Old .22 long rifles great accuracy and value.

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Absolutely!

I picked up a Stevens .22 bolt action (86C, IIRC) cheap, and it's very accurate. It's my favorite rifle. It was made back in the 1940s or 50s, I think. As long as the bore's in good shape, it's hard to wear out a good .22LR.

All my best,
Dirty Bob
 
I love .22s as well. I always scrounge the LGSs for old beat up 22 rifles that need a good home. If you enjoy refurbishing or restoring some of these they make great projects.I picked up an old Stevens Favourite and plan to bring it back to life.These guns can be had for well under a C-note. I find these older style guns have more character than some of the new stuff,and can be had on the cheap.
 
If they were accurate from the get-go and cleaned. Then nothing has changed. Some of those old puppies were great shooters.
 
Anyone want an old Stevens 73Y? Needs new extractor.
Just joking. The $15 extractor is more than the potmetal hunk of junk is worth. Stevens made some good old guns, but that's not one of them.

I've seen some very nice, and very accurate old .22 rifles. At some point I'd like to get one. Unfortunately, money being what it is, it's hard for me to justify investing cash on another .22, or even finishing upgrading my 10/22. Inaccurate guns don't interest me, but the new barrel to finish making it accurate will cost more than I can afford at the moment.
 
I still have my first rifle given to me by my grandfather.

It's a Savage Model 3 .22Short-Long-LR and over seventy years old.

Still shoots well.
 
Wasn't long ago those fine old .22 rifles covered gun show tables in the $50 to $75 range. Today, more like the $200 to $250 range. I have always had a love for the older .22 rifles, especially the bolt action rifles like early Remington rifles. I have a Remington Model 510P (my first rifle) given to me and have added a few since including a Remington 511 five shot model.

Walking a show when I see any older .22 rifle if the price is right I drag it home. :)

Nobody makes a rifle like those were made years ago. Nothing I have seen anyway.

Ron
 
I have a few family pass down 22's that I love.

I have an old JC Higgins 25 sold by sears which is another family hand down but it is a weird one. It is great shape and shoots well especially for its age almost looks new but it is an odd duck. When you the pull the trigger everything operates normally to todays's spec but meaning the bolt cycles back but the bolt will not cycle forward on the next round until you release the trigger from having fired previously.

Shoots well though.

I have been shooting more 22 lately than anything else and absolutely having a blast.
 
I've got a nearly 90 year old Remington Model 12 pump that shoots amazingly well. I smile every time I take it to the range with me. It's a great piece of firearms history.

Another fun and accurate one is my Remington Improved 6 single shot pivoting block. It looks like someone's dog dragged it around. But it shoots really well. The "magazine" is my support hand with 8 rounds tucked between my fingers.... :D
 
My Remington M512X bolt gun will be 51 years old November 1. I got it for my 9th birthday. To this day, it's my most accurate .22. It shoots cheap federal into 1.5" at 100 yards and RWS Target gets it under MOA at shorter ranges, one hole clusters at 50 yards. The trigger is a might stiff, but I've always been able to handle it. :D With the federal, it is twice as accurate as my Ruger 10/22 and just as accurate as my Remington M597 magnum in .22WMR. Pretty amazing old gun. It seems to have aged quite a bit better than I have. LOL
 
my old 22s

I have the visible loader that stood behind my grandfather's dining room door (tho apparently it was my grandmother's father's). I also have my father's Wards-Western Field version of the Mossberg model45B bolt action. And--well--an AR 7 a friendsoldme for $10 without stock or mag. The first two shoot better than I do.
 
Except for my Marlin mod 39 M ( about 20 + yrs ) all of my 22 rifles are at least 40 yrs old. I think the "classics" have more appeal than some of the newer models, not necessarily better just different.
 
Saw a real nice Remington 512 today. Since I have a 510P and a 511 it would seem logical I should have a 512 in the mix. :) I promised myself I would not buy another rifle till I get a Colt MT6700 H Bar to build on. Nice little rifle and real clean with an excellent bore. I may have to go back on that one.

Ron
 
One more feature of many of the old .22s is long barrels. Not needed for ballistic efficiency with high velocity rounds, but a barrel of 24" or longer is QUIET with CCI Long CB rounds, or with their newer .22LR Quiet-22 round. The bullet hitting the backstop is louder than the report. No hearing protection is needed (eye protection IS, however). This is a great setup for new shooters, who are sometimes scared of the noise of the gun firing.

All my best,
Dirty Bob
 
I agree on the accuracy and price of the older .22lrs. Off brands like Westernfield and JC Higgins I can sometimes find in the $50 range. Many times these are just rebranded Stevens or Mossbergs and are excellent quality guns.

If you find you just have no use for Grandpas old Win 52 or Rem 40X, just let me know and I will be glad to trade you for something newer, shiny and tactical.
 
Westernfield 22s-l-lr bolt action

Aquired my father in laws old westernfield 22 rifle that never had a magazine used in it and cut quarter in.off angle slide & fit for 7 shot mag.Found 2 mags for it.Just ordered the mag stock plate for it to keep mag from moving side to side.My first bit of gunsmithing if that is what you would call it.Anyways this gun is still very accurate and fun to shoot.Something to teach the grandkids to shoot with.
 
There is just a certain magic in those old .22 rifles. Hope that old Westernfield works out great for you.

Ron

P.S. I did get the Remington Model 512 I mentioned earlier. :)
 
Savage Model 7
Remington 511
Ithaca Saddlegun
Winchester 04a

These are my go to "starting guns" when I just want to have some fun at the range. The 511 has a cheapo BSA scope on it, shoots out the xring at 50 yards. The savage 7 is a semi-auto and can keep the spinner going with no issues.

I keep wanting to buy a new ruger 10/22 or something like that to go with my Henry .22 but these do all I want and more so what's the point? lol
 
Old = Better

My dad still shoots his old Remington Scoremaster .22 (it's the only .22 he's ever owned). It'll shoot dime-size groups at 50 yards, has never been cleaned, and most importantly...IT'LL SHOOT DIME SIZE GROUPS AT 50 YARDS!
 
I've got a nearly 90 year old Remington Model 12 pump that shoots amazingly well. I smile every time I take it to the range with me. It's a great piece of firearms history.
Click to expand...
I've got one of those too, except it's a pre-12 model 12. I got it for $25 from an estate (nobody else wanted it). Now that I've cleaned all the rust off and put the butt-stock back together with epoxy, it's one of my favorites. It will never be a tack driver due to bore condition, but it drills tin cans across the yard real well.

I certainly agree that old run-of-the-mill .22 rifles are often underrated. Someone gave one of my sons a nice old Marlin 60 that they didn't like just because it wasn't a hot-rod 10-22 with all the bells and whistles.
 
These three little .22 rifles are the best shooting .22s I have. The little Model 511 has an old Weaver Model 29S scope on it and is a tack driver. I have a Ruger 10/22 and a Marlin Model 60, neither of which can shoot like these three rifles. The top rifle I was given at about age 12 and it was old when given to me. I was age 12 about 50 years ago. :) That Remington 510 P was my first rifle. I just have to love these old fine rifles. I also like the early Winchester slide action .22s like the Model 62 and 63 guns.

Rimfires1.png

Ron
 
It's not as old as some here but I recently inherited a 52 Marlin 39A. It out shoots anything else I have and surely out shoots me.
 
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