Dionysusigma
Member
Regarding the rifle mentioned in this thread...
I finally got the thank-you letter for it all finished up last night. Spent a little bit of time researching it and the like, but I thought he might like to know it's in good hands. I also figured that an actual, tangible letter is better than an email any day of the week so I sent him an actual letter (Gasp!
) with one of my targets from that day.
Edited to protect the... well, y'know.
_________________________
I finally got the thank-you letter for it all finished up last night. Spent a little bit of time researching it and the like, but I thought he might like to know it's in good hands. I also figured that an actual, tangible letter is better than an email any day of the week so I sent him an actual letter (Gasp!
) with one of my targets from that day.Edited to protect the... well, y'know.
_________________________
Tuesday, 26 January 2007
Dear uncle Paul,
I regret that I have taken so long to say thank you for the wonderful piece of history you passed to me this last Thanksgiving, (my granddad's) Remington Model 12 rifle. In the time I have had it in my possession I've done a little research on it, as well as see how it performs.
The Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Co. Model 12 was patented on January 5 th, 1909 with further refinements made through April 16, 1912 (exactly 72 years, to the day, before I was born!). This particular model, the Model 12CS, is distinguished by its 24" octagon barrel, its .22 Remington Special caliber and nine-round capacity. This exact rifle, serial #757***, was manufactured in February of 1929, toward the end of the series (the numbers ran as high as 809,000).
Its designer, one John D. Pederson, was an engineer for Remington during the early half of the 20 th century, and is better known for a number of other designs. Included in these is the first prototype of a submachine gun, a modification of the Springfield M1903 rifle as used by the United Stated during the First World War. He also designed a semi-automatic battle rifle, known as the Pedersen Rifle, which utilized a gas-operated action and en bloc clips. This design, as well as the slightly less obscure Johnson M1941, lost to what eventually became the M1 Garand.
The day I returned home, I went as quickly as I could over to the local gunsmith to see what his assessment of the rifle was—if it was in good enough shape to be fired, if anything needed replacing, etc. He reported it to be in complete working order, and even ran a test-fire for me. However, he stated that ammunition for it would be nearly impossible to find. I was determined to find some anyway.
After researching the round, I found it to be nothing more than a re-named .22 Winchester Rim Fire, the precursor to the presently-common .22 Magnum. Only two companies still make this caliber, and I was fortunate to find a store on the Internet that had some in stock for a decent price (eight bucks for fifty rounds). I ordered three boxes of CCI .22 WRF, in the 45 grain jacketed hollow point variety. I figured that they'd be decent enough for anything I might have in mind for the rifle, from target shooting to zombie invasions. It's a bit more powerful than a standard .22 Long Rifle, but doesn't quite do the damage that a .22 Magnum does.
I was unable to find disassembly instructions anywhere, but that didn't stop me from trying. The large, knurled, captive screw on the left side of the rifle is designed to be loosened with a coin and slid out, thus allowing the entire weapon to be pulled into two halves for easy transport. When I did this, a good chunk of the internals (what ended up being the bolt itself) just fell into my lap, as did my jaw. I spent the next hour trying to figure out what I had done and how to put it back together correctly. Successful, I took it apart again to give it a good cleaning (which from what I could tell you hadn't done in a while… just teasin'). After oiling it with some sewing-machine oil, I slapped it back together and tried the action and trigger. Respectively, they were unbelievably smooth and crisp, more so than anything I've ever owned before.
Tonight, I took it out to the range to see what kind of accuracy it has. I'll let the enclosed target do the talking (note: the enclosed target had a .75" group). That was done with six shots, from 30 yards away; not an easy thing, as the sights on this thing are tiny. I spent a good minute or two between shots waiting for the right moment to fire. Granted, it shoots high, but I'm willing to bet that it was sighted in for 50 yards, not 30. After retrieval, I put another target out at only 7 yards, and proceeded to unload an entire magazine-full as fast as I could. Not nearly as accurate, but a heck of a lot more fun. Not once did this rifle miss the paper, nor did it jam.
This is an incredible piece of American history, not to mention (family) history as well. I promise to keep it clean, oiled, and well-fed until the next generation is ready to receive it. Until then, it shall rest peacefully next to my Yugoslavian M48 Mauser rifle, reminiscing about the good ol' days and always ready to make a trip to the range.
Sincerely,
(Dionysusigma)
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