Blue Brick
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What are some of the high quality, older, mostly unnoticed, and non main stream rifles chambered in 22 LR?
Hidden treasures - older 22 LR
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ColtPythonElite
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Remington 550....I would rather have a nice example than any new semi on the market. They have walnut, nice metal work and no plastic. A 550 is a full sized rifle and doesn't feel toyish like so of the others.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Well, the top of my list would be the older Browning .22 Auto.
Or the same gun made by Remington as the Model 24.
The Remington's are usually a steal when you find one in a pawn shop or somewhere!
Others might include some of the older Winchester bolt actions.
Or older Marlin Model 39's.
No finer .22 rifle has ever been made for the price paid for one!!
rc
Or the same gun made by Remington as the Model 24.
The Remington's are usually a steal when you find one in a pawn shop or somewhere!
Others might include some of the older Winchester bolt actions.
Or older Marlin Model 39's.
No finer .22 rifle has ever been made for the price paid for one!!
rc
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Blue Brick
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Looks like Savage 6.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I believe I have owned two Remington 550's in my life.
Both were used when I got them.
Neither one would work reliably.
And neither one could be made to work reliably with my limited experience as a gunsmith some 30 years ago when I was gunsmithing a LOT!
I wore all the finish off one prying stuck cases out of the ejection port with a pocket knife.
(Yes, even then, I knew about the 'Williams floating Chamber' and kept it scrupulously clean as a hounds tooth)
They still didn't work 100% reliable.
rc
Both were used when I got them.
Neither one would work reliably.
And neither one could be made to work reliably with my limited experience as a gunsmith some 30 years ago when I was gunsmithing a LOT!
I wore all the finish off one prying stuck cases out of the ejection port with a pocket knife.
(Yes, even then, I knew about the 'Williams floating Chamber' and kept it scrupulously clean as a hounds tooth)
They still didn't work 100% reliable.
rc
Ignition Override
Member
How about the Romanian M-69 Trainer? They are low-cost (If you see one at a gun show, maybe $150), reportedly fairly accurate.
The triggers are a bit smoother than in the old 1940's Savage.
I bought two, but can't describe the accuracy because I sit on a river bank and shoot out to 100 yards, but not at paper.
In one rifle, the magazine feeds well almost every time. In the other M-69, the same mag won't feed at all, but single rounds are much easier to insert than in a Marlin 60 chamber. They are sort of like shooting a very handy 'baby Mauser" with a shorter stock, in .22LR.
The triggers are a bit smoother than in the old 1940's Savage.
I bought two, but can't describe the accuracy because I sit on a river bank and shoot out to 100 yards, but not at paper.
In one rifle, the magazine feeds well almost every time. In the other M-69, the same mag won't feed at all, but single rounds are much easier to insert than in a Marlin 60 chamber. They are sort of like shooting a very handy 'baby Mauser" with a shorter stock, in .22LR.
ColtPythonElite
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On the other hand, I have two 550 rifles. Both function great. One of them has been well neglected and abused by four generations. It is beaten up, rusty, and, hasn't been cleaned in decades other than a WD-40 flush every now and then. It rarely ever misfeeds.
Jackal
Member
Mossberg's older .22's are great rifles, but prices are creeping up for them. Model 42M is an amazing rifle.
Red Tornado
Member
Any Remington 5-teen series. The single shot, box mag, and tube mag are the differences in the 510, 511, and 512. The 513 is the military trainer, and that's the last 22 I'd let go if I had to choose. The 521 is kind of a junior trainer. They're all built on the same receiver.
Any former military trainer would be great, actually. Mossberg 44, H&R 12, Rem 513, and I think there's one more that escapes me now.
RT
Any former military trainer would be great, actually. Mossberg 44, H&R 12, Rem 513, and I think there's one more that escapes me now.
RT
Shanghai McCoy
Member
+1 on the Remington 512.
It was and still is my first gun...
It was and still is my first gun...
airedaleman
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How about the Stevens "gill gun" autoloaders? These click-clack guns are really interesting.
Willie Sutton
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French MAS-45's, which are miniature Mausers. I was lucky enough to go thru a pile of them at Navy Arms when they were being imported and managed to find two new ones (new is NEW) that actually have the "Mauser" in the Mauser lens shaped logo on the receivers. No matter if Mauser marked or not, they are absolutely gorgeous.
Willie
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Willie
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Dave Markowitz
Member
Ditto on the Remington 550 and the Browning (or the Norinco clone thereof).
I dunno what to tell you rcmodel, but the Remington 550-1 that I bought earlier this year was made in March 1948 and runs like a top with CCI Mini Mags, Federal Champion HV, or Federal Automatch. Plus, it's a real tackdriver.
I dunno what to tell you rcmodel, but the Remington 550-1 that I bought earlier this year was made in March 1948 and runs like a top with CCI Mini Mags, Federal Champion HV, or Federal Automatch. Plus, it's a real tackdriver.
I remember a winchester pump action 22 rifle I would love have, dont remember its model number. This was about '75 or so, and wasnt new then and were thought a lot of....thank goodness for google..I dont think I have laid eyes on one since.
Russellc
Russellc
bannockburn
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One of the first .22 rifles I ever shot was a Remington Model 572 Fieldmaster pump action. It had a very slick action, probably from so many years of use, and was capable of some pretty surprising accuracy with its iron sights.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
Yeah, I have a "thing" about the Remington 510, 511 and 512 rifles. I have two of the 512s.
I also like the early Winchester .22s like the Model 63 guns and 62 guns. The pictured Remington 510P was my first rifle given to me in 1958, I was 8 years old and treasure it as much as the day it was given to me.
Ron
Furncliff
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Brno
Weatherby Mark XXII -- Magazine fed (also made in tube fed) semi-auto, skip-line checkered walnut stock with rosewood forend and pistol grip caps, alloy receiver with a 24” barrel.
Nice custom-looking gun (no white line spacers!) that is surprisingly accurate. Circa 1964 -- coming up on 50 years!.
Nice custom-looking gun (no white line spacers!) that is surprisingly accurate. Circa 1964 -- coming up on 50 years!.
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rodinal220
Member
Stevens Model 4
scaatylobo
Member
2
Winchester 320 that I bought new about 1970 in .22 S - L - LR
Just got a pristine Marlin 39A that is as pretty as it is accurate.
Winchester 320 that I bought new about 1970 in .22 S - L - LR
Just got a pristine Marlin 39A that is as pretty as it is accurate.
Carl N. Brown
Member
I finally bought a Marlin 39 Mountie at a gun show after decades of wanting one. That was my treasure hunt posstponed from my teenage years (although the substitute a Glenfield 99G was not a bad rifle).
I love the Savage 6 trigger action: when the gun fires with .22 long rifle, the bolt locks open after ejecting the empty and resetting the disconnector (click), then you release trigger, the bolt flies forward feeding a round from the magazine (clack). If the magazine is empty, you can hand feed the open bolt like a singleshot. Then on the older models, you can shoot .22 shorts by locking the bolt handle closed, then working the bolt like a bolt action for repeat shots with shorts. They were advertised as "Triple Action".
The Stevens version of the Savage Model 6. The "gills" (vertical slots left side of receiver opposite ejector port) make a cool spectacle when shooting at twilight or under a covered shooting range on an overcast day. I shot my stepdad's.
I love the Savage 6 trigger action: when the gun fires with .22 long rifle, the bolt locks open after ejecting the empty and resetting the disconnector (click), then you release trigger, the bolt flies forward feeding a round from the magazine (clack). If the magazine is empty, you can hand feed the open bolt like a singleshot. Then on the older models, you can shoot .22 shorts by locking the bolt handle closed, then working the bolt like a bolt action for repeat shots with shorts. They were advertised as "Triple Action".
Have a friend with a single shot Erma-Werke bolt action 22 with about a 26 inch barrel. It's like a laser.
I have never seen another like it, made at Dachau post-war for the export market. He wouldn't part with it.
I have never seen another like it, made at Dachau post-war for the export market. He wouldn't part with it.
Old mossbergs and Remingtons. I have a mossberg 44us and a remington 513. Love both guns and will probably never get rid of them. Had a Romainian M1969 trainer but just could not fall in love with it and traded it in this past weekend for a Ruger 10/22 and of course some cash on my part but I got a good deal with the trade. Also have an old Coast to Coast tube feed my Dad gave me that I love also. wokrs great. That one will never be sold either. I think it is modeled on an old savage.
22-rimfire
Member
There are many that are high quality when compared to today's production. I don't know of any non-mainstream 22 rifles these days other than the military trainers. Essentially any 22 rifle that is not a single shot sell these days, but I don't know what "mainstream" means. They are all pretty much noticed.
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