Great Rimfire Fun at the Range Today

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I have not had much chance to get to the range in the last few months, which has been frustrating since I had my cataract surgery on both eyes at the end of January and the beginning of February. Prior to that, I wore glasses with lenses as thick as the bottom of coke bottles, and could not see clearly past the end of my nose without my glasses on. Even with my glasses, I could not focus on a target much beyond 50 feet or so because the lenses in my eyes were starting to get opaque.

After my cataract surgery I can see 20/20 in my right eye, and about 20/30 in my left. A very minor correction in my new glasses brings the vision in my left eye to about 20/20, there is no correction for my right eye. Because cataract surgery replaces the natural lens in the eye with a rigid plastic one, I cannot focus much closer than 3 feet now. I had the choice of getting lenses for 'distance', 'mid-range' or 'close up'. I chose distance, because I knew I would probably need glasses when I was all done anyway. No problem, I have been wearing glasses since I was six years old. So my new glasses have progressive lenses for reading and other close up stuff. Again no problem, I have been wearing progressive lenses for many years.

Enough medical stuff.

So today I took five Rimfire rifles to the range with me to see how well I could do with my 'new eyes'.


I don't have a photo of my CZ Model 455 with its 4X-16X scope. Need to correct that. I put a bipod on it that I am not completely happy with. I will probably want to replace the bipod. It is a very accurate rifle.


My Marlin Model 39A was one of the 22s I took to the range today.

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This Remington Model 341P Sportmaster from the late 1930s came too. I found this rifle in a local shop a few years ago. A really nice bolt action rifle with a real nice peep sight.

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This is not the Winchester Model 61 that came today, I have another one with a real nice scope on it. No photo yet though.

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This terrific old 22 Long Rifle Winchester Model 1890 from 1928 rounded out the rifles I took to the range today.

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I set up some targets at 25 yards. First I was just doing some sighting in. I had already zeroed the CZ 455 at 50 yards when I first got it. It did not take much adjustment to zero it in at 25 yards. I am not happy with the bipod, it is not as rigid as it should be, but as I said I will probably be replacing it. With my new eyes I took my glasses off. I can see perfectly with the scope dialed to 16X, don't need any glasses at all. I had trouble keeping my groups tight because the darn bipod wobbles. (I might have been wobbling too.) That rifle is a tack driver.

Next I sighted in the pump action Winchester Model 61. I'm ashamed to say I had never actually fired it before today. I put a real nice scope on it, 3X-9X before I ever fired it. It really is silly putting a scope on an old pump like that, and I am considering taking the scope off and going with the iron sights that came with it. Never having been shot before it took me a while to zero it at 25 yards, but eventually I did. I am actually not pleased with the trigger, it is quite stiff. Still trying to decide if I want to take off the scope.


The Remington Model 341P has a hooded post for the front sight, and a small peep sight for the rear. I did very well with it, but it was shooting low. I forgot to bring any screwdrivers with me, so I could not adjust the peep for elevation.


Next I got out the Marlin. This is where it got interesting. This is the Full Buckhorn rear sight on my Marlin 39A.

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This is the front sight.

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I cannot focus closer than about 3 feet now with my new eyes. The progressive bifocals are not set up to be shooting through them. So the target at 25 yards was crystal clear, the front sight was slightly blurry, and the rear sight was a complete blur. Be patient with me you guys who have been able to see like an eagle since you were a kid, this is all new to me. I knew there would be an issue with this, so I brought along some inexpensive 'readers'. With a .5 diopter reader, my front sight was crystal clear, the target was almost crystal clear, and the rear sight was not quite as blurry. I have some other inexpensive readers to try, but I was using the .5 today. That rear sight is tough to use when it is blurry. I was nesting the bead of the front sight in the blurry little divot just above the white diamond in the rear sight. That was the best I could do. I did pretty well with that combination.

No, I am not going to show any of my targets, take it from me that I did pretty well.

Finally I brought the old Winchester Model 1890 to the bench. This is it's front sight.

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This is the rear sight of the old Model 1890.

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This is another view of the rear sight of the Winchester Model 1890. It is just a shallow V.

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I did the best I could. Like the Marlin, with the 'readers' the front sight was crystal clear, the target was almost crystal clear, the rear sight was blurry. But the shallow V of the Winchester rear sight was a bit easier to use than the full buckhorn rear sight of the Marlin. I was amazed how well I did with the 1890. My first group of 5 shots were very tight except for one flyer. No, sorry I did not take any photos of any of my targets, but I was really impressed with how well my new eyes did with the old Winchester.



So after punching paper for an hour or so it was time to have some fun. I set up some of my favorite targets, empty soup cans, on the 50 yard berm. The CZ with its scope set at 16X was way too easy. I just held on the bottom of each can and they went flying. I only fired about 5 shots out of the CZ at the soup cans, it was too easy.

With open sights I had done the best with the Winchester 1890, so I loaded up five rounds in the magazine. Just being able to see a soup can 50 yards away is a new experience for me. I did not hit a can with every shot, I must have eventually fired around 50 shots at soup cans with the old Winchester. No, I did not send one flying with every shot, but I was kicking them around respectfully, and having a great time. These old gallery rifles were standard in shooting galleries for years. Goodness only knows how many thousands of rounds have gone through this one in all those years. The bore is not perfect, but I was shooting like Annie Oakley with my old Model 1890 today.

Well, maybe not quite as good as Annie, but I sure had fun.
 
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Sound like a heckuva good time. I've always loved those gallery guns. That one looks familiar. Older friend of mine has had one for years. Here's a guy who works for him occasionally shooting it last summer. IMG_7311.JPG . Pretty sure they are all in 22 short (?), or at least this one is IIRC. He hasn't had it out yet this year but hopefully it'll get out before the end of summer. Those things are a real piece of classic Americana.
 
Pretty sure they are all in 22 short (?), or at least this one is IIRC.

No, mine is chambered for 22 Long Rifle.

Because of the design of the carrier, the Model 1890 could only feed one specific version of 22 Rimfire ammunition. 22 Short, 22 Long, 22 Long Rifle, or 22 Winchester Rimfire, a longer rimfire cartridge similar to 22 Magnum Rimfire. Unlike later Winchester pumps, such as the Model '06, which could handle 22 Short, 22 Long, or 22 Long Rifle interchangeably, the Model 1890 could only feed one specific Rimfire cartridge.

The most common chambering for the Model 1890 was 22 Short.

The next most common chambering was 22 Winchester Rimfire.

The next most popular chambering was 22 Long, and the least common chambering was 22 Long Rifle.

I had to hunt around for quite a while to find a decent one chambered for 22 Long Rifle.

I actually have three Model 1890s, one each chambered for 22 Short, 22 Long, and 22 Long Rifle. I like the one I brought to the range today the best, simply because 22 Long Rifle ammo is more easily available.

This one is chambered for 22 Short.

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This one is chambered for 22 Long.

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Shot my dad's 1942 Winchester 74. It is pretty accurate. The trigger was stiff so I took it apart, cleaned and inspected it.. Now I won't shoot at all. I found the problem but need to figure out how to fix it. My other 22's are great.
 
I never owned any of the rifles you've shown here, but managed to beg or borrow use of a couple, and of course some of the fair booth gallery rifles that didn't shoot for crap. Perhaps they were damaged, so we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and win anything.
 
I finally got the silencer out to the range and it really does make shooting 22 LR more pleasant. The Savage FV-SR was a lot of fun, but the Rock Island M14Y bolt action is in need of some trigger work before it is up to the job of training a new generation of riflemen.
 
Shot my dad's 1942 Winchester 74. It is pretty accurate. The trigger was stiff so I took it apart, cleaned and inspected it.. Now I won't shoot at all. I found the problem but need to figure out how to fix it. My other 22's are great.
In the very slim chance that anyone cares, I found the timing rocker spring was bad. Replaced it and it shoots so well it might be my next turkey shoot gun.
 
The ol lady bought a 10/22 about 2 yrs ago.
Finally got her out to shoot it.
So she burns 250 rounds crunching clays at 25 and 50 yards.
Stock 10/22 w Bushnell TRS25.

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Cussed her bifocals the whole time. Did decent I thought.
Got my CZ455 dialed in at 25, w reg 2-7X big game scope set at 4X.
CCI Blazer, sub half inch.
Need to find SK match.

Tried the new AR.............it sucked. Scoped, bipod............PMC did 2". Up down left right.
Shot some V max and it did better, w vertical grouping. .75"

Thats still horrible.

Dunno if junk bbl, junk scope (new Freedom VX 3-9X) or ?
Got a new bbl coming tomorrow.

Bbl I have is Anderson, 1 in 8. Reports are........they aint all that.
Bud has 1 in 9 bbl he isn't gonna use, new........and I want to run 55gr for yotes.
So will pick it up tomorrow.

Test again next weekend.

But hey!!!!!!!!!!! I have ONE rifle zeroed.
Need to check the 760 and 700 one last time before season.
They were zeroed, but I need to double check and write stuff down so I don't forget.

The CZ is dead on at 25. Piney eyeball stuff.
Had to rezero due to swap to synth stock.
 
Sharp eyes will notice her 10/22 is missing the front sight........it fell out.
She wasn't happy.
Will give it a ding and tap it back in.
 
It really is silly putting a scope on an old pump like that, and I am considering taking the scope off and going with the iron sights that came with it.

Personally, I'd leave the scope. I have a 3x9x32 on my old 572 Fieldmaster and love it. I also don't think a "period" scope looks silly at all. I rather like seeing them on certain old rifles, as its "something completely different". And finally, as always, your posts and photos are spectacular.

Mac
 
I had a 141 in .35 rem that was VVG shape.
Looked for a proper peep and couldn't find any that were less than a kidney.
Made it all those yrs without D&T, wasn't gonna happen on my watch.

My eyes couldn't run the reg irons.

I have a 760 scoped in .35 rem so figured one was good enough, and sold the 141.

Have zero objections to folks adding scopes to run old rigs. It's their rifle and whatever floats their boat.
As long as its done well ;)

If a guy needs an optin on an old .22 rifle, so be it.
One of those little Redfield 4x would look cute I reckon. They be silly priced these days.
The sleek lines of the old pumps, a Weaver 3X seems a bit big on em, but tolerable.
 
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Pretty rifles, even if the bluing in gone, they are like me, got a lot of miles on them.

Have a blessed day,

Leon
 
Hey Driftwood hooray for you!! Feels good to get out after being impaired for so long, eh? It's great that you chose shooting to celebrate.
I've always been blessed with excellent eye sight for most of my life. But, my feet and ankles are another story. Born with a genetic disorder that created gradual and insidious deterioration, I had become so immobilized that I could barely walk across the living room. It took about 5 years and 3 major foot and ankle reconstructions and metal rods in my feet and ankles followed by months of rehab, but I can now walk for miles with little difficulty. Hiking and walking have become my hobby along with hunting and shooting. I love every minute of it and hope your new-found eyesight gift allows you to revel in the joy of shooting for many years to come.
 
This just looks like so much fun, I had a family outing a while back


By the way she does not look like an Ole lady to me :) Man you better give her praise -- she likes to or at least goes out to shoot with you that is awesome.
 
She is older than me and I aint young.
First time shes sat down to shoot more than one mag.....in 30 years.

Eh, shes an ex wife. Only reason I keep her around is Im cheap. A new one would cut into my gun money LOL
 
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