Is the Marlin 795 any good?

[trebledamage]

I'm looking for a .22 rifle and I was decided between the Ruger 10/22 and Savage 64 when i stumbled onto Cabelas.ca and saw the Marlin 795 for 139.99. I know Marlins are generally good guns but the uber low pricetag on this one makes me think that the 795 could be a POS. The Savage and Ruger are both in the $190-250 range. Anybody know anything about this Marlin?

 

[TargetGuy]

I had the marlin.... I too was sucked in by the low price!

Let me tell you. There IS A REASON it's so cheap. You ask if it's a POS?
You nailed it right on the head! Ftfeed, FTF, FTE, no matter what I did... Sparkling clean or dirty as a Heck.... It would not cycle...

The 3/8 dovetail was a pain in the a**! Scope just kept moving and moving with every shot! Within 50 rounds it had moved 1/4 to half and inch backwards.... Nothing I did fixed it, except crazy glue when I became angry with the thing.

I not have a 10/22 and have never looked back! Spend the extra $$$ it's worth it.

Just speaking from my experience.

 

[TargetGuy]

I NOW have***

Typo

 

[mikeystew]

Well... Can of worms here, but it's certainly more accurate than the 10/22 and savage 64. It is arguably the best deal on the market for autoloading rimfires. It is however not as customizable as the 10/22. But then again there is no need to replace anything to make it shoot better. It's main drawbacks are the limited availability of aftermarket customizable accessories for it, and as of yet nobody has made a reliable hi cap mag for it. The marlin 10 round mags are all you can find that work, but they do work very very well. You can get replacement stocks for it from ATI and boyds.

In my opinion though, you get one he'll of a good gun, for one he'll of a good price.

EDIT; I think you will find targetguy to be one of the VERY few who does not like it. It's very rare to get one as bad as he describes and it is by no means a reflection of the norm.

 

[Ar180shooter]

Well... Can of worms here, but it's certainly more accurate than the 10/22 and savage 64. It is arguably the best deal on the market for autoloading rimfires. It is however not as customizable as the 10/22. But then again there is no need to replace anything to make it shoot better. It's main drawbacks are the limited availability of aftermarket customizable accessories for it, and as of yet nobody has made a reliable hi cap mag for it. The marlin 10 round mags are all you can find that work, but they do work very very well. You can get replacement stocks for it from ATI and boyds.

In my opinion though, you get one he'll of a good gun, for one he'll of a good price.

EDIT; I think you will find targetguy to be one of the VERY few who does not like it. It's very rare to get one as bad as he describes and it is by no means a reflection of the norm.

I disagree with that point. I've found that both rifles will shoot about 1" at 50 yards. I find most peoples complaints about poor 10/22 accuracy stem from them using the cheapest, sh!ttiest ammo they can find.

 

[.22LRGUY]

Well, are they an econo-.22 semi? Check. Crappy plastic stock? Check. Worth $139? Yes, 100%. At $139 they're a better value than a $239+ Ruger 10/22, by a long shot in my opinion. The only think I think they have in common is the crappy triggers. However, my 795 was getting 1"-1-1/2" groups WITH the factory trigger at 80 yards, unlike my 10/22...which I couldn't reliably hit a pop can at that distance. I've since had the trigger re-worked by a skilled CGN'er (very modest investment) and the groups it's getting at that distance now are incredible. I'll post some photos once I get some more trigger time with it, but this is a gun I'll never sell.

And yes, I've owned a stock 10/22..and may never own another.

The 795~not a single feeding/firing/ejecting issue unless it was crappy Winchester stuff...but my Savage(s) hates them too. CCI and Federal~it happily gobbles it up and shoots it well, no scope slippage...but I've heard that can happen if your rings can't clamp down enough. I've heard plenty about stripped screws in 10/22 scope bases, so even that comparison is a wash.

I'm actually considering getting another 795 down the road, but it'll have to be new..they never pop-up used on the EE. 10/22s... ..plenty to choose from.

 

[.22LRGUY]

I disagree with that point. I've found that both rifles will shoot about 1" at 50 yards. I find most peoples complaints about poor 10/22 accuracy stem from them using the cheapest, sh!ttiest ammo they can find.

Winchester is the cheapest, shi**iest rimfire ammo I've ever fed a gun, but I never bothered with it in my 10/22. Only ever shot Federal Gold Medal target, and CCI ammo (3 varieties). Sorry, but in my hands, my stock 10/22 didn't hold a candle to my stock Marlin 795.

Ever notice.....there is no race to replace barrels, extractors, receivers, stocks, magazines etc. with 795s, yet the #1 reason (on web forums) that 10/22's seem to enjoy so much popularity IS the ability to make them a Franken-gun of assembled aftermarket goodies?

Sorry to the OP for my part in making this a "795 vs. 10/22", but I'm still bitter about how poorly my 10/22 shot, had much higher expectations. I had lower expectations for my $124 (tax in, not including the $25 mail-in rebate ) Marlin 795 and it WAY over-delivered on value/accuracy. Money saved was put into spare mags and ammo-o-plenty.

 

[TargetGuy]

I will give the 795 the Credit for being more accurate... When it did fire...
And the reason people aren't rushing to replace axtractors, barrels, and stocks on a 795 is becAuse they aren't available...

That is what has made the 10/22 so popular is the fact that every single part on it can be changed, or customized to make it the rifle YOU want it to be!

 

[Ar180shooter]

Winchester is the cheapest, shi**iest rimfire ammo I've ever fed a gun, but I never bothered with it in my 10/22. Only ever shot Federal Gold Medal target, and CCI ammo (3 varieties). Sorry, but in my hands, my stock 10/22 didn't hold a candle to my stock Marlin 795.

Ever notice.....there is no race to replace barrels, extractors, receivers, stocks, magazines etc. with 795s, yet the #1 reason (on web forums) that 10/22's seem to enjoy so much popularity IS the ability to make them a Franken-gun of assembled aftermarket goodies?

Sorry to the OP for my part in making this a "795 vs. 10/22", but I'm still bitter about how poorly my 10/22 shot, had much higher expectations. I had lower expectations for my $124 (tax in, not including the $25 mail-in rebate ) Marlin 795 and it WAY over-delivered on value/accuracy. Money saved was put into spare mags and ammo-o-plenty.

I have no problem picking off clay pigeons at 100 yards using my 10/22, so its more than accurate enough for my purposes. I've owned several 10/22's, and seen/shot many, many more... and with the right ammo, they all have shot respectable groups. If you still have your Ruger 10/22, I'll trade it straight up for my Marlin 795.

 

[mmatt]

I replaced my 795 with a 10/22. Not because I had any problems with it. Quite the opposite actually. It worked very well. Very few malfunctions, very reliable and very accurate - even with "crappy" Winchester ammo. (I ran Win bulk pack 333 and 555 stuff and it worked absolutely great)

I just got the itch one day to built a tacti-cool gun and something had to go to finance the start of my 10/22 build. Now that the itch has been scratched, I'm very seriously considering another 795. I really miss the accuracy as my 10/22 simply doesn't compare in this aspect.

The scope creep issue is a real one, but I solved this by buying a set of scope rings that has a set screw that is tightened into the top of the receiver to keep the scope from moving. My next 795 will wear aftermarket peep sights so this won't be an issue for me, but here's a pic of the rings that I'm talking about.

 

[hometownhero]

The 10/22 is like the honda civic. You can spend 50k on "customizing" a civic and its still a civic.

 

[frumpy]

I love my 795. I have had it out to 200 meters shooting an 8" gong. My only complaint is no good high capacity magazines.

 

[mmatt]

I love my 795. I have had it out to 200 meters shooting an 8" gong. My only complaint is no good high capacity magazines.

I concur. I hear the Shooter's Ridge ones are garbage.

Even a 15 or 20 round all metal straight mag would be nice. (I'm not much of a fan of the banana looking mags)

The good news is that the factory 10 round mags are cheap enough that you can pick up a few spares and they're small enough that you can stuff 3 or 4 in your pocket. Try that with 10/22 mags!

 

[target]

I can't comment directly on the 795, but if it performs anything like the Marlin 60SS I bought a little while ago then I would say it's a very good autoloader for the money.

 

[.22LRGUY]

The good news is that the factory 10 round mags are cheap enough that you can pick up a few spares and they're small enough that you can stuff 3 or 4 in your pocket.

^x2 Currently have 3, add a new one every few weeks. Really minimal, rugged, light..I like them. Wouldn't object to a similar-style/single-stack 15-rounder even... Have to wonder if Marlin thinks "no point in making a 15-round mag, all people want is 25+" I'd be prepared to pay more for a little more capacity.

 

[JD3]

I this purchased with my daughter in mind so far i like it. it is a thick barrel and thin light stock, the magazines are solid with 10 rounds are enough for me. I have had some jams with cheapo ammo . I am considering these sights as I like Irons if anyone has please let me know your thoughts.

http://www.tech-sights.com/marlin.htm

 

[mikeystew]

. I am considering these sights as I like Irons if anyone has please let me know your thoughts.
http://www.tech-sights.com/marlin.htm

I have heard nothing but awesome reviews for tech sights. The only drawback for me is the cost. In the US they are ~$75 plus tax, whereas up here they are closer to $125 after tax/shipping. Same cost as the rifle essentially. I can't bring myself to do it yet. But man do I want a set...

 

[ratherbefishin]

I like my marlin 795-except for the trigger[I think they held a contest to see who could come up with the worst trigger and went with the winner] but apart from that[which is fixable] it has served me very well.Light-accurate and haven't had a missfire yet.Makes a nice truck gun for potting grouse.

I haven't got around to it yet, but I think you could -very carefully-inject foam into the stock to stiffen it up and take away that ''hollow'' feeling.Since I replaced the pLastic stock with a nice Boyds thumbhole stock-I might try working on the plastic stock now and see what happens-warpage from over filling is what I would be concerned with,so using less is better than more.I think drilling escape holes under the barrel channel might be the way to go.

 

[762Russian]

The 795 is essentially a box-magazine fed Marlin 60. Like any other .22 they can be finicky about ammunition, but if you avoid the real crap stuff it will not have a problem.

What you will get is a $140 rifle that will outshoot a $230 one right out of the box; Marlins have decisive accuracy in their rimfires thanks to their unique rifling and semi-heavy barrels.

Yes, the 10/22 is popular... in the same way Honda Civics were popular with kids after the Fast and Furious movies came out. You can replace every single part; hell, you can make a Ruger 10/22 without buying a single part from Ruger. This means Ruger is selling something that really isn't worth $230. Consensus is that their barrel and triggers are garbage and generally need to be replaced with aftermarket pieces for it to shoot accurately.

So basically, if you get a 10/22, you have to spend that $230 for the stock rifle. Then another $150 or so for a barrel actually worth a damn, and another $50-$100 for a trigger upgrade. You'd be paying $430 for the 10/22 to do what a $140 one can do out of the box.

 

[mmatt]

I this purchased with my daughter in mind so far i like it. it is a thick barrel and thin light stock, the magazines are solid with 10 rounds are enough for me. I have had some jams with cheapo ammo . I am considering these sights as I like Irons if anyone has please let me know your thoughts.

http://www.tech-sights.com/marlin.htm

I too have heard very good things about these sights. But for the price, they batter be pretty darn awesome.

I went with a Williams peep sight set-up when I had mine (foolishly sold but I am planning on replacing it) and will be going this route again when my new 795 gets here. I'll be keeping the original stock this time though I think.

The Williams sights are a bit more difficult to adjust and unless you carry precision screw drivers and loc-tite in the field, you won't be adjusting them on the fly. But there weren't very expensive and they worked very well.