J.C. Higgins Model 48 restoration questions

s2thalayer · May 8, 2011, 06:06 PM

An old 22 cal rifle just came into my possession. Going through an old building with my grandfather for an old antique table he wanted my mom to have i stumbled across the old rusted thing. Being a gun enthusiast and part time gunsmith it caught my eye as something to work on. He told me as far as he knew the stock was broken but thats all. Being in an old leaky building, it has been eaten up by rust of course but after lubing it up a bit and taking some steel wool to it, it seems to have no real mechanical problems. However, i plan on refinishing the stock and stripping the rifle for a more in depth cleaning.

My question is, does anyone know anything about these rifles? After a few quick Google searches I havent had any luck, and you guys havent let me down yet so i figured id come here. Is this an old walmart brand kind of rifle or a fairly nice one? And does anyone know of a place i can purchase a new stock or parts for it?

Scorch · May 8, 2011, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Is this an old walmart brand kind of rifle or a fairly nice one?

JC Higgins was one of Sears & Roebuck's house brands up until the early 1970s. But I can't find any reference to a Model 48. Are you sure thet's the model #?

s2thalayer · May 9, 2011, 05:07 AM

absolutely positive. I'll get a picture of the receiver and upload it when i get to work today.

Here it is:

gearhounds · May 9, 2011, 05:58 AM

The "48" is a tube fed .22; not much by way of collecter value, so if the bore is ok, restoring won't hurt it. I saw that one went on GB recently for $100 in pretty decent shape; here's the link for info purposes:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=220747021

Looking at it again, I think this might actually be the 43 DL; possible that the auction link was as well, but hard to tell from the pic. Lots of references for the 43. It is a Marlin 81 made for Sears.

s2thalayer · May 9, 2011, 07:46 AM

So if i get parts for a marlin 81 i should be good to go?

gearhounds · May 9, 2011, 07:59 AM

I'd look for some close up pics of the 43 and see if they match up; maybe someone on the forum has one and could post some? How badly broken is the stock? If it's not splintered, or not missing chunks /fragments, it's not too hard to glue and refinish yourself. What parts are needing replacement? If they are just rusty, but functional, I'd refinish the gun, and leave it as is.

Here's another GB link to compare your rifle to:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=228946642

Jim Watson · May 9, 2011, 08:14 AM

From the Numrich crossover chart:

Sears 103.19820 = Marlin 81

kenny g · May 9, 2011, 09:06 AM

went out to the safe and checked mine but it's a mod #103.228 [ mag fed ]

s2thalayer · May 9, 2011, 10:42 AM

The stock is pretty badly split. It appears that at one point it may have been in two pieces (straight down the middle). A good gluing job could have hidden the rest of the crack or it may have possibly only made it down half the stock. I'd take pictures but im at work. I'm a carpenter, so it's likely i can make the stock work. I'm mostly thinking of worst case scenario that the stock breaks at some point. As far as mechanical parts, i have a couple screws that refuse to come out, and im not firing this rifle until its completely stripped and cleaned. I'm not sure what i'll find, so once again just wondering if worst case scenario i find something broken that needs repair. (i might end up drilling out these screws in the end).

s2thalayer · November 19, 2012, 10:14 AM

wanted to bump this because I've just gotten some funds and decided to tackle this again.

I ran into some problems restoring it. The rust is worse than I thought, got in over my head. A lot of screws broke off from rust and such. Point is, it's beyond repair with what i have right now. So what I would like to do is just buy another one, and switch out the entire FCG if I have to. I want to keep as much of the rifle as possible for sentimental reasons, but I want it to fire.

So, based on the above images of the model number and such, if I wanted to buy a rifle that has salvageable parts, would a Marlin 81 be a fit? or do I need to find this exact rifle in JC Higgins. If so, I've been searching google, but is there any specific place I might have more luck at finding one?

Jimro · November 19, 2012, 11:31 PM

Yes, Sears didn't have anything changed but the roll stamps.

Jimro

May 9, 2011, 05:07 AM	#3
s2thalayer Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2009 Location: Danville, VA Posts: 101	absolutely positive. I'll get a picture of the receiver and upload it when i get to work today. Here it is: Last edited by s2thalayer; May 9, 2011 at 05:53 AM.

May 9, 2011, 05:58 AM	#4
gearhounds Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2011 Location: M'burg WV Posts: 332	The "48" is a tube fed .22; not much by way of collecter value, so if the bore is ok, restoring won't hurt it. I saw that one went on GB recently for $100 in pretty decent shape; here's the link for info purposes: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=220747021 Looking at it again, I think this might actually be the 43 DL; possible that the auction link was as well, but hard to tell from the pic. Lots of references for the 43. It is a Marlin 81 made for Sears. __________________ Busting thugs since 1992 Last edited by gearhounds; May 9, 2011 at 07:05 AM.

May 9, 2011, 07:59 AM	#6
gearhounds Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2011 Location: M'burg WV Posts: 332	I'd look for some close up pics of the 43 and see if they match up; maybe someone on the forum has one and could post some? How badly broken is the stock? If it's not splintered, or not missing chunks /fragments, it's not too hard to glue and refinish yourself. What parts are needing replacement? If they are just rusty, but functional, I'd refinish the gun, and leave it as is. Here's another GB link to compare your rifle to: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=228946642 __________________ Busting thugs since 1992

May 9, 2011, 09:06 AM	#8
kenny g Member Join Date: February 13, 2011 Location: northern ky Posts: 65	just checked went out to the safe and checked mine but it's a mod #103.228 [ mag fed ]

November 19, 2012, 11:31 PM	#11
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	Yes, Sears didn't have anything changed but the roll stamps. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

May 8, 2011, 06:06 PM	#1
s2thalayer Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2009 Location: Danville, VA Posts: 101	J.C. Higgins Model 48 restoration questions An old 22 cal rifle just came into my possession. Going through an old building with my grandfather for an old antique table he wanted my mom to have i stumbled across the old rusted thing. Being a gun enthusiast and part time gunsmith it caught my eye as something to work on. He told me as far as he knew the stock was broken but thats all. Being in an old leaky building, it has been eaten up by rust of course but after lubing it up a bit and taking some steel wool to it, it seems to have no real mechanical problems. However, i plan on refinishing the stock and stripping the rifle for a more in depth cleaning. My question is, does anyone know anything about these rifles? After a few quick Google searches I havent had any luck, and you guys havent let me down yet so i figured id come here. Is this an old walmart brand kind of rifle or a fairly nice one? And does anyone know of a place i can purchase a new stock or parts for it?

May 9, 2011, 07:46 AM	#5
s2thalayer Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2009 Location: Danville, VA Posts: 101	So if i get parts for a marlin 81 i should be good to go?

May 9, 2011, 08:14 AM	#7
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,539	From the Numrich crossover chart: Sears 103.19820 = Marlin 81

May 9, 2011, 10:42 AM	#9
s2thalayer Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2009 Location: Danville, VA Posts: 101	The stock is pretty badly split. It appears that at one point it may have been in two pieces (straight down the middle). A good gluing job could have hidden the rest of the crack or it may have possibly only made it down half the stock. I'd take pictures but im at work. I'm a carpenter, so it's likely i can make the stock work. I'm mostly thinking of worst case scenario that the stock breaks at some point. As far as mechanical parts, i have a couple screws that refuse to come out, and im not firing this rifle until its completely stripped and cleaned. I'm not sure what i'll find, so once again just wondering if worst case scenario i find something broken that needs repair. (i might end up drilling out these screws in the end).

November 19, 2012, 10:14 AM	#10
s2thalayer Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2009 Location: Danville, VA Posts: 101	wanted to bump this because I've just gotten some funds and decided to tackle this again. I ran into some problems restoring it. The rust is worse than I thought, got in over my head. A lot of screws broke off from rust and such. Point is, it's beyond repair with what i have right now. So what I would like to do is just buy another one, and switch out the entire FCG if I have to. I want to keep as much of the rifle as possible for sentimental reasons, but I want it to fire. So, based on the above images of the model number and such, if I wanted to buy a rifle that has salvageable parts, would a Marlin 81 be a fit? or do I need to find this exact rifle in JC Higgins. If so, I've been searching google, but is there any specific place I might have more luck at finding one?