Marlin 795-Inexpensive Training, Plinking (and Survival?) Rifle
PART I of IV
While I am a big fan of Nylon Rifles I am also a fan of 22 rifles in general. When I run across a good one I am inclined to share it.
While shooting at Appleseed, (see the story Guns of Appleseed) 3-4 months ago I ran across someone shooting a neat little semi auto 22 rifle. I thought it interesting and decided to find our more about it. It turned out to be a Marlin 795 and has become popular with Appleseed shooters due to it’s low cost and accuracy.
In summary the 795 is a semi-auto .22 LR caliber rifle with a 10 shot detachable magazine. It has a hollow black plastic stock and an 18″ micro-groove barrel. Overall length is 37″ and it weighs 4.5 lbs. It is available in blue or stainless steel. The action itself is straight from a Marlin model 60 modified for a detachable magazine. It features a last shot bolt hold open device, a large bolt release lever and a magazine safety. In addition to the button type cross bolt safety, the rifle cannot be fired with the magazine removed. It comes with sling swivel studs mounted on the stock. Mine also came with one of those skinny little scopes. This scope is made by Simmons but was all but useless so Into the trash it went.
The best thing about the Marlin 795 is the price. The blued version is typically priced from $125-150 but is widely discounted. In addition, there is a $25 factory rebate on them until the end of the year. Mine cost $105 after rebate, not counting sales tax. A sales flier I received recently has them priced $95 after the rebate. Cheap is usually bad but in this case it is an excellent bang for the buck.
Is this rifle perfect? Well no. My first impression of it was that it was a cheaply made or dubious quality. It felt small compared to a
Safety button, bolt release and magazine release.
Ruger 10/22. Even though are the same length, the 795′s stock is narrower due to the use of a single stack magazine. The rifle is also about 1/2 lb lighter. It is obvious that Marlin used a number of cost cutting techniques to make the $100 price point. The stock feels flimsy, the magazine release and bolt release are thin stamped steel and feel chintzy. The rear sight is rudimentary at best. The trigger guard is plastic and it’s durability is suspect.
On the other hand, everything works. I’ve had mine a couple of months and have shot a couple thousand rounds through it. The stock does not feel flimsy anymore and I don’t see any issues with any of the controls. The stock in fact offers up some possibilities which I will discuss in part II. I should note that the magazine release is a thin piece of spring steel that holds the mag in place by spring pressure. My mags would fall out when the bolt closed. To fix that, I bent the release forward to add more pressure. That seemed to do the trick and I have not had an issue since.
Next issue was to shoot the rifle for accuracy and reliability. I shoot at Appleseed and I plink. I don’t shoot competition nor am a slave to the shooting bench. On the other hand I am a decent shot and will shoot off a sandbags on occasion to try a rifle out. I picked 4 extra magazines $12.99/ea at CDNN on a weekend special and then headed to the range when they arrived.
Penny sized groups were normal off the bench
Once I zeroed the sights in at 25 meters I was pleased at the result. Ammo was CCI Blazer which is nowhere near being target ammo.
One of the things I learned in Appleseed was to shoot standing with a sling. The sling add significant stability when shooting off-hand.
Here are a couple of targets free-standing with a sling.
10 shots free-standing at 25 meters with loop sling.
The point is, this rifle is capable of very good accuracy. Those groups were done with iron sights and standard factory trigger. My sandbag rest groups averaged about 1/2″ (about 2 MOA) and my standing groups were 1.5″.
1.5" group at 25 meters standing with sling
The micro groove barrel is known for accuracy and made me look good.
Accessories
Unlike the Ruger 10/22, the Marlin 795 does not have a whole cottage industry behind it making up things to spend your money on. Typical accessories would be a sling . A decent scope might help you shrink those groups a bit. A red dot sight helps with fast target acquisition.
Other accessories include an aluminum trigger guard. Diversified Innovative Products has metal trigger guards as well as target triggers and extended bolt handles.
Conclusion
The Marlin 795 is a great little rifle. It makes a good first rifle if you are just getting into shooting. The magazine safety on a rifle like this is a good idea particularly if you are have children. Take away the magazine and the rifle cannot be fired. A good thing for storing it away. The controls, with the exception of the magazine release are easy to use. The factory sights are poor for precision shooting but an inexpensive scope or red dot sight will cure that. A good scope or set of Tech Sights make it into a very good small game hunting rifle.
Overall, the Marlin 795 is one of those rare items that give more value than the money you spend for it. It is definitely a best buy.
In Part II, I discuss getting the most out of the 795, both as a training rifle and/or as a field capable stash away/survival rifle.
Comments