Lately I've been shooting a lot of .22 as a low-cost way to keep my eye and hand in practice. I figured I'd get a .22 rifle to complement my .22 handgun.
At the Greensboro Gun Show this past weekend I found several dealers selling those Romanian .22 training rifles for as little as $50. How can you resist? I sure didn't . . .
Anyway, I and my companions bought five of these rifles and I can report that they are light, handy, accurate little rifles. Like most Commie-bloc weapons, they are ugly but well-made. They come with Ashley-style flip-up rear sights for 25, 50 and 100 meters. The dealer we purchased from also threw in the issue cleaning kit that fits in the buttstock.
Note: The rifles are shipped in a separate container from the bolts. Several dealers were just throwing bolts into rifles without checking the numbers - one even claimed that there were no matching numbers. However, it's just a matter of whether the individual dealer is careful. I realize it's not all that important on a .22, but matching numbers are nice. The dealer we used had all-matching on his rack.
Also, the original mags were not shipped from Europe for some reason and all the mags we could find were Taiwanese copies.
Be that as it may, it was still a bargain. All the bores we examined were bright. Some dings on the wood and a bit of surface rust here and there, but the blueing was intact and surprisingly good for a military-grade training rifle. The bolts work smoothly and the trigger had been stoned. I did have a few misfeeds, but I attribute that to the cheap mags. As always when buying surplus guns, it's worth your while to look over the lot. We did find a few problems with some of the guns while we were selecting our five - the most obvious was a broken mag catch.
If you're looking for an inexpensive, accurate and FUN little rifle, here's a real deal. If you have a young man in the house who is perhaps ready for his first rifle (hell, perhaps your daughter is ready too!) this would be an excellent choice.
Ken Strayhorn
Hillsborough NC
At the Greensboro Gun Show this past weekend I found several dealers selling those Romanian .22 training rifles for as little as $50. How can you resist? I sure didn't . . .
Anyway, I and my companions bought five of these rifles and I can report that they are light, handy, accurate little rifles. Like most Commie-bloc weapons, they are ugly but well-made. They come with Ashley-style flip-up rear sights for 25, 50 and 100 meters. The dealer we purchased from also threw in the issue cleaning kit that fits in the buttstock.
Note: The rifles are shipped in a separate container from the bolts. Several dealers were just throwing bolts into rifles without checking the numbers - one even claimed that there were no matching numbers. However, it's just a matter of whether the individual dealer is careful. I realize it's not all that important on a .22, but matching numbers are nice. The dealer we used had all-matching on his rack.
Also, the original mags were not shipped from Europe for some reason and all the mags we could find were Taiwanese copies.
Be that as it may, it was still a bargain. All the bores we examined were bright. Some dings on the wood and a bit of surface rust here and there, but the blueing was intact and surprisingly good for a military-grade training rifle. The bolts work smoothly and the trigger had been stoned. I did have a few misfeeds, but I attribute that to the cheap mags. As always when buying surplus guns, it's worth your while to look over the lot. We did find a few problems with some of the guns while we were selecting our five - the most obvious was a broken mag catch.
If you're looking for an inexpensive, accurate and FUN little rifle, here's a real deal. If you have a young man in the house who is perhaps ready for his first rifle (hell, perhaps your daughter is ready too!) this would be an excellent choice.
Ken Strayhorn
Hillsborough NC