Old .22 long rifles great accuracy and value.

MrRevolverGuy: FYI, that old .22 is the Stevens auto, series 87 IIRC. Designed to operate that way, has one sear that operates the firing pin, the safety sear catches the bolt and holds it back till the trigger is released. Keeps the gun from going full auto. I had one come in firing full, took me two weeks to discover that the link between the two sear plungers was bent and had the sear plungers out of time. Small ball peen hammer and a straight edge solved the problem. GW
 
A neighbor pulled this Winchester 190 out of a closet ....

and called me knowing that I was a gun guy. I went over and looked it over. It had some latex paint splotches on it but the bore looked decent. I offered her a $100 for it and she took it. I have seen em bring less or more at gun shows around here.

I got the latex paint off of the stock, receiver, barrel, and butt plate with rubbing alcohol. Next, I took it apart and removed about two tablespoons of guck from the action (I remembered the quirks of getting the bolt back in from some experience with a best friend's Ted Williams version of this rifle back when we were teens). The bore brushed and jagged out beautiful and shiny.

A trip to the range was most satisfying.

25 yard target:

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The rifle:

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I have grabbed this rifle quite often for some plinking and actually did quite well with it in some of our local Rapidfire Rimfire fun matches.
 
Winchester 69a. Has been to England and back (has a "not english made" stamp and serial # on it). Beat to heck and has had chunks of receiver removed for scope mounting, but some previous user reverted to a parker hale 16 ghost ring setup. I think it's the most accurate rifle I own. I don't think it's worth much to anyone but me and that's fine by me.
 
We still pull out grampa's Stevens Favorite every once in a while. Real fun to shoot. Slightly North of 100 years old.
 
I look out for bargain .22 rifles,,,

By bargain I mean 60-70 bucks.

Abut a year ago I found a JC Penny's 22 of some odd ilk for $60.00,,,
I cleaned the metal real well and did a refinish on the stock,,,
Then I shot it enough to know it had reasonable accuracy.

I did this just for the heck of it,,,
More to satisfy a gun purchase "jones" than anything.

Then I met a couple who have an 8 year old boy,,,
On his 9th birthday I asked them if a .22 rifle would be okay,,,
They said yes so I made him a sling with his name stamped in the leather.

I also supplied him with two 550 bulk packs of ammunition,,,
That and an inexpensive cleaning kit has him shooting.

It was definitely worth the minimal expense,,,
The rifle is not a match quality gun,,,
But for him to pop tin cans,,,
It's perfectly adequate.

So after that pleasant experience,,,
I'm always on the lookout for bargain .22 rifles,,,
They don't have to be the newest and latest to get a kid started.

Aarond

.
 
I love the old .22s. I just spent a cold, but satisfying, time at the range today sighting in the old Marlin 39 I bought a year ago. I had the full octagonal barrel relined as the original bore was shot out(!). After fixing a feed issue caused by a shrinking fore end, it functioned flawlessly. So far it seems to prefer CCI standard velocity ammo, but there's a lot more to test now that it has a Marble tang sight to help things along.
 
My kids will likely fight over my Winchester 67 when I die.

(that's okay - whoever doesn't get the 67 gets my Model 70).
 
"Value" can mean a couple of things, an inexpensive shooter and a good investment for the dollars spent. Been collecting Winchester 52's for some time, they have shown to be a great value. It's just that the decimal point is moved over a few places. Heirlooms for the grand kids.

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Fond memories of dad's old Remington Targetmaster (single shot). My son needs to shoot it some day, it was the very first rifle I ever shot.
 
Sears Ranger Model 36 22

I got and still have a Sears and Roebuck model 36 22 for Christmas in 1959. It is beautiful and very accurate. According to what I have researched on the web, it is actually a Marlin model 80. It has killed a lot of deer, turkey, and other things in it's life. It has a 6 shot magazine and functions great. It has not been out of service since I've owned it. I wouldn't trade it for any other .22 rifle I have ever shot.:)
Gordon
 
I LOVE my old Winchester 52. Inhertied it from my Grandpa. Its the rifle my Dad learned to shoot with and incidentally, it is the first rifle I learned to shoot with! Its probably worth a fortune by now as I have kept it in impeccable shape, but my guns are for SHOOTING and it still does that brilliantly. I get very good groups with it at very good distance for a .22 lr! Love that rifle!
 
Almost all the .22's in my safe are older than I am- significantly. My most accurate .22 I've ever owned is my 1940's vintage Mossberg 146b. One of my favorite rifles I've ever owned. Outshoot my Anschutz, Win 52 and 144LSB so I sold them all. Also have a Weatherby Mark XXII that was an anniversary gift from my wife that I love dearly.
 
I have a Winchester 190 that shoots very straight and reliable. Never had a single jam. I really like that 22.
 
coyota1 said:
Do you know the manufacture of the JC Penny gun?
Click to expand...
Ok, I've just seen and subscribed to this thread so I can read it thoroughly later. Obviously I haven't read it all, so please forgive me if the question has been answered. Also, let me be clear, I am just speculating.

The manufacturer very likely was Mossberg, with the final assembly being done by Century Arms out of St. Louis. Century Arms would buy various Mossberg parts, overstock and discontinued, then put them together and sell them through outlets like Penney's, Montgomery Ward, Sears, etc. Most often they were "hybrids" (we won't say mutts) containing parts from several different years and models.

If you Google for Mossberg History, you will come across a historical group run by a husband/wife team who have a fantastic amount of knowledge on the subject. (They are helping me identify the peculiar type of peep sights my grandfather's .22 had on it; a "hybrid" from 1930-35 on which I learned to shoot). The rifle still shoots great.

I'll post more when I have the opportunity and if it is still appropriate.

Regards,
Andrew



NRA Life Member
------------------------
"There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge
 
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