Fiend Reader JC_In_PA sends me this article, which compares two old rimfire warhorses (the Marlin Model 60 and the Ruger 10/22) and then invites me to wade into the argument — which he correctly compares to the various X vs. Y arguments in the gun world (.45 ACP vs. 9mm, etc.).
And I respectfully decline the invitation.
You see, I’ve owned both at various times in my life, fired at least a jillion rounds through each — more than a few times at the same range session together — and for the life of me I can’t / won’t declare a favorite.
I love the heavier barrel of the Mod 60 — I shoot it more accurately than I do the 10/22 — and likewise prefer the reloading ease of the 10/22’s magazine over the Marlin’s tube.
At the moment, I don’t have a 10/22 — if anybody has a spare one that isn’t worn out, I’ll take it under advisement — but I’m not under any pressure to get one because I do have a Mod 60 standing in Ye Olde Gunne Sayfe #2 (alongside its bolt-action brother, the scoped Mod 880 SQ).
With these two Marlin brothers, therefore, I can indulge my plinking needs, whether in volume at tin cans (60) or when the occasion calls for single-hole accuracy at varmints or swinging plates (880). I am blissfully happy with either activity. While both rifles “prefer” CCI Min-Mag ammo, the Mod 60 will shoot just about anything, whereas the 880’s pinhole accuracy tends to drift towards more of a quarter-sized hole.
So yeah, I could do with some kind of 10/22 (because reasons) — such as this one:
…because with my crappy old-fart-eyesight, I need a scope to see the stupid target and one is somewhat limited in scope choice with the Mod 60 because of the scope mount shortcomings; but I can’t honestly say that the lack thereof is burning a hole in my psyche, either.
What I really want is a Ruger 10/22M (.22 Win Mag) in its “International” full-stock variation:
…but they make hen’s teeth look like a household commodity, and when one does become available, it’s generally at a price which makes my nuts ache and causes my trigger finger to go numb.
Anyway… I seem to have wandered off the reservation here, but there ya go.
Marlin Model 60 or Ruger 10/22? Take yer pick; either is a good choice.
By the way: everyone does own a .22 rifle, right? Because if not:
It’s un-American.
(Furrin Readers — including those in New Jersey — get a pass on this one, because as we all know, semi-auto .22 rifles are the cause of a million human deaths every second — I read it on Teh Intarwebz, so it must be true — and that’s why they’re banned in your benighted countries.)
Oh, and the title of this post?
The Marlin was released in 1960, while the Ruger 10/22 was released in 1964, making last year its sixtieth anniversary.
