Let's talk about single-shot .22 rifles,,,
- Thread starter aarondhgraham
- Start date
When I was young I thought I was too cool to own a single shot rifle. As I got older I realized 1. I am not cool and 2. single shot rifles are a blast.
My first SS 22 was one just like this. Got it around 1980 it was stolen in 1986. Bought a duplicate.
A few years later I bagged this on an auction site for $129. The wood was horrible so I refinished it.
In late 1980s I got this at a police auction for $11.50. Wood was beyond horrid and metal was nothing but corrosion. The breech block was damaged beyond repair so I spent 15 years looking for one. Guy with boxes of parts at a gun show came up with one and asked $5 for it. Hadn't yanked my wallet out so fast in a long time. Refinished the wood and metal myself, replaced the missing front sight blade and added a new rear sight from Numrich. Total investment including purchase price and all parts is $23.
Waiting for Ruger to make a 3/4 size #1A in 22 LR.
My first SS 22 was one just like this. Got it around 1980 it was stolen in 1986. Bought a duplicate.
A few years later I bagged this on an auction site for $129. The wood was horrible so I refinished it.
In late 1980s I got this at a police auction for $11.50. Wood was beyond horrid and metal was nothing but corrosion. The breech block was damaged beyond repair so I spent 15 years looking for one. Guy with boxes of parts at a gun show came up with one and asked $5 for it. Hadn't yanked my wallet out so fast in a long time. Refinished the wood and metal myself, replaced the missing front sight blade and added a new rear sight from Numrich. Total investment including purchase price and all parts is $23.
Waiting for Ruger to make a 3/4 size #1A in 22 LR.
aarondhgraham
New member
Great stories and info my friends,,,
And 15 or more years of patience,,,
I would have given up long before then.
My co-worker has a son who loves my Crickett,,,
He sounds like a machine when shooting it.
He gets into this zen-like state and is a machine,,,
His shots are almost exactly 13 seconds apart.
He'll burn 100 rounds in just under 15 minutes,,,
So we have to slow him down and take some breaks.
He's pretty good with it though,,,
He does take his time and aim.
Aarond
.
And 15 or more years of patience,,,
I would have given up long before then.
My co-worker has a son who loves my Crickett,,,
He sounds like a machine when shooting it.
He gets into this zen-like state and is a machine,,,
His shots are almost exactly 13 seconds apart.
He'll burn 100 rounds in just under 15 minutes,,,
So we have to slow him down and take some breaks.
He's pretty good with it though,,,
He does take his time and aim.
Aarond
.
aarondhgraham
New member
Hello dgludwig,,,
Hello dgludwig,,,
I've only recently become aware of that rifle,,,
What an interesting concept.
Here's a short video of one being fired.
Now that I'm aware of them,,,
I'll be keeping my eyes open for one.
I've never seen or heard of anything like it.
Is it correct that it fires from an open bolt?
And what is that little "wing" doo-hickey on the barrel?
Aarond
.
Hello dgludwig,,,
I've only recently become aware of that rifle,,,
What an interesting concept.
Here's a short video of one being fired.
Now that I'm aware of them,,,
I'll be keeping my eyes open for one.
I've never seen or heard of anything like it.
Is it correct that it fires from an open bolt?
And what is that little "wing" doo-hickey on the barrel?
Aarond
.
Hamilton 22
I learned to shoot sitting on my dad's lap with his old Hamilton single shot. It
was tiny. Dad got this gun as a prize for selling salve when he was a kid. When
I was 5 he bought me Marlin 1897 carbine. He made me Buffalo stick, to help
me hold it up until I was big enough to do it. Paid the sum of $8 for it.
I learned to shoot sitting on my dad's lap with his old Hamilton single shot. It
was tiny. Dad got this gun as a prize for selling salve when he was a kid. When
I was 5 he bought me Marlin 1897 carbine. He made me Buffalo stick, to help
me hold it up until I was big enough to do it. Paid the sum of $8 for it.
The Ithaca Model 49 is one that I received for Christmas in the early 70's. I also received a Ruger Single Six .22LR / .22 Magnum that year. They both have killed a lot of squirrels and tin cans over the last 40 some years.
The Winchester Model 47 was a gun that my dad purchased 30 some years ago. It wasn't one that he used to hunt with. He had a Marlin 39A for squirrel hunting. I can only assume that he picked it up for the grand kids. I now have both the 47 and the 39A in my gun safe.
The Winchester Model 2 was my great grandmother's. As the stories go, she used it to shoot squirrels off the back porch for dinner. The stock was damaged at some point and replaced with the hand made one that you see in the picture. We don't know if she had it replaced or it was that way when she bought it. Either way, it's in the family and is going to stay there.
Jim
aarondhgraham
New member
One of my single-shot rifles has recently been discontinued,,,
Not long after I got back into shooting,,,
That was in the spring of 2007,,,
I saw a Henry Acu-Bolt.
In hindsight I don't think I would have purchased it,,,
The rifle with it's Henry branded scope was just a bit under $300.00.
$289.00 plus tax if I recall correctly.
My CZ-452 that I purchased years later was only $358 delivered from Buds.
There was just something about it's looks that attracted me to it,,,
Then I ran the bolt a few times and hefted it,,,
I liked it's feel and loved it's looks.
I had no idea the price was a bit high for a single-shot rifle,,,
So in my naivety I whipped out my Cabela's Visa,,,
And took that pricey gun home with me.
I've never regretted the purchase,,,
It's a very precise little rifle,,,
Light and very pointable.
That cheap 4X scope held it's zero for years,,,
I loaned the rifle to a friend of mine ,,,
His son enrolled in a 4-H program.
So we pulled the scope as required by the program,,,
The Williams Fiber Optic sights were very useable.
That's when we found out the rifle had been discontinued by Henry,,,
My buddy tried to order a new one for his son,,,
He's still looking for a used one to buy.
One of my range acquaintances has one in .22 Magnum,,,
He can keep a group in a 1.5" circle at 100 yards,,,
I can't do that with mine but he comes close,,,
Younger eyes and all that stuff.
The only thing I don't like is the actual trigger,,,
It has a clean break and low weight,,,
But it's a cheap stamped part,,,
It needs a shoe of some ilk.
It's a quality rifle with a unique look,,,
Pick it up and handle it if you ever see one.
You might like it as much as I do mine.
Aarond
.
Not long after I got back into shooting,,,
That was in the spring of 2007,,,
I saw a Henry Acu-Bolt.
In hindsight I don't think I would have purchased it,,,
The rifle with it's Henry branded scope was just a bit under $300.00.
$289.00 plus tax if I recall correctly.
My CZ-452 that I purchased years later was only $358 delivered from Buds.
There was just something about it's looks that attracted me to it,,,
Then I ran the bolt a few times and hefted it,,,
I liked it's feel and loved it's looks.
I had no idea the price was a bit high for a single-shot rifle,,,
So in my naivety I whipped out my Cabela's Visa,,,
And took that pricey gun home with me.
I've never regretted the purchase,,,
It's a very precise little rifle,,,
Light and very pointable.
That cheap 4X scope held it's zero for years,,,
I loaned the rifle to a friend of mine ,,,
His son enrolled in a 4-H program.
So we pulled the scope as required by the program,,,
The Williams Fiber Optic sights were very useable.
That's when we found out the rifle had been discontinued by Henry,,,
My buddy tried to order a new one for his son,,,
He's still looking for a used one to buy.
One of my range acquaintances has one in .22 Magnum,,,
He can keep a group in a 1.5" circle at 100 yards,,,
I can't do that with mine but he comes close,,,
Younger eyes and all that stuff.
The only thing I don't like is the actual trigger,,,
It has a clean break and low weight,,,
But it's a cheap stamped part,,,
It needs a shoe of some ilk.
It's a quality rifle with a unique look,,,
Pick it up and handle it if you ever see one.
You might like it as much as I do mine.
Aarond
.
aarondhgraham
New member
Hello Erno86,,,
One of the benefits of belonging to a rifle & pistol club,,,
Is the great variety of rifles our members have.
Almost all of them (myself included),,,
Will allow a few trigger pulls on their treasures,,,
You just need to ask politely and have something in return.
Last summer a member let me fire a ten round string at a silhouette target.
What a nice rifle that was to fire,,,
It made me want to sing a chorus of Men of Harlech.
BTW,,,
What does BSA stand for?
Aarond
.
One of the benefits of belonging to a rifle & pistol club,,,
Is the great variety of rifles our members have.
Almost all of them (myself included),,,
Will allow a few trigger pulls on their treasures,,,
You just need to ask politely and have something in return.
Last summer a member let me fire a ten round string at a silhouette target.
What a nice rifle that was to fire,,,
It made me want to sing a chorus of Men of Harlech.
BTW,,,
What does BSA stand for?
Aarond
.
aarondhgraham
New member
Hello Fisher,,,
Hello Fisher,,,
Those are some nice rifles.
Any of those old Winchester single-shots are worth owning,,,
But that Model 12 reminds me of my Dads last rifle.
Pop grew up in the depression,,,
Hunting and trapping were a way of life for him.
But it was just something he had to do for food/cash,,,
He never had a true passion for either.
His last .22 rifle was more like that Model 12.
It was a small single-shot bolt action of some unknown ilk,,,
The stock had broken and he made a crude replacement from a 1 x 6.
He bought the rifle for 10 dollars at a garage sale,,,
Squirrels in his bird feeders were the only reason he owned a rifle.
I tried to give him a much nicer mag fed bolt,,,
He said he didn't need any better gun.
Thanks for sharing those pictures.
Aarond
.
Hello Fisher,,,
Those are some nice rifles.
Any of those old Winchester single-shots are worth owning,,,
But that Model 12 reminds me of my Dads last rifle.
Pop grew up in the depression,,,
Hunting and trapping were a way of life for him.
But it was just something he had to do for food/cash,,,
He never had a true passion for either.
His last .22 rifle was more like that Model 12.
It was a small single-shot bolt action of some unknown ilk,,,
The stock had broken and he made a crude replacement from a 1 x 6.
He bought the rifle for 10 dollars at a garage sale,,,
Squirrels in his bird feeders were the only reason he owned a rifle.
I tried to give him a much nicer mag fed bolt,,,
He said he didn't need any better gun.
Thanks for sharing those pictures.
Aarond
.
Geezerbiker
New member
BSA = Birmingham Small Arms. At one time they made motorcycles too but for those we said it meant Bastard Stopped Again... ;D
BTW, anybody remember a Martini style single shot made by I think Marlin but dressed up to look like a lever action repeater? If I could get one right, I'd like to work it over to look more like a classic Martini...
Tony
BTW, anybody remember a Martini style single shot made by I think Marlin but dressed up to look like a lever action repeater? If I could get one right, I'd like to work it over to look more like a classic Martini...
Tony
aarondhgraham
New member
Hello Geezerbiker,,,
Birmingham Small Arms,,,
Thanks for that.
Scroll back to Post #27,,,
The top image might be what you were thinking of.
It's an Ithaca,,,
Several of my friends/cousins had one,,,
Very fun rifle that was inexpensive to buy and shoot.
Aarond
.
Birmingham Small Arms,,,
Thanks for that.
Scroll back to Post #27,,,
The top image might be what you were thinking of.
It's an Ithaca,,,
Several of my friends/cousins had one,,,
Very fun rifle that was inexpensive to buy and shoot.
Aarond
.
Geezerbiker
New member
I don't think it was an Ithaca 49. I looked at the parts diagram on the Gun Parts sight and it doesn't look like the one I'm thinking about.
The rifle I'm thinking about has a tipping block action and the block is hinged from the top rear and drops down when the lever is pulled down. I was pretty sure it was a Marlin but that was a long time ago that I saw it...
Tony
The rifle I'm thinking about has a tipping block action and the block is hinged from the top rear and drops down when the lever is pulled down. I was pretty sure it was a Marlin but that was a long time ago that I saw it...
Tony
aarondhgraham
New member
Hello again Geezerbiker,,,
Well, if it wasn't an Ithaca,,,
I'm clueless as to what it might be.
But then again,,,
I'm clueless about a lot of things.
Perhaps one of the other members will know what you had.
Aarond
.
Well, if it wasn't an Ithaca,,,
I'm clueless as to what it might be.
But then again,,,
I'm clueless about a lot of things.
Perhaps one of the other members will know what you had.
Aarond
.
Stevens Lever Action?
My son's first rifle was a Stevens? Lever action .22 single shot. I think it was made in the 60's, I rarely see one anymore.
It was a neat design, opening the lever was like a falling block action. The entire top cover of the receiver would drop, nice loading ramp for the cartridge. It was one of those neat, cheap .22's
Alas, near the end of my mom's life we rented a motel room near her favorite fishing spot. do not put guns behind the door of a motel room.
I called the motel when I got home and realized my .22's were not in the car. Of course the stinkin motel claimed to have never seen them.
My son's first rifle was a Stevens? Lever action .22 single shot. I think it was made in the 60's, I rarely see one anymore.
It was a neat design, opening the lever was like a falling block action. The entire top cover of the receiver would drop, nice loading ramp for the cartridge. It was one of those neat, cheap .22's
Alas, near the end of my mom's life we rented a motel room near her favorite fishing spot. do not put guns behind the door of a motel room.
I called the motel when I got home and realized my .22's were not in the car. Of course the stinkin motel claimed to have never seen them.
I have experience with two single shots. I've shot a few others a couple times, but mostly it was my grandads Stevens favorite that dated back to about 1900 and a Savage model 63k that I gave to one of my great granddaughters last year.
The Stevens is everything that others have said about it. It's a heck of a fun gun to shoot and it's a serious target gun. It has more heft than a modern youth rifle. And the whole old timey feel is just frosting.
The Savage 63k
Is without doubt a child's gun. It's light and I doubt it'd fit anyone older than 12. That being said it's a well made and accurate gun.
It has an early safety lock which makes sense as it's purpose is to be used by a child under adult supervision. The gun I gave was missing the key. The safety engages when the bolt is opened so that the safety has to be released before the gun can be fired. Another nice feature for a first gun for a preteen shooter.
I have to say that the gun was way to small for me to do more than make sure it functioned and shot fairly close to point of aim.
One thing in its favor is that its a cute as heck.
The Stevens is everything that others have said about it. It's a heck of a fun gun to shoot and it's a serious target gun. It has more heft than a modern youth rifle. And the whole old timey feel is just frosting.
The Savage 63k
Is without doubt a child's gun. It's light and I doubt it'd fit anyone older than 12. That being said it's a well made and accurate gun.
It has an early safety lock which makes sense as it's purpose is to be used by a child under adult supervision. The gun I gave was missing the key. The safety engages when the bolt is opened so that the safety has to be released before the gun can be fired. Another nice feature for a first gun for a preteen shooter.
I have to say that the gun was way to small for me to do more than make sure it functioned and shot fairly close to point of aim.
One thing in its favor is that its a cute as heck.