Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Vintage (or not) .22 target rifles

Got a Remington 510P single shot which I love, it's great fun and a real challenge to hit a 2" disc at 75 yards from field positions with the peep sight and factory front blade. But as much as I like it, it is a garden variety mid-20th century budget rifle with a set and forget sight.

Thinking of stepping things up just a notch and getting a real target rifle. Prime requirement is that it be stocked for and preferably come equipped with a quality adjustable peep and globe front. The first one that comes to mind is a Remington 513T. Basically it's the same action as the 510 with much better sights, a heavy barrel and full on target stock, but looking at them it seems like the trigger would be the same. The other one that I know of off the top of my head is the Winchester 75, basically the same setup on a Model 69 action (as I understand it).

I know, just get a Model 52 and be done with it, but those are getting a bit spendy for me, the 513T and 75 can still be found in the $500-700 range in good to great shape, plus this is just a range toy, I'm not out to start a career as an Olympic shooter. The Mossberg 44 is a sleeper value but I know little about them.

So, fire away. Any suggestions of others to consider are welcomed, foreign or domestic, 1940's to 60's era or totally modern. Particularly would like your reasons if you would, such as adjustable triggers or quality of the factory trigger, stuff like that. Not to be a jerk but "I hadda Springschutz Wehrmacht Trainer and it was great!" doesn't tell me much. Why it was great would be of benefit.

TIA

Fwiw, a pic of the fun gun, looking for a more serious minded stable mate.

You're on the right track IMO. But don't forsake the 52. Shop wisely and you can find a 52A for that kind of money- one needing some sweat equity to make it shine. Bore condition is paramount with any of them. Truly a fun undertaking! I wish you well!

Good choices Jim but I'll put in my 2 cent's worth here-

The 513T is a very nice target rifle with a good peep set up available on them . However, in my experience the Remington triggers on these rifles is a very weak point and I'm pretty sure they aren't adjustable- or if they are, it is a minimal amount of adjustment and they tend to creep terribly.

I have a few 69A's and a 75 Sporter and I like them a lot. The 75's are very similar tot he 69A's, but there are a few small differences. The 75 Target models and 75 Sporters were available with the excellent Lyman 57E peep sight if you shop around or get lucky, and the Target versions also had several other peeps available for them- all excellent. The beauty of the 69A's and 75 Sporter is you can carry them in the woods for squirrel hunting and they are light, have well designed stocks on them, and handle very well. The triggers are very adjustable on them and are simple to adjust - but don't expect a competition level trigger on these.

You may not be competitive with them, but there are days when my 69A's and 75 Sporter along with my buddie's 75 Target will give my 52's a run for their money with the right ammo. If you shop around you can find a later (post 49 I believe) that will also come with a grooved receiver so you can mount up a scope with tip off mounts if you like and remove it quickly to go back to aperture sights. I have a 69A with the relatively inexpensive 80A rear peep on it and it is surprisingly accurate even with my old eyes...

I shot with a 69A with a group who were shooting 513Ts, 52s, and 75s. They were all reliable, accurate, and perfectly good rifles. I think you’ll find any of them to be more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I’ve been eyeballing a 513T as a good alternative to my CZ Varmint when the mood strikes me.

Jim, look into the savage mark 2 target rifle. I was at a shop last month and saw a new one for $400.00. For the money, its not going to get beat. I have a single shot mk1 FVT, and it shoots as well as my 52B. Ive recently been competing in some know your limits shoots with that rifle with a scope, and cleaning up. That rifle cost me $199 new, but I added a $160 boyds to make it more functional (adult sized LOP) for myself. After that, theres the kimber 82g that used to be found for an excellent value. Trust me when I say they shoot damn well. Also, keep an eye on old 52's, 69's and 75's. Youll get lucky and find a great deal on one occasionally. I damn near bought a 69 target model last year that looked like new for $400. As for the 513T, its a good rifle, but not even in the same realm as a good 52, such as the one I use. I have a buddy that bought a like new 513T a few years ago for $400. It shoots 3/4" to 1" 5 shot groups at 50 yards, with irons. My 52B shoots a ragged hole for 10 shots with match grade ammo and 3/4" 10 shot groups with bulk federal and american eagle cheap ammo. My friend gets pizzed that his 513T doesn't shoot as well, but such is life.

If you are diligent in your search I’ve seen several anschutz 54’s sell for 700ish. They aren’t in perfect shape as could be expected but if you are willing to sand and refinish the stock you could have a top notch target gun for a bargain

The M75 has the M69A action. The M69 is the precursor action 1935-1937 to the M69A 1937-1963 (IIRC). The major difference is that the M69 is COC whereas the updated M69A is COO. While I have both, my favorite is a slim down M69 for doing what you are asking about.

the Mossberg 44 was used in bootcamps and is a very accurate rifle. don't overlook them. I had one and was a tack driver.

The Rem 513T has the same trigger that the 510 has, a good smith can make it a bit better but due to its design it will never be a target grade trigger. The Win 69A also has a very similar trigger design so it to has the same issue.

With that said - I started my gallery shooting (indoor 4-position shooting) using a 513T and a Fecker scope and enjoyed it a lot but when I stepped up to a Win 52 it became a whole different world.
I have never owned a Win 75 but they have a reputation as good shooters - I read a statement by one of the older outdoor writers "that the 75 would shoot as the same scores as the 52 but the 52's would have the higher X count", a bit of an overstatement I suspect or their would have been a lot more 75's sold.

From your description of what you want I would go with the recommendation of a 513T with a grooved receiver so you have the ability to mount a scope if you like. After I quit using mine for competition I used it for a lot of years as my gopher rifle and it brought a lot of smiles to my face.

drover

Excellent shooters and very fairly priced, when you can find them.

As an example...
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I found a 513T in a pawnshop years ago. What caught my eye was the fantastic custom stock. I bought it for $100, cleaned it up, scoped it, and used it. It was extremely accurate with garden variety 22 ammo. The bad news, for me, was that the 26” bull barrel made it a very heavy rifle. It wasn’t ever going to be the rifle a Win 52 is, I suppose, but it was a fantastic shooter. Probably the perfect 10 pound squirrel rifle, but I didn’t need a 10 pound squirrel rifle.

Most likely, the rifle had been set up by a serious competitive shooter. Maybe he got too old or died. I’ve often wondered who that guy was.

Stevens 416 is a real sleeper.

If you aren’t wedded to a bolt action, look at one of the BSA martini auctioned single shots. The Model12/15 and Model 13 are the most common and are quite accurate. The various International models will outshoot almost anything .22 rimfire but are a bit more expensive.

And yet another one not to be ignored in that price range is the BSA Martini Model 12. A pre-war job of high quality that gave the 52A a run for its money. Mine will lay 10 into 3/8-1/2" @ 50 and make me smile the whole way home from the range.

I have a Mossberg 340BA, and a Mossberg 320BA. Darn good shooters!

Don’t overlook new rifles while shopping. Even with a roomful of 22’s, my new favorite is a CZ 457. Blue steel and walnut stock for around $500. Adjustable trigger down to three pounds, half that with a replacement spring.

My target rifle does double duty as a working rifle. Winchester 75

What about the H&R model 12?

Could find a Kimber 82G in your price range