Marlin Camp 9/45 Carbines?

[Will_Power]

Hey fellas,

I'm considering trying to find a Marlin Camp 9 and would love to hear y'all's opinions on them. A little wood stocked carbine in a pistol caliber seems like a fun time.

Seems everyone who used to have one loves them, but I've two questions for those of you who are familiar with them:

1. Plastic Trigger Housing / Magazine Well: How are they holding up, years later? I don't really want to buy a firearm that may fail and fall apart on me years down the line, and that plastic part seems to be one of the weak spots in the design (apart from the need to replace springs). This is especially a problem considering that Marlin won't manufacture replacement parts any longer.
2. S&W 59 Mags: They easy enough to find? Is 20round the largest capacity they were/are made in?

Also, are there any other options I should be looking at here? Maybe some old surplus 9mm SMG that I can pick up for cheap via C&R?

Read More

 

[Rix]

Mine is fine

And you can mod beretta mags to fit.

 

[carracer]

Good luck finding one!

 

[Nwcid]

Yes they are quite fun and M9 mags work just fine if modified;

[/URL]

 

[PDXSparky]

Also, are there any other options I should be looking at here? Maybe some old surplus 9mm SMG that I can pick up for cheap via C&R?

SMG and "cheap" can't be used in the same sentence unless the word "not" is right before the word "cheap". The least expensive SMG you could find right now would be a M11-nine and that would be around $5K. C&R SMGs are more than that.

Ruger made a 9mm carbine rifle as well, but I think I'd go with the Marlin instead.

 

[RVTECH]

I have passed on a couple of Camp 9's in the last couple of years and will not on the next one. I have no idea why Marlin is not producing them as they would obviously sell. I have shot a Ruger PC9 and will wait for a Camp 9. The Ruger is a nice, well built rifle but is a little 'clunky' IMHO.

 

[KalamaMark]

I had a Marlin Camp .45 that wouldn't run three rounds straight for anything. Something was real funky with the trigger/sear/disconnect.... I'd end up with a dead trigger. I disassembled, cleaned, checked, lubed, and scrutinized every piece of that action to try to make it work. Tried different magazines, the whole bit. Now...this was 20 years ago before the internet and the vast pool of knowledge and BS we have at our fingertips now.....

I sent it to a Gunsmith, who had it for six months, charged me a hundred bucks and I got it back and it still didn't run.
It got traded off for a considerable loss.

I still like the concept, but still have a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[RVTECH]

I have heard of others having similar problems with the .45 and was told it was never near as popular as the 9 with a lot less of them made and basically to steer clear of it - but the 9 is a whole different animal.

 

[aflineman]

I liked mine. Just really did not have much use for it. Shot well, accurate, used same mags as my M59. Ammo is (was) OK priced for it. Only reason I traded it off was I pared my collection down to stuff I use for either CCW or hunting. Figure if I am shooting, I might as well be shooting the stuff that does me the most good as far as "training".
It was reliable and really did not have problems with it breaking. Not the easiest to clean, but not the worst either.

 

[samuelm16]

Id probably try to find a ruger pc9 myself

 

[k7grc]

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/ri...mp-9-9mm-2-high-cap-mags-wood-stock-700$.html

will let the package go for 600$

 

[Dan1477]

Get a sub2k, save yourself some trouble

 

[RVTECH]

Get a sub2k, save yourself some trouble

The Sub2K is an interesting 'toy' but I don't think it is a substitute for a quality 9mm rifle. I had one and while fun to shoot and accurate, I began to see all the potential problems with it. Weak plastic parts, difficult to disassemble and clean and an epoxy secured barrel. I did not see any real long term quality with it.