The Marlin Model 99 was a drastic departure in the lineage of Marlin’s family of auto-loading rimfire rifles. Unlike earlier semi-automatic rifles such as the Model 50, A-1, or 88/89/98 series of rifles, the Model 99 made use of an anodized aluminum receiver and a completely updated silhouette. Pedestrian by modern standards, the Model 99 was cutting edge when it was introduced in 1959. Eugene Stoner had introduced his space-age AR-10 just three years prior, and the lightweight design and new manufacturing methods combined the then cutting-edge aluminum receiver and trigger guard with a walnut stock for a wholly modern rifle with classic proportions. It was a rifle for a new era…
The Model 99 was a near instant success. Marlin sold over 100,000 rifles in the initial three-year production run, including numerous house-branded variations for large retailers such as J.C. Penny (Foremost 6660) and Western Auto (120-2220).
Marlin updated the Model 99 as the 99c in 1961, incorporating what would become their signature micro-groove barrel, and over the next 30-plus years would sell a wide array of Model 99c variations, including clip-loaded and carbine models. 1979 saw the final iteration of the rifle as the Model 990 which included a number of upgrades over the previous models, including a last-round bolt catch. The rifle was finally discontinued in 1988, though it returned in spurts as a special edition through much of the 1990’s.
Boy’s Life, May 1969
The Model 99s persisted alongside the Glenfield Model 60 as a premium option, sporting a walnut stock in lieu of the 60’s birch offering at a premium of $20-$50 for most of the 1980s, depending on the year. The premium seems trivial by modern standards, but with the perspective that the premium was a 25%-50% increase over the price of the Model 60, the difference is more stark.
