Last Saturday, I bumped into an old friend of mine at a South Carolina gun show and we walked together for a while. He found a Marlin Model 60 at a very competitive price, $215 OTD, and the exterior was in very good condition. Good wood (probably beech or birch, I guess) and good metal, no rust, corrosion or bare spots. Everything was there, such as the front and rear iron sights. He bought it without much haggling with the seller. I couldn't tell much about it other than it was a New Haven made rifle so it predated the time when Remington absorbed Marlin. It still had the factory applied stickers on the forearm, although the stickers were quite worn.
He called me last night and said that although the exterior was nice, the previous owner(s) apparently did not invest in cleaning equipment. He said it appeared the rifle had never been cleaned properly. He is a retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant and it probably upset him that such was the case. Anyway, he said that he stripped it down and used a lot of Gun Scrubber spray, nylon gun brushes, tooth brushes, plastic picks, Hoppe's bore solvent, .22 cal. bore patches, Hoppe's Gun Oil and much elbow grease and it came out quite nice. He said that after the marathon cleaning, he lubed and reassembled it and since he lives in the country, he took it out to his private range and said it functioned perfectly. I think he came out quite well. He said his research revealed it was probably made in 1994 or so.
After we talked about the Marlin, he told me that since he got such a good outcome with the Marlin, he got motivated to clean a Savage Model 6 (I think he said a Model 6B but I am not sure of that) he has possessed for some time. He said he couldn't remember how he came into possession of the Savage but I know he keeps a few bucks in his wallet in case a deal comes along and that may have been the case with the Savage. He is one of those fellas who, unlike me, seem to find deals. He told me that the Savage was not in as good a condition as the Marlin but he did essentially the same thorough cleaning, lubing and reassembly. He said there was minor rusting on the barrel but like the Marlin, all the parts were there. Like the Marlin, it is a tube magazine fed rifle. He also took it out to his private range and he said it functioned flawlessly. He said that since it shot so well, he may refinish the stock and investigate reblueing the metal. He said it deserves a good restoration.
If I can get some photos of the Savage, I will try to attach them to a post.
He called me last night and said that although the exterior was nice, the previous owner(s) apparently did not invest in cleaning equipment. He said it appeared the rifle had never been cleaned properly. He is a retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant and it probably upset him that such was the case. Anyway, he said that he stripped it down and used a lot of Gun Scrubber spray, nylon gun brushes, tooth brushes, plastic picks, Hoppe's bore solvent, .22 cal. bore patches, Hoppe's Gun Oil and much elbow grease and it came out quite nice. He said that after the marathon cleaning, he lubed and reassembled it and since he lives in the country, he took it out to his private range and said it functioned perfectly. I think he came out quite well. He said his research revealed it was probably made in 1994 or so.
After we talked about the Marlin, he told me that since he got such a good outcome with the Marlin, he got motivated to clean a Savage Model 6 (I think he said a Model 6B but I am not sure of that) he has possessed for some time. He said he couldn't remember how he came into possession of the Savage but I know he keeps a few bucks in his wallet in case a deal comes along and that may have been the case with the Savage. He is one of those fellas who, unlike me, seem to find deals. He told me that the Savage was not in as good a condition as the Marlin but he did essentially the same thorough cleaning, lubing and reassembly. He said there was minor rusting on the barrel but like the Marlin, all the parts were there. Like the Marlin, it is a tube magazine fed rifle. He also took it out to his private range and he said it functioned flawlessly. He said that since it shot so well, he may refinish the stock and investigate reblueing the metal. He said it deserves a good restoration.
If I can get some photos of the Savage, I will try to attach them to a post.
Last edited:
