Hello:
I was at a gun show today and found a Remington 511 from the 1950s in mint condition. I do not believe it has ever been fired. There was no mark or discoloration of any kind on the bolt-face. Even the cliip has only the barest visible wear. Alas, the curmudgeonly dealer would not part with it for less than $240 (I begged, I pled, all to no avail).
This is the same model of rifle my father taught me to shoot with back in the day. The 511 is a remarkably accurate gun - I once shot a woodchuck in my grandfather's garden from 50 yards, through the slats in the garden gate - the gap couldn't have been much more than the .224 of the bullet. On a purely nostalgic note, this is the gun I used to play White Hunter with when I was young and scrawny (I read way too much Hemingway when I was a kid).
It is amazing to see the care and quality-control that went into making a cheap .22 bolt-action in the 1950s. The bluing is deep and evely applied, the wood is an attractive piece of nicely-grained walnut and the finish was well and evenly applied. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but if it is anything like the 511 of my greener years, it will shoot rings around any out of the box 10-22.
Truly, there was a time when "made in America" meant "made right." I would hope it still does, for those few things we still make here.
I was at a gun show today and found a Remington 511 from the 1950s in mint condition. I do not believe it has ever been fired. There was no mark or discoloration of any kind on the bolt-face. Even the cliip has only the barest visible wear. Alas, the curmudgeonly dealer would not part with it for less than $240 (I begged, I pled, all to no avail).
This is the same model of rifle my father taught me to shoot with back in the day. The 511 is a remarkably accurate gun - I once shot a woodchuck in my grandfather's garden from 50 yards, through the slats in the garden gate - the gap couldn't have been much more than the .224 of the bullet. On a purely nostalgic note, this is the gun I used to play White Hunter with when I was young and scrawny (I read way too much Hemingway when I was a kid).
It is amazing to see the care and quality-control that went into making a cheap .22 bolt-action in the 1950s. The bluing is deep and evely applied, the wood is an attractive piece of nicely-grained walnut and the finish was well and evenly applied. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but if it is anything like the 511 of my greener years, it will shoot rings around any out of the box 10-22.
Truly, there was a time when "made in America" meant "made right." I would hope it still does, for those few things we still make here.