Early in 1968 I was approaching my 13th birthday and I wanted a 22 rifle. My mom went to the big gun shop in town and asked to speak to the owner. She told him she wanted a good, reliable 22 rifle for a 13 year old and he recommended the Remington Model 581. I still think that was a pretty good choice. The price was $49.95.

Of course I loved that rifle. What boy doesn't love his first gun? It was stolen in 1985. Since it was made before the Gun Control Act of 1968 which required serial numbers on all guns kicked in it didn't have a number on it. So chances of recovery are zero.

A few months later I found another 581 in a local shop. This was from the estate of a deceased gun smith. It had been his personal rifle and he had extensively modified it. He had cut the barrel from 24" to 20" and recessed the crown. Then he drilled the fore end of the stock in the barrel channel for lead weights to restore the gun's balance. The 581 came with only one bolt holding the action to the stock so he drilled and tapped a hole in the action for a second bolt securing it to the stock. The man must have liked that rifle to spend so much time and effort on a $50 gun.

I decided that I didn't care for the low end wood on the 581. So I procured a walnut replacement and I did the final inlet and finish. Turned out okay. I mounted a full size 4x Leupold scope I had laying around. Need to seriously test it off the bench.

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No life story has happy end.

How about some pictures?

Actually, the stock looks very nice, and who doesn't like the old 4x scopes? Great choice for a .22 plinker.

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Kevin in Oregon

Sweet looking little rifle.

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Life is short,live it fully.

I've got a 582, had it since 1978 or so. Got a 4x scope on it. Excellent rifle.

Mine was a Remington 511-x ScoreMaster... Christmas of 1964 from my Dad...............

Here's mine.... JC Higgins from Sears in about 1957 +/- . Still have it and just refinished it a coupla months ago.... Still shoots extremely well. Got my first squirrel when it came with me to live in Mn. FIRST LOVES :-))))

My first was a Walther PPK/S-22.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

My 1st .22 was a 2nd hand Winchester .22 Auto of 1903. It shot that special fatter ammo, that cost near $2.00 a box even back in 1953. I traded it off some years later, and always regretted it, but a few years ago was at an auction and this Win Mod 63 (1947 vintage) came up and I grabbed it. After a good cleaning it proved to be very accurate and just as much fun as the original.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Mine was a Stevens Favorite .22 that my dad gave me for Christmas when I was about 7 or 8. I still have it.

Mine was a Marlin 1897 for my 5th birthday. I had choices. My Dad had 4 rifles laying on his work bench. One was a Win 1890 and that was what my dad was steering me to, even though it was my choice. In 1955 every self respecting kid was a cowboy, I took the Marlin. Still got it.

Mine is a Remington 582, Christmas 1966. Still have it. K-Mart scope.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

Mine is a Marlin-Glenfield model 25 bolt action with a seven round magazine. I won a lot of trophies with it at my old range. I still shoot it, and it turns 44 years old next month. It has a place of honor in my safe.

First gun I ever shot was a Remington Model 41 Target Master. Beast had a 27" barrel on it. Was probably near as tall as I was when they let me take it off in the woods alone.

They were made between 1936 thru 1939

I own it now.

My first (used) was a Steven Favorite take down.... half octagonal half round barrel that Dad brought to the mountain property in 63...... dates to mid-late 1890s

Hanging on the wall in my den...... like me both boy shot their "first shot" from it..... 100 plus years after it left the factory....... refinished the stock in the 80s and had a gunsmith rebuild ( new springs) in the 00s........ been in the "white" for 50 years now.....................

led to the 511-X ( see above)...... then the High School and College Rifle Teams..... the rest is history.......................

Well it looks like I am a WHOLE lot younger than most here.

At 12 yrs old I wanted a new pellet gun. Mom said no dad said yes. I was a good planner and debater even back then. I nervously presented my case, (with ads,) to dad showing him how much a really nice pellet gun would cost, compared to the .22 that I wanted. I got the lecture/rules/threat but also got the .22. It was a new Ruger 10/22 and it cost me $68.00. (Maybe I am old.) He loved it as much as I did. I paid for it myself and still have it today although dad wouldn’t recognize it. Not much is original on it anymore but it still is my great first rifle.

Jim

Still have my marlin 39a I received as a birthday gift in 1964. Countless rounds through this one. I've worn the bluing off of the lever for cryin out loud. Still very accurate, and has the old Weaver 4X scope attached to the "tip-on" style mount on the top of the receiver.

Are my eyes getting bad.....doesn't seem like much light is getting through that tiny Weaver 3/4" scope tube? I used to see though there just fine.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

I've never owned a .22 - in either pistol or rifle. My dad had both that I used a lot when I was a kid, but it was later stolen.

But every guy remembers his first gun. Mine was a S&W Model 1000 12ga. shotgun that I got from my parents for Christmas '82. I've still got it, and unless some tragedy befalls me, I always will.

The first .22 I ever bought back in 1965. A Winchester 250. I believe it was $48.

We'll, first I had dad's hand-me-down Remington 514, but never really considered it mine. It had a god-awful trigger and the sights were off laterally with the only adjustment being to drift the front sight in its dovetail, which I had neither the knowledge or ability to do. Dad never cared much about that, or any rifle really. He was a shotgun man/bird hunter, and was deadly with his old Browning Auto-5 and later a Browning Double Automatic. For Christmas 1970 I got a Marlin Centennial 39 carbine the which I still have and which, many thousands of rounds later, shoots as good as ever. I consider that my first .22. after dad's death I gave the 514 to his best friend, who kept it for a few years then re-gifted it to my son for my grandsons to have and shoot.