Modifying the Marlin 795 for the Appleseed
Or How I made a Liberty Rifle and shot Rifleman
I chose to start with the Marlin 795 for two reasons: I have had a number of Marlins and like them all; and I read that it was remarkably accurate and reliable for so inexpensive a rifle. The other obvious choice was the Ruger 10/22, and while I have subsequently seen many of them at Appleseed shoots, I do not regret my choice.
First we might look at what is needed to make a good rifle for an Appleseed shoot. Reliability seems most important. Almost nothing will ruin your day at training faster than a rifle that malfunctions. Secondly the ability to reload it reasonably quickly. Appleseeds require some rather rapid shooting and a single shot, tube fed, or to a lesser extent, a bolt action, are all hindrances. Third, accuracy, both inherent and practical. By inherent I mean what the rifle is capable of shooting under ideal conditions. More importantly is the concept of practical accuracy, to include good sights , a stock that fits, sling, trigger pull, etc. I have put the accuracy in third place as 4 MOA is all that is needed to achieve rifleman. Most off the shelf .22 rifles these days are capable of that level of accuracy. The Marlin is much more accurate than that. However, achieving rifleman will require both a reasonably accurate rifle and a shooter who has learned how to use it well in a variety of field positions and under time constraints.
The Marlin 795 is an excellent compromise choice given the above requirements. It is normally quite reliable, especially if one is careful to clean it thoroughly and then lube it lightly.
It comes with a ten round magazine, and additional magazines are readily available as the design is shared with Marlin ‘s recent bolt and auto .22s. Keeping the rifle fed is pretty easy, except that the magazines are a tight fit and generally have to be pulled out, (more on this later). As a note the Ruger 10/22 is not all that easy to change magazines on either; although the extensive aftermarket has solutions to that problem, like most others, for a price.
The 795 is remarkably accurate “out of the box“, generally significantly more so than the Ruger, however, in fairness there are a myriad of aftermarket options that can turn the Ruger into a tack driver. One limiting factor with the Marlin are the open sights the rifle comes with. In a word, they are impossible. They need replaced (as do the stock sights on a Ruger). While the rifle comes with posts to mount detachable swivels, a sling is a bit more complicated than that. The stock on a Marlin 795 is an inexpensive plastic with a forend that is awfully flexible. So to get practical accuracy from a Marlin the forend needs stiffened for sling use and the sights need replaced. Another “issue” with the Marlin is that it is remarkably light, this is great for weaker shooters, but can be a hindrance for others, especially off hand.
That seems to me to be a rather short list of deficiencies for so inexpensive a rifle (the rifle is often advertised at major sporting goods stores for approximately $120, on sale). Below you will see how I have “fixed” each of the above problems.
Reliability of my rifle was excellent and I have not had to deal with this at all, except to keep the action clean and lightly lubed. I admit to using CLP although it is my understanding that a dry lube may be better.
Reloading, is simply a matter of buying enough magazines for the intended use. For Appleseed four are needed if you will be shooting the rapid 40 shot course. Two will suffice if your event only does regular 10 shot strings of fire. In either case a spare can’t hurt. From my limited experience “Gander Mountain” has good prices, (http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?r=view&i=402897). An area I am considering addressing is loosening up the magazine fit so that released magazines fall free; as this would facilitate quicker reloads, and also allow the support hand and elbow to remain in place and aid a prompt return to NPOA. At this point I have loosened the fit by slightly opening the magazine well by sanding, I don’t find this a very appealing prospect and will be looking for a better solution.
For accuracy a sling is a virtual necessity. Appleseed recommends the GI sling as used on the Garand, etc. I concur, this is a relatively inexpensive and easy to use sling that really works. One can normally buy these from Fred. Yes that Fred, Appleseed’s founder, at( http://www.fredsm14stocks.com/catalog/acc.asp) , although he was temporarily out recently. Unfortunately, the forearm of the Marlin is a rather thin and flexible affair. What I have done on my rifle is to cut a rod and epoxy it into the forearm. This stiffens the forend up beautifully and also adds a little weight, win-win and very inexpensive. Another improvement I did to my rifle stock was to foam the remainder of the rod (a large spike) into the hollow butt of the stock. This eliminates the hollow sound and also adds a little weight to the stock. I used “Great Stuff” foam which one can get at any home improvement store. Another practical accuracy aid is a better trigger. On the Marlin this is actually made of plastic and is, not surprisingly, rather mushy. I have been studying means to improve the trigger but have not yet done anything but run a stone over the surfaces and grease them. Actually, the trigger is somewhat better and appears that it may wear itself into adequacy. Finally, but perhaps most importantly, I replaced the factory open sights with Tech Sites, http://www.tech-sights.com/. These are a huge improvement. This change alone accounted for most of the enhancement to my Marlin’s practical accuracy and usability for Appleseed. The rear aperture attaches directly to the dovetail scope mounting point and the front sight simply replaces the original front sight, using the existing hole. Very simple to install and then easy to sight in. The cost is approx. $75 delivered, and this is money very well spent. An other option would be a scope or red dot sight. I am very fond of aperture sights; and shoot them well, so I do not believe there is more practical accuracy with either for me. However, if you have poor eyesight a scope or red dot might be what you need.
There you pretty much have it, a reliable, accurate rifle out of an inexpensive box. Add sights, sling and swivels, and stiffen up that stock and voila, an excellent rifle to use at an Appleseed and then use to teach others. Let’s get up off the couch and out to the range. With the accuracy and the cost of the Marlin 795 there is no excuse not to earn that rifleman‘s badge.
For Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rundownfid/sets/72157622843370327/
Or How I made a Liberty Rifle and shot Rifleman
I chose to start with the Marlin 795 for two reasons: I have had a number of Marlins and like them all; and I read that it was remarkably accurate and reliable for so inexpensive a rifle. The other obvious choice was the Ruger 10/22, and while I have subsequently seen many of them at Appleseed shoots, I do not regret my choice.
First we might look at what is needed to make a good rifle for an Appleseed shoot. Reliability seems most important. Almost nothing will ruin your day at training faster than a rifle that malfunctions. Secondly the ability to reload it reasonably quickly. Appleseeds require some rather rapid shooting and a single shot, tube fed, or to a lesser extent, a bolt action, are all hindrances. Third, accuracy, both inherent and practical. By inherent I mean what the rifle is capable of shooting under ideal conditions. More importantly is the concept of practical accuracy, to include good sights , a stock that fits, sling, trigger pull, etc. I have put the accuracy in third place as 4 MOA is all that is needed to achieve rifleman. Most off the shelf .22 rifles these days are capable of that level of accuracy. The Marlin is much more accurate than that. However, achieving rifleman will require both a reasonably accurate rifle and a shooter who has learned how to use it well in a variety of field positions and under time constraints.
The Marlin 795 is an excellent compromise choice given the above requirements. It is normally quite reliable, especially if one is careful to clean it thoroughly and then lube it lightly.
It comes with a ten round magazine, and additional magazines are readily available as the design is shared with Marlin ‘s recent bolt and auto .22s. Keeping the rifle fed is pretty easy, except that the magazines are a tight fit and generally have to be pulled out, (more on this later). As a note the Ruger 10/22 is not all that easy to change magazines on either; although the extensive aftermarket has solutions to that problem, like most others, for a price.
The 795 is remarkably accurate “out of the box“, generally significantly more so than the Ruger, however, in fairness there are a myriad of aftermarket options that can turn the Ruger into a tack driver. One limiting factor with the Marlin are the open sights the rifle comes with. In a word, they are impossible. They need replaced (as do the stock sights on a Ruger). While the rifle comes with posts to mount detachable swivels, a sling is a bit more complicated than that. The stock on a Marlin 795 is an inexpensive plastic with a forend that is awfully flexible. So to get practical accuracy from a Marlin the forend needs stiffened for sling use and the sights need replaced. Another “issue” with the Marlin is that it is remarkably light, this is great for weaker shooters, but can be a hindrance for others, especially off hand.
That seems to me to be a rather short list of deficiencies for so inexpensive a rifle (the rifle is often advertised at major sporting goods stores for approximately $120, on sale). Below you will see how I have “fixed” each of the above problems.
Reliability of my rifle was excellent and I have not had to deal with this at all, except to keep the action clean and lightly lubed. I admit to using CLP although it is my understanding that a dry lube may be better.
Reloading, is simply a matter of buying enough magazines for the intended use. For Appleseed four are needed if you will be shooting the rapid 40 shot course. Two will suffice if your event only does regular 10 shot strings of fire. In either case a spare can’t hurt. From my limited experience “Gander Mountain” has good prices, (http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?r=view&i=402897). An area I am considering addressing is loosening up the magazine fit so that released magazines fall free; as this would facilitate quicker reloads, and also allow the support hand and elbow to remain in place and aid a prompt return to NPOA. At this point I have loosened the fit by slightly opening the magazine well by sanding, I don’t find this a very appealing prospect and will be looking for a better solution.
For accuracy a sling is a virtual necessity. Appleseed recommends the GI sling as used on the Garand, etc. I concur, this is a relatively inexpensive and easy to use sling that really works. One can normally buy these from Fred. Yes that Fred, Appleseed’s founder, at( http://www.fredsm14stocks.com/catalog/acc.asp) , although he was temporarily out recently. Unfortunately, the forearm of the Marlin is a rather thin and flexible affair. What I have done on my rifle is to cut a rod and epoxy it into the forearm. This stiffens the forend up beautifully and also adds a little weight, win-win and very inexpensive. Another improvement I did to my rifle stock was to foam the remainder of the rod (a large spike) into the hollow butt of the stock. This eliminates the hollow sound and also adds a little weight to the stock. I used “Great Stuff” foam which one can get at any home improvement store. Another practical accuracy aid is a better trigger. On the Marlin this is actually made of plastic and is, not surprisingly, rather mushy. I have been studying means to improve the trigger but have not yet done anything but run a stone over the surfaces and grease them. Actually, the trigger is somewhat better and appears that it may wear itself into adequacy. Finally, but perhaps most importantly, I replaced the factory open sights with Tech Sites, http://www.tech-sights.com/. These are a huge improvement. This change alone accounted for most of the enhancement to my Marlin’s practical accuracy and usability for Appleseed. The rear aperture attaches directly to the dovetail scope mounting point and the front sight simply replaces the original front sight, using the existing hole. Very simple to install and then easy to sight in. The cost is approx. $75 delivered, and this is money very well spent. An other option would be a scope or red dot sight. I am very fond of aperture sights; and shoot them well, so I do not believe there is more practical accuracy with either for me. However, if you have poor eyesight a scope or red dot might be what you need.
There you pretty much have it, a reliable, accurate rifle out of an inexpensive box. Add sights, sling and swivels, and stiffen up that stock and voila, an excellent rifle to use at an Appleseed and then use to teach others. Let’s get up off the couch and out to the range. With the accuracy and the cost of the Marlin 795 there is no excuse not to earn that rifleman‘s badge.
For Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rundownfid/sets/72157622843370327/
