Nothing Like a Classic .22 Rifle

[Drm50]

If I was in the market for a new 22 I would be looking at CZ or Sako. I have no complaints on 77/22 but it was bought when first out. There are
good shooting 22s made by American companies but they aren't classic.
Ruger American & Savage. The only decent semi is Marlin 60, the 10/22
has been cheapened. Their is no quality pump being made or lever.

 

[Mrnurse]

I have a Liking for all things .22 mainly rifles 30 yo and older. I have a Marlin 39a I bought at Walmart 1984 that shoots perfect. It looks NIB yet has I bet 10K rds have gone through it without any issues with its mechanics. I Think the Best all around .22 rifle is the old Marlin 60, not the newer stuff. Use to be $79.99 at Walmart years ado...No plastic, brass feed tube, simple to use. When CMP had the Mossberg m44's for sale I bought several... DOM like the 1940's...well used in Basic...yet they shot well out to 50 yds. Sadly today all but a few build a low cost quality .22, CZ comes to mind as a good quality .22 for under $400.00.

 

[Tony2much]

I recently gave in to the rim-fire bug and bought this 1968 Remington 552. I'm now looking for a nice bolt action or pump .22 to round things out.

My dad bought me my first .22 (a Mossberg bolt action) when I was 12. My mom gave to my cousin when I moved (40 years ago).

Since my dads passing, I mentioned that I wished I still had the old .22 and my mom said she would see if she could get it back. I even offered to pay FMV. I don't know if my cousin still has it, but figured it's worth a try.

There's nothing like a classic .22 to bring back my earliest memories of learning firearm safety from my dad and small game hunting after school.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

I am liking 22 lr more and more, some day, I will get that CZ:

 

[H Richard]

My very first rifle was a Winchester Mod 03 22 auto. For those of you who know, you know I couldn't afford to shoot it, the ammo was 6-7 times more expensive than regular 22 LR. Last year (60+ years later) I find a model 63 at an auction that went at a reasonable price. Just like OP's, wouldn't feed properly, or extract correctly. A good cleaning and scrubbing of the chamber and it shoots like a new rifle.

 

[crsides]

As I stated above ..... check out the CZ 452 line; while CZ is now offering tht 455 and 457 lines ...... there still seem to be new 452s coming into the market. 452s are great rimfires with classic looks in the $350-550 range.

If you can find a CZ453 grab it as they come with single set triggers....like CZ centerfire guns.

You are correct to get a gun better than a CZ will cost you another $500

On the more modern side, I have several CZ 452's. The full stock below, an ultra lux 28" bbl that is super quiet for neighborhood squirrels, a trainer for my grandson, and a threaded model waiting on a silencer. All great guns, greater value.

 

[22hipower]

As I stated above ..... check out the CZ 452 line; while CZ is now offering the 455 and 457 lines ...... there still seem to be new 452s coming into the market. 452s are great rimfires with classic looks in the $350-550 range.

If you can find a CZ453 grab it as they come with single set triggers....like CZ centerfire guns.

You are correct to get a gun better than a CZ will cost you another $500

Just acquired one of the new CZ American 457s in 22 WRM; backasswards safety has been replaced with a more traditional "push to fire" one. Bolt throw is shortened, adjustable trigger, great looking walnut stock. Haven't had it to the range yet but if it shoots like the other CZ's I have it should become an instant "classic."

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[italiansport]

I have a Winchester Model 52 C and a Remington 40 X that I'm in the process of gently re-habbing. I'll post pictures when they're complete. Both were apparently well used on the target shooting circuit in years gone by.
Jim

 

[DWalt]

"My very first rifle was a Winchester Mod 03 22 auto. For those of you who know, you know I couldn't afford to shoot it, the ammo was 6-7 times more expensive than regular 22 LR. Last year (60+ years later) I find a model 63 at an auction that went at a reasonable price. "

When I was a kid I always wanted a Winchester 63, but I had to settle for the Remington 550-1 previously mentioned. Fast forward to around 2005. I bought the Taurus knockoff of the Winchester 63. It's a very good facsimilie of the 63, except the wood is very dark (I don't think it is walnut, no grain at all) and the wood finish is slightly rough and dull. I refinished the Taurus wood and it is an improvement. I never had any functioning problems with the Taurus 63. I don't think Taurus made many of them and I have seen a couple at gun shows priced in the $600 range.

The idea behind the special smokeless .22 Winchester Auto ammunition needed for the Winchester 1903 (later Model 03) was to prevent the use of conventional .22 ammunition. Black powder .22 loadings were still common when the Winchester 1903 came out and if used in it, would gum up the blowback action in a hurry. Aside from the different ammunition needed, the Model 03 and the later Model 63 are very similar in design. It is difficult and expensive to feed an 03.

 

[weatherby]

Larry one of my favorites a Remington model 34
Tube fed bolt action that has a really neat loading mechanism.
The old Remington's are just that bit more streamlined that I find appealing.






another Remington this one a 24




Like Andy I like 54's and wanted one of these when I was a young guy.



a little Winchester

 

[Indynick]

I also have a Marlin 39A that my parents gave me when I turned 12 in 1963. I have not fired it since I was a teen. I will be taking it to a local outdoor range, in the spring. I have never sighted in the 4x scope that came with it. Should be fun.

 

[NYlakesider]

Well I have a 7722 bought as soon as they came out. Classic, I realy do not know but its a great gun.

One that I have that I know most people will call classic is my little .22 take down Belgium made Browning semi!

I bought it new in early 1960s.I was a gun bug even in my teenage years. My father had given the gun dealer permission for me to do my thing. I worked hard over the late summer/fall cutting grass and raking leafs, washing cars and other odd jobs in my neighborhood. Then when winter hit I did a lot of snow shoveling to be able to come up with the 55 dollars it took to get that Browning. I bought and paid for it myself, it was a much simpler/better time. No sales tax back, then no goverment forms to fill out, just cash on the barrel head and a simple paper bill of sale.

Still have that little gun, its reasonably accurate for a light weigh take down and I have fired plenty of rounds threw this classic.

 

[Taj]

My favorite classic .22 is the Remington 550-1. It was the first .22 rifle I could call my own (1956). At least to my mind, it is the finest .22 semiauto ever made. And not a piece of plastic on it except for the buttplate. It sure brings back a lot of good memories whenever I shoot it.

Walt, I'm with you. Have three 550's. One belonged to my Dad. It's still my favorite .22 semi. What's really neat about them is the floating chamber and the fact they will run with shorts, longs or LR. That fact makes the run with CCI Quiet.22's very well.

 

[RSBH44]

I'm right there with all of you . l've always had a soft spot for .22's and I have a nice little collection of them, All good shooters. My favorites are the Old Mossberg rifles like the one posted by the OP. That's a Really nice T handle bolt action . 22 you found there. I have a few different models and they are all crazy accurate for 60+ year old guns. Here's one of mine.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PALADIN85020]

I love old .22 rifles, and I own a number that would certainly qualify as "classic." I'll show you just one, because it's quite unusual - I didn't know it existed until a few years ago.

It's a Stevens "Visible Loader." The pump-action actually places a round of ammo into the chamber from outside the frame! This one really works, and it's a blast to see it operate! These were made from 1908 to 1934; around 100,000 were produced. I have no idea when this one was made; they are virtually impossible to date accurately.

John

 

[H P Bushrod]

I have a old Mossberg 44 US .22 rifle. It's one of my favorite shooters. I can drill tacks with it. I have no idea how old it actually is (no serial number).

 

[DWalt]

"Walt, I'm with you. Have three 550's. One belonged to my Dad. It's still my favorite .22 semi. What's really neat about them is the floating chamber and the fact they will run with shorts, longs or LR. That fact makes the run with CCI Quiet.22's very well."

One of the reasons I like the 550 is that it will function perfectly with .22 Shorts, even standard velocity Shorts. All you hear when firing SV shorts is a slight pop-pop-pop. Who needs a suppressor or earmuffs? Back when I was a kid, all I used were Shorts. At that time they were somewhat cheaper than .22 LRs which was a major consideration.

 

[sniper007]

Wow, a lot of nice guns posted here.

I have an old Western Field 22 semi-auto, which I re-blued and refinished the stock. Sweet shooter. My favorite though is an Ithaca Model 49 lever-action single shot in 22 magnum. Sorry I have no photos. In pistols I have a Bernadelli 22 auto (looks like a Walther PPK) and of course my beloved S&W model 18-3 revolver.

Harold

 

[Drm50]

My dad bought me a 1897 Marlin for my 5th birthday. I had my choice of
four rifles that a collector let him bring home. 1955 any kid would take the
lever gun. Some how a couple years later I wanted a Browning autoloader.
We went to a county fair shooting gallery that had the Brownings. When I
took my shots the empties went down my shirt sleeve. That ended my quest at the time for a Browning. They are one of the best 22 auto ever
made. I've had a couple but don't own one now. The 63Win is a fine 22 also. Remingtons 241 is of the same quality.

 

[garddogg56]

John heres my Stevens "miserable loader" that I inherited from my Grandpa.she's still a shooter