Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires remington 581 questions..might be buying one

I am thinking about buy a remington 581 that the local gunshop has for sale. They want 175 for it but the guy that has the shop usually marks things up about 25 bucks more than he expects to get. I haven't looked at the gun but he says that it is nice. How do I know if the trigger is the one that can be worked on or not. I gather that they have the same action as the 541-S. How hard is it to get one to shoot like a 541s. Mess with the trigger and do some bedding? Or do I need a new barrel plus trigger and bedding work? Any advice for me? I have two 788's so I want a .22 that feels like my other guns especially if they will shoot like the newer .22 calibers. Am I asking too much of an old .22?

Yes. Get it!

Have had two 581�s, a left hand and a right hand action but that was over 25 years ago so bear with my memory. The triggers are not adjustable per se but I suspect a little judicious smoothing and stoning will certainly clean them up. The action is the same as the 541 IIRC, the 541 is just a 581 in fancy clothes. I certainly wouldn�t put a lot of money into bedding or a new barrel or anything, leastwise not on a 581. Both of mine shot great with no work at all so you probably wouldn�t see a big improvement over the stock rifle anyway.

IMHO they should be enjoyed for what they are, a nice economy .22 that shoots a lot better than the price would indicate, just like their big brothers the 788�s.

BTW, $175 is a pretty darn good price if it is in any kind of decent shape. The last one I bought NIB around 1984 was $125.

Jim - That is a good price, if you don't want it let me know and I will get it.

I have had several of them over the years and they all shot very well indeed. The barrel is just a straight tube with a piece of plastic in front of the receiver to simulate a taper to the barrel, the plastic piece also serves as a rear sight holder. Early 581's had a walnut stock but the later ones are a birch or some other inexpensive wood. They are very light, probably no more than 5 lbs.

The trigger is non-adjustable but can be modified to make it adjustable. If you do purchase it send me a PM with your e-mail address and I will send you a instructions (complete with picture) of how to do it.

But the real downside to them is that the magazines are becoming more and more difficult to locate.

drover

All i can say is buy it . I don't think you will be sorry. They are shooters

Here is mine . I re-barrel with Shaw Barrel. Tractor Trailer would haul the game i have killed with this rifle .

The 581's were a great low cost rifle that shot way better than it should have shot, for the price Remington charged for the rifle.

There are a bunch of used ones out there. However $175 is an pretty good price,depending on the condition.

I just sold a left handed model for $350 on the RF forum. And it took about 20 minutes for the rifle to sell, with a couple back up sales in only an hour or so. However the rifle could have passed for NIB, and it was left handed. So that was a premium price for a premium rifle. The LH models easily bring a $75 to almost $100 premium in that rifle. Simply because it is the only decent left hand rifle available for a cheap price.

I would expect a right hand model to bring about $250 if it is in close to NIB condition. So $175 is a good deal. But the condition needs to be fairly good to demand that price. Only you can judge the condition since you posted no pictures.

If it is in good conditon then you better go buy it. It will not laast long on the shelf. Alot of them appear around here on shelves. But they also disappear pretty quick.

The trigger on the one I sold was better than average for a 581. I have seen some triggers on them that were pretty horrendous.

Go over to the rimfire forum and you will find many discussions about the 581 and the 541 trigger comparisons. Tom.

Yes a definite buy at that price. My parents gave me a 581 for Christmas in 1977, and it still sits in the safe. It's an accurate rifle, but could stand a better trigger. I recently bought an R coded (made in 1968) 580 in mint condition for $155; a steal in my opinion. The 580 is more accurate than the 581.

I fix the trigger on mine . It has one spring that controls the sear return and the trigger . I took it out and cut the spring into and drilled a hole in the center and pined it making two separate springs and it dropped the trigger pull to around two pound and it was totally safe. I did this in the 70's and the rifle trigger has never failed and still works great today. .

Mine is sickly accurate with green tag. Put a Leupold 3x9 rimfire on it and could not be happier.

Saw a 581 LH today for $350, first I have seen in years.

You can also use the timney trigger that fits a 788 remington. You just have to trim the bolt stop back a little and reshape the safety lever.

Weagle

It's been ten days since the OP, and chances are if he didn't buy it by now, it is long gone. With several kinds of ammo, my 582 (tube-fed) is a one-holer. Astoundingly accurate gun.

I picked it up in 1983 at a small-town gun show. New in box: $65. I managed to keep a straight face while I counted out the bills, but I've been grinning ever since!

I bought the gun since the seller offered to take 150 for it. It has some small rust spots on the bolt and on the barrel but it isn't too bad for an old gun. I did get it home only to find out that the screw that holds the trigger on had loosened up causing the trigger to sit on the back of the trigger guard. The trigger pull was horrible but I did try a few 25 yard groups with it. It seemed to shoot one hole with pmc zapper and slightly bigger but still good groups with federal classic,remington golden bullets, cci green tag, cci stingers and a few others.

I got sick of the 10 pound trigger pull and left it at my neighbors who happens to be a gunsmith. He called to say that he will have it ready in about a week with the screw fixed and the trigger adjusted down to 3 pounds.

GUN 150
trigger fix 40
tax 9 and background check 5

total 204...results when when I get the gun back next week. And I have 21 different types of .22 ammo ready for testing.

While it's there, have the smith drill and tap it for some decent scope bases instead of those flimsy "tipoff" grooves. I'm glad I did. I got tired of the scope tipping off at the slightest provocation.

Weaver makes two-piece bases for that diameter receiver. I used those and some Burris rings.

Ya must be a rougher ol' cob than I am, Rocky? Never had a scope come loose from a grooved receiver yet and some have been sorely tested. ;O)

Mounted a 1" Bushnell 4X on my kid's 581 when it was new almost 30 years ago and the scope is still there. He had it out a few weeks ago, said she's still deadnutz.

I can't explain it. It may have been those grooves - or the rings. But the least bump and one or the other ring would pop right out of the groove. I'm particularly careful with my "stuff" but still bumped the scope off with annoying regularity.

Can't happen now, though!

Can�t say I have had the scope rings pop off either.

I bought mine used in the 80�s (1961 mfg) for��$40. I had to sell a couple Star Wars toys to get it

Since then I have refinished the stock twice and lopped about 3 inches off the barrel and killed piles of small furry critters with it. I found 2 10-round mags and 1 5-round mag in the back of Champion Shooters Supply for $5 each! I have learned much about shooting and 'shadetree smithing' on this rifle.

I must say, I wish steal mags and a replacement for the plastic 'quarter rib' were available. This may be the very last gun I would part with.

My first 22lr was a 581 that I was given on my 10th birthday, back in 1970. I finally sold that gun about five years ago, for about four times what it cost back in 1970. It was a solid, dependable gun that was quite accurate for a low cost sporter.

I just bought a very good used 581 with a walnut stock. Shoots well but trigger is SH*T. How do you adjust one?

Thanks.

I have been watching for a reasonably priced 582 to sit next to my first rifle. A 580 I received for Christmas in 1976, here it is now with the un-finished Black Walnut replacement stock. I need to get busy and install the Burris Compact 4x12 AO on it and go hunt.

Very nice