Technical question: single shot .22 bolt action rifles

[stevekl]

Just a small question: How easy/awkward is it to load a single shot bolt action .22? Does the round need to be pushed into the chamber or can it simply be dropped into the breech?

I was thinking about this while shooting my Marline 880, which uses a detatchable box magazine. I really don't actually use the magazine alot...I tend to shoot one round at a time. This is easier than loading rounds into a magazine, emptying the magazine, and then loading it again.

Loading single rounds, however, is difficult, because I have to push it into the chamber. If I just drop it in the receiver (which would be easy), it won't chamber.

So, I thought that it would be nice, for pure bench use, to have a bolt action .22 in which I can easily load single rounds into the chamber by just dropping them in. I've seen a few single shot .22 bolt actions. Do they work this way?

 

[.45Guy]

Yep, you pretty much have to start them into the chamber. You might want to look for a stevens, or savage/stevens favorite, they're alot easier to deal with.

 

[GunGoBoom]

Does the round need to be pushed into the chamber or can it simply be dropped into the breech?

The answer is, it *depends* on the rifle. On many (especially older .22s), you can drop it into the "loading area" and the bolt guides the cartridge, with the help of ramps that guide the nose *up* and *in*, into the breech. On others, you have to use your fingers to get the nose of the round started into the breech/chamber, before then closing the bolt. So, I would definitely shop around and inspect them carefully, and find one in the former category. I seem to recall handling a Savage, and it was the former kind, with the ramps that allow one to simply drop in and close the bolt - one of these Mark Is:

http://www.savagearms.com/markily.htm
http://www.savagearms.com/markig.htm

And IIRC, the "Crickett" youth SS rifle, OTOH, does NOT allow such simplified use. It requires nosing the round into the chamber IIRC.

 

[stevekl]

Wow that has to be the quickest replies on this forum i've ever seen heh

 

[Sheldon]

I have two single shot trainers, the H&R M12 and the Winchester 52D. The leading area of the M12 is shaped so that you can just drop the round into the chamber and it will feed right into the chamber with ease upon closing the bolt. The 52D will not do that without the bullet hitting the edge of the chamber. I know they sell a replacement part to allow you to do so and I believe it costs about $40 or so....haven't bothered with it as it has not turned out to be too big a deal to start the cartridge into the chamber manually.

 

[berettashotgun]

Have a Remington 33 that basically puts holes in the bulls-eye when you open the box of shells , depends on the rifle, that marlin possibly would chamber by itself if the magazine feed lips didn't protrude.

 

[rust collector]

Many of the older .22 bolt repeaters had single shot adapters, shaped like a magazine, that would feed one round into the chamber. My old Remington model 37 has one of those. It's likely an aftermarket item, but I think I read recently that they are made for the CZ 452 or the Russian Toz bolt action rifle.

If you had a spare mag, you might be able to fashion one by changing the feed lips as necessary through trial and error.

 

[Cueball]

I have one for my CZ 452 and it works great

 

[Jayb]

These rifles (of mine) all feed single rounds from the "loading area" into the chamber...

Win 52B
Rem 40X
H&R M-12
Anschutz mod 1411 (54 action)

My three Martini's require the round to be pushed into the chamber before closing the action.

 

[waterhouse]

I learned on a single shot marlin, don't remember the model numer, but it fed just fine if you just dropped a round in front of the bolt.

 

[cracked butt]

Pushing a round in the chamber is difficult? Someone should have told me that when I was 8 years old. I had a single shot falling block .22 where not only did I have to push the cartridge in with my little fingers but I also had to use one of my fingernails to extract the empty brass. I wore my fingernails down to the nubs shooting it.

 

[stevekl]

*shrug* I can't easily do it without looking at the chamber.