Marlin rimfire semi-auto - bolt movement stiff prior to cocking

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neilselden

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Hi,
Just in case anyone experiences issues manually cycling the bolt on your Marlin semi-auto, I thought to share my own observations here.

A recently acquired Marlin semi-auto (989 M2) had an issue with the bolt being stiff to move, if the rifle was not already cocked. I think this issue could affect any Marlin rimfire semi-auto, as the actions are all so damn similar. It wasn't so noticeable, but that damn rifle is just about perfect for me in every other way, so I wanted to take care of it.

At first I thought it was from buildup inside the receiver. There were some hardened deposits in there, so I gave it a sound cleaning to remove them all. But it didn't fix the problem. I had figured the combined resistance of the recoil and hammer springs, AND the buildup, caused enough friction to present the problem.

Then I tried cleaning the action thoroughly, without disassembling the whole thing. I thought I did a good job, but this still did not fix the problem. I even checked the hammer spring for kinking or any other issues, and it seemed just fine.

A more careful examination showed me that the actual problem was the sear's movement. It was rubbing against part of the action sidewall as the hammer was being cocked. A good cleaning out and some so-so lube took care of 90% of the problem for now. I'll just need to get some lithium grease as a longer term solution. If it persists or returns after that, I'll have to disassemble the action, and polish the contacting surfaces to remove any deformities.

Cheers,
Neil
 
I’ve never had mine apart , lol . Never had that problem though . I’ve always hated taking apart semi rim fires , ever since I took apart my 1022 the first time and a spring flew out and hid for several days in my garage before I found it , haha .
 
I think that action is the same as the Marlin 60/795. I thought your answer was going to be; "I had the action screws too tight" because honestly...that'll make (or can make) the bolt seem very hard to cycle. I've never tried shooting it like that, I back-off the action screws a bit...it frees-up...and away I go.

Dagmaar said:
I’ve never had mine apart , lol . Never had that problem though . I’ve always hated taking apart semi rim fires , ever since I took apart my 1022 the first time and a spring flew out and hid for several days in my garage before I found it , haha .
Click to expand...

.....and...THAT's why I don't own any today. :) There are still some I'd love to try, maybe own (Thompson T/CR22)...but for now, I'm totally satisfied with the bolt guns.
 
It's very close to the same action. The older rifles' bolts don't hold open on your last shot, and I would guess at some other differences as well. But as far as I know, going back to the models from the 60's, they're essentially the same.

I saw this video which seems to make it manageable to take everything apart and put it back correctly. I would never go as far as that video does, in terms of working on the sear. But I would definitely smooth out some of the mating surfaces like where the hammer and sear contact the side assembly plates.

Cheers,
Neil
 
Hi,
Well, I completely disassembled the action, degreased (brake cleaner), defouled (Hoppe's #9 CLP) and lubed everything just a little bit (Hoppe's #9 CLP and a tiny bit of graphite for the where the hammer and sear pivot). I also polished the bolt, the pivot points of the hammer, the hammer washer, and the pivot points of the sear. And still, the action is stiff before it's cocked.

22LRGuy: I made sure the action screws are only finger tight. I wouldn't have thought that could cause binding, so thanks for that info!

That work made some difference in how stiff the action is to ####. but it wasn't the real issue. Turns out, it's the hammer spring. The damn thing is just stiff. So I am going to leave it cocked a couple of days, and hope this loosens the spring up a little bit. As a friend told me, "it feels like it need to be broken in".

Bottom line: that little rifle is sparkling clean now, over time I think the hammer spring will loosen, and the action is smoother to boot.

Cheers,
Neil
 
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Dagmaar said:
I’ve never had mine apart , lol . Never had that problem though . I’ve always hated taking apart semi rim fires , ever since I took apart my 1022 the first time and a spring flew out and hid for several days in my garage before I found it , haha .
Click to expand...

Yeah - the freaking hammer spring bounced around my work area like a jackrabbit more than once!
 
Hi Neil - I just got back into M-60-land last summer after 40-some years. Love the accuracy of them. Anyway, I found on another forum a Marlin semi guru - Arrowdodger. He has several mods that are DIY for anyone that is 'handy'. I've followed most of his mods and have my 60 down under 3# trigger pull. I recommend the "floppy spring" mod, and cutting ONE coil off the hammer spring. You will not get 'light strikes' and you will really love the reduced pull on the action. You were on target with polishing tall the internals, including the pivot pins - I even polished the 'holes' in the hammer and sear. And keeping the action "un-lubed" except for a tiny bit on the hammer/sear interface will reduce your clean-up time. I lubed too much and got a really 'muddy' action - had to clean all the 'bits' to get it working right ;-(
I have another post that goes into these mods, with some pics. http s://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1957561-Marlin-accuracy?p=16664094#post16664094 Post #14

BTW I just saw your post about ammo - I find that CCI-Minimags 36gHP-HV (ca. $10/100) are real accurate in my 60, and SK Standard Plus for the 'better' ammo at about $10/50. Herters 36g HV-HP ($30/500) are pretty good TOO, but not quite as accurate as the CCI.

Enjoy your projects,
Ed
 
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Buck1950 said:
Hi Neil - I just got back into M-60-land last summer after 40-some years. Love the accuracy of them. Anyway, I found on another forum a Marlin semi guru - Arrowdodger. He has several mods that are DIY for anyone that is 'handy'. I've followed most of his mods and have my 60 down under 3# trigger pull. I recommend the "floppy spring" mod, and cutting ONE coil off the hammer spring. You will not get 'light strikes' and you will really love the reduced pull on the action. You were on target with polishing tall the internals, including the pivot pins - I even polished the 'holes' in the hammer and sear. And keeping the action "un-lubed" except for a tiny bit on the hammer/sear interface will reduce your clean-up time. I lubed too much and got a really 'muddy' action - had to clean all the 'bits' to get it working right ;-(
I have another post that goes into these mods, with some pics. http s://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1957561-Marlin-accuracy?p=16664094#post16664094 Post #14

BTW I just saw your post about ammo - I find that CCI-Minimags 36gHP-HV (ca. $10/100) are real accurate in my 60, and SK Standard Plus for the 'better' ammo at about $10/50. Herters 36g HV-HP ($30/500) are pretty good TOO, but not quite as accurate as the CCI.

Enjoy your projects,
Ed
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Hi Ed,
That's a nice looking stock on your model 60.

I'm actually scared as hell to make any permanent changes, until I have a spare on hand. Just in case I were to screw something up. I don't plan on modifying the hammer spring. Although I may pick up the MCARBO spring kit, or just a slightly lighter hammer spring.

I've also noticed that on the 989, the hammer wants to #### almost as soon as you bring the bolt back. On the 795, this is not the case.

Anyway, I picked up some CCI SV, which I'll try out next time I'm at the range. From everything I hear, they'll shoot more consistently. So when I move out to 50 yards, I'm hoping that ammo will do well. My local Cabela's also stocks Eley ammo, so I'll give that a try too, although it's expensive. 2-3x as costly as the Blazers and CCI SV. If I really start shooting well, and my ammo is the weakest link, then I may be more willing to splurge on really good ammo.

So it took you 40 years to find your way back to Marlin semi-autos? I was out for about 25 years myself, and I'm real happy to be back!

Cheers,
Neil

PS
Thanks to everyone who's been adding their own observations and new (to me) information. It's really appreciated!
 
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Dagmaar said:
I’ve never had mine apart , lol . Never had that problem though . I’ve always hated taking apart semi rim fires , ever since I took apart my 1022 the first time and a spring flew out and hid for several days in my garage before I found it , haha .
Click to expand...

You gotta love the "hiding spring". I still have a few unaccounted for that the shop ate..... My local gs guys always joke when i buy a gun, "want me to order in a couple extra springs for that?"
 
rosconow said:
You gotta love the "hiding spring". I still have a few unaccounted for that the shop ate..... My local gs guys always joke when i buy a gun, "want me to order in a couple extra springs for that?"
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I figure folks like me are just too clumsy with super tiny metal bits . I will never again attempt the 1022 full strip .
 
Dagmaar said:
I figure folks like me are just too clumsy with super tiny metal bits . I will never again attempt the 1022 full strip .
Click to expand...

It took me far too long to get the recoil spring guide in place and the bolt back in the first and only time I took my 10/22 apart. Bolt guns really spoil you for ease of cleaning.
 
Hi Neil - back again ;-0 I wouldn't hesitate in cutting the hammer spring - check out Arrowdodger on y-tube. His vids can show you everything you may need about the Marlin actions. That said, MCarbo is a good option although I haven't tried their Marlin spring kit. I got one for my Savage 64 and it was OK, but I continued with other mods and now have the trigger on that down around 2#. I also used the MCCarbo Sear Spring for my SKS ( they sent one that was too light - the magazine kept falling open when I fired, so they sent me a 'medium' tension one that worked fine) That trigger got to about 4-5# which is about 1/2 the original pull. I just did the "One coil" mod to the Marlin spring - some have posted cutting 2 or more and getting the trigger down around 1#. I feel that's 'near dangerous', you know?
Anyway, keep us posted on how thing go for you,
Ed
 
I had the same issue with my 60 a few years ago. I ended up polishing the bolt and that made her run smooth again. It was an accurate rifle right from day 1, but I swapped out the tupperware stock to a boyds laminate and put a mccarbo spring kit in. That brought the trigger from over 8 lbs down to about 3 lbs.
It is very accurate with any CCI ammo ive ever ran through it, especially CCI std velocity which averages 3/8" groups at 50 yds.
 
Hi Ed,
Ain't no way I'm cutting a coil from the hammer spring. I'm a chicken-####. :)

I'll let you know what ends up.

Cheers,
Neil
 
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Yep - SV ammo seems more consistent at 25 yards. On average, the groups are smaller. And I only have had 2 FTEs in 150 rounds of the SV. I also don't mind the mild report of that ammo either!

As it's been pointed out to me, I'll punch out to 50 yards to start seeing if there's a real difference in accuracy (SV vs HV). All of my shooting so far has been at 25 yards so I can just focus on shooting basics. I think my ego is ready now to start seeing how much I need to improve when shooting at longer ranges. ;)

Anyway, after polishing some of the internals, running 500 rounds through it, and leaving it cocked during storage (I'm skeptical if this had an impact), the action is smoothing out. Damn, I really enjoy shooting this rifle.

Cheers,
Neil
 
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