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Why do you choose to shoot a Marlin?

19K views 107 replies 78 participants last post by  1Rudedawg 
#1 ·
This goes out to all Marlin shooters,as the title says why do you shoot a Marlin
this was my explanation to a follow shooter who shoots only CZ's one day I ran into him at a store and he ask how did I do at the range (we saw each other the day before at the range) anyway I said that I thought that I really needed to bed my SQ because it wasn't grouping very well at 100yds. he told me that I should have bought a CZ and next time he saw me at the range he would let me try one of them.
now I didn't get offended but kindly explained that I liked working on guns and liked the challange of trying to make them shoot better, getting ideas from formsites like RFC and using my own ideas as well. this was the fun that I have, take an relative inexpensive rifle and make a shooter out of it ( granted I do have an edge using SQ's ) what I mean to say is that he has $525+ invested in a CZ shoots pretty good but I think my Marlins ($200 +) can and have out shot them ( I seen his targets) all with the work of my 2-hands. I read on this site many times about comparing other big $ rifles but I think you all will agree that this is not why we choose to shoot Marlins anybody can get an high end rifle to shoot by just buying it ! I hope this didn't come off as bashing other brand shooters It is just my thoughts.

Thanks Hi-NV Shooter
 
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#29 ·
My first 22 was a Winchester model 61 with a tube mag on it and that is what I still have in the safe...when it came time to get a brand new hunting gun in 22 I have always wanted a 22mag to shoot and the only one you makes one with a tube magazine was Marlin. I was lucky and found a new 883. :)

I just don't care for magazines that stick out from the bottom of a hunting gun...especially on a 22 rifle, for me it just does not seem natural...besides loosing clips, not aligning like they are supposed too, low round count and every thing else about them. When I was a kid running around hunting with my Winchester all I had to do was put a box or two of 22s in my pocket and I was good to go. Old habits are hard to die.

And yes I do have 10/22s for my kids and I just got a Savage 93r17BV that still new and unfired for my bench gun....which I will not be carrying around. I wish some one would make a 17HMR with a tube mag.

Just my opinion...

Signalman1
 
#42 ·
And yes I do have 10/22s for my kids and I just got a Savage 93r17BV that still new and unfired for my bench gun....which I will not be carrying around. I wish some one would make a 17HMR with a tube mag.
I like the 10/22's but don't own one my self, though one of these days I'll build one up for a semi auto squirrel killer. I recently bough a Savage 93R17 FV that I still need to take to the range to play with. My XT22TR will be my secondary small game rifle while hunting once my Savage is all built up (doing a custom McMillan A2/A5 hybrid stock, thanks to azguy who will be inletting it for me.). A tube feed 17(HM2 or HMR) would be cool, I would definitely buy one.
 
#31 ·
I picked up a Marlin 925 a few years ago since it was most like the first 22 rifle I owned as a kid in 1977. Although the old rifle was a Marlin/Glenfield. I sold the rifle in 1982 to help for my car upgrade fund - regret selling that rifle.

So , nostalgia plays a part. But the new 925 is actually a pretty nice 22 for the price. Add to that a couple of lever actions - 39A and 39AS and whats not to like!;)

Now I still shoot CZs and 10/22s as well but I'll always have at least one Marlin bolt and one lever action.
 
#34 ·
Like so many others have said, my FIRST loyalty is to all things American. And that's NOT to say bad things about guns made elsewhere... some of them are very nice & I won't "down" them. But when I look at, heft, and shoulder my model 782 I am ALWAYS reminded that this rifle is NOT a toy. It's as full-sized as any modern bolt-action 30 caliber; It has the weight of a real, full-sized rifle; and it shoulders JUST LIKE a larger caliber rifle. I LIKE THAT ! It gives me a solid & stable "shooting platform" in 22WMR. And to me, the value of that cannot be overstated. OH YEAH -> It's pretty derned accurate too...... FredT
 
#37 ·
I shoot a Marlin rimfire because I was looking for a 22WMR, I didn't have loads of money to spend, and Marlin was known (at least where I lived, and at the time) as 'THE' rimfire rifle maker. The gun shoots great, so I kept it! It's a plain-Jane, birch-stocked 25MN.
 
#40 ·
I myself have 2 Marlins, an XT22TR and an XS7 HB in .308. The out of the box accuracy of both of the is fantastic, especially for the price. I paid $180 for my XT and I can shoot 3/4" groups at 50 yards with CCI mini mags. My Fiancee's dad has a 10/22 that he bought probably 15 years ago that he likes to use for small game hunting. He got a custom barrel for it (3/4" dia. 18") and manages about a 1" group at 50 yards with CCI Stingers. My XS7 shoots Sub MOA at 100 yards with Hornady 168gr A-Max rounds. My uncle bought a Rem 710 in 308 a few years back for about $350 and could barely manage a 1 1/2" group at 100 yards with Federal Match Ammo. So again, I paid less and got better groups. BTW, my uncle is a retired county SWAT Sharpshooter, so he wasn't the weak point while shooting. American made is another plus to the Marlins over some other brands.
 
#54 · (Edited)
The guy bought a CZ. He has to justify the expense by looking down on other brands. You don't have to justify buying a Marlin. It's just as much fun to shoot at half the price.


I have an unmodified Marlin XT 22. It cost less than a trip to the grocery store. It shoots 1.25 MOA groups at 100 yards. This is a great working accuracy for squirrels and other small game. It is reliable and fun to shoot. Why spend more?


I have a 70's era Mossberg 340 BD that I bought at a gun show for $125. It groups CCI SV less than 1/2 inch at 50 yards using the original aperture sights. Reliable, accurate, fun to shoot, what more do you need?
 
#55 ·
I have been shooting Marlin .22s and giving Marlin .22s as gifts for 30 some years. Marlins are all the things mentioned above, quality at a reasonable price. Marlins are a great value in the .22 world, you get a lot of "Bang for the buck". I love my Winchester .22s and shoot them regularly but the Marlins get plenty of range and field time as well.
 
#57 ·
I just picked up a xt-22 & xt-22m. Great rifles. I like 22s. Own some coopers, Ann's, and some rugers. And I wanted to add some more 22 made in US along with spending some of my hard earned cash to support the gun industry. Did not need them, just buying some freedom.
 
#60 · (Edited)
That ^^. Like buying a Black & Decker cordless drill instead of a DeWalt.

Plus, availability. Lots of Marlins made in many different configurations under not only the Marlin name but also Sears, etc.

I like the fact that the semi's and bolt-actions use the same magazines. Of course the same can be said for Rugers. I just wish someone would make a nice, lightweight, polymer- or alloy-frame .22 pistol that used Marlin mags.

Edit: The thing that is a big factor to me is the way a gun feels in the hands. Marlins just feel right to me.
 
#61 ·
I shoot Marlins 'cause in '73 I bought a Mod. 60 with my allowance money. $35 at K-Mart. I was 13 yrs. old. Took me 7 weeks to save up. First gun I ever bought, and still have it.

Second one is a Glenfield 25 I got from a friend when he moved, pre- internet. Didn't have a magazine with it and for $10 (ten) it followed me home. Have 2 mags now and they cost more than I paid for the rifle.
 
#62 ·
I have a glenfield 25, a cz 453 varmint and an anschutz 54. All are great shooters. I easily qualified for distinguished expert on the 25 with an air rifle scope. They are wonderfully accurate rifles at any price. There are noticeable difference in the tolerances between the 3, with the 54 being freakishly exacting. But if you learn to shoot properly including to learn to shoot the rifle you are holding-you find all can shoot .25 groups at 50 yards.
 
#64 · (Edited)
I chose my Marlin 982VS because I couldn't afford the Ruger MkIII stainless that I wanted. Bought it at a gun show off of a fellow carrying it slung on his shoulder. I kept seeing him walk by and I kept getting interested. I wound up paying a little too much, but at the same time I knew 0 about Marlin rifles when I bought it, and also 0 about .22wmr.

It's been a learning experience but I am still happy with it. It shoots 1.25 inch groups at 100 yards with a cheap Simmons 3-9x40. The only downside is now that .22wmr is almost impossible to find at local stores. :(

I am happy it is American made, it was also made just before Remlin, so one of the last true Marlins. It is also **** sexy, which drew me to it initially.
 
#66 ·
I have had numerous Marlins 336CS rifles 1in 30/30 1 in 35 Rem and a 336W in 30/30 all great guns with nice wood I have a 917VS in 17HMR and a 925M in 22 WMR and an XS7 in 7mm08 . The 17 and the 22 mag both combined were less than $600 and they both shoot exceptionally well and are great hunting rifles . I have always had an affection for Marlin because they are the working mans gun good value dependable and affordable ! these are the things I look for when I purchase a rifle that I'm gonna hunt and shoot with not a safe queen that I'm afraid to use because its too pretty!
 
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