Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Aesthetics, Operation, or Vintage?

When shopping for rimfires, I really prefer older vintage rifles with walnut and blue and a history of quality and accuracy. However, aesthetics are important to me when I am buying rifles for the "collection" . For instance, I love my Winchester 52's but won't buy a Mossberg 144 even even though the accuracy is reported to be approximately equal from some sources...

I know lots of guys like stainless and composite, and other combinations and that works also. What is your preference when looking at or purchasing a rimfire for your uses? Or even just to put in the safe for yourself or future generations to use?

I think I am where you are.

My last two rimfire purchases (both this year) are an 1897 Cowboy and a Kimber of America (Oregon) M82.

Anymore I focus on single shots. Vintage and correct as possible. Oldest- a Ballard from around 1890, newest- a BSA Martini International from 1950. Latest acquisition- a 1930's Stevens Walnut Hill. Most of them at least as accurate as the 52, the International way more so. Sold the 52 as a result. Never met a bolt gun of a lesser make that held a candle to a 52. These single shots are a whole 'nother story though.

Notice I didn't bring up Anschutz, due to the 54 and 64 and all their permutations weren't around during the era I'm fixated on. Modern Anschutzes (and surely others) rule the roost today, but they'll get by without me.

I have a really accurate 22, a couple with beautiful walnut stocks and a few vintage 22's. Two wishes remaining -- a High Plains stock for my TC custom shop Contender and a Walnut Hill with a vintage scope. Some of the others will have to go if I'm ever going to afford the Walnut Hill.

I have an assortment now, no duplicates in style or niche. My goal is to assign each a preferred load from my Boomer Hoard and start using them up, but not just blasting away. Handguns get the bulk stuff and other dregs.

Some guys really prefer the 10-22 type rifles but I've never been really interested for some reason. In fact, with my growing collection of rimfires I still don't own an auto except for couple pistols and don't plan any time soon to add them to my collection. My bunch is pretty eclectic for the most part but they do have a few things in common. They are all bolt action rifles, walnut and blue, and fairly to very accurate- or they go down the road. Some of them I've stocked myself for one reason or another... most of them are early Winchesters like 52's, a few 69A's, a 75 sporter, and a Remington 40X or two thrown into the mix along with a couple Kimbers and a sporterized Erma/Mauser trainer .... almost all will shoot under a half inch at 50 with ammo they like and a couple are very much better than that... so I guess my preference is aesthetics, and accuracy...

Have to admit though- I would dearly love to have a Canyon Creek custom and a Anschutz 54 Sporter like a 1727/1710 or something along that line...

More towards older school blued and walnut. My last five purchases over the past couple of years include a first run Mannlicher 10-22, a Remington 541 T, a Savage Anschutz M54, a BRNO ZKM-611 and a Remington M572. All bought on a whim given how they were priced.

I have a 25 year old Marlin, a Stevens 87A, a Winchester 69 and a recently acquired Model 52. I've only had one time at the range with 52 so I'm still learning about it. The 69 is a good shooter. The Stevens is a fascinating oddity. My interest going forward is more Winchesters, so I'll say I like vintage.

I'm an old [bleep], that likes old [bleep]. But...... 'operation' and modern stuff is my latest choices. Carbon barrels, turreted scopes and modern mags and cartridges(17WSM) have been eating my time lately.

22lr


17wsm

Hunts that wsm pic is great

I don’t think I can make even a reasonable attempt to explain my rimfire habits, as they don’t follow any given path.

Like Hunts I love the precision and ergos of newer offerings. But I’m a sucker for older quality and craftsmanship. Especially love old trainers.

Been on an older smith and colt revolver kick lately
1926 smith here. With gin

Different ends of the spectrum

Analog vs. digital, techno vs. retro, style vs. efficiency - it all boils down to whether or not you subscribe to "form follows function" and "the means justifies the end." Personally I'm willing to surrender a little efficiency in order to go through life with style and grace. It's why I love vintage arms and spend as much time driving my vintage MG as I can.

Wood is good. I like blue, but a rust finish has its place. Precision is far better than spray and pray.

All of the above..... Ha ha.. But just for chidts and giggles, I'm getting ready to go and shoot my new rifle. I bought it for its known accuracy and I do like the target sights that comes on the rifle. Even though they are not of the same quality as my 1949 Winchester model D. I buy based on personal experience. When I find something that works very well, I may buy another. This is exactly what I did with this recent purchase. Having a similar rifle, but in a single shot version, I opted to buy another one, but this time with a magazine. Here's how the single shot looked when I bought it:


Now, I'm not a fan of the plastic stock, but that is just a $165.00 fix. Same rifle, but new stock:

I decided it was worth the investment to put it in the Boyds because it shoots so well:



That rifle was $194.00 on sale, so I could not pass it up. That's another thing that influences my decision when buying rifles. The PRICE!!! That is first and foremost. So this new rifle that I brought home yesterday is going to get broke in today. Should be a damn good shooter. If it pans out, it will be getting a new Boyds stock. As far as "aesthetics", yeah I buy rifles based on that and also collectability. My winchester model 52D has both going for it:


(I'm with digital dan on the "spray and pray")

So now that is Price, collectability, Aesthetics, Accuracy, and I will not buy a gun that does not operate well, so that is a moot point...

Just to verify, that's their Pro Varmint stock, correct?

Aesthetics for me because I end up looking at a rifle more than I use one now that I have the red squirrel population whittled down to near nothing. My Ruger walnut/stainless 77/22 has the same operating system as my favorite deer rifle, so familiarity is a plus too. A better trigger and adult size proportions on that 77/22 as opposed to so many of the bolt action 22's out there that have short cheap wood stocks and minuscule bolt actions. Oh I've got the vintage Winchester 61 because I grew up with a similar 62A , but that trigger pull and aesthetics thing has it relegated to the #2 position.

That is the rimfire hunter. I chose that one because I like the shape of it. I may go the same route you did and buy a Pro Varmint next time. I don't plan on using it for any speed shoots, so the pro varmint should work very well. For golf ball shoots, I prefer a sporter style stock like the rimfire hunter, as I mentioned in your thread. My A17 fits that bill perfectly:



The 2 laminated wood stocked rifles in this picture are my "go to" golf ball guns. That A17 is very accurate, as is the 93R17, aesthetically pleasing and most of all ergonomically suited to that task. Lets just say its FAST.....: fast handling, the bullet is fast and hits hard and precisely. In those shoots, I want a rifle I can control well. I've tried vertical grips, like the new Magpul X22 for my 10-22 and it does not handle like a good sporter style stock. The Pro Varmint is a very nice stock, but it's slower than a sporter style stock IMHO. Awesome off the bench though..

Where do you hold your rimfire competitions? I've been looking for a place to get involved in some competitions so I can get properly humbled and entertain the crowd with my ineptitude, but haven't found any willing audiences yet...

I’ll add a fourth - accuracy……and actually that’s my first requirement followed by the other three in about equal order. I am not prejudice either - I do prefer wood and blue but have a few synthetic and/or stainless also. I do end up gravitating to a fine wood stocked sporter/light target as I was raised a rimfire squirrel hunter in PA. Thus some of my favorites are Winchester 52 sporters, Anschutz 54/1422/1710, Remington 40X/541s, Mauser Es/Ms350Bs and Mm410B, Walther KKJs, early BRNOs, Marlin 1897/39 and Winchester 9422 levers, Kimbers of Oregon and Yonkers, Coopers 36/57s, Winchester pumps and autos (vintage), and yes even vintage Mossberg (especially 42/46s). However if it shoots I’ll try it and have things like Norinco JW-15s and the like. Enjoy pistols and revolvers too - early Colts, S&Ws, Freedom Arms, Dan Wesson, and the occasional Rugers and Buckmarks.

Again anything that stacks them on one another has my interest!

PennDog

p.s. I do have to add that I throughly enjoy taking a Mossberg to a .22 competition and doing well and/or beating some of the higher end .22s - the ones I have do shoot very well and will hold their own against my “higher” end .22s accuracy wise.