After chasing Ruger 10/22s for a little while and never quite having the money at a time when they're actually available, I suddenly noticed the value of some of Marlin's offerings. I was never looking for a "super rifle" I just wanted something reliable, and cheap enough that I could buy several. The 60 and the 795 are both similar .22LR rifles that can be had with synthetic stocks for under $200. The major difference between them is that the 60 has a built in tube magazine and the 795 has a standard detachable box mag. I haven't had a chance to examine either one in person, and the fact is I may not have a choice but to buy one sight-unseen off a website.
What sounds better for a prepper? I like the idea of the 14 round tube mag for its simplicity, and also its low profile. There's no detachable mag to lose. On the other hand I don't know what gremlins a tube mag might develop.
The 10 round box mag is easily changeable ofcourse. If it breaks I can probably stick in a new one (assuming I have a spare). But it seems like a protrusion in an otherwise streamlined rifle. I have this notion that if I drop into a prone position, or just plain drop the rifle, I could break the damm thing and render my rifle useless.
This gun would be a grocery-getter, not a dedicated defense rifle. What would you pick?
I'll say first up I don't know very much about the Marlins.
I do hear the spare mags are expensive and may be hard to get. Since they aren't that popular you may only be able to get the factory mag unlike the 10/22.
Tube magazines are fine - don't use the rifle as a hammer- but if you do opt for a tube mag in a .22 look for some model that will shoot shorts and longs as well as long rifle rounds even if it be a repeater rather than a semi auto.
Since you can't get much in the way of aftermarket parts hold the rifle and try the trigger before you buy, it' s about the most important "shoots great" feature on any gun. If you're on a budget, find something you can afford that has a great trigger.
My only real problem with the Marlin 60 is that it's not a breech-gate tube (like a semi shotgun or Model 1876 cowboy lever gun). It's like the Henry Golden Boy, where you reach to the end of the barrel, twist, pull out the cylinder far enough to open the drop hole for rounds (almost all the way out) and one-by-one drop rounds in, then push the cylinder back in, keep it pressed in against the spring pressure, and twist it closed and locked.
That's a lot of dexterity if you're cold and/or hungry and/or hit with adrenaline mitten paws.
You also may want to find out if you can use grease or powder lube on it or buy cold-weather lube if it's going to be exposed to nasty cold weather. The metals they make the tube magazine shell out of and the compression cylinder/feeder cylinder with the spring in it (the one you pull out to load) are different things, and one of our Marlins req'd help from the pliers on a multi-tool in sub-freezing weather. Regular lube that beads up and congeals in cold is the antithesis of help for it. It didn't affect operation of the action, but you couldn't get it open without pliers in cold-cold weather.
A tube mag has benefits over detachable mags, if you're worried about future restrictions, because they tend to be lower on the banned/recall lists even at higher capacities. If that's something you're worried about for the future, for a grocery gun it might be worth getting a lever-action or bolt gun.
I'd order a couple of spare magazines, and so would factor that into my price comparison. They break. And the skinny single-stack magazines tend to be made of less-than-durable stuff in a lot of cases. Even the new S&W .22 LR pistol has crap for a magazine (I love S&W, BTW). The Marlin 975 mags can be dicey to find here in cycles. I think it's the model that will take the Marlin Papoose mags if any of those are available for you.
Marlin 795s seem to have what I'm going to call "tight" magazines. That might go for the Papoose/70 series as well. I'm accustomed to working a release and having a magazine drop into my paw. These needed tugged, from what I recall. Like, hold the stock under the elbow, work release and hold it, reach up with off hand to pull down to remove the magazine, replace magazine.
On the other hand, the bolt automatically locks back for the Marlin .22 autoloaders. A 10/22 requires the finger hokey-pokey game or a pair of quickie but not totally inexpensive aftermarkets to keep the bolt back when dry and to make it a one-touch/one-motion bolt release.
One may be more important to you than the other.
I don't overly worry about fancy-shcmancy stuff on my .22s, because my eyes run out of ability before the rounds do and I never squirrel hunted in a prone or with tight sling on my bicep or in the crazy competition stances. I pop a rifle or shotgun to my shoulder or rest it on my knee, pin it to the side of a tree or on a branch, but that's mostly woods and mixed edge habitat small game hunting. A simple, inexpensive Redhead scope has been the only thing I use besides iron sights. I remember the Marlin triggers as being heavy, but relatively clean.
However, there are benefits to getting a rifle with tons and tons of aftermarket parts available, not only for customizing but also for things like an extra firing pin, hammer and spring.
Good luck!
Got a chance to look around today. No Marlins to be found but I checked out a Henry Lever Action 22. Pretty sweet gun actually. Beautiful finish and looks very simple to work on. And I got to see what the tube mag looks like, I see what you mean about the breech gate, that would've been better. All in all I might have to get one, but possibly not yet. It certainly looks like a gun that will outlive me, but a semi-auto still sounds like the go-to for me.
I know it's a little more than the Marlins, but the 10/22 is a dream and as you develop with it or ask things of it, chances are there's already an ap for that out there. You mentioned the magazine sticking out, and that's something the Ruger autoloader doesn't have a problem with.
If you're not looking for a match-lighting gun and you're not married to the Marlin 60 or 795, maybe see if you can jump on a Marlin XT. One of the XT models is the s-l-lr compatible that was mentioned, and it's available with a 7-rnd or higher (10 or 12 rnd) magazine or with a higher-capacity tube magazine (same drawback as the '60 and the Henry). They have nice NIB accuracy and a nice bolt, although they are a bolt. Still, it's a .22 and not a heavy-barrel match .22, so it's easy to keep your sights aligned and cheekweld while operating the bolt for a second shot.
If you're really willing to look beyond the Marlin 60 and 795, you could also check out the Mossberg 802 (bolt action, 10 rnd mag) or Mossberg 702 (autoloader, 10 rnd mag). The 802 is comperable in price to 10/22s down here, maybe a little lower in cost, with a wide, wide, wide variety in stock and grip styles and finishes. The 702 is some significantly lower in price than 10/22s are, although without as many options.
I wouldn't worry about the 10round detachable magazines too much, as far as damage goes. Most of them don't stick out lower than the grip/stock of the rifles or a guy's fist, so you can prop it on a fist and do the same thumb squeeze to make small adjustments without the magazine touching the deck unless you're shooting at a pretty steep angle on rugged ground. Maybe not as smooth looking as the tube mags, with the potential to drop a magazine, I guess, or snag it on something.
I will say that the large loop looks a little funky, especially on a .22, and ruins the line a little, but unless you wear slimline neoprene gloves, you may want to go that route for wintertime shooting, especially hunting. I wear jersey garden gloves under leather garden or construction shells and basically run the lever with the tips of two fingers in cold weather because it's all I can fit inside. Of course, it came out of the box smooth enough to do that. 🙂