Australian410hunter
Member
That rifle has lovely wood on the stock! Looks good.
Most Iconic 22LR Rifles?
- Thread starter WisBorn
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In College, I went through every copy of the American Rifleman they had, which was back to 1920, to learn what was going on in that period. I saw the pictures of M37 Remington target rifles, along with the descriptions of the wins, and I just wanted to have one.
Luckily I was able to buy an all original, pre WW2 rifle.
I thought the swept back bolt handle looked great and the stock particularly graceful.
it was only after taking it out of the stock that I found that it had been hand selected at the factory by the same Frank Kahrs, who was the writer of the ads in the American Rifleman.
my rifle also shoots well. I shot in several Smallbore Prone matches, and I shot this 100 yard distance, 400-32 X, prone with a sling, at the Chief Wa Ke De range in Bristol IN.
Unfortunately, the rifle is not competitive in today's game. Consistency is key to winning, and while this rifle meets the requirements of the mid 20th century rules, it is hard to shoot consistently.. The rifle has the trigger pull of the M1903 service rifle, no less than 3.5 pounds. This trigger pull weight was maintained up to the middle 1960's, and it is too heavy. The stock closely matches the configuration of the M1903 type C stock. So, there is no adjustable butt plate or cheekpiece. Only when the US bumped up against the Soviets in Olympic Competition, and lost, were the rules relaxed so American shooters could use rifles that were competitive internationally. The Army was writing the rules for NRA competition up to the middle 1960's, and the Army wanted civilians to be shooting rifles that were similar to Army service rifles. The NRA was set up to train civilians in rifle and pistol shooting in peacetime, so they would be competent shooters in wartime . The National Matches and NRA competitions were a means to that end.
I have seen a number of M37's on aftermarket stocks, and they had Canjar triggers, which dropped the trigger weight. Canjar is out of business and used Canjar M37 triggers are overpriced. These were accurate rifles, but the owners traded them off for more advanced Anschutz and Walther rifles. The actions and barrels of the M37 were always good.
Club President shot this, with a forward rest, at a local Smallbore Prone match, with his Eric Johnson barreled M37
Luckily I was able to buy an all original, pre WW2 rifle.
I thought the swept back bolt handle looked great and the stock particularly graceful.
it was only after taking it out of the stock that I found that it had been hand selected at the factory by the same Frank Kahrs, who was the writer of the ads in the American Rifleman.
my rifle also shoots well. I shot in several Smallbore Prone matches, and I shot this 100 yard distance, 400-32 X, prone with a sling, at the Chief Wa Ke De range in Bristol IN.
Unfortunately, the rifle is not competitive in today's game. Consistency is key to winning, and while this rifle meets the requirements of the mid 20th century rules, it is hard to shoot consistently.. The rifle has the trigger pull of the M1903 service rifle, no less than 3.5 pounds. This trigger pull weight was maintained up to the middle 1960's, and it is too heavy. The stock closely matches the configuration of the M1903 type C stock. So, there is no adjustable butt plate or cheekpiece. Only when the US bumped up against the Soviets in Olympic Competition, and lost, were the rules relaxed so American shooters could use rifles that were competitive internationally. The Army was writing the rules for NRA competition up to the middle 1960's, and the Army wanted civilians to be shooting rifles that were similar to Army service rifles. The NRA was set up to train civilians in rifle and pistol shooting in peacetime, so they would be competent shooters in wartime . The National Matches and NRA competitions were a means to that end.
I have seen a number of M37's on aftermarket stocks, and they had Canjar triggers, which dropped the trigger weight. Canjar is out of business and used Canjar M37 triggers are overpriced. These were accurate rifles, but the owners traded them off for more advanced Anschutz and Walther rifles. The actions and barrels of the M37 were always good.
Club President shot this, with a forward rest, at a local Smallbore Prone match, with his Eric Johnson barreled M37
jag1954
Member
That's a beautiful rifle and a great story behind it, thanks for sharing.
Boomholzer
Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2021
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- 231
My favorites include USMC 40X trainers. They shoot amazing. One is in a AICS stock and one is in the original 40X stock.
2nd would be a Sako Quad with a stock upgrade and a Lilja BR barrel. It's more manageable off-hand and also shoots well. I would put it up against factory Annies. It outshoots the Anschutz Achiever without a sweat.
I had a 452 Varmint and sold it. That particular one didn't shoot all that well. I am still a huge CZ fan with a 457 MTR, a 457 Royal, and a 452 Mannlicher (FS). I am a sucker for full length euro mannlicher rifles. I have not shot the MTR enough to form any opinions on it. It certainly looks the part.
The 10/22 is hard to ignore. It may not be a favorite today but I've pulled the trigger on 10/22's 1,000,000,000x more often. There are a few themed 10/22's laying around; A-Team mini-14 folder, Patina'ed M1 Carbine, the old Ram-Line folding stock, a target version in a pretty laminate Boyd's stock.
M1903 or M1922 in .22 lr??? YES PLEASE!
2nd would be a Sako Quad with a stock upgrade and a Lilja BR barrel. It's more manageable off-hand and also shoots well. I would put it up against factory Annies. It outshoots the Anschutz Achiever without a sweat.
I had a 452 Varmint and sold it. That particular one didn't shoot all that well. I am still a huge CZ fan with a 457 MTR, a 457 Royal, and a 452 Mannlicher (FS). I am a sucker for full length euro mannlicher rifles. I have not shot the MTR enough to form any opinions on it. It certainly looks the part.
The 10/22 is hard to ignore. It may not be a favorite today but I've pulled the trigger on 10/22's 1,000,000,000x more often. There are a few themed 10/22's laying around; A-Team mini-14 folder, Patina'ed M1 Carbine, the old Ram-Line folding stock, a target version in a pretty laminate Boyd's stock.
M1903 or M1922 in .22 lr??? YES PLEASE!
tark
Member
Do you have a source for that? Winchester made over 7 million model 94s. That's a lot !!!! My source is "just google win. model 94, total number made."
BreechFace
Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2020
- Messages
- 3,509
There has been north of 11 million Marlin 60’s made
Rimfire rifles are a fantastic firearm with a long history. Everyone looks at things differently & these are what are iconic 22ir rifles to me.
The remington model 12:
My father used 1 for hunting back in the 1930's. Back then they sold a soft canvas case that when you took the rifle down you would put each 1/2 into a sleeve in the case. Then you would fold the top flap over the exposed ends and roll it up. The end result was the size of a rolled up blanked to transport your rifle. He would take the rifle, a bed roll, food & hitchhike 20 miles to a hunting camp when he was a kid. The pump actioned 22lrs were the common mans hunting rifles that were light weight & had the ability to be a take down rifles for ease of transportation.
The mauser target rifles/international competition target rifles:
While the US commissioned the M1922 rifle for target use they ran into issues with the rifle. The 1st version was put out in 1926 and then the saami was formed (also in 1926) standardizing ammo, chambers, etc. The m1922's were sent back in and mods were made to the bolts and some bbl's replaced. They held there own until the 1930's when the german mausers really started to shine. The mausers dominated international competitions in the 1930's. Winchester came out in 1939 with their model 52 to compete with the mausers. It's interesting that the target rifles of that era didn't use bull bbl & used "military" style stocks. A picture of a mauser ES340B target rifle (bottom) with a un-issued mas45 (still in cosmoline/top). Everything is numbered on that mauser including the rear sight, hand built to that specific rifle.
Bolt actioned sporter/hunting rifles:
There a lot of mfg's out there that put out excellent sporter rifles over the decades. When I think of european sporter's/hunting rifles I think of full stock 22lrs like this fs anschutz from 1958.
Some mfg's put out a sporter version of their "target" rifles that were higher end hunting rifles in the us starting in the 1950's. Winchester came out with a model 52 sporter, remington came out with a 513's and 541's sporters.
A winchester 52b
Remington 513's they made less then 14,000 of these
A pair of remington 541's sporters
Bull bbl's target rifles:
As target rifles progressed bull bbl's became common. The 37's, 40x & 52's dominated the sport. I've owned a couple different 52'd and a 40x and they were fantastic target rifles. But at the end of the day anschutz stepped in and dominated the industry refining their legendary 54 actioned target rifles. The most iconic 54 match rifle to me is the 16 series actioned x-barrels. The 14series action was used for decades and then anschutz started to modernize their target rifle and came out with the 16 series action. They just happed to get in a batch of bbl's that were a cut above what they get most of the time. The x bbl's are known for their extreme accuracy. A NIB/unfired 16-x series anschutz 54 I own
Sporter rifles for competition:
As sporter rifles evolved Anschutz stepped up and started putting out sporter rifles that still set the standards to this day. A 1st year of production1963 anschutz 54 sporter, this rifle flat out shoots!!!
A lot of history with the 22lr rifles and these are what I consider iconic.
The remington model 12:
My father used 1 for hunting back in the 1930's. Back then they sold a soft canvas case that when you took the rifle down you would put each 1/2 into a sleeve in the case. Then you would fold the top flap over the exposed ends and roll it up. The end result was the size of a rolled up blanked to transport your rifle. He would take the rifle, a bed roll, food & hitchhike 20 miles to a hunting camp when he was a kid. The pump actioned 22lrs were the common mans hunting rifles that were light weight & had the ability to be a take down rifles for ease of transportation.
The mauser target rifles/international competition target rifles:
While the US commissioned the M1922 rifle for target use they ran into issues with the rifle. The 1st version was put out in 1926 and then the saami was formed (also in 1926) standardizing ammo, chambers, etc. The m1922's were sent back in and mods were made to the bolts and some bbl's replaced. They held there own until the 1930's when the german mausers really started to shine. The mausers dominated international competitions in the 1930's. Winchester came out in 1939 with their model 52 to compete with the mausers. It's interesting that the target rifles of that era didn't use bull bbl & used "military" style stocks. A picture of a mauser ES340B target rifle (bottom) with a un-issued mas45 (still in cosmoline/top). Everything is numbered on that mauser including the rear sight, hand built to that specific rifle.
Bolt actioned sporter/hunting rifles:
There a lot of mfg's out there that put out excellent sporter rifles over the decades. When I think of european sporter's/hunting rifles I think of full stock 22lrs like this fs anschutz from 1958.
Some mfg's put out a sporter version of their "target" rifles that were higher end hunting rifles in the us starting in the 1950's. Winchester came out with a model 52 sporter, remington came out with a 513's and 541's sporters.
A winchester 52b
Remington 513's they made less then 14,000 of these
A pair of remington 541's sporters
Bull bbl's target rifles:
As target rifles progressed bull bbl's became common. The 37's, 40x & 52's dominated the sport. I've owned a couple different 52'd and a 40x and they were fantastic target rifles. But at the end of the day anschutz stepped in and dominated the industry refining their legendary 54 actioned target rifles. The most iconic 54 match rifle to me is the 16 series actioned x-barrels. The 14series action was used for decades and then anschutz started to modernize their target rifle and came out with the 16 series action. They just happed to get in a batch of bbl's that were a cut above what they get most of the time. The x bbl's are known for their extreme accuracy. A NIB/unfired 16-x series anschutz 54 I own
Sporter rifles for competition:
As sporter rifles evolved Anschutz stepped up and started putting out sporter rifles that still set the standards to this day. A 1st year of production1963 anschutz 54 sporter, this rifle flat out shoots!!!
A lot of history with the 22lr rifles and these are what I consider iconic.
My first shooting experience was with a "tired" Red Ryder that needed oil about every 50 shots, just so BBs would exit the barrel. Then, had two Daisy pump that was a wonderful gun, but despite a trip to the factory for an overhaul, I wore that one out too. Next was another new Daisy Pump and had that one until getting into .22s.
The first .22 was a Rem 514, a hand-me-down from my brother. I had a 4X scope mounted by a "gun-butcher" named Mr. Shores, in Waterville, ME, who took the rifle and wrapped scope and literally "threw it" into the corner with the other rifles he had to work on. Fortunately, it survived the ordeal and I shot the "heck" out of it, eroding the chamber with about a "million" .22 Shorts!
My next rifle was a .22 Stevens semi-auto, which I wore out. When I finally "targeted" the rifle it wouldn't group better than 6 inches at 50 yards. It got traded for a straight-stocked Marlin 39A Mountie, which I kept for a long time. Bought another 39A much later in life, but it had so many factory defects that I couldn't stand, I finally sold it at a gun show a few years ago.
The first .22 was a Rem 514, a hand-me-down from my brother. I had a 4X scope mounted by a "gun-butcher" named Mr. Shores, in Waterville, ME, who took the rifle and wrapped scope and literally "threw it" into the corner with the other rifles he had to work on. Fortunately, it survived the ordeal and I shot the "heck" out of it, eroding the chamber with about a "million" .22 Shorts!
My next rifle was a .22 Stevens semi-auto, which I wore out. When I finally "targeted" the rifle it wouldn't group better than 6 inches at 50 yards. It got traded for a straight-stocked Marlin 39A Mountie, which I kept for a long time. Bought another 39A much later in life, but it had so many factory defects that I couldn't stand, I finally sold it at a gun show a few years ago.
1942bull
Member
To me the iconic 22 LR rifle was the one with which I learned to shoot at age 7. It was the Savage Model 29 A which was distinguished by it octagonal barrel.
Gus Chiggins
Member
Definitely the Cooey model 60 here in Canada.They were made in Cobourg Ontario and there's lot's still around. Parts are getting harder to find. It's quite common to find them with a vintage Weaver B4 scope on them. Interesting that they didn't have serial numbers on them. They will shoot long rifle, long, shorts, stingers, pretty much anything you put in them.
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tark
Member
Wow! I think that makes the 60 the titleholder!! Thanks BreechFace, I am always eager to learn something new.
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