the microgrove rifling used in many marlins.

I would try and give it a good cleaning and see what happens.

I spent over an hour taking apart and cleaning everything. The next time I get out to the range (within a couple days)I will try again.

 

[big shrek]

Maybe I am being too picky. I was at the range this morning and I could put 6 shots in a 3" group with maybe one or two strays at 50 yards. At 100 yards I was shooting 6"-8" groups. I just have a cheap Tasco 3-9x40 scope for optics and I was shooting from a decent bench rest. As far as ammo goes I was using the cheap walmart stuff (550 rounds for $13). I just realized I see a trend when it comes to the word "cheap".

I don't expect perfection but would like something better than what i have been getting.

You can get much better than that. Ignore people who say that you can't get good accuracy out of a .22lr, they simply do not know what they are talking about.

First, get rid of the Tasco, Tasco is another word for Junk. If money is an issue, the best scope for under $150 is the Center Point 4-16x40 (79.98 @Walmart). If you wish to sink more money into a scope, feel free, but there is definitely a point of diminishing returns with .22 scopes. The Center Point will do you justice. Works very nicely on .17's & .22WMR's as well.

Second, even if everything fit back together properly...you need to glass bed the rifle. The purpose of bedding the action is to get a better fit than possible with a wood chisel. The goal is to bed the action in such a way that there is no stress or twisting when the screws are tightened.

If you have a gunsmith bed it for you, it averages around $40-80. Different gunsmiths may bed a little different from one to another but most think that the recoil lug should be bedded, the area directly under the screws front and back should be bedded and the middle part where the cartridges feed through should have clearance. Also the first couple of inches of the barrel under the chamber many people feel should be bedded to take some of the hanging weight off the receiver...or you can free-float it...your choice, tell 'em what you want.

Third, purchase a micrometer caliper, (I prefer the ones with Vernier Scale, measures to .0001 of an inch, but you really only need to go to .001 with .22's, I'm just a little OCD ). With the Marlin Micro-groove barrel, bullet diameter is KEY. Most people don't know that you need a fatter bullet for the micro-grooves to really GRAB and twist...but once you find the proper round...your accuracy becomes Better Than Average. If you are firing improperly sized bullets in your rifle, you will have rounds flying off in odd directions instead of grouping properly in a cloverleaf. Buy several different boxes of ammo, measure a sampling (10-20) of each box, and Write it down. Then fire approx 50-100 shots (or the whole box) and record the groups. You will find the proper ammo for your Marlin or any other pistol/rifle with this method. Even Bulk ammo has consistancy, find out which bulk ammo works best. Mine prefers CCI...

Fourth, consider a bipod, Rock Creek makes one that can be found for $40 at almost any walmart/gunstore. I've only found one benchrest that didn't move, and it was bloody expensive, not to mention rather large & heavy A bipod stabilizes the front on top of the shooting bench/ground/etc and allows you to focus on one plane of movement.

Fifth, intentionally use a slight up/down motion when bringing to bear on target, I let my breathing move the butt of the rifle up/down like an archer uses the up/down to target with before release. This focuses your movements into the up/down instead of allowing side-side movement (which is for skeet & running/flying game). For target shooting, nothing is moving except you, so use the up/down to your advantage, which leaves only figuring out Windage as you go and the wind blows

These should get you within 1" inch groups at 50 yards with ease. 1/2" if you are as anally retentative as the rest of us Black Death shooters.

 

[mike481]

You can get much better than that. Ignore people who say that you can't get good accuracy out of a .22lr, they simply do not know what they are talking about.

First, get rid of the Tasco, Tasco is another word for Junk. If money is an issue, the best scope for under $150 is the Center Point 4-16x40 (79.98 @Walmart). If you wish to sink more money into a scope, feel free, but there is definitely a point of diminishing returns with .22 scopes. The Center Point will do you justice. Works very nicely on .17's & .22WMR's as well.

Second, even if everything fit back together properly...you need to glass bed the rifle. The purpose of bedding the action is to get a better fit than possible with a wood chisel. The goal is to bed the action in such a way that there is no stress or twisting when the screws are tightened.

If you have a gunsmith bed it for you, it averages around $40-80. Different gunsmiths may bed a little different from one to another but most think that the recoil lug should be bedded, the area directly under the screws front and back should be bedded and the middle part where the cartridges feed through should have clearance. Also the first couple of inches of the barrel under the chamber many people feel should be bedded to take some of the hanging weight off the receiver...or you can free-float it...your choice, tell 'em what you want.

Third, purchase a micrometer caliper, (I prefer the ones with Vernier Scale, measures to .0001 of an inch, but you really only need to go to .001 with .22's, I'm just a little OCD ). With the Marlin Micro-groove barrel, bullet diameter is KEY. Most people don't know that you need a fatter bullet for the micro-grooves to really GRAB and twist...but once you find the proper round...your accuracy becomes Better Than Average. If you are firing improperly sized bullets in your rifle, you will have rounds flying off in odd directions instead of grouping properly in a cloverleaf. Buy several different boxes of ammo, measure a sampling (10-20) of each box, and Write it down. Then fire approx 50-100 shots (or the whole box) and record the groups. You will find the proper ammo for your Marlin or any other pistol/rifle with this method. Even Bulk ammo has consistancy, find out which bulk ammo works best. Mine prefers CCI...

Fourth, consider a bipod, Rock Creek makes one that can be found for $40 at almost any walmart/gunstore. I've only found one benchrest that didn't move, and it was bloody expensive, not to mention rather large & heavy A bipod stabilizes the front on top of the shooting bench/ground/etc and allows you to focus on one plane of movement.

Fifth, intentionally use a slight up/down motion when bringing to bear on target, I let my breathing move the butt of the rifle up/down like an archer uses the up/down to target with before release. This focuses your movements into the up/down instead of allowing side-side movement (which is for skeet & running/flying game). For target shooting, nothing is moving except you, so use the up/down to your advantage, which leaves only figuring out Windage as you go and the wind blows

These should get you within 1" inch groups at 50 yards with ease. 1/2" if you are as anally retentative as the rest of us Black Death shooters.

Thanks for all the great info. I really appreciate it.

Instead of glass bedding the rifle would I be better off just getting a new synthetic stock? I imagine I would still want to glass bed a new stock as well but would a synthetic stock be better to glass bed or just do the original?

Sorry for all the questions.

As far as technique goes I am sure that I can use a lot of improvement. Now that I live in South Dakota (10 minutes from the range) and not Kalifornia I can spend more time on the basics and hopefully improve my technique.


Thanks everybody for your time and patience


Mike

 

[stalkingbear]

Big shreck came close.

The 4x-16x-40mm scope is great step in right direction because it has adjustable objective. A 4x-12x would work just as good, as long as it has adjustable objective. The reason for this is parallax. All scopes designed for use on centerfire rifles have parallax set at factory for 199-150 yards, whereas rimfire scopes are factory adjusted to be parallax free at 50 yards. Adjustable objectives compensate for that parallax setting.

It's damn HARD to glass bed a .22 with tubular magazine so forget that.

The bullet diameter has no affect on the accuracy of the type of rifling as long as it's within saami specs. The micro-groove rifling is nothing more than many shallow grooves, compared to 5-7 slightly deeper grooves.

What you need to do is grab 1 box of EVERY different kind of ammo you can lay your hands on. Select the most accurate load, then buy a BUNCH of it in that specific lot. Sort the ammo by CASE RIM THICKNESS-NOT bullet diameter. Sort all ammo to exact case rim thickness.

Clean your rifle THOROUGHLY before shooting for accuracy.

 

[rugermike]

My turn

Big shreck came close.

The 4x-16x-40mm scope is great step in right direction because it has adjustable objective. A 4x-12x would work just as good, as long as it has adjustable objective. The reason for this is parallax. All scopes designed for use on centerfire rifles have parallax set at factory for 199-150 yards, whereas rimfire scopes are factory adjusted to be parallax free at 50 yards. Adjustable objectives compensate for that parallax setting.

It's damn HARD to glass bed a .22 with tubular magazine so forget that.

The bullet diameter has no affect on the accuracy of the type of rifling as long as it's within saami specs. The micro-groove rifling is nothing more than many shallow grooves, compared to 5-7 slightly deeper grooves.

What you need to do is grab 1 box of EVERY different kind of ammo you can lay your hands on. Select the most accurate load, then buy a BUNCH of it in that specific lot. Sort the ammo by CASE RIM THICKNESS-NOT bullet diameter. Sort all ammo to exact case rim thickness.

Clean your rifle THOROUGHLY before shooting for accuracy.

Good advice from all. I would like to add a couple of comments.

Let me start out by saying a model 60 is not a favorite rifle of mine. There are much better accuracy 22's out there if that is what your wanting.

So that being said, save yourself alot of grief and money and purchase another 22 with better accuracy quality. Bolt actions are best in a repeater, however there are some fine older single shots as well. If you feel the need for a semi-auto then buy your self a Ruger 10/22 (JMO) and add whatever you wish. The possibilities are endless? Well depending on your bank account?
You will never get the Model 60 to group one ragged hole groups consistantly, no matter what you do to it!

 

[sgtdeath66]

Good advice from all. I would like to add a couple of comments.

Let me start out by saying a model 60 is not a favorite rifle of mine. There are much better accuracy 22's out there if that is what your wanting.

So that being said, save yourself alot of grief and money and purchase another 22 with better accuracy quality. Bolt actions are best in a repeater, however there are some fine older single shots as well. If you feel the need for a semi-auto then buy your self a Ruger 10/22 (JMO) and add whatever you wish. The possibilities are endless? Well depending on your bank account?
You will never get the Model 60 to group one ragged hole groups consistantly, no matter what you do to it!

i disagree my model 60 was the best rimfire ive owned so far. my remington 597 hopefully will blow that out of the water this summer when i get the proper weather to finely tune my scope in. thanks to google earth i found out last night that the area i was shootin my mod 60 was actually 54 yrds instead of the 25 i was thinking it was. so the model 60 can be made into a tack driver once the right glass is put on the rifle and you find the ammo it likes the most, mine loved the cci's mini's the best. just my .02

 

[big shrek]

Good advice from all. I would like to add a couple of comments.

Let me start out by saying a model 60 is not a favorite rifle of mine. There are much better accuracy 22's out there if that is what your wanting.

So that being said, save yourself alot of grief and money and purchase another 22 with better accuracy quality. Bolt actions are best in a repeater, however there are some fine older single shots as well. If you feel the need for a semi-auto then buy your self a Ruger 10/22 (JMO) and add whatever you wish. The possibilities are endless? Well depending on your bank account?
You will never get the Model 60 to group one ragged hole groups consistantly, no matter what you do to it!

A .22 with better accuracy sure as heck ain't the ruger 10/22. An Anshutz or Howa, yes, possibly even an AMT Lightning, but definitely NOT the Ruger with those crappy plastic triggers & questionable manufacturing. There's a reason people need so much aftermarket gear to "accurize" the 10/22, it's because the standard model sux. Voldquardtz makes millions a year manufacturing high-quality replacement 10/22 parts because the original are JUNK. I've got an old Squires-Bingham model 16 (currently known as ARMSCOR 1600) that outshoots 10/22's at the range every month...and IT is considered a Low-Quality gun made by a Low-Quality manufacturer. But it'll run rings around a standard 10/22 all day long.

you can sure tell who's paid by Ruger around here

 

[stalkingbear]

It's pretty funny you TRYING to say Ruger 10/22s are junk! I'll match MY 10/22s against your rifles anytime. I too have developed an intense dislike for Marlin/Glenfield model 60s over the 27+ years of running my own gunsmith shop myself. Sure they MAY be a tad more accurate out of box, but the simple fact that all those aftermarket parts exist prove the Ruger is superior design, and ultimately reliable on average. How many team challenges are won by people using ANYTHING other than 10/22s? And NO I'm NOT getting paid by Ruger in any way. You are correct about the 10/22s shipped within the last 6 months having plastic trigger housings.

A .22 with better accuracy sure as heck ain't the ruger 10/22. An Anshutz or Howa, yes, possibly even an AMT Lightning, but definitely NOT the Ruger with those crappy plastic triggers & questionable manufacturing. There's a reason people need so much aftermarket gear to "accurize" the 10/22, it's because the standard model sux. Voldquardtz makes millions a year manufacturing high-quality replacement 10/22 parts because the original are JUNK. I've got an old Squires-Bingham model 16 (currently known as ARMSCOR 1600) that outshoots 10/22's at the range every month...and IT is considered a Low-Quality gun made by a Low-Quality manufacturer. But it'll run rings around a standard 10/22 all day long.

you can sure tell who's paid by Ruger around here

 

[big shrek]

I'm not too fond of the Glenfield's myself, but the Marlin 60 has proven itself quite nicely and has sold over a million more than any other .22lr rifle. The Ruger 10/22 is it's closest competition.

The 10/22's big bonuses is the availability of aftermarket hi-capacity magazines (which Obama & Pelosi are going to outlaw soon, along with the 10/22 itself) and the fact that by hand-manufacturing One part, you can turn a 10/22 into a full-auto carbine (which is totally illegal without a Class III license). I've got a 10/22 SS with a bull barrel...and it's an OK rifle, and it shoots well, but it hasn't given me the accuracy that I demand.

What I can't stomach is people who come onto a forum that specifically mentions TWO guns, and start pushing other products & downing the choices like this

"save yourself alot of grief and money and purchase another 22 with better accuracy quality".[\quote] THAT peeved me off.

If the OP had wanted to know about 10/22's, he'd have asked. And from what I'm finding out at the range, the plastic trigger IS junk. It's just not wearing well in comparison to the original ones. Plastic just isn't made to handle thousands of trigger-pulls because it wears. So if one has to have a Ruger, get one with a metal trigger. VQ makes a great one.

There are other Ruger products I happily recommend (Vaquero, Blackhawk, etc), the 10/22 just isn't one I'd recommend over a Marlin 60. That would be like suggesting a Savage lever-action over the Mossberg lever-action. Finding anything more accurate than an NIB Marlin isn't possible at that price point, you have to move up to a much more expensive rifle like a Sako/Howa/Anshutz or a tricked-out Ruger(cost about as much) to see a marked improvement over what can be done with a properly set up NIB Marlin 60.