Interesting Guns No. 85

Marlin’s Levermatic Rifle Line
Offered Untraditional Design

Seller's Description: LSB#: 130104WF05 Make: Marlin Model: 99 M1 Serial Number: 69197353 Year of Manufacture: 1964-1978 (Blue Book, 31st Edition, Pg. 1202) Caliber:.22 Long Rifle Action Type: Semi-Auto with Tubular Magazine Markings: The barrel is marked “The Marlin Firearms Co.” and “Model 99 M1.22 L.R. / New Haven, Conn., U.S.A.”. The left side of the frame is marked. Marlin Gun Parts, Marlin Factrory Gun Parts.Marlin Lever Action gun Parts, Marlin 22 Automatic Parts, Marlin Bolt Action 22 Parts, Marlin Gun Stocks, Marlin Walnut Gun Stocks, Marlin Rifle Sights, Marlin Sight Hoods, Marlin Screws, Marlin Firearms Parts, Marlin Butt Plates.

by John Malloy

Contributing Editor to The New Gun Week

The Marlin LThis specimen is one of the first manufactured—a .22-caliber Model 56 with a 24-inch barrel and serial numbered in the 1,000 range. evermatic was a full-size rifle with a unique short-stroke lever action.

The Marlin Firearms Company has been known since 1881 for their line of traditionally-styled lever-action rifles. All Marlin lever guns made today look very much like the rifles that the company made in its earliest days. They have a certain characteristic look about them. They have outside hammers, finger levers that move about 90 degrees to operate the action, and have tubular magazines.

However, for a relatively short time in the late 1950s and 1960s, Marlin made lever-action rifles that were very different from the traditional pattern. With a speed of operation between the traditional lever action and the semi-automatic, these interesting guns were called the “Levermatic” rifles.

The Levermatic story actually began around 1950 with the Kessler Arms Company of Silver Creek, NY. The Kessler company made inexpensive bolt-action shotguns which were sold under many names. The Kessler guns were available at a time when the post-WWII interest in hunting and shooting had increased the demand for affordable firearms. The Kessler company only remained in business for about three years, but during that time, made over three-quarters of a million shotguns. Toward the end of its existence, the Kessler firm introduced a lever-action shotgun, called the Kessler “Lever-Matic.” The Lever-Matic gun was unique among lever-action firearms in that it required a very short stroke of the lever to operate the action. A mechanism with a special accelerator lever allowed this.

Marlin Model 99 M1 Serial Numbers

When the company went bankrupt, Numrich Arms Company of West Hurley, NY, bought all the remaining Kessler guns and parts. They had occasion to contact Marlin, and supplied complete guns and parts for study.

Opportunity

From that start, the Marlin Levermatic rifles developed. Marlin saw an opportunity to create a new niche in lever-action rifles—a hammerless short-stroke rifle with a different magazine type. Marlin negotiated a royalty agreement with the original inventors, and Marlin engineers Ewald Nichol and Tom Robinson developed the mechanism for the rifles. The short, smooth action used a cam-and-roller accelerator system that allowed a lever movement of less than 1½ inches. This short movement allowed the shooter’s hand to remain on the grip of the stock, and was much faster than a traditional lever action.

A close-up of the Levermatic action shows that, with the action closed, the rear of the bolt has tipped up to lock into the receiver opening. The action was strong and the rifle had a good reputation for accuracy.

There were five distinct variations of the Marlin Levermatic rifle.

The first Levermatic was the Model 56. Introduced in 1955, it was a .22-caliber rifle with a 7-shot box (“clip”) magazine. The new .22 provided a lower-priced alternative to the traditional Marlin Model 39 lever-action .22 rifle. However, the new Levermatic design had advantages of its own. The Model 56 had a one-piece stock, and was bedded into the stock with two bolts. The system was a good one for accuracy, and the new Marlin 56 quickly developed a reputation for excellent accuracy. It was furnished with traditional open sights, but to bring out the inherent accuracy, the Model 56 was drilled and tapped for both receiver sights and scope mounts.

The action was a strong one, with the rear of the bolt rising up to lock into the receiver opening. The locking system was reminiscent of that of the famed Savage 99. Another feature similar to the Savage was the manual safety, located behind the trigger, on the right side of the lever. Differing notably in its short 25-degree lever throw, the new Marlin seemed to be not only a good rifle in its own right, but perfect as a .22-caliber understudy for the 99.

Changes

Some changes occurred during the production of the Model 56. In 1956, the squared steel receiver was supplanted by a curved aluminum receiver that blended into the lines of the stock. At that time, a Monte Carlo stock became standard. The Model 56 initially came with a 24-inch barrel (which was later reduced to 22 inches), and weighed about 6¼ pounds. Furnished with a seven-shot magazine, the Model 56 could use optional 10-round and 12-round magazines which were also available.

With the action open (yes, that is as far as the short-stroke lever moves), the bolt tips down and moves rearward inside the receiver. The Model 56 had a box (clip) magazine. Other .22-caliber variants had tubular magazines.

The Model 56 performed well, and was a fairly popular rifle. In the period between 1955 and its discontinuance in 1964 a total of 31,523 were made.

In 1959, a special version of the Model 56 was made. Called the Model 56 DL “Clipper King,” the rifle came with a 4-power scope already mounted, and a 12-shot magazine was standard. On the barrel was the three-line legend, “Marlin Clipper King,” and a crown symbol. The buttplate was made of red hard rubber (instead of the standard black buttplate). The 56 DL came in a cardboard gun case, and also included were a tube of Marlin Rustopper grease, a game and target record book, a sighting-in guide, a game map, and 50 targets. Only 152 of the special Clipper King rifles were made. It is a little-known variation that may someday be of interest to collectors.

Nineteen-fifty-nine was a busy time for the Levermatic lineup. In addition to the 56 DL, Marlin also introduced two tubular-magazine short-stroke lever rifles. The Model 57 was chambered for .22 Short, Long or Long Rifle, and the Model 57M was made for the new .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (.22WMR) cartridge. After Winchester announced the .22 Magnum cartridge in 1959, Marlin required only a slight redesign of the basic Levermatic mechanism to adapt it to the new rimfire cartridge. Thus, Marlin was able to beat Winchester into production. Winchester did not market a rifle to shoot their new cartridge until 1960.

Tubular Magazines

The Model 57 rifles were introduced with curved aluminum receivers, but in 1960, Marlin reportedly reverted back to the squared steel receivers for the Levermatic rifles. The tubular-magazine variants of the Levermatic were more popular than the original box-magazine version. A total of 34,628 Model 57s (1959-1965) were made, while the even more popular 57M, in .22 Magnum (1959-1969) sold 66,889 rifles.

The basic Levermatic action was a strong one, and in 1963, Marlin decided to bring out a centerfire version of the Levermatic. This became the Marlin Model 62. With the centerfire Model 62, Marlin returned to the use of box magazines. In the first catalog listing, the calibers to be offered were .357 Magnum, .256 Winchester Magnum and .22 Remington Jet. (The .256 and .22 Jet were both necked-down versions of the .357.) Subsequent catalogs listed the .256 and the .22 Jet only.

In fact, though, only the .256 Winchester Magnum version was actually produced, and the Marlin Model 62 was the first rifle ever to be produced in that caliber. In some places, the Model 62 is often listed as having been available in .256 and .22 Jet, but the .22 Jet rifles were never made.

However, in 1966, a new caliber was added to the Levermatic line. The .30 Carbine cartridge had become very popular after World War II, but was available in little else beside surplus M1 Carbines. The .30 Carbine chambering was offered in the Model 62, which gave shooters a choice of a fast-operating, accurate rifle suitable for scope mounting.

The Model 62, in both calibers, was discontinued in 1969. The total production was 15,714 guns. The popularity of the .30 Carbine version is shown in the fact that, although it was introduced three years after the .256, over 50% (7,996) of the Model 62s sold were in the.30 Carbine chambering.

Serial Numbers

An interesting sidelight of the Levermatic story involves serial numbering. Today, we are used to the fact that passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968 required serial numbering of all firearms. However, when the Model 56 was introduced in 1955, federal law required serial numbering only of centerfire rifles, but not of .22 rimfire rifles.

At first, Marlin began numbering the Model 56 .22-caliber rifles, anyway. The company had always applied serial numbers to their Model 39 .22-caliber lever-action rifles, and it seemed natural to continue with the Levermatic. However, a Marlin study showed that it was not really cost-effective to continue the numbering, record-keeping and reporting procedures for the new rifles. By that time, serial numbers had been applied only to the earliest-production Model 56 rifles, and then the practice was discontinued.

As new Levermatic models—the Models 56DL, 57 and 57M—were added to the line, the same tradition of not applying serial numbers was continued. This tradition was continued when the Model 62 Levermatic was introduced. However, the Model 62 was a centerfire rifle. To their embarrassment, after about 4,000 Model 62 rifles had been shipped without serial numbers, Marlin belatedly realized that they had been in violation of the law. A recall program was initiated, and owners could return their rifles for serial numbering. Even at the time of this writing, apparently some of the unnumbered centerfire Levermatics have not been returned. Present owners can still contact Marlin for procedures to have their guns numbered.

The Levermatic rifle is an interesting sidelight in the offerings of the Marlin company. It offered an innovative new action type for a .22 rifle, with a fast action and excellent accuracy. It was in the forefront to offer the .22 Magnum when that cartridge was announced. It was the first rifle ever to chamber the new .256 Winchester Magnum. In a niche of their own, the Levermatic variations were fairly popular, and almost 150,000 were made.

The Marlin Levermatic rifle, in all its different variations, is an interesting gun.

Malloy tries out a Marlin Model 56 Levermatic and
finds it to be a fast-handling rifle with good accuracy.

Reprinted by Permission from The New Gun Week (Thanks to Joe Tartaro and John Krull)
Vol. 40 Issue 1811 - Jan. 1. 2005
Visit Gun Week on the web at www.gunweek.com

TheMarlin Model 60, also known as the Marlin Glenfield Model 60, is a semi-automatic rifle that fires the .22 LR rimfire cartridge. Produced by Remington Arms in Huntsville, Alabama formerly in Mayfield, Kentucky, formerly by Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut, it has been in continuous production since 1960 and the company says it is the most popular rifle of its kind in the world.^[3] Major features include a micro-groove barrel, a cross-bolt safety, hardwood stock with Monte Carlo comb, and brass or blued steel inner magazine tube. The Marlin Model 795 is a very similar rifle and based on the Marlin Model 60, changed only to accept a detachable box magazine.

History[edit]

The Marlin Model 99 was developed in 1959 by Ewald Nichol. Internally, it was essentially what would become the Model 60 in 1960. However, major differences were visible from the exterior. The Model 99 featured a walnut stock, and the receiver, instead of being grooved for tip-off scope mounts like the Model 60 would be, was factory-tapped to accept screw-on scope mounts. The Model 99 was offered from 1959 through 1961, and a lower priced version, Model 99G, was offered under Marlin's Glenfield line.

The Marlin Model 60 was developed in 1960 from the Model 99 design. The primary difference was that the stock was made of birch instead of walnut to reduce the recurring production costs for the more expensive wood. Marlin also moved away from their practice of using steel inner tubes with their tubular magazine. They moved back to brass inner tubes as other companies had done. This, instead of the steel tubes often seen on earlier Marlin .22 rifles, completely eliminated the rust problems that the all-steel tubular magazines had experienced which helped make the inexpensive Marlin rifle as durable as more expensive .22 caliber rifles. The Model 60 additionally featured a 16-groove rifled barrel, utilizing Marlin's trademarked Micro-Groove rifling technology, which had been developed in 1953. This rifling, with its precision-crowned muzzle, gave the Model 60 an inherent, enhanced accuracy over competing rifles, which used traditional deep grooved rifling, because the bullet was not as severely deformed while traveling down the barrel, and downrange.

The Model 60 has a manual 'fully open' bolt hold position, activated by pushing the charging handle inwards towards the gun when it is in the fully retracted, open breech position. To close the bolt with the manual bolt hold-open engaged, the charging handle must be pulled out, away from the gun, before the bolt will go forward. Since 1985, the Model 60 has also included a patented automatic 'last-shot' bolt hold-open. This latter feature is a safety feature that locks the bolt half-way open after the last cartridge is fired, thereby allowing the safe inspection of the now-open action. This also notifies the user when the gun is empty.

Marlin Model 99 M1 Serial Number

During the late-1980s, the capacity of the rifle was reduced to a 15-round maximum limit, to meet New Jersey's firearms law for semi-automatic guns. For a few years in the mid-1980s the Model 60 rifles had both the 'last shot hold open' feature and also held 18 rounds in the tube magazine. Those rifles with those two features are among the most sought after Model 60s. The redesigned magazine tube was visibly shorter than the barrel, which is how rifles from this period can be easily identified. Then, in the early 2000s the length of the barrel was reduced from 22 to 19 inches (559 to 483 mm), to match the length of the reduced length magazine. This had the effect of reducing the length of the rifle from 40.5 to 37.5 inches (1029 to 953 mm). (The photo above is of the 40.5 inch (1029 mm) version, the rifle having been manufactured in 1982.) Non-removable tubular magazine-fed rifles were never subject to the 10 round limit of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Marlin also manufactured models for export, which had various capacities to comply with foreign firearms regulations.

Despite slight design changes since 1960, there is general backwards compatibility of nearly all internal parts. Some notable parts that are year-specific are the feed throat mechanisms, magazine tubes, firing pins, and hammers.

Features[edit]

The action design is a self-loading, straight blowback operation, with right-side ejection. The receiver top has a serrated, non-glare finish. The receiver is held in the stock by front and rear machine screws through forearm and the trigger guard respectively (later models add a wood screw behind the trigger guard to reinforce the wrist of the stock). The receiver is grooved for a scope mount. For use without a scope, the barrel features an adjustable open rear light and a ramp front sight. The charging handle is used to load the first round from the magazine and can be retracted and pushed in as a manual bolt hold-open feature. Current model has an automatic 'last-shot' bolt hold-open device with an external lever in the front of the trigger guard to release the bolt. Earliest Model 60s did not have a bolt hold-open; first the manual, then in the mid-1980s the automatic 'last shot' hold-open were added. The rifle has an easily accessible cross-bolt safety located above the trigger. When disassembled, the trigger guard with trigger and safety remains in the stock.

Marlin uses their proprietary Micro-Groove rifling in the Model 60. The twist rate is 1:16 inches, right-hand. Micro-Groove rifling uses 16 small lands and grooves rather than 4, 6 or 8 deeper grooves used in most rifles. This increases the accuracy of the rifle by lessening deformation of fired bullets traveling down the barrel. Although the Model 60 is one of the least expensive .22 semi-automatic rifles sold, it has the reputation of being one of the most accurate rifles out of the box, with no modifications necessary.

Unlike some competing .22 semi-automatic rifles, such as the Ruger 10/22, there are relatively few aftermarket accessories sold for the utilitarian Model 60.

The Model 60 has been sold in over thirty-five variants, and is one of the fastest-selling sporting rifles ever, as of 1983.^[4]

While earlier .22 semi-automatic rifles were often designed to function with .22 Short, .22 Long and .22 Long Rifle interchangeably, the Model 60 is optimized for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge only.

Uses[edit]

The Model 60 is well-suited for small-game hunting and vermin control, as well as for serious but low-cost target practice while preparing for hunting with larger rifles. The relatively large ammunition capacity is adequate for casual recreational target shooting ('plinking'), plus the low price and ease of handling makes it well-suited as a first rifle by young hunters just learning to use a semi-automatic rifle.^{[citation needed]}

Versions and year of manufacture[edit]

The Model 60 is currently available in nine distinct versions:

The production of Marlin Model 60's was moved to Huntsville, Alabama. This move took place in 2016 and 2017. Rifles now are labeled on the barrel with the new location as Huntsville, Alabama USA.

• Model 60, the basic rifle (shown in picture)
• Model 6082, US Cavalry Commemorative version issued in 1982, basic rifle
• Model 60C, the basic rifle in a camouflage version
• Model 60SN, the basic rifle with a black fiberglass stock
• Model 60SB, the rifle in a weather-proof stainless steel version
• Model 60DL, the basic rifle in a Monte Carlo walnut stock
• Model 60SS, the rifle in a nickel-plated, stainless steel version with a grey/black laminate stock
• Model 60SSK, the rifle in a nickel-plated, stainless steel version, with black fiberglass stock
• Model 60S-CF, the rifle in a nickel-plated, stainless steel version, with a black carbon-fiber-patterned stock
• Model 60DLX, the newest Marlin 60, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Model 60. Has a premium walnut stock and gold fill on the roll marks, otherwise same as base model.^[5]

Historically, there were also other versions that were sold:

• Marlin Model 99 - this was the first version of the Model 60, offered in a walnut stock, 1959 to 1961
• Marlin Model 99DL - Deluxe model with Monte Carlo walnut stock and a butt plate end cap with white line spacer. Gold tone trigger and trigger guard, 1961 - 1964
• Marlin Model 99C - Similar to 99, but Micro Groove barrel and only trigger was gold tone. Receiver was grooved for rimfire tip off scope mounts. Originally smooth wood stock, checking was added in 1971. The pattern was changed several times later. 1961 - 1978
• Marlin Model 990 - Deluxe version of the 99C with an American walnut stock. 1979 - 1987
• Marlin Model 99G - Very similar to the 60
• Marlin Model 99M1 - styled to resemble the US Army M1 carbine, with eighteen-inch barrel, handguard, barrel band, nine-shot magazine even with the end of the stock, and receiver sight mounted on the scope grooves.
• Marlin Model 989M2 - styled like the 99M1, but with a box magazine.
• Glenfield Model 99G - precursor of the Model 60G.
• Glenfield Model 60G - Similar to the 99C, but with a birch stock instead of walnut. 1960 - 1965
• Glenfield Model 60 - one of the Model 60 versions manufactured from 1966 to 1982
• Glenfield Model 65 - manufactured in 1968; it was essentially identical to the Model 60 with the exception of a brass exterior magazine tube; it was made for Oklahoma Tire & Supply Co.
• Glenfield Model 75 - Carbine version. Shorter 16' barrel and nine shot mag tube. No bolt release lever in trigger guard. Supplied with sling swivels.
• Glenfield Model 75C - carbine version, same as the Glenfield Model 75 but the 75C has a 14+1 capacity.
• Marlin Model 120 'Revelation' - Manufactured for Western Auto Supply in the early 1960s, had a brass dot front sight instead of the hood sight, and the barrel is stamped WESTERN AUTO SUPPLY CO.
• There was a 20th Anniversary edition of the Model 60 Produced in the early 1980s by Marlin. It was sold by various retailers until stock ran out, at least until 1982.
• Marlin Model 600 - Made specially for Big 5 Sporting Goods between 1986 and 1989. This model is very rare because of the short production run, and little info is known. Came with a supremely durable gold-plated metal trigger instead of the standard polymer trigger, and a stainless steel breech bolt in lieu of the blue steel breech bolt on the Model 60.
• Model 60SSBL, the nickel-plated, stainless steel version of the M60 had a blue/grey laminate stock and was sold exclusively at Cabela's.
• Marlin Model 60W NRA 125th Anniversary Edition .22 LR. The rimfire, tube-fed, semi-automatic rifle is chambered for .22 LR only & has Micro-Groove rifling. The NRA 125th Anniversary Edition (c. 1996) featured a walnut finished stock, golden finish trigger, & golden medallion on stock stamped with 'Safety - Ethics - Sportsmanship'. Iron sights. 15-round capacity of .22 LR. 22' barrel. 5.45 lbs.

Other private-label versions were manufactured for Montgomery Ward, Coast to Coast Stores, and Cotter & Company.

See also[edit]

• Ruger 10/22, a competing .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle, similar to the Marlin 795 which uses a box-magazine.
• Savage Model 64F, a competing .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle.

Marlin Model 99m1 Serial Number Location

References[edit]

Marlin Model 99 M1 Serial Numbers

• Marlin Model 60, American Rifleman, NRA

1. ^Kuleck, Walt (2015). The Ruger 10/22 Complete Owner's and Assembly Guide. Pennsylvania: Scott A. Duff Publications. ISBN978-1-888722-20-8.
2. ^Using Remington 'Golden Bullet' High Velocity with 36 grain (2.3 g) plated HP bullet [1]
3. ^Marlin Model 60 Sales PageArchived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine
4. ^Wallack, LR. 'Sixty Million Guns'. 1983. In Gun Digest Treasury, Harold A. Murtz, editor, DBI Books. 1994 p.195 ISBN0873491564
5. ^Marlin 60DLX factory websiteArchived 2010-11-24 at the Wayback Machine

Marlin Model 99 M1 Serial Numbers Chart

External links[edit]