Have you ever dug into a gunsmithing job you thought you could handle that turns into an unmitigated disaster? I spent over four hours last night trying to install an MCARBO action spring kit for my Marlin model 60. Holy cr@p! I've installed hammer springs on other guns, changed minor parts, trigger groups, etc., but was not at all prepared for this project. Having owned Marlins for years, I can take apart and reassemble for cleaning no problem, I thought I'd merely have to change a few springs that wouldn't be all that bad. Well, the Marlin 60 action is overly complex (for me) and seemed like a Swiss watch. Once I dove in, I quickly got over my head because the instructions were abysmal, but there was no turning back as I grew more and more frustrated and tried to get things back together through trial and error.
I ended up trying to manhandle small springs and components into place and really brutalized the poor action.![[shocked]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/007.gif "Shocked [shocked]")
With a clearer head this morning, I decided to try to find more detailed photos and instructions online and realized I had one small spring that was slightly misplaced. Didn't even need to pop any more e-clips or disassemble to fix, just popped it into the right position with a screwdriver and it seems to work fine now.
From the reviews I'd seen of this project, I had heard one guy who put it in his Marlin 795 in about a 1/2 hour. With the lift system and crappy spring ejector of the 60, I'd wager its installation is quite a bit trickier. Needless to say, after feeling like I was destroying my rifle last night, it was one of my worst gun experiences.
Now I'm dreading fixing my Auto-5 which has the bolt stuck rearwards due to scope tap holes.![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
Since I'm so... frugal, I like to do projects myself if I can save on professional gun-smithing bills.
Oh, an nothing against MCARBO, but I didn't really think you'd need to be a gunsmith to install it.![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
In the end, I don't think any serious harm was done.
I ended up trying to manhandle small springs and components into place and really brutalized the poor action.
With a clearer head this morning, I decided to try to find more detailed photos and instructions online and realized I had one small spring that was slightly misplaced. Didn't even need to pop any more e-clips or disassemble to fix, just popped it into the right position with a screwdriver and it seems to work fine now. From the reviews I'd seen of this project, I had heard one guy who put it in his Marlin 795 in about a 1/2 hour. With the lift system and crappy spring ejector of the 60, I'd wager its installation is quite a bit trickier. Needless to say, after feeling like I was destroying my rifle last night, it was one of my worst gun experiences.
Now I'm dreading fixing my Auto-5 which has the bolt stuck rearwards due to scope tap holes.
Since I'm so... frugal, I like to do projects myself if I can save on professional gun-smithing bills.
Oh, an nothing against MCARBO, but I didn't really think you'd need to be a gunsmith to install it.
In the end, I don't think any serious harm was done.
