Remington 40-X .22LR

Just last Saturday (July 17, 2021), I acquired a Remington 40-X .22LR in excellent condition. I have a thing for .22 Target rifles, and a 40-X had been on my bucket list for some years.

Prior attempts on GB had failed for being out-bid. This one I found on a table display at the OGCA, and it came home with me.

Monday I had it to my range for the first outing. I shot it first with a 20X Unertl attached, and then with iron sights. I had two goals: get the rifle sighted in; and begin to get to know it a little bit.






According to the barrel date code, this rifle came out of the Remington factory in June, 1961. It has made it through 60 years quite well! As an older 40-X, it is based on their 722 action, which I prefer.













Monday morning was actually cool and relatively calm here in the Virginia mountains. It was quite a relief from the hot, muggy weather we have had lately.

Whenever I start off with a new (to me) .22 rifle I begin with good, but modest ammunition. Monday my choice was CCI Standard Velocity. This is my "go to" plinking ammunition. It's fairly decent, but not especially accurate. I consider it the lowest grade of ammo I will put through a target rifle. If you compare to shopping in the liquor store, it's the bottle on the bottom shelf that gets swiped with the mop every evening.

With those disparaging remarks said, the rifle and ammo did quite well. Here are my first two groups at 50 yards after getting the rifle sighted on target.











I then turned my attention to the iron sights, still at 50 yds. Here are the groups I shot as I "walked" the sights toward the center of the target. The first group was the bottom - four shots in a bug hole and one to the south-west. The next group was brought up, and the third group almost centered.






By now, the wind is getting up. There aren't going to be any more bug hole groups.

I wanted to verify that my iron sights were centered, so I topped the day off with a 10 shot group at 50 yards. Nothing to crow about; but for a first day out, and using bottom shelf ammo, I felt my mission was accomplished.






Conclusion: This rifle is a keeper! More reports to come as the story develops. Stay tuned.

Curl

I just realized I haven't mentioned the 100 yard groups.

These were shot with the Unertl on. There was a breeze stirring, and the ammo can't be expected to do great things. Nevertheless, here they are.













Great fun, these .22 rifles! I love them.

Curl

I've had several of the 40X 22LR's. At one time I think I had seven at the same time. I preferred the heavier ones with the 700 style action, but can't say I could point out an accuracy difference between them. It depended more on how well they'd been treated by their previous owner and how cleaning rod crazy they were.

Looking at you're range report I'd be one happy camper. For a first time at the range those are super results.

Wait until you shoot some of the good stuff through it....ie. Eley, RWS, Lapua, Fioochi, SK etc.

Randy

Curl, that's fine shooting, for the first time out and with CCI SV, which is good ammo, but you know the better target stuff can really shine in it, especially if you find a lot it likes. I have a heavy barrel 40X-B, and I love putting different ammos through it. They are American classics. Shooting them is like driving a fine old Cadillac.

Great shooting rifle! I love .22 target rifles as well. The 40X is a great rifle from a great era in smallbore shooting. I like the 722 actions as well. The CMP was selling them for a while.

A great gun, one I always wanted to shoot. In the early 2000's I did my share of 100 prone matches. I had determined two sources of good groups through my Anschutz 1407 with a 20X Unertle. One, a squirreled away supply of CCI Green Tag from the days when it was a good match ammo, and Fiocchii 320SM. My favorite was the 320SM. These are a few targets I kept, unfortunately I am no longer capable of doing anything near this good without a Bench Rest.

Very nice!

I scored two of them from the CMP for five bills apiece a few years ago. Supposedly they were JROTC rifles, US marked and everything. I use one with CCI quiets out of the kitchen window to knock squirrels off of the bird feeder. With that 28" barrel it is like shooting suppressed, Does not get the wife or the dog pissed off.

Do you have a link to the date code for those rifles? I would like to look mine up.

Beautiful rifle!

I've recently taken the plunge into 50yd rimfire bench rest, but with a much more pedestrian Tikka T1x. My rifle really likes the CCI SV, but with ammo availability being what it is, I haven't been able to source much "good" ammo to test. I do have a couple hundred rounds of various SK... just waiting for fire closures and weather to relent and provide an opportunity to get to the range.

Charlie Foxtrott said:

. . .

Do you have a link to the date code for those rifles? I would like to look mine up.

Click to expand...

I found a chart online by searching "Remington date of manufacture code."

There's a lot of information online about this topic.

Curl

wbraswell said:

They are American classics. Shooting them is like driving a fine old Cadillac.

Click to expand...

I think I known what you mean. My Remington 700s and 722s are very accurate. That 40x is a beauty.

You need much better ammo than CCI SV to realize the potential of a 40X. I have had eight of them over the years, both heavy barrels and standard barrels. I have one left, it is a USMC Property standard barreled 40X. I lean towards SK Rifle Match and Eley EPS.

AJ said:

You need much better ammo than CCI SV to realize the potential of a 40X. I have had eight of them over the years, both heavy barrels and standard barrels. I have one left, it is a USMC Property standard barreled 40X. I lean towards SK Rifle Match and Eley EPS.

Click to expand...

Oh yes! That will certainly happen in due course. Here's a sampler of what awaits:





Curl

Do you have a link to the date code for those rifles? I would like to look mine up.[/QUOTE]
Remington uses the term B-L-A-C-K-P-O-W-D-E-R-X to date the older 22's The letters are stamped on the left side of the lower part of the barrel.

Some truly fabulous test ammo, if the Federal is UM-1 or 900B it is quite the equal to the Eley Tenex, RWS R-50 and the Lapua Midas M.

Try them out on as calm a day as possible and be prepared for some stunning results!!

Post pics when you are done evaluating.....

Randy

As the pictures show some lower priced ammo shot well. But those lots are gone and the newer ammo of the same name is nowhere near as good.

When I go to the range with a new rifle, I generally take some of the cheap stuff and then the higher priced spread(Lapua, Eley, & SK). Once in a while the cheap stuff will group well. I don't shoot match, just against my self to see how much fun I can have. When it starts feeling like work, it is time to stop.

The Remington 40x is an amazing rifle. Use it in good health, it will out live you.

I picked up my 40x at OGCA as well. This 40x is serial number 0494 and sports a period correct bench rest target stock along with a Lyman 25 LWBR All-American scope. Certainly first year, possible first several months. I had Gene Davis (Mr. 40X) go over the gun and "bless it". His comment was "If you were a serious contender in 1940, this would be your setup.

This Rifle was purchased new by William Southerland who was a "Famous Shooter Guy" in the 30's and 40's. He won the Dewar's match in 1936 which secured his position as the Captain of the US Rifle team, at Bisley in 1937. They won the entire shooting match and he scored high aggregate. Obviously, he purchased this rifle after that. I purchased the rifle from the gentleman who was liquidating his gun collection.

It is the most accurate rifle I've ever owned.







This target was shot with iron sights at 50 yards. 4 in 1 hole and then that "flyer" that broke the yellow. Anyone who's seen me at the range, knows it wasn't my talent that shot this group, it was the gun, in spite of the guy pulling the trigger.

4barrel said:

Do you have a link to the date code for those rifles? I would like to look mine up.

Click to expand...

Remington uses the term B-L-A-C-K-P-O-W-D-E-R-X to date the older 22's The letters are stamped on the left side of the lower part of the barrel.[/QUOTE]



Here's a link you might find helpful: Remington Barrel date Code

Otherwise, just do a Google search for "Remington date codes" and you will hit paydirt.

Curl

CptCurl said:

Remington uses the term B-L-A-C-K-P-O-W-D-E-R-X to date the older 22's The letters are stamped on the left side of the lower part of the barrel.

Click to expand...

Here's a link you might find helpful: Remington Barrel date Code

Otherwise, just do a Google search for "Remington date codes" and you will hit paydirt.

Curl[/QUOTE]

The Blue Book has it also. I have two USMC Property 40X's. Both are stamped W E , Aug. 1957, S/N's 5700 and 5709.