Ruger made Marlins

[Jeff H]

Wouldn’t worth a darn on gas mileage though was it? Well let me say this. It might not have mattered much because it probably got 9 loaded as well as empty! Everyone I know that had them they got 9-10 miles to the gallon.

I had a 76 short-bed F-150, 300 Six and three on the tree, 30k miles when I bought it. Could start from a dead stop in third gear without feathering the clutch and it got a solid 13 MPG - highway, city, loaded, empty, taking it easy or running the hell out of it - 13 MPG, period. I kept a note pad in the glove box for as long as I owned it and recorded the miles and gallons at every fill-up.

I always thought that 13 MPG was awful mileage, but 9 - 10? Holy cow!

The gas wasn't what hurt me. Every time I drove it I had to replace something on it. I traded it toward a brand-new 85 Nissan short-bed and every time someone asked me why I bought the Nissan, since I already had a Ford, I told them I needed something to run back and forth to the parts store with to keep that Ford running. Mostly anything electrical.

The 300 was an amazing engine, but the 2.4L NapZ in the Nissan was a bit of a little monster itself. It would SCOOT.

 

[Bret4207]

I had an inline 6 '83 Chebby 1/2 ton stepside shortbox, think it had a 4 speed. Hauled 100-130 bales of hay on a ho'made tandem trailer out of the St Lawrence Valley into the Adirondacks for a couple years. Worked pretty good, but it was an overload in retrospect. The 6 died and I foolishly put in a 350 V8. Half the gas mileage and less torque for hills IMO. Later replaced the truck (rust did it in) with a new '91 Toyota 4WD with 5 speed and 22R 4cyl. Towing the same loads it was less peppy but got way better mileage and I put over 300K on it before rust killed it. I like the inline 6's personally, no matter the flavor. My little slant 6 Duster was a fantastic car! Again, rust killed it but that engine was still going strong.

 

[Jeff H]

I had an inline 6 '83 Chebby 1/2 ton stepside shortbox, think it had a 4 speed. Hauled 100-130 bales of hay on a ho'made tandem trailer out of the St Lawrence Valley into the Adirondacks for a couple years. Worked pretty good, but it was an overload in retrospect. The 6 died and I foolishly put in a 350 V8. Half the gas mileage and less torque for hills IMO. Later replaced the truck (rust did it in) with a new '91 Toyota 4WD with 5 speed and 22R 4cyl. Towing the same loads it was less peppy but got way better mileage and I put over 300K on it before rust killed it. I like the inline 6's personally, no matter the flavor. My little slant 6 Duster was a fantastic car! Again, rust killed it but that engine was still going strong.

SLANT-SIX?! (Italics meant as a corny "slant" pun)

I had a 225 in a 67 short-bed, 4:11 posi, with three on the tree! Decommissioned Columbia Gas truck, and it was a little brute that could NOT get stuck and would leave about anything else at a light, but topped out at about 80. I don't think I ever even chirped the tires on that old truck - it would just GO. I wanted to put a four-speed with a granny gear in it and my dad told me it'd take two days to get to school (6 miles) and back. What's HE do? thirty years later, he stuck a four speed behind one and the stupid thing was like an old tractor when it came to grunt.

RIP to all those dear old beasts who rust took from us too soon.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Six in a row will go !
I've owned a bunch of vehicles with some form of an inline six and driven/worked on more. I have great respect for that engine layout.
Lots of torque, excellent balance, reliable, durable - just great workhorses.
I don't think I can pick a favorite, there were so many good ones.

 

[RicinYakima]

Wouldn’t worth a darn on gas mileage though was it? Well let me say this. It might not have mattered much because it probably got 9 loaded as well as empty! Everyone I know that had them they got 9-10 miles to the gallon.

The fuel injection was pretty good, about 14 around town empty and 18 on the highway, which was pretty good in the late 90's. Towing was another story, as low as 7 pulling into the wind, but you are right, 9 miles average. If I could get no alcohol gas that would be up another couple, but that is always hard to find when you are traveling in the mid-west.

p.s. The 2006 Dodge hemi doesn't do much better towing, but I can average about 5 MPH faster.

 

[Winelover]

One rifle I won't part with.................Cindy bought this one for me as a Xmas present, in the mid 80's. Winchester Boy Scout Commemorative chambered in 22 LR.



Wears a 4 power Leupold...............pretty accurate and not that fussy with most any 22 LR ammunition. Not a fan of the commemoratives but they do have nice wood. Plus, I was a Boy Scout. Troop 101.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

A 225 Slant-six in a Dodge Power Wagon with a 4 Speed Manual (basically a 3 speed with a sub-low first) and full time 4WD, 1 barrel carb = 10mpg.

Rock solid reliable and great low-end torque but you were not going win any races. It was thirsty but if there was gas in the tank, it would get you where you wanted to go.

An International Harvester with some big inline six, one barrel carburetor, 3 on the tree and about a 4.10 rear axle - also about 10 mpg. Great engine, great drivetrain; the body was a collection of rusted sheet metal held together by the remnants of rusted fasteners and substandard wiring.

A Jeep with the 4.0 inline six was a little more modern. Fuel injection, , crank trigger electronic ignition with coil packs. 5-speed – 15 mpg was possible, maybe even a little better if you drove like you had some sense.

And let’s not forget the inline diesels. Cummins 6BT 12 valve turbo-diesel with a mechanical injector pump. ¾ ton, 4WD, automatic. 19 mpg.
19 mpg loaded or empty. 19 mpg at 40 mph or 80 mph. it got 19 mpg -period! Great engine, horrible truck.



And there were others…….but this is a thread about rifles.....

 

[KeithB]

If I were in the business of making guns or for that matter any product that used wood I would never use anything other than dimensionally stabilized laminated wood.

 

[BudHyett]

Hummm. I ran my '96 F150 with the 300 I-6 for 180,000 and 76,000 pulling a 24 ft. 5th wheel. But I kept up the maintenance for heavy duty services. It was an excellent pick up truck.

1985 F-150 with the 300 cubic inch six, drove 308,000 miles with regular scheduled maintenance. Dual low four-speed and 3.55 final drive meant the empty mileage was 12 miles-per-gallon at best. Mileage was also related to speed, the compromise on the highway was 63 miles-per-hour as the gas mileage dropped at 65. This pickup was cheap to run and maintain, got me out-of-debt from a bitterly contested divorce. I sold it to the neighbor 's 16-year old son as his first truck and he drove it another 100,000 miles, then sold it to a farmer in Oregon.

 

[Winelover]

In 1985 I ordered a full size 3/4 ton Chevy Passenger van with just one bench seat. Standard engine was a 350 cubic inch 4 bbl V8 engine. Back then, you could order optional rear ends. I opted for the highway rear end, 3.08 gear ratio, IIRC. Loaded down for three week fishing vacation (including a 20 HP Mercury outboard and two 6 gallon tanks), averaged 21 MPG on I-75, at 70+ mph, with four speed (overdrive) automatic transmission. Kept that 85 van till I replaced it with a new 1993 eight passenger Chevy van. Sold it to a coworker, who drove it till I lost contact with him in Y2K.

Never owned a straight six in my 50 years of vehicle ownership. I drove in enough of them, with friends, to know I didn't want a six. Currently, own two 3/4 ton Chevy passenger vans with 6.0 liter V-8's. I average 14 mph, driving on mix of two lane rural highway (55 MPH speed limit) and city streets.

 

[Bret4207]

If I were in the business of making guns or for that matter any product that used wood I would never use anything other than dimensionally stabilized laminated wood.

From a standpoint of durability and stability, I can see it, but it's like looking at plywood all day... because it IS plywood!

 

[Glaciers]

This ^^^^^^^^

 

[Glaciers]

Although it’s a big step up from plastic

 

[Glaciers]

A 225 Slant-six in a Dodge Power Wagon with a 4 Speed Manual (basically a 3 speed with a sub-low first) and full time 4WD, 1 barrel carb = 10mpg.

Rock solid reliable and great low-end torque but you were not going win any races. It was thirsty but if there was gas in the tank, it would get you where you wanted to go.

An International Harvester with some big inline six, one barrel carburetor, 3 on the tree and about a 4.10 rear axle - also about 10 mpg. Great engine, great drivetrain; the body was a collection of rusted sheet metal held together by the remnants of rusted fasteners and substandard wiring.

A Jeep with the 4.0 inline six was a little more modern. Fuel injection, , crank trigger electronic ignition with coil packs. 5-speed – 15 mpg was possible, maybe even a little better if you drove like you had some sense.

And let’s not forget the inline diesels. Cummins 6BT 12 valve turbo-diesel with a mechanical injector pump. ¾ ton, 4WD, automatic. 19 mpg.
19 mpg loaded or empty. 19 mpg at 40 mph or 80 mph. it got 19 mpg -period! Great engine, horrible truck.



And there were others…….but this is a thread about rifles.....

Yeah this thread is about rifles. Having said that, P&P’s description of the Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 diesel is spot on. Actually I’m going to say awesome work truck.
Mine has a manual transmission (1996 280,000 miles) and you need to move something put it low range, granny low and ease into and if it doesn’t move you need a loader. Mine has a constant 1200 pounds in the bed so it will give a positive tug.
Love that truck, it will be in my estate sale.

But love those lever guns

 

[Brad]

From a standpoint of durability and stability, I can see it, but it's like looking at plywood all day... because it IS plywood!

I have seen some birch stocks that would have been improved by making them plywood.

And Glacier is right, it beats plastic!

 

[fiver]

a veneeered plywood could be made to look like 5X Claro for about 50 bucks.

i must be a bit weird i have zero problem with a good 'plastic' stock.
crap is crap no matter what it's made from, but a good plastic stock can actually help absorb some recoil and made into enough shapes to help with a rifles fit if the companies thought about it.

 

[Brad]

a veneeered plywood could be made to look like 5X Claro for about 50 bucks.

i must be a bit weird i have zero problem with a good 'plastic' stock.
crap is crap no matter what it's made from, but a good plastic stock can actually help absorb some recoil and made into enough shapes to help with a rifles fit if the companies thought about it.

A bit?

 

[fiver]

well it's not quite winter yet so we still have a way's to go.

 

[Brad]

well it's not quite winter yet so we still have a way's to go.

Oh boy

 

[oscarflytyer]

LOL! Thread drift 101! I LOVE old slant six engines. Had a '66 Ford 200 cid - that thing would SCREAM! AND tear up the cheap light 3 on the tree they put behind it... The Ford 250 six had a ton of tork, and would perform as well or better in a '73 fastback as a 289. And then there was the 300 six on the F series. That one was my fav. Wasn't mine, but LOVED driving the boss's truck every chance I got! They would also race the big 6s on the dirt tracks for the torque. May still/I don't know.