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

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

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

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

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.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

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.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

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.

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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.

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

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

Curl

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

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

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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.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

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





Curl

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

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.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

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.

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Dave

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

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

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.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I have a Lyman 25 LWBR scope, and I had thought of mounting it on my 40-X. I also had the correct Unertl bases for the rifle, so for now that's what I'm using.

How do you like your Lyman used with the 40-X?

Nice rifle!

Curl

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

Look through the Unertl and then the Lyman and see which you like better. I use 25X Lyman SuperTargetSpot's on all my rifles. I have friends that prefer the Unertl's for their rifles.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Curl,
Great find, and great groups!
The 40x is an amazing rifle.
I’ve got ser #6667 US marked 40x with International rear and Olympic front sights. A few of my high power friends and I regularly shoot 200yd matches on the SR target with our 40x .22’s where you actually need to make “wind” calls for each shot. It’s a blast, and really helps our high power shooting.
I shoot wolf target extra, and am very happy with it.
Enjoy your new rifle and good shooting!
Mark

Great rifles and some great shooting. Never had anything as nice as a 40X but I had a 513T and later a 541X which would shoot one hole after I figured out what ammo it liked. I've moved on to different shooting but this thread reminds me how much fun it was.

Match shooters use wind flags at 50 yards.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Does anybody have a suggestion for an after-market trigger?

Thanks,
Curl

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

Just how light do you want to go? My USMC 40X is at 11.3 ounces now. A friend is a gunsmith and he took a M40 trigger down to 5 ounces. Jewel makes a nice trigger.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

There was a guy who used to advertise in the back of Shotgun News who up the power on the 25 LWBR. I can be certain but I think he bumped them to 32x or 36x. Anyway, I chatted with him on the phone and sent my scope in for an upgrade. He cleaned it and returned it, the note said he had preformed the upgrade on that scope in the late 70's.

I have had a Unertl 36x on it and choose the Lyman. To my eye it captured more light. It was totally subjective, close enough to not matter - but I had to pick one.

Since you are close enough to get to OGCA, I have the take down tool and allows you to simply and easily disassemble the bolt - should you ever need one. I Bought it from Gene Davis. Not sure if they are still available. I've never seen another.

Have a great time with your new rifle.

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Dave

There's one thing for sure. I already have the Lyman 25X LWBR scope. It will cost nothing to mount it on the 40-X, and it will be a lot of fun making the effort to determine which scope I like better.

I also have a Lyman 24X STS. That one will get some action also.

Nothing to lose, and lots of fun shooting ahead!

Curl

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

A bit off thread but that shooting house is way cool. Is it fully enclosed and you just shoot out the window or is it a 3 sided deal. How bad it the concussion inside. OBTW really nice rifle

Oh yes, the shooting shack. My country club for sure!

It's fully enclosed, on the side of a mountain. Heated by a wood stove in winter, and cooled by a window air conditioner (powered by a Honda generator) in summer.

I have targets at 25, 50, 100, and 200 yards.



Curl

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

Remington made a factory 2 ounce trigger at one time. You could almost breathe on it and set it off. I had one, but to be honest if was a bit too light for me. 1 lb or so is generally fine for me on a target rifle.

Yeah, back in the 80s I had a Remington 40-XBR chambered in .222 Rem. It had the factory 2 oz. trigger. That trigger was too light for hunting groundhogs. It might have been ok for bench-rest shooting, but that wasn't my use of it at that time.

Curl

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Curly
SWCA #2599; SWHF #626

Very nice!

I have a 700 heavy barrel (.222) with a very light trigger pull and it is an 'acquired taste' for sure. A lot of great finds at an OGCA show as well. Started going to those in the 60s with my father.

CptCurl, You have a great rifle there. I am envious!! Many years ago I had the pleasure of shooting a surplus 40-X which was acquired by a club from DCM (CMP). That rifle was dead nuts on and a real thrill to shoot. Roll the clock ahead a generation and I am shooting 50 yard matches with a Kimber 82 Govt. which I bought through the CMP. I still watch the auctions for a 40-X but like you, the price is always a bit too high or someone has scooped it up already. That said, I am keeping a slot open in the rack just in case one comes my way. Good shooting!

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