Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Remington 581

I haven't taken possession of mine yet but seem to remember they were like the 788 but not grown up.

I got a couple boxes of T22 ammo, ran it through a cooper 36, Annie 54, CZ 452..... Horrible. Federal. Winchester, remmington bulk ammo shot much better.


Surprisingly depressing.

I keep hearing how great these rifles are but my left handed one must have been the exception because it didn't shoot well and felt pretty cheap to me. Sold it a few years ago and don't miss it.

I've had a 580, 581 and a 582 the only one I have now is the 580. 581 Hated those Damn plastic mags.! If you had 4 out of 10 that worked as they should your were lucky. The 582 was a good rifle but slow to load in the gopher fields (I did use a tube speed loader). The 580 is just right, I can single load it just as fast as loading mag/tube and nothing to lose in the field. I glassed it fore and aft but haven't yet had the trigger worked on but that just makes me squeeze it and not jerk, a good thing. Mine wears a 2x7 Leupold and a banged up yellow stock and shoots Blazers into 1/2" at 50 all day long (or just about anything else for that matter), just like my 64 Anchutz.-Muddy

Not depressing, every rimfire rifle has a preference for what they like or don't like. It is all part of the testing. However, I sold off all the 581's we owned as I just got tired of hunting with such ugly rifles even though they were tack drivers. I been a Cooper fan for about 7-8 years now.

I wasn't fond of the looks of mine either so I rebuilt it and now it shoots and looks much more pleasing.

Very nice stock! Looks like it sure didn't hurt the way it shoots...

Thanks. No, it keeps up with my Sako now. The stock is an old Bishop replacement stock for the 541's. Someday and hopefully soon I can get it checkered. Forgot to mention that I did add the second action screw.

I've had a 581 for about 40 years. My first tack driver that my three grandsons prefer to shoot today.

At some point in time, a few of these little rifles had been converted to .22 Hornet. I suppose they continued to be fine shooters. I'm told the conversions were made because of the action.

What really came of all that, or a portion of it, was that I picked up a couple barrels from a gunsmith that did a few 581/Hornet conversions. Two of those barrels are now in custom made rifles by me. One is a Trapdoor Carbine and the other is a Win 1885. Both rifles are superb shooters today.

If you can latch onto a 581 today, take it home. Hopefully, it will have a very good action and a fine barrel.

I bought my 22-250 788 in 1977 and had been trying to find a 581 on and off since then. One of my best friends has had one almost all that time and I could never talk him out of it. He passed away about 6 months ago

Last year one of the guys on RFC posted a Gunshop/pistol range in Colorado had one that looked like new. $149.95. I figured it would be gone but when I called them they still had it. Built in Sept 1967 which was the last month they did not get serial numbers. It came with a period Bushnell 22 scope ( had one back then) and even a case that is lined in flannel that looks like pajama material

When I got it the trigger was locked up but I had ran into this before. Remington shipped these with the trigger packed full of white grease and it hardens into something like plaster. The first one I fixed back in the 90's took me a solid week of soaking in carb cleaner then Safety Klean solvent. This one only took two days. So if you trigger has this crap in it be sure to soak it and remove it before it hardens.

I found a piece of bicycle inner tube in the fore end to create a pressure point improved accuracy. I bedded it using a trick we use at RFC by applying aluminum tape to the receiver until it is tight in the stock. If anyone wants a tutorial I will post a link. Fast and easy to do and will give about 90 - 95% of what glass bedding will do. I also changed to a more modern scope but here it is as received. Stock is walnut. Only these early ones got that.

K22 - Beautiful rig!

Here's my 581, converted to .17HM2 with a 541 takeoff stock from Numrich's. Trigger tuned and it all built by Brian Voelker.

Vincent,
I would appreciate any information you want to provide as I will take possession of a LH 581 soon. Great example of early walnut stock, too.

SS, you did what I want to do with mine, convert it to 17 HM2. Are there any tricks you learned you can share?

I have owned a half dozen 580's and 581's and that is the nicest stock I have ever seen on one.

Congrats, not only on a nice 581 but a great buy also.

drover

581s are the UBER sleeper in 22s. Mine is a lefty with a shortened barrel and shoots great with Eley and other 'target' brands of ammo.

Has anyone figured out a way to get a 30mm scope on one?

Thanks for the comments guys. I am usually a day late or a dollar short and I could not believe I got away with that one after all that waiting.

If you want to try the Aluminum tape bedding you can read my tutorial here:

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=465604

A thread on my rifle:

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=446543

You'll have to ask Brian Voelker. I can tell you it feeds and ejects perfectly and is accurate as all get out.

I'm going to call him to see if he will take on this project.

Thanks SS. Yours is a real eye catcher also and in 17 to boot. Perfect.

My 581L looks and feels cheap too, but it shoots lights out with almost any ammo I have run through it. 50 yard half inch groups are the norm. It would be the last rifle I would ever sell.