Buckshot
08-18-2016, 01:21 AM
..................One Tuesday at the range while us Burrito Shooters where sitting at a picnic table having lunch and solving the world's problems, one of the old pistol shooters came over and asked if any of us were in the market for a few guns? Nothing fancy he said, but a friend of his was needing to get rid of some. Me and another guy each got a S&W Victory model in 38 S&W. another got a older Savage Fox double 12 ga, and there were a couple others like a bolt action shotgun. The next week he asked me if I'd be interested in a bolt action clip fed 22 rifle for $50. Sure, I said. I figured most ANY 22 bolt gun would be worth that? So the next Tuesday he delivered this:
http://www.fototime.com/C5FB50E8EC6585A/standard.jpg
I named it my 'Western Auto" rifle, as that's what it reminded me of. It's a good solid 22 rifle with the only plastic in it being the buttplate. The wood is beach or birch, or? but it's in like new condition. This must have been an "Extra Special" version because it has a painted on forend tip! :-) Like a lot of 22 bolt action rifles, the barreled action was retained via a single screw. The screw had a rather large head and they'd cut a thoughtfully large slot into it, so you could use a quarter or a half dollar to remove or replace it. I got to looking at it internally and that one screw had quite a bit of steel to hold into that stock.
http://www.fototime.com/005131BE2DBFE8E/standard.jpg
The one action screw used the hole in front of the magazine cut through the stock.
http://www.fototime.com/508E0AF2D51AA06/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/FC441C8BB73B7AE/standard.jpg
The only other readily available location for a second attaching screw would be the hole used for a screw to attach the rear of the magazine housing. I turned a piece of steel up with a threaded stud to go into the action. Then left a 'Foot' on top for bedding. I also D&T'd it to accept another bolt. Originally in that position there was merely a wood screw holding the rear of the magazine plate to the stock. I drilled through for the new attachment bolt.
Apparently between Savage, Stevens, and Springfield they must have made absolutely oodles of these rifles in a myriad of model numbers, including utilizing some parts used for 22WMR models also. I gather they made these from the mid-late -30's until ? GPC has a boatload of parts for them, including steel magazines, except barrels it appears. In any event it wasn't but maybe a month or so and one of my shooting buddies laid a 22 Bolt action on my bench and asked me if I'd like to have it? I said "For free"? and he said yup, and added that it doesn't always fire. I picked it up and it was a 'Springfield' model 84C :-) The Stevens has a grooved receiver for a scope mount, but his Springfield requires a side mount, as it has two tapped holes. Happily the 2 filler screws were there. Must be an older version.
I took it all the way down and discovered the issue. The cocking cam at the rear of the bolt was worn, plus the cocking piece itself had a groove worn into it. So lifting the bolt handle wouldn't pull the striker back (the striker carried the cocking piece) far enough. That is, except on the rare occasions when an unworn bit of the cocking piece happened to catch the bolt cam just right. A 'new, unused' Bolt, rear ($38) and a 'Cocking piece' ($12) was ordered up and now it fires every time! So one complete 22 Bolt action for $50 and a free one that now works for $50 in parts seemed like a great deal.
They're not target rifles, but they are fine shooters for their intended use. They're older rifles with all steel machined parts and don't play at being something they're not. On Dec 12, 1975 (the day before I was married) I bought a Remington 582 brand new for $89. In this day and age, that will let you and the wife go out for a nice dinner, couple drinks and some left for a tip! :-)
..............Buckshot
http://www.fototime.com/C5FB50E8EC6585A/standard.jpg
I named it my 'Western Auto" rifle, as that's what it reminded me of. It's a good solid 22 rifle with the only plastic in it being the buttplate. The wood is beach or birch, or? but it's in like new condition. This must have been an "Extra Special" version because it has a painted on forend tip! :-) Like a lot of 22 bolt action rifles, the barreled action was retained via a single screw. The screw had a rather large head and they'd cut a thoughtfully large slot into it, so you could use a quarter or a half dollar to remove or replace it. I got to looking at it internally and that one screw had quite a bit of steel to hold into that stock.
http://www.fototime.com/005131BE2DBFE8E/standard.jpg
The one action screw used the hole in front of the magazine cut through the stock.
http://www.fototime.com/508E0AF2D51AA06/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/FC441C8BB73B7AE/standard.jpg
The only other readily available location for a second attaching screw would be the hole used for a screw to attach the rear of the magazine housing. I turned a piece of steel up with a threaded stud to go into the action. Then left a 'Foot' on top for bedding. I also D&T'd it to accept another bolt. Originally in that position there was merely a wood screw holding the rear of the magazine plate to the stock. I drilled through for the new attachment bolt.
Apparently between Savage, Stevens, and Springfield they must have made absolutely oodles of these rifles in a myriad of model numbers, including utilizing some parts used for 22WMR models also. I gather they made these from the mid-late -30's until ? GPC has a boatload of parts for them, including steel magazines, except barrels it appears. In any event it wasn't but maybe a month or so and one of my shooting buddies laid a 22 Bolt action on my bench and asked me if I'd like to have it? I said "For free"? and he said yup, and added that it doesn't always fire. I picked it up and it was a 'Springfield' model 84C :-) The Stevens has a grooved receiver for a scope mount, but his Springfield requires a side mount, as it has two tapped holes. Happily the 2 filler screws were there. Must be an older version.
I took it all the way down and discovered the issue. The cocking cam at the rear of the bolt was worn, plus the cocking piece itself had a groove worn into it. So lifting the bolt handle wouldn't pull the striker back (the striker carried the cocking piece) far enough. That is, except on the rare occasions when an unworn bit of the cocking piece happened to catch the bolt cam just right. A 'new, unused' Bolt, rear ($38) and a 'Cocking piece' ($12) was ordered up and now it fires every time! So one complete 22 Bolt action for $50 and a free one that now works for $50 in parts seemed like a great deal.
They're not target rifles, but they are fine shooters for their intended use. They're older rifles with all steel machined parts and don't play at being something they're not. On Dec 12, 1975 (the day before I was married) I bought a Remington 582 brand new for $89. In this day and age, that will let you and the wife go out for a nice dinner, couple drinks and some left for a tip! :-)
..............Buckshot