Got a Marlin Model 60 today. I'm mainly going to use it for target shooting and some small game hunting.

I was just wondering what brand of bulk rounds shoots the best in this gun? Also, how often should I clean this gun after shooting it and what all should I clean when I do clean it?

Last question is what brand ammo is best for hunting squirrel and rabbit?

Buy a few small boxes of ammo of diff brands diff grain bullets and shoot them and see which gives you the best group. I clean my Mossberg 702 and my Ruger 10-22 about every 200 rounds and really any hollow point works perfect for small game hunting.

Ah, the famous Marlin Model 60. I have one (I've had it since I was 14!) and passed it down to my daughter, who is deadly accurate with it!

Anyway, after all these decades with the Model 60, I offer this advice:

* CCI is the cleanest .22LR ammo for the Model 60. It likes CCI over all the dozens of other types of .22LR ammo.

* Do NOT shoot cheap, junk, bulk, ammo out of the Model 60. It will get real finicky and will start to jam.

* You have to keep the Model 60 clean at all times. You have to clean it after every 50-100 rounds. When you're done shooting for the day, it is best to break it down and really clean it good. Don't get me wrong... The Model 60 is a great little .22 but it can cop an attitude real quick if it is gunked up and dirty. I mean, it almost demands to be kept clean!

* Scrub the bore with a bore brush, or do like I do and take the Model 60 all apart. I run a tiny .22 bore snake through the bore, and I carefully remove the insides from the chamber (be very careful with the firing pin spring - it will go "ping" and fly across the room to parts unknown). Pull the plastic retainer bolt thing from the back of the assembly, and the whole upper and lower sections will come apart. Take the upper section and scrub the daylights out of it. Put it back together in reverse order.

Click here and you'll see details on the Model 60: http://www.castbullet.com/misc/m60.htm

Hope this helps!!

Thanks for the replies.

.22 LR rounds are dirty. Cleaning more often than not is a good idea.

CCI ammo does seem to be the cleanest .22 round that I've used. I've used a few different brands as well.

CCI and Winchester are the preferred companies rounds I use. I've started using 40 grain lead nose rounds from Winchester for my rifle only (a CZ 452), and bulk ammo for my pistol. Lately that has been Winchester, but that changes every so often from my local ammo supplier.

My CZ just really likes the Winchester Super X so I hate to mess with a good thing. All firearms seem to like some rounds better than others after all.

When I break it down to clean it, should I spray it with oil to clean the gunk off? Or is there something else I should spray on it first to scrub and wipe the gunk off before I oil it?