Sorry to hear that the Model 60 has gone down hill. I bought mine at Walmart for $99 somewhere around 25 years ago. It is a blued commemorative addition with a medallion in the stock. The trigger pull was and still is decent. It's by no means a precision rifle, but thats about all that can keep up with it at 50 yards or less. It has had several scopes and countless rounds run thru it. I've never had issues with the scope mount moving around. It has always been a one ragged hole rifle. Several times I thought about buying a 10/22 to "build out" but I just couldn't justify replacing the Marlin. It's just too good of a shooter to replace. The only problem I've ever had out of it, is every once in a while it will fire 2. It happens so fast that it's hard to notice the difference. When it does happen, the next pull will be on an empty chamber. It simply cycles faster than the tube spring can keep up with. I've always held the Model 60 in high regard, simply because mine is an absolute monster and I figured they were all like that. My ammo of choice has always been 550 round bulk pack Federal for range duty and CCI Stingers or Mini Mags for hunting. I like to know how many round has gone thru my Marlin it's got to be close to a million. I shot almost every week end for 15 or so years, burning up 2 bulk packs each time. At least till the ammo prices went thru the roof. Now that they are back down I'm thinking about dusting it off and putting it back to work. After hearing your experience with the newer stuff I'll buy something else for my son.

I had an M60, years ago, and plum wore it out.

 

The cheapest accurizing I've ever done -always do- is test different ammo for each gun.

I thought this thread had died.  But for trying different ammo's in a 22, the last time I counted, I had 17 different boxes of 22LR's in my sample box that I use for testing what load a 22 shoots best.

 

My dad found a Western Auto Glenfield 60 in a dumpster several years ago and handed it to me to fix.  The rifle was in pretty nice condition and still had the labels on it, but would not eject a shell.  I fixed the ejection problem and cleaned it up good.  It would shoot rings around the 60SS I have the way it was when I first got it.  After a ton of work and a lot of extra money, my 60ss shoots OK now, about as good as could be expected for a bottom of the barrel grade rifle.  My 10/22 Take Down with the heavy match grade barrel on it will put it to shame but that barrel cost almost what the 60SS cost.  However, even with the factory barrel on the 10/22, it will still out shoot the 60SS, but the 10/22 does not have the feel I was wanting for instinct shooting the 60SS has, which was the reason for buying the 60SS in the first place, and it now shoots good enough for that purpose.