Rimfires I've loved or hated

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Haven't had near the number of guns as some of you guys, but they are all memorable. The most hated was a JC Higgins "short throw" lever gun that was a genuine piece of crap. There was so much wrong with it. Terrible design and a cheap piece of junk. Bought it when I was a teenager and terribly ignorant. Have a soft spot in my heart for the Winchester 67 I bought for $10 from a pawn shop when I was a poor college student. Shot lots of squirrels and rabbits with it. Still have it and still very accurate.
After college when I started making money, I bought a Remington 541S and it remains my favorite squirrel rifle. Vying for the number 2 spot currently are 2 guns, a Mauser 201 Lux that I reclaimed from my brother's neglect and it is now beautiful and a fine shooter. The newest and rapidly gaining on the number two spot is a Bergara BXR, very accurate right out of the box. I'm not as savvy as Picher, so do very little tweaking. But, I know quality when I see it and my gunsmith is talented.
 
I learned to shoot on a Remington Nylon 66 that was a 150th Anniversary commemorative edition (1966), with a lightweight Weaver .22 scope from the same era. It was stupendously reliable and durable (I shot it for a decade and thousands of rounds before I ever cleaned the powder fouling out of the action). It’s only downside was that a scope with any weight to it at all would not hold zero, because the metal “receiver” was just a sheet-metal cover over the real nylon receiver, and would apparently shift around under recoil.

I eventually sold it, which I regret, and bought a Remington 597...the most accurate .22 I have ever seen. 50-yard groups with match ammo and a 2.5x shotgun scope could be covered by a quarter, so with more magnification it would probably shoot 1 MOA or better. But from a reliability standpoint.....grrr. The magazines are HORRIBLE; I think they are molded Zamak or something, and apparently get more friction-y as they age. Sometimes they jam before you can even get 10 rounds in. I’ve been told that waxing the inside of the mag may help, and am trying that. The Remington 30-round magazine I tried was so bad that can’t couldn’t even feed ten rounds without a misfeed so bad that it locked up the gun (bolt over base, couldn’t feed the round, couldn’t pull the magazine).

I have thought about ditching the 597 for a 10/22, but I’ve heard the Rugers are typically 2 MOA or worse without expensive mods, and the 597 kind of spoiled me from an accuracy standpoint, so I haven’t yet.
 
Picher said:
Just what don't you like about your 10/22? Is it not accurate, or does it jam?
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It runs fine. I don't care about it's short stubby stock, the factory click/clack heavy trigger, or its accuracy. I am not gonna throw time or money at it trying to improve it when I have better rifles in those areas like CZs, 40x's, Rem Model 37s, and a Rem 541-S.
 
ColtPythonElite said:
It runs fine. I don't care about it's short stubby stock, the factory click/clack heavy trigger, or its accuracy. I am not gonna throw time or money at it trying to improve it when I have better rifles in those areas like CZs, 40x's, Rem Model 37s, and a Rem 541-S.
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You must have the carbine stock. That's too short for me. I have the Deluxe stock. It it fits me much better, and there's no danged barrel band.
 
ColtPythonElite said:
Yes, its a carbine.
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Well, you certainly have a great stable of ponies to use. I don't have any dedicated target rifles, but have a couple of good-shooting ones, including my 10-22 and this jazzed-up 581. Copy of P2040005.JPG

I modified the forend to shoot it for fun, and provide it as a "loaner" for guys wanting to try Rimfire Benchrest in a "Plinker" class, for beginners. It shoots really great and the modified trigger is very light.
 
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Loved:
Pop's Glenfield 99, which to this day runs on used motor oil.
His .22 luger
His 22 POS German single "action" (doesn't work anymore and keeping for sentimental reasons)
Ruger stainless 10/22 he bought as a birthday gift

No hated ones but Meh:
Cricket 22 single shot.
NAA mini revolver
Ruger mkIII autos.
Ruger 10/22s
 
upload_2020-6-14_13-21-43.png


Shot this with my 10-22 Deluxe that I bought second-hand and learned how to accurize it...collaborating with other folks on a previous site. Barrel is a Shilen and the only parts of the rifle that wasn't factory-made (many modified) is the Shilen heavy barrel and extractor. I collaborated with others on an older website and we solved some inherent factory design problems that limited accuracy. Besides that, we had fun!
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Also not a fan of the 10\22. That stupid bolt hold open is just asinine and for all their great reputation for reliable feeding, my experience has been that they are no better or worse than any other SA rimfire- which is to say they jam once in a while.

Then there was the ole Charter Arms AR7- what a peice of junk. Id have thrown it in the river, but it would have floated right back with my luck.

OK, flame suit on.......I didnt like my vintage Single Six. Nice looking, well built and accurate, but the cylinder timing was such that it was a real chore to line up the chambers with the ejector rod when unloading.

As far as those I love? Pretty much all the ones I still own. .22s rule!
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** If and when a 10-22 jams it's usually an extractor problem. Buy an exact-edge extractor and it probably never (almost) jam again. If you have a torch and a vise, you can heat the rear of the extractor and when red, tap it to tighten the distance between claw and lug to make the claw hold shell rims tightly against the bolt face until the rim hits the ejector.

Ruger 10-22.JPG
 
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I have a 10/22 carbine with the short stock, too short for me but I still enjoy shooting it. The real treat is that is just fits my wife and she can shoot it really well. Makes me grin from ear to ear when she shoots it. I put a new extractor and a new trigger group in it. It has a really great trigger.

I wish my Marlin mod 80's trigger was as easy to fix.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
 
Ole Joe Clark said:
I have a 10/22 carbine with the short stock, too short for me but I still enjoy shooting it. The real treat is that is just fits my wife and she can shoot it really well. Makes me grin from ear to ear when she shoots it. I put a new extractor and a new trigger group in it. It has a really great trigger.

I wish my Marlin mod 80's trigger was as easy to fix.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
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You could buy a slip-on recoil pad to extend the stock to better fit you, then remove it for when people with smaller stature want to use it.
 
I can't think of any rimfire rifles I've hated, but I sure never warmed up to the Ruger 10/22 carbine I bought new nearly 30 years ago. I used it as trade fodder towards a J-frame revolver within a year of ownership.

It's not the 10/22's fault, I just never really warmed up to autoloading rimfire rifles of any kind. I much prefer lever and bolt action rimfire rifles. I feel the same about centerfire autoloading rifles, but they make enough sense from a defense standpoint that I do keep the centerfires around.

Now that I think about this even further, I prefer rimfire revolvers to rimfire pistols, too.

Well, I can't leave this post all negative :evil:, so the rimfire rifles I really like that I currently own are my Marlin 39AS, a CZ452 Training Rifle, and a Zastava MP22 "scout rifle".

:)
 
Picher said:
View attachment 923180


Shot this with my 10-22 Deluxe that I bought second-hand and learned how to accurize it...collaborating with other folks on a previous site. Barrel is a Shilen and the only parts of the rifle that wasn't factory-made (many modified) is the Shilen heavy barrel and extractor. I collaborated with others on an older website and we solved some inherent factory design problems that limited accuracy. Besides that, we had fun!
Click to expand...
The target shown is a "PROVE-IT" target, designed by a guy on one of the older rimfire shooting pages (rimfirecentral.com) to provide a place where people could send a record target to prove the groups that they said their rifles would shoot. It was pretty interesting, but has gone by, after a year or two. I'd lost the copy I made of my target and only recently found it when browsing old stuff. Everybody knows that semi-auto .22LRs are all lousy shooters...or do they have to be?
 
No sir. The rifles are NOT all lousy shooters, but we do have some lousy shooters who blame 22 auto loaders for being lousy shooters. The rifle can only shoot as good as the man who aligns the sights and controls the trigger, but that goes for all rifles whether they be a 22, 308, bolt action, lever action, auto loader, or not. I often prove that at the range where I shoot after hearing a shooter complain about his LOUSY 22 auto loader no matter the brand or model. I offer to let that shooter shoot my Anchultz model 164 with Lapua Center-X ammo that will absolutely shoot one little bug hole at 50 yards. More often than not, the shooter can not shoot the Annie either. I don't know if that proves anything to anyone else, but it tells me it's not the rifle that is a lousy shooter.

There are of course, some 22 autoloaders that will not shoot accurately. I let those go on down the road to another home rather than spend time and money attempting to make them shoot because I have neither a lot of spare time and money anyway.
 
When I was a kid I had a late 70s Winchester 190 that I really hated. It came with a cheap scope and was the least accurate gun I've ever shot. It wouldn't shoot a 6" group from 25 yards in a vice! I gave it for parts to a friend who had an older one that shot very well. Now that I'm older I realize it was probably the cheap scope. Now I have a Ruger American bolt action with a 22" barrel and a decent scope that's a wonderful rifle. I also love my Ruger MK IV 22/45 target pistol!
 
Hmm. I have been invited to shoot against a state champion rifle shooter and high ranking Palma shooter. In Rimfire he shoots a very modified 10/22 for fun. He is a friend of my sniper buddy and He shoots a Magnum Research 10/22 clone. I plan on bringing a CZ 452 and my 540XR. He said his early rimfire competition rifle was a 540XR. Should be fun and I expect to be humbled.
The point being a 10/22 isn't a bad starting point for some of the best shots in the country.
 
d2wing said:
Hmm. I have been invited to shoot against a state champion rifle shooter and high ranking Palma shooter. In Rimfire he shoots a very modified 10/22 for fun. He is a friend of my sniper buddy and He shoots a Magnum Research 10/22 clone. I plan on bringing a CZ 452 and my 540XR. He said his early rimfire competition rifle was a 540XR. Should be fun and I expect to be humbled.
The point being a 10/22 isn't a bad starting point for some of the best shots in the country.
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I'll bet a "case of Michelob Light" that you're gonna SHOCK that poor fella with how accurate those two .22 rimfire rifles are, and what they'll show him.
 
SGW Gunsmith said:
I'll bet a "case of Michelob Light" that you're gonna SHOCK that poor fella with how accurate those two .22 rimfire rifles are, and what they'll show him.
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Thanks for the support but I am pretty sure they know what they are doing. I hope to make a good showing.
 
Don't laugh, but I "planed" the bolt face of my 10-22 on my mounted belt-sander to reduce headspace to rim thickness. It's tricky, but took it carefully and marked the bolt where I needed to grind to, and took it slowly to keep from overheating. (Repeat: Had to remove the extractor and scratch a line around the bolt at the proper location before doing the removal.) If you screw it up, don't come running to me. Remember: I never told YOU to do it, just how I did it. :)
 
In the spring of '67 I was able to purchase the rifle I competed with that whole year for $15. A pre War Winchester Model 52. When I shipped overseas in '73 it got left behind and has wandered away.

Today my go to .22 is again a pre War Winchester (do we see a pattern here) Model 69. Taken quite a few wood chucks
 
Pudge said:
The 77/22 is probably too expensive for what it is,
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I'm not sure what you mean by this but some folks seem to think that just because a firearm is chambered in .22 rimfire it shouldn't cost as much as a firearm chambered with a centerfire cartridge (not saying that's necessarily you). Nothing could be further from the truth, imo. The Ruger Model 77/22 was/is worth every penny "for what it is". A .22 rimfire of any configuration made to high standards (think Winchester Model 52 Sporter rifle, Smith & Wesson Model 41 auto pistol, Colt Officers Match revolver, etc.) is worth just as much or more than their centerfire "equivalents".
 
SwampWolf said:
I'm not sure what you mean by this but some folks seem to think that just because a firearm is chambered in .22 rimfire it shouldn't cost as much as a firearm chambered with a centerfire cartridge (not saying that's necessarily you). Nothing could be further from the truth, imo. The Ruger Model 77/22 was/is worth every penny "for what it is". A .22 rimfire of any configuration made to high standards (think Winchester Model 52 Sporter rifle, Smith & Wesson Model 41 auto pistol, Colt Officers Match revolver, etc.) is worth just as much or more than their centerfire "equivalents".
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Totally agree. The Anschutz 54 is a prime example
 
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