Remington M552 Accuracy and Reliability

[Lone Star]

Remington's M552 .22 auto rifle is a classic, been around since the 1950's. Does anyone here have one made in the past few years?

How is quality control on current examples? Are they reliable? I would normally shoot only Long Rifles; the ability of this model to fire Shorts and Longs isn't a big deal with me.

Primary anticipated use is for small game, including squirrels to 50 yards or a bit more.

What are real world retail prices on new ones?

Any feedback?

Thanks,

Lone Star

 

[pete f]

I had an older one, but had to sell it to pay for Daughters medical bills,
I know mine never once hiccuped. I liked the size of it, felt like a grown up rifle not a short midget rifle like a 10/22

 

[Red Tornado]

I've seen new ones locally for about $350, but Wal-Mart shows them on their website for a bit over $300. I've never seen one at a Wal-Mart, but they list them under....shotguns. :banghead:

Anyway, my 552 is old and worn out (Pre S/N, old sights, pawn shop purchase, bought for a truck gun) so it's not dead accurate, but my friends newer one shoots great. Even my 40+ y.o. cycles great w/ cheap ammo.

I think you'll be very happy with a 552, and what Pete said is exactly right. It feels great. I grew up with a Remington 11-48 shotgun and it feels a lot like that. That's my bias, you might not like it as much, but if you're anywhere close to 6' or more, the size is wonderful.

A friend of mine summarized it in comparison to other .22s by saying....it feels like a GUN.
RT

 

[Chipperman]

I have two of them, but they are both older. My favorite .22.

 

[gyrfalcon]

I have had a 552 for about 10 years. I gave it to my wife. She loves it. It is reliable and fun to shoot. It is accurate enough for a plinker and will give 1" to 1.5" groups at 50 yards with target ammo. Standard ammo is more like 2" at 50 yards. It gets very dirty and will jam after 100 rounds. It is a pain to clean but so are most semi autos. My wife also finds it hard to reassemble.
I have a CZ 452 which we use now. It does not get dirty and takes a minute to clean. The only problem we have is that it is too accurate. It puts all the bullets in a 0.5 inch hole at 50 yards and my wife says it is too boring to shoot.

 

[Lone Star]

Thanks!

Lone Star

 

[Destructo6]

I have one made around 1980, which probably doesn't help you much. I had it rebarreled by Remington about 10 years ago, which may help. It's the higher end model (BDL?), with nice wood and slightly better sights.

Anyway, it's boringly accurate.

It's nice to shoot a variety of ammo types (LR, Long, Short), and I even ran a few rounds of the Colibri SSS ammo through it without a problem. I have noticed that it will sometimes choke on the last round, unless I use copper-washed ammo.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

Bump for an old thread...

The 552 sure holds nice and has nice sights too.

It gets very dirty and will jam after 100 rounds.

 

[Red Tornado]

Since this resurfaced, tell us Lone Star, did you end up with a 552? Inquiring mind want to know.
RT