High-end .22LR rifles

[ColtPythonElite]

I guess we need another 37. This one has peeps.

 

[Offfhand]

Back when I was active in international shooting the Ne Plus Ultra three position .22 RF target was the Swiss made Hammerli. I picked out this rifle when out team was visiting the Hammerli plant. The craftsmen I met there were dedicated to making the finest target rifle in the world and considered each rifle a labor of love. My iron sight days have passed and I've been tempted to put target scope mounts on this rifle to demonstrate, once again, it's legendary accuracy but can't bring myself to drill and tap that beautiful barrel...

 

[StrawHat]

I have a couple. A merger of a Ruger 77/22 with a Winchester M52 barrel. A good trigger and bedding so it shoots like a dream.

My second is a Springfield Model 1922 built in 1922.

Both are a lot of fun with the preferred ammunition.

Kevin

 

[johnnydollar]

You need high magnification scopes if you want to hunt really, really small game at the range, like this errant house fly. A one-shot kill at 50 yards:

 

[Llama Bob]

I have a CZ 455 in a manners stock that shoots very, very well with RWS100. Not exactly high end, and it kind of looks like a pile, but I've won more than my fair share of rimfire sporter shoots with it against all the expensive makes.

 

[Slamfire]

Back when I was active in international shooting the Ne Plus Ultra three position .22 RF target was the Swiss made Hammerli. I picked out this rifle when out team was visiting the Hammerli plant. The craftsmen I met there were dedicated to making the finest target rifle in the world and considered each rifle a labor of love. My iron sight days have passed and I've been tempted to put target scope mounts on this rifle to demonstrate, once again, it's legendary accuracy but can't bring myself to drill and tap that beautiful barrel.

Amazing rifle, very rare. Looks like a right handed version of the rifle Larry Moore was holding,

Dec 1956 Guns magazine http://gunsmagazine.com/1956issues/G1256.pdf

I wondered what he had in his hands, are you aware of lefty versions? The pictures in the magazine show Larry shooting from the left side.

 

[johnnydollar]

Amazing rifle, very rare. Looks like a right handed version of the rifle Larry Moore was holding,

Dec 1956 Guns magazine http://gunsmagazine.com/1956issues/G1256.pdf

I wondered what he had in his hands, are you aware of lefty versions? The pictures in the magazine show Larry shooting from the left side.

The rifle Mr. Moore is holding on the cover of the Dec. '56 issue is identified as a specially built left hand Dunlap target rifle in the article.

 

[Rembrandt]

Rembrandt, very nice collection of 52s! I have to make do with a Browning 52 sporter reproduction....

Nothing wrong with the Browning 52's, I picked up three of them complete with rings, bases, and commemorative knives when they first came out. Always puzzled why they were relegated to a limited production run of 5000.

Unfortunately original 52 Sporters in unmodified condition are quite pricey and rare. $4-to$6K and up.

 

[johnnydollar]

Rembrandt, yes, I'm aware of the price of original 52 sporters these days. The closest I'll ever come to one is the Browning 52R. I do have a Winchester 52R as well, with rather plain wood. They really are fine little rifles. Thanks for sharing your awesome collection of 52s with us!

 

[johnnydollar]

One for the Kimber fans--a Hunter/Silhouette barreled-action in a Classic Varmint stock from Numrich Gun Parts, with a 3-9x33 EFR Leupold r.f. scope in Kimber mounts.

 

[DavidABQ]

Some really nice rifles guys. I don't have anything to add to compete, but was wondering what's up with all these higher powered scopes? How far are you guys shooting with 22? Seems unnecessary.

Speaking for myself a 25x scope doesn't seem all that powerful and in small bore silhouette it is a pretty common scope. We only shoot out to 100 meters but those animal silhouettes look pretty darn small at that distance.

 

[someguy2800]

You need high magnification scopes if you want to hunt really, really small game at the range, like this errant house fly. A one-shot kill at 50 yards:
View attachment 772052

Nice shooting but too much meat damage for my liking.

 

[johnnydollar]

Nice shooting but too much meat damage for my liking.

The house fly is considered an inedible varmint.

 

[Offfhand]

Back in the 1950's when the world was young and innocent I lusted after the Austrian made Mannlicher rifles shown in the Shooters Bible, especially their gorgeous full stocked.22. But with a price of well over $100. it was well beyond my farmboy allowance. But the craving continued even after the trim rifles were no longer made. Then one lucky day I came across a cache of them in the old Stoegers warehouse and picked out the prettiest one, complete with both double and single trigger assemblies. And all the years since I've kept it in the original Steyr-Mannlicher box except to occasionally put a scope on it and bag a squirrel or two..

 

[johnnydollar]

Very, very nice! I've always loved the look of a full-stocked rimfire rifle.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

That is a beautiful rifle.

 

[FN in MT]

I've got an old, 3 digit serial number Kimber 82 Sporter that I bought in the early 80's. It has had tens of thousands of rds through it....mostly aimed at gophers and PD's. Accounted for several badgers, a few dozen skunks and many magpies.

Also have a Volquartsen 10/.22 style semi auto. WHAT a gopher killer!

The rest of my .22rifles are throwbacks to my youth; Marlin 39m Mountie, A Winchester 62 pump and my original 67A Boys rifle.

I have always been a fan of beautiful and accurate .22 rifles. Probably THE rifle a guy will shoot the most. So why scrimp?

 

[Steve S.]

I have a Kimber (Yonkers) 82 Custom Classic w/ Leupold 3.5x10 VX3 and Leupold base/ rings. It is extremely well made having a very highly figured walnut stock - very beautiful rifle. And the proverbial “shoots as good as it looks”; it does not have a preference of round brand/ weight - shoots everything very accurately out to 50 yards. I purchased the rifle years ago not ever thinking that production would be halted - glad I bought it when I did.

 

[johnnydollar]

Offfhand, I'm a bit slow on the uptake today. Your Steyr is the famous Zephyr model. Very rare and very desirable. A full stocked model like yours with the double-set triggers recently sold for $3700.00 on GI. What a treat it must have been to get the pick of the litter from the Stoeger warehouse. Thanks for sharing!

 

[ARKLITE881South]

One time i was invited to shoot 22 target rifles in a small town. I met the guy on a very dark rainy night. He was driving a old beat up van. When he arrived i asked if he needed any help with any thing. He said, yeah, grab some of the rifle bags in the back of the van. I took about 4 of them inside the building we were going to shoot in. He had at least 12 or more rifles in the van. The other guys brought the rest of them in. The building was a old delapidated place but, had good lights, and enough space for a scaled down indoor range, with a backstop. We started unzipping the rifle bags and inside were some of the most beautiful kimber 22's i've ever seen. The stocks were the breath taking, highly figured wood you can imagine.

He strapped me into a shooting jacket, i laid down and began to shoot. Pretty interesting night. I really surprised myself he asked me to join their shooting team, but, with my job and all it didn't happen. We shot for about 2 hrs, loaded every thing back into the old van and he drove off. Neat night to say the least, i still have my target from that night.

 

[johnnydollar]

Winchester 52R (reproduction) sporter:

 

[Rembrandt]

Johnnydollar, for some unexplained reason I need to acquire one of the reproduction Winchester 52's for the collection. As I recall, the Browning's were suppose to be reproductions of the 52C and the Winchester's were copies of the 52B. Main noticeable feature being the Monte Carlo stock featured on the Browning's.

My other holy grail search is for one of the rare stainless steel barreled 52 target rifles. Just a hand full of these were produced by Winchester.

 

[johnnydollar]

Rembrandt, you are correct, the Browning repro does have the Monte Carlo stock of the 52C, while the Win. repro has the 52B style stock. Both have the 52C "Micro-Motion" trigger. The Browning does have a plastic butt plate, while the Winchester version has a steel butt plate.

Good luck on finding a Winchester 52 sporter reissue, and on the hunt for a stainless steel-barreled 52 target. The latter are indeed rare.

 

[Offfhand]

I ordered this Rem. 40-X Rimfire Sporter back when I was active in silhouette competition and specified single shot and medium heavy contour barrel, which I figured would be best for my purposes. It's a pretty nice rifle and wonderfully accurate, but with the wisdom of hindsight I now wish I had ordered it as a repeater with standard barrel. Oh well.

 

[johnnydollar]

Very nice 40X sporter. The repeaters are very pricey these days, but there's nothing wrong with a single shot in my estimation.