Help with 22 rifle...

[Copperhead]

An old farmer gave me this years ago, is there a way to date it?....any value?....I know there's a lot of gun owners here, would appreciate any tips on caring for it...I fired it about 25 years ago...would it be safe to do so again?..thanks, I hope I'm not annoying you all to much..

 

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[ivan salis]

heck yeh cleaner up and shoot her---those old .22 rifles last about forever---you can look up info on it on the web--easily. Ivan

 

[SC_hunter]

It looks like it is fine shape...a little cleaning and I would shoot it all day long and then some...you can't "break" em. I couldn't see the model number on it but look close and I'm sure you will find one..then google it and you should be able to find a close age of the rifle.

 

[Swingit]

Yep clean her up and shes good to go

 

[bill gent]

i have an identical 22 just like it it sold in sears it shoots just fine the only thing I had to replace was the fireing pin could be worth in places about 100-

 

[Copperhead]

heck yeh cleaner up and shoot her---those old .22 rifles last about forever---you can look up info on it on the web--easily. Ivan

Well I'll be the first to admit...I have a hard time finding anything--easily on the web.

It looks like it is fine shape...a little cleaning and I would shoot it all day long and then some...you can't "break" em. I couldn't see the model number on it but look close and I'm sure you will find one..then google it and you should be able to find a close age of the rifle.

The only thing I could find was the number 14 with a circle around it, is that the model number?...thanks..

 

[Dodad]

Very nice looking .22 rifle. I have several .22s from various makers. Mine are mostly modern but some of my favorites are the plain models. Yours looks to be in very good condition. If I were you I'd take it out,put some targets up and run some lead through it. I like to use mine to practice with before I get out the big boys. It's a whole lot cheaper and a lot of fun. And remember to clean and oil it inside and out before putting it back in the closet or on the wall.

 

[chong2]

i had one like that, my first .22, a single shot that had to be cocked and fired 5 times till it shot, bad pin. also it was old enough where there was no serial number.

 

[stoney56]

It looks like possibly a 52A. A number of manufacturers made similar rifles as an entry level starter rifle.

http://www.iguanasoft.com/~jeffersonian/m52.html

 

[TreasureTales]

Nice ID stoney56!

Those .22 single shots are nice rifles. Very good for teaching someone how to shoot. I could always outshoot my brothers, and the .22 rifle made me feel like Annie Oakley. She liked Remingtons if I recall correctly.

 

[Monty]

There were millions of these little single shot 22s made and sold going all the way back to when the first .22 rimfire cartridges were made. They are not particularly scarce or worth a lot of money but they were just good solid safe little rifles. There should be no reason you couldn't fire it today. Excellent little squirrel and pesky varment shooter. Monty

 

[Timberwolf]

I bought one like this @ Oklahoma Tire & Supply (OTASCO) when I was about 12/14. It and a box of shells came to about $21.00. That would have been between 1968 & 1970. I don'y have any ideal what they are worth today, but I still have mine.

Tom

 

[Functional]

An old farmer gave me this years ago, is there a way to date it?....any value?....I know there's a lot of gun owners here, would appreciate any tips on caring for it...I fired it about 25 years ago...would it be safe to do so again?..thanks, I hope I'm not annoying you all to much..

Dating your 22 would be difficult as they were made for several years from the late 1800's to the mid 1900's. If you want to devote some time to it, check for a model number, (it might be a model #14 as you mention in your other post), and note any other details, such as a patent number. Then go to the following web page and check all references to the word "Springfield 22".
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Guns-Firearms-Projectile-1501/indexExp_70671.htm

Early on I believe this gun was actually manufactured by Springfield, but later it was "farmed out" to J. Stevens Arms, which was later taken over by Savage, which made guns for other companies. If you need to, you can still get replacement parts from:
http://www.e-gunparts.com/

Hope this helps.

F.

 

[snake35]

It is perfectly safe to shoot. Check the bore for obstructions and clean it good. You will probably find that it is amazingly accurate. good luck.

 

[EDDE]

dont use that cheap lead shot use a copper jacked lead
lead fowlings will build up and cause bore damage
never shot just straight lead

 

[Copperhead]

Thanks for the tips all, haven't been able to pin down a date yet..It might be as early as 1906-1910..waiting for info from 2 sources...not as easy to id as you might think..

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

When all else fails check with Numrich Arms Co. in West Hurly, NY. They stock parts for lots of old firearms (especially handy for locating parts for foreign military arms).

There are PAGES of Springfield firearms (not including Springfield Armory). I don't know where my catalog hard copy is (it's about 2" thick) but I did find schematics for Springfields here:

http://www.e-gunparts.com/model.asp?idDept=235

But without the model number it would take hours to find the "free viewable" for your exact model. It's not a Model 14 Springfield (that's a shotgun), and unfortunately the model 52 is not a free viewable.

As Ivan Sails said, most .22 LR, especially the old classics, are overbuilt and as long as the bore is clean and clear there is little danger in firing them. I broke the firing pin on my Dad's 1912 Remington Model 12 several years ago and an elderly local gunsmith , now sadly deceased, pulled out the exact one I needed from a row of boxes behind the counter on the first try. You won't get that result at Gander Mountain I'm afraid.

PS - EDDEKALB - I've fired thousands and thousand and thousands of lead .22LR in rifles and pistols. The copper washed variety are a fairly recent development in my life's timeline. I only look for them when shooting "high velocity" loads. I'm very impressed, by the way, with the Sellier & Belliot 36gr copper plated HV cartridges. Good, accurate fodder at the price and effective up to coon sized game. The worst part about the lead bullets is they are waxed, and if carried in a pocket pick up lint and dust. THAT is bad for the bore. A cruddy bullet in the bore is like wiping your car off with a gritty rag. Scratch city. Always carry any lead bulleted cartridges in the box or a dedicated pouch.

 

[ivan salis]

yep charle ---those old 22 single shots guns are great---simple tuff critters---great for small game rabbit,squirrels (my gramps never used a shotgun on squirrels--- he hated picking the shot out of em--always a 22 and a dead eye shot he was too)---great trainer gun for a kid or a single shot that all that needed type hunter. keep the bore clean --clean em when you use em---only a light coat not too heavy on the oil at the end--yep I hunt and shoot quite a bit. those guns are simple,well built and a very safe type design if handled properly---what more can you want? Ivan

 

[Las Vegas Bob]

I have a rilfe just like that.

It was my Grandfathers.

He got it as a prize for selling Cloverine Salve (a kind of like Vasoline) when he was a teenager.

 

[joey94]

Its an old sniper rifle i'm gassing,how do i no,well i play the game "Call of Dutie" and the spring field is a sniper rifle so i'm gassing its a old sniper rifle with no scope