[Uncle Alvah]

I came across this rifle in a local Pawn Shop.
I know little about it, including it's vintage, but it caught my eye because of the condition.
I'm no expert but I'd rate it at 95% or better. Bluing is a tad dull, and the stock as well, but theres hardly a mark on it.
Like I said, I know nothing about the quality or reputation of the model, but figured this was a good place to start learning.
My safe has a spot for an accurate bolt action .22!
Whatcha ya'll think about this here unit?

 

[lever addict]

I have a Glenfield model 25. It's a tackdriver! You can still buy clips for them. That one looks to be in great shape! I just stripped the stock on mine and i'm redoing it. I have mine about 40 years. When i was young I removed the front sight and put a dovetail blank in the rear.

 

[Barenjager]

I've never had one of my own but I've also never heard a disparaging word on one either. That one looks to be in excellent shape. I think you just filled that spot in your safe.

You say it looks dull. I've run into the same thing with a number of the vintage .22's I picked up over the last few years. Before you even think about a full refinish, give these things a try. Pull the barreled action from the stock and give all metalwork a good cleaning. Follow that with a light rubdown with Flitz metal polish...not too much, you don't want to remove any bluing, then give all exterior metal surfaces a coat of a good paste wax. I use Johnson's, but any Carnuba wax without abrasives will work.

For the stock, I've had good results on those stocks that were rather dull or patchy but didn't really need refinishing, by first giving them a massage with a soft cloth soaked with a bit of mineral spirits to remove the years of dirt and oil. I then apply a few coats of tung oil, just enough to bring a little luster back to the wood. If too many coats are applied it can result in more gloss than looks correct, but that is easily remedied with a little 0000 steel wool.

Roe

 

[wrench man]

That's probably the best looking original I've ever seen! and if it shoots as good as it looks, don't know why it shouldn't, you're going to love it!
I sure do like mine!

 

[Uncle Alvah]

Well, I lucked out and brought this little beauty home for $100($107 with tax).
I just shot it a few times off the deck to try it out.
One immediate problem....it does not eject! Tip of the ejector spring does seem to contact the case at all when the bolt is fully rearward, yet it does not appear to be broken on the end.
Gotta work on that!

 

[k3for]

I just picked up a Glenfield Model 25 from a shop, year '74, decent condition. Everything works mechanically, but I don't know enough about the gun to know this. When you move the safety forward and back, is it supposed to click into each of the positions? This one just slides with a fair amount of friction, but there's no feel of detents at either end. The rails are narrower than I've seen normal Weavers which are 1" - these are more like 7/16" - like a BB gun scope mount.

 

[dobegrant]

My first gun when I was 12 was a Glenfield25 my dad bought me at Sears in 1968, my brother lost it when I was about 15, a few years ago I was able to buy another one from a guy at the club, probably have 20-25 .22 rifles but it holds a special place and it can shoot.

 

[longislandloco]

Mine is 90% condition, as accurate as many CZ's, last rifle I would ever give up!

 

[rob42049]

I lost the 25 in a divorce,late 1990's. I miss that rifle more every day. Some of those chicks really know how to hurt a guy.



Rob

 

[amustangrocks]

Wow, old thread, guess I`ll contribute to keeping it going.
My dad (who never owned a rifle) bought me a Glenfield 25 when I was 16, in 1972. I didnt get to use it too much over the years, it did kill a few pesky varmints here and there. When I was 20 it ended up under my bed in a gun case, and the floor got flooded out. By the time I remembered it was too late and the gun was rusted to the soft material in the case. It never got water in the bore, and that has always been nice, but the barrel was pretty rusty looking for the last 40 years.

Tonight I used some 0000 steel wool and some rem oil and that old barrel cleaned up pretty darn nice. I removed the rear sight to clean good, I think I`m liking it. The bolt lever got it the worst as it was sitting on that side. Its down to some bare metal, might try to clean it real good and try some cold blue on it. Still have the original clip and scope. Its apart a little right now, and I think I`m gonna re finish the stock this weekend!

I bought some 1" rings to use a Bushnell scope I have, but the bolt hits the scope and wont open. I might try some higher rings.

Welp, since it looks so much better now, I`m stripping the stock tonight and gonna re finish the wood. Ive had it for 46 yrs so I guess I better do this while I`m still young ya right

 

[amustangrocks]

Got a good start on it tonight. Got it stripped down and partly sanded. I re fitted the original butt plate (wasnt that great a fit before) and the bolt and safety pockets in the wood were sawn out very rough, so sanded that better. The bolt lever always hit the stock and had a dent there in the wood, so I opened that up with a little more angle for it to fit just right.

I will say, the old birch is hard to work with. Dark grain spots are really set in. Harder to work than walnut is I think.

 

[amustangrocks]

Put the gun back together. Tried a little stain to brown it up and multi coats of tru oil. The birch is well, birch but its ok. I installed a new 4x32 Tasco scope I had from 1984 on it. The gloss scope has a "class" to it the matte scopes just dont have. I still need to get some bluing to touch up the bolt lever. I installed a time capsule in it. I hope one of my grandkids finds it someday, if not someone will maybe some day after I`m long gone. I`ll have to get out now and sight in the scope. So the old Marlin Glenfield 25 lives on....

 

[MrPete]

My story matches so many others. Christmas, 1973 (I had just turned 13), my dad got me a crossman .22 pellet rifle. One of those things with the stupid plastic revolving plastic discs with so many pellets. I jammed it up solid in a matter of days. He went back to that gunshop and came home with a Glenfield model 25 instead. I was only allowed to shoot 22 shorts in it. That rifle is THE GUN that made me the hunter and rifleman I am today. 22 shorts meant you had to stalk in. I can still recount every detail of the first thing I killed with it - a red squirrel. Everything that I could get, I did. That gun has killed crows, all manor of birds (I'm actually not too proud of how many now, groundhogs, rabbits, every kind of squirrel we had, Opossums, Raccoons, rats, grouse. However, it's never killed of fox, now that I think of it - might have to rectify that.

In the hopes of keeping the tradition alive, I gave it to my little brother when I was in college. Then about a dozen years ago, I visited him and found it neglected in a closet. I summarily told him I was repossessing it! I cleaned it up and still take it out some. I have much prettier 22s in the safe now, but that gun has that proverbial place in my heart.

 

[Arkie]

I can't see your photographs. Sorry, but I will not pay photobucket for the privilege.

 

[nsmi]

Nice touch adding the note in the stock.

 

[amustangrocks]

I can't see your photographs. Sorry, but I will not pay photobucket for the privilege.

My pics arent photo bucket, just uploaded from computer, should just need to sign in to see them

Nice touch adding the note in the stock.

I did that to a 71 336 30-30 too, after finding a name under a plate.

Bore sighted the scope with a BSA unit, hit the range after work today, at 50 yrds it was a couple inches low and to the right 1 inch on a 6" paper plate. Started to dial it in. but it was in the teens and the heavy blowing snow started and I had to bail out. I forgot how much fun it was to shoot the .22

 

[amustangrocks]

Now I`m thinking, my dad gave me that way before I turned 16 and could drive, I`m thinking 13 when I got around on my bike, more I think about it. Does anyone know how to date these guns with the ser # ?

 

[navajo]

I like the model 25... I don't have one, but I have a couple 80's
and that basically the older version of the same rifle.
That's a fun worth-while project and I love the idea of the note.
I did the same thing on a rifle I gave my son. Someday he'll
take it down and find it.



Marlin year of manufacture maybe determined from the following list of letter/numeral prefixs to the serial number; this coding only applies to serialized rifles:

1946-C
1947-D
1948-E
1949-F
1950-G
1951-H
1952-J
1953-K
1954-L
1955-M
1956-N
1957-58-R
1958-59-S
1960 (August)-1961-U
1961 (August)-1962-V
1963-W
1964-Y,-Z
1965-AA
1966-AB
1967-AC
1968-AD, -68
1969-69
1970-70
1971-71
1972-72

Starting in 1973, the year of manufacture maybe determined by subtracting the first two digits of the serial number from 100:
Example: SN 2512345 would have been made in 1975 [100 - 25 = 75].

For Marlin Rimfire Rifles [non-serialized]:

From 1962 thru 1968 Marlins rimfire rifles (other than the 39 series lever actions) used a two letter date code that was stamped on the barrel. This date code is different than the one already listed, as Marlin rimfire rifles (other than the model 39 series) did not have a serial numbers until required to by Law after 1968. The first letter of the date code represented the month of manufacture while the second letter indicated the year. This date code was usually stamped on the left side of the barrel just in front of the receiver. The first letter of the date code is as follows:

A = Jan.
B = Feb.
C = Mar.
D = Apr.
E = May
F = June
G = July
H = Aug.
I = Sep.
J = Oct.
K = Nov.
L = Dec.

The second letter of the date code is as follows:

F = 1962
G = 1963
H = 1964
I = 1965
J = 1966
K = 1967
L = 1968

So a date code of "JK" would indicate that rifle was made in October of 1967.



Marlin owners: SAVE this table to your hard drive......

Enjoy...! !

 

[Tsb3]

The 25 looks great! And the note is an awesome idea!

 

[nfmMike]

Ok, I'll play! Here is mine, recent-ish acquisition - '69 birth year. Anyone know the reason for the chromed bolt? Not complaining, seeing mostly blued so I thought I would ask.