Advice on Single-Shots
- Thread starter callsign.BULL
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I found a nice specimen this week. It is a J C Higgins Model 41, a single shot .22 (S, L, LR) bolt action with a full size wooden stock and barrel. It's in very good shape for a pre-1968 rifle (it has no serial number). No rust, no rattles, no cracks in the stock. Plenty of character in the old wood, though. The rifle was used a lot but never abused.
In doing the research on it, these were made by Marlin and sold by Sears Roebuck. It is a slightly cheaper version of the Marlin 101 Crown Prince, which was offered only 1 year by Marlin, 1959. Here is a pic of the Marlin:
The "lesser" versions were sold by various department and auto stores in the 1960s. It looks like the main differences are, the Higgins has a plastic trigger guard, the Marlin's is metal. The Marlin has a white stripe between the stock and the butt plate, the Higgins does not.
The hammer has to be pulled back manually against a spring tension. If the hammer slips as you pull it back, the rifle will fire. Some versions of this rifle have a ring on the hammer instead of the knob pictured above. Your finger fits in the hammer ring and won't slip out, making for a more secure cocking procedure.
I believe the barrel has the Marlin micro-groove rifling, but I'm not sure what to look for. The sights are sturdy and usable. I found it in a LGS, marked down from $129 to $101. I still need to take pictures and do some accuracy testing. So far I've just function tested it.
I think I'm going to really enjoy this rifle. I'm used to single shot pellet guns, so the loading procedure doesn't bother me at all. Each shot is special this way.
In doing the research on it, these were made by Marlin and sold by Sears Roebuck. It is a slightly cheaper version of the Marlin 101 Crown Prince, which was offered only 1 year by Marlin, 1959. Here is a pic of the Marlin:
The "lesser" versions were sold by various department and auto stores in the 1960s. It looks like the main differences are, the Higgins has a plastic trigger guard, the Marlin's is metal. The Marlin has a white stripe between the stock and the butt plate, the Higgins does not.
The hammer has to be pulled back manually against a spring tension. If the hammer slips as you pull it back, the rifle will fire. Some versions of this rifle have a ring on the hammer instead of the knob pictured above. Your finger fits in the hammer ring and won't slip out, making for a more secure cocking procedure.
I believe the barrel has the Marlin micro-groove rifling, but I'm not sure what to look for. The sights are sturdy and usable. I found it in a LGS, marked down from $129 to $101. I still need to take pictures and do some accuracy testing. So far I've just function tested it.
I think I'm going to really enjoy this rifle. I'm used to single shot pellet guns, so the loading procedure doesn't bother me at all. Each shot is special this way.
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callsign.BULL
Member
A Sub-Fora?
When I first posted, I thought I might appear as way off base limiting myself to a single-shot, rimfire only. From the number and tone of responses, it looks like there are more "aficiones" than I thought. A sub-forum for single-shot rifles?
BULL sends
When I first posted, I thought I might appear as way off base limiting myself to a single-shot, rimfire only. From the number and tone of responses, it looks like there are more "aficiones" than I thought. A sub-forum for single-shot rifles?
BULL sends
Skylerbone
Member
+1 BULL!
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