Old .22 long rifles great accuracy and value.

[aarondhgraham]

By bargain I mean 60-70 bucks.

Abut a year ago I found a JC Penny's 22 of some odd ilk for $60.00,,,
I cleaned the metal real well and did a refinish on the stock,,,
Then I shot it enough to know it had reasonable accuracy.

I did this just for the heck of it,,,
More to satisfy a gun purchase "jones" than anything.

Then I met a couple who have an 8 year old boy,,,
On his 9th birthday I asked them if a .22 rifle would be okay,,,
They said yes so I made him a sling with his name stamped in the leather.

I also supplied him with two 550 bulk packs of ammunition,,,
That and an inexpensive cleaning kit has him shooting.

It was definitely worth the minimal expense,,,
The rifle is not a match quality gun,,,
But for him to pop tin cans,,,
It's perfectly adequate.

So after that pleasant experience,,,
I'm always on the lookout for bargain .22 rifles,,,
They don't have to be the newest and latest to get a kid started.

Aarond

.

[coyota1]

a gun purchase "jones"

Well put. I have been jonesin a lot lately myself. Do you know the manufacture of the JC Penny gun?

[sc928porsche]

I have a Win mod# 190 also. Most accurate semi auto that I have come across. Almost as tight as my WBY XXII or my Anschutz.

[Big Shrek]

All I can say is this...


If ya love it, post a pic!!

[bbqncigars]

I love the old .22s. I just spent a cold, but satisfying, time at the range today sighting in the old Marlin 39 I bought a year ago. I had the full octagonal barrel relined as the original bore was shot out(!). After fixing a feed issue caused by a shrinking fore end, it functioned flawlessly. So far it seems to prefer CCI standard velocity ammo, but there's a lot more to test now that it has a Marble tang sight to help things along.

[bailey bud]

My kids will likely fight over my Winchester 67 when I die.

(that's okay - whoever doesn't get the 67 gets my Model 70).

[Rembrandt]

"Value" can mean a couple of things, an inexpensive shooter and a good investment for the dollars spent. Been collecting Winchester 52's for some time, they have shown to be a great value. It's just that the decimal point is moved over a few places. Heirlooms for the grand kids.

[chadio]

Fond memories of dad's old Remington Targetmaster (single shot). My son needs to shoot it some day, it was the very first rifle I ever shot.

[G.T. Smith]

I got and still have a Sears and Roebuck model 36 22 for Christmas in 1959. It is beautiful and very accurate. According to what I have researched on the web, it is actually a Marlin model 80. It has killed a lot of deer, turkey, and other things in it's life. It has a 6 shot magazine and functions great. It has not been out of service since I've owned it. I wouldn't trade it for any other .22 rifle I have ever shot.
Gordon

[aarondhgraham]

Do you know the manufacture of the JC Penny gun?

Sorry my friend,,,
I have no idea who made it.

Aarond

.

[1944m1garand]

I LOVE my old Winchester 52. Inhertied it from my Grandpa. Its the rifle my Dad learned to shoot with and incidentally, it is the first rifle I learned to shoot with! Its probably worth a fortune by now as I have kept it in impeccable shape, but my guns are for SHOOTING and it still does that brilliantly. I get very good groups with it at very good distance for a .22 lr! Love that rifle!

[Bigfatts]

Almost all the .22's in my safe are older than I am- significantly. My most accurate .22 I've ever owned is my 1940's vintage Mossberg 146b. One of my favorite rifles I've ever owned. Outshoot my Anschutz, Win 52 and 144LSB so I sold them all. Also have a Weatherby Mark XXII that was an anniversary gift from my wife that I love dearly.

[JTofSD]

I have a Winchester 190 that shoots very straight and reliable. Never had a single jam. I really like that 22.

[Hawg]

My oldest 22 rifle and one of the most accurate is an old Savage 87B. It needs a new stock tho.

[SerenityNetworks]

Originally Posted by coyota1

Do you know the manufacture of the JC Penny gun?

Ok, I've just seen and subscribed to this thread so I can read it thoroughly later. Obviously I haven't read it all, so please forgive me if the question has been answered. Also, let me be clear, I am just speculating.

The manufacturer very likely was Mossberg, with the final assembly being done by Century Arms out of St. Louis. Century Arms would buy various Mossberg parts, overstock and discontinued, then put them together and sell them through outlets like Penney's, Montgomery Ward, Sears, etc. Most often they were "hybrids" (we won't say mutts) containing parts from several different years and models.

If you Google for Mossberg History, you will come across a historical group run by a husband/wife team who have a fantastic amount of knowledge on the subject. (They are helping me identify the peculiar type of peep sights my grandfather's .22 had on it; a "hybrid" from 1930-35 on which I learned to shoot). The rifle still shoots great.

I'll post more when I have the opportunity and if it is still appropriate.

Regards,
Andrew



NRA Life Member
------------------------
"There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge

[Sher Khan]

I like my Henry 001 for casual plinking, and I like the Ruger 10/22 with Techsights that I hope to use for Appleseed events. But my favorite .22LR still is one I don't have any more. My Dad gave me a used Remington 512 for Christmas when I was fifteen, when we couldn't afford it, because he knew my love for firearms. I kept it for years, and learned a lot about shooting by using it. It was stolen when we shipped our household goods to storage and I have never been able to replace it. I kept the bolt for a long while, hoping it would somehow attract the rest of the rifle back to me. I occasionally see a 512 at a gun show, or on the Internet, but I haven't replaced my first one.

[velocette]

At my club's smallbore prone match (1200) Saturday a shooter was using a Remington model 37 that he bought new in 1947 for $89.00. He used it to good effect scoring an 1190 73x on a rainy and very windy day. I sure hope I'm still shooting when I am 80 years of age like he is.

Roger

[Deja vu]

I have an old Winchester 1904 single shot bolt action that is very accurate and really easy to carry. It is chambered in 22short/22long and 22extra long. It has had 22LR shot though it long before I was born. I found an only box of 22 extra-long and they still chambered but I was afraid to fire any.

[coyota1]

Deja vu, Maybe stay with standard velocity with this rifle.

[Rob228]

When I was about 12 my dad got me an H&R M12 through the CMP. All sorts of accurate, but it weighed a freaking ton.

[Water-Man]

I'm still shooting my 1936 Savage Model 3. My first rifle.

[Ozzieman]

Winchester 75 heavy barrel target. I have the original peep sights but 3 years ago I replaced them with a much better set.
I have had this gun for over 30 years and from it I learned trigger control. For the first 2 years I shot 50 rounds several times a week. ½ inch groups at 50 yards are easy with it.

[Big Shrek]

A boatload of JCPenny rifles were also made by Marlin...and a few others...
Model Number is Highly Important...its how the cross references work...

So without a Model number, a PIC MUST BE POSTED for any realistic discussion on who made what!!

[Ignition Override]

My skills aren't advanced enough to truly evaluate how accurate these rifles are.
The Savage .22 single shot was bought by a grandfather in the 40's to shoot squirrels in his yard. People have wanted to buy this gun, and tell me that rifle quality back then was better. I can't find info on any Savage website to date the serial #s. Is this possible?

My other .22 was found by a friend at a recent gun show, sold for $100, in really good condition.
The Romanian M-69 Trainers are reported to be fairly accurate. This one has a very bright bore and seems to be accurate.
One nice feature is the 5-rd. mag. from Taiwan, which seldom misfeeds.

The M-69's features make it appear to be a baby Mauser, and the sights are much better than the irons on my Yugo 48A Mauser.
I know nothing about 'uploading' photos.

[22-rimfire]

Rembrandt, over the years I have always felt your screen name was approrpriate!

My oldest 22 rifle is a 1962 Remington 513-T. It shoots fine. I have handguns that are older in 22. I have always wanted to find a Remington M37 for a fair price and of course when I have the available funds to cover it. The two have not matched up yet.

My Dad's guns went to my brothers since they don't have the firearm inventory that I do. But I learned to shoot with a Remington 572. Then I got my own Mossberg. Money was tight back then.

One of the things that really appeal to me about the older 22 rifles is that almost all of them have walnut stocks and for the most part well made.