Re: Want to buy old single shot .22 lr rifle
Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2021 1:19 am
What shoots well and what doesn't can often be a funny thing.
Of course, the state of the barrel is a VERY important issue: if the rifling is worn, or if the bore is pitted, you cannot expect a great deal of accuracy from a 22, or from any gun, for that matter.
Another important issue is the chamber, and whether it is cut large or tight, or whether it is worn can greatly affect accuracy. The Ruger 10/22 is one of the most-sold 22 rifles, and it is said that, if one is lucky, he gets one that has had the chamber cut with a new reamer, as opposed to a worn one.
Not pertinent to your issue, but 22 revolvers need to have the barrel properly seated and tightened to the frame for them to shoot well.
It seems as if the "lowly" 22 long rifle cartridge is a pretty sophisticated customer!
My Marlin 39A is as old as I am, and was made before Marlin introduced their "Microgroove" rifling. It shoots as well as any 22 I've seen on hunting forays, and is only limited by its crude sights.
Whether the rifle is a single shot or not is, to my mind, simply a matter of convenience. It doesn't have a lot to do with how well it will shoot. If you get a single shot, you do not need to feel that it constrains your shooting in the accuracy department: it shouldn't be a factor, for better or for worse.
As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Look whatever you buy over as well as possible. Ideally, you'd be able to try it out on the range. That would be the ultimate inspection, if you can do it. You can rule out something that's been used as a jack handle and other examples of mishandling. My Marlin, for instance, is not misused, but the blue is thin in some spots and it doesn't necessarily look like it just came home from the store. This is to say, how old the gun is may not be very much of an issue. It could have sat in the corner of the closet for most of those years, unused. Of course, it could have sat there and rusted, too. The barrel life of a 22 is very long, so if it's been cared for, it can shoot well, old or new. Then again, in Montana, there were old timers who would sit in a car in the middle of the field and shoot ground squirrels all day long. Some of these old buzzards had completely worn out their Ruger 22s, and were on the second one. That's a LOT of shooting.
So in the end, there are guidelines to choosing a good used gun, but no secret formula that guarantees success. You look it over and do your best, and then hope for the best. All of the guns i've ever bought shot reasonably well, although I will admit to have only bought three 22s, and have owned five. (Add one more to each category for my Wife's pistol.) The ultimate test to whether the gun is any good is how it shoots, so if you can try it before buying it, you are ahead of the game.
Of course, the state of the barrel is a VERY important issue: if the rifling is worn, or if the bore is pitted, you cannot expect a great deal of accuracy from a 22, or from any gun, for that matter.
Another important issue is the chamber, and whether it is cut large or tight, or whether it is worn can greatly affect accuracy. The Ruger 10/22 is one of the most-sold 22 rifles, and it is said that, if one is lucky, he gets one that has had the chamber cut with a new reamer, as opposed to a worn one.
Not pertinent to your issue, but 22 revolvers need to have the barrel properly seated and tightened to the frame for them to shoot well.
It seems as if the "lowly" 22 long rifle cartridge is a pretty sophisticated customer!
My Marlin 39A is as old as I am, and was made before Marlin introduced their "Microgroove" rifling. It shoots as well as any 22 I've seen on hunting forays, and is only limited by its crude sights.
Whether the rifle is a single shot or not is, to my mind, simply a matter of convenience. It doesn't have a lot to do with how well it will shoot. If you get a single shot, you do not need to feel that it constrains your shooting in the accuracy department: it shouldn't be a factor, for better or for worse.
As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Look whatever you buy over as well as possible. Ideally, you'd be able to try it out on the range. That would be the ultimate inspection, if you can do it. You can rule out something that's been used as a jack handle and other examples of mishandling. My Marlin, for instance, is not misused, but the blue is thin in some spots and it doesn't necessarily look like it just came home from the store. This is to say, how old the gun is may not be very much of an issue. It could have sat in the corner of the closet for most of those years, unused. Of course, it could have sat there and rusted, too. The barrel life of a 22 is very long, so if it's been cared for, it can shoot well, old or new. Then again, in Montana, there were old timers who would sit in a car in the middle of the field and shoot ground squirrels all day long. Some of these old buzzards had completely worn out their Ruger 22s, and were on the second one. That's a LOT of shooting.
So in the end, there are guidelines to choosing a good used gun, but no secret formula that guarantees success. You look it over and do your best, and then hope for the best. All of the guns i've ever bought shot reasonably well, although I will admit to have only bought three 22s, and have owned five. (Add one more to each category for my Wife's pistol.) The ultimate test to whether the gun is any good is how it shoots, so if you can try it before buying it, you are ahead of the game.