Hello All
I have been on the Hunt for a decent priced .22 rim fire rifle to Hunt Fox squirrel's in my area with. last year I had a super nice Older bolt action Marlin Model 883 stainless chambered in .22 W.M.R. Cartridge but soon found out that the 22 Magnum explodes squirrel's. I am on the Hunt for a large Fox squirrel to mount to finish out my Large Bob-Cat Mount which is in the Pounce Position with him snarling and his paw's close together, of which I want to Place a Nice large Fox squirrel between is paw's. In using the Marlin Model 883 I Harvested some gray squirrel's with it and as I said it was far too much power and it destroyed the squirrel's.
I have a Remington Model 12-A Pump .22 rifle that I grew up with that is drop dead mint and shipped out of Remington in 1913. It came from a Great uncle of mine that had passed away and I never met, but it was left to me that I have had it for over 47 Years. There is no provision for a scope on the Remington Model 12-A and I just could not bring myself to Molest that rifle by drilling it and Tapping it's receiver to mount a scope, so that was not an Option. I have my Dad's first .22 rifle that is Branded as a Ranger Model that was sold through Sears-Roebuck's between 1935-1937 and Made by Marlin, which is a single shot rifle with a Buck horn sight that I can shoot decent with, but these old Eye's are failing and I want a gun with a scope mounted on it, so I did not desire to ruin this gun either as it was not set up to take a scope, so that was not an Option.
I was out hitting a few pawn shop's the other day looking for a new Squirrel eliminator rifle in .22 L.R. and Looked at some newer offerings out there one being the Savage Mark II in Stainless steel with an accu-trigger on it, but I must admit I did not like the black synthetic stock on it or the finish and quality of the gun seemed Lacking to me, compared to Older higher quality made .22 rifle's so I Passed on it. I then was in one of our Larger Pawn shop's and spotted a Plain Jane looking Remington .22 rifle so I asked to see it.
The store clerk handed it to me and I promptly removed the Bolt from it's action. I Noticed that it was a Remington Model 581-S and it had a Five shot Plastic Magazine. Once I removed it's bolt I saw that it had the same Lug design on the Bolt that my Remington model 788 has. That got me thinking that it must have been a No frills price gun made by Remington as the Model 788 was, as this gun had the same Basic walnut stock with no checking, grip cap or for end ebony Piece like the Higher Priced Remington's had. I looked at it's sticker price and it was marked at $199.00.
I went to work Haggling with the store clerk and was out of there with it for $160.00 which Included tax & back ground check. I was Pleased with the Purchase of it and stopped off at another local gun shop that I vist on the way home. I looked in the glass case and that was a classic Redfield Tracker scope sitting there so I asked to see it. I took off the Turret cap's and noticed that it was an early Redfield Tracker as the Turret's were aluminum Not Plastic and it was of 3-9 Power. It had a duplex recticle in it but when I looked through it the image's I focused on looked fuzzy. I asked the guy behind the counter why it looked that way, and he said I don't know but it'ss priced right at just $25.00, and did so in a Rather Cocky Way.
He went back to Talking to another guy in the store so I loosened the eye focal piece and began to play with it. It took about Six full Turns of it but it became crystal clear to anything that I put it on in any given power. I walked over the store clerk and asked if this price was the best he could do ? he said Give me 20 Buck's and it's Yours, That Scope is a Piece of Junk to me and I ceretainly was not going to Argue with his Wise Crack so I was out the door with a decent older Redfield 3-9 scope a few minute's later. I was Not real familiar with this Remington Model 581-S but by Judging that the rifle was made sometime in the late 1960's to Early 1970's time span I knew Remington was still putting out some Great Accurate barrels and actions so I felt it would make a good squirrel rifle.
Now after owning a few model 788's I know that the weak point was their Lousy trigger Pulls. I have Modified mine so that it Breaks clean at just two Pound's with zero creep and it only Involved some Sear Polishing as well as Trigger Polishing and Placing a reduced Trigger spring in it that I bought called The Patriot reduced Trigger Pull spring. The Fix of the cheap made trigger assemblies on a Model 788 is less than $10.00, so I was excited to see that this gun had the exact same trigger assembly in it that my model 788 has because it kept the cost of it down and other's from really wanting to fool with it at a cost that was attractive to me.
As soon as I got it home and Pulled the barrel & action out of the stock I noticed that it's trigger looked exact to the one in my 788, so I ordered a new reduced Trigger Pull spring for it and am awaiting that to come in at this point. In the mean time I mounted my scope and will be working on bedding the stock for the action as I feel once I modify it's trigger this Gun will be the little Brother to the Model 788 & I am certain that it will shoot every bit as accurate. If you have a Remington model 581-S I sure would cherish your Opinion on it. I will Post some picture's of mine as I progress with the work on it as soon as the reduced Trigger Pull spring show's up, she aint Pretty but then again it is hard to find and accurate .22 rifle these days for a Package price of $180.00. Regards, TheGeneral
I have been on the Hunt for a decent priced .22 rim fire rifle to Hunt Fox squirrel's in my area with. last year I had a super nice Older bolt action Marlin Model 883 stainless chambered in .22 W.M.R. Cartridge but soon found out that the 22 Magnum explodes squirrel's. I am on the Hunt for a large Fox squirrel to mount to finish out my Large Bob-Cat Mount which is in the Pounce Position with him snarling and his paw's close together, of which I want to Place a Nice large Fox squirrel between is paw's. In using the Marlin Model 883 I Harvested some gray squirrel's with it and as I said it was far too much power and it destroyed the squirrel's.
I have a Remington Model 12-A Pump .22 rifle that I grew up with that is drop dead mint and shipped out of Remington in 1913. It came from a Great uncle of mine that had passed away and I never met, but it was left to me that I have had it for over 47 Years. There is no provision for a scope on the Remington Model 12-A and I just could not bring myself to Molest that rifle by drilling it and Tapping it's receiver to mount a scope, so that was not an Option. I have my Dad's first .22 rifle that is Branded as a Ranger Model that was sold through Sears-Roebuck's between 1935-1937 and Made by Marlin, which is a single shot rifle with a Buck horn sight that I can shoot decent with, but these old Eye's are failing and I want a gun with a scope mounted on it, so I did not desire to ruin this gun either as it was not set up to take a scope, so that was not an Option.
I was out hitting a few pawn shop's the other day looking for a new Squirrel eliminator rifle in .22 L.R. and Looked at some newer offerings out there one being the Savage Mark II in Stainless steel with an accu-trigger on it, but I must admit I did not like the black synthetic stock on it or the finish and quality of the gun seemed Lacking to me, compared to Older higher quality made .22 rifle's so I Passed on it. I then was in one of our Larger Pawn shop's and spotted a Plain Jane looking Remington .22 rifle so I asked to see it.
The store clerk handed it to me and I promptly removed the Bolt from it's action. I Noticed that it was a Remington Model 581-S and it had a Five shot Plastic Magazine. Once I removed it's bolt I saw that it had the same Lug design on the Bolt that my Remington model 788 has. That got me thinking that it must have been a No frills price gun made by Remington as the Model 788 was, as this gun had the same Basic walnut stock with no checking, grip cap or for end ebony Piece like the Higher Priced Remington's had. I looked at it's sticker price and it was marked at $199.00.
I went to work Haggling with the store clerk and was out of there with it for $160.00 which Included tax & back ground check. I was Pleased with the Purchase of it and stopped off at another local gun shop that I vist on the way home. I looked in the glass case and that was a classic Redfield Tracker scope sitting there so I asked to see it. I took off the Turret cap's and noticed that it was an early Redfield Tracker as the Turret's were aluminum Not Plastic and it was of 3-9 Power. It had a duplex recticle in it but when I looked through it the image's I focused on looked fuzzy. I asked the guy behind the counter why it looked that way, and he said I don't know but it'ss priced right at just $25.00, and did so in a Rather Cocky Way.
He went back to Talking to another guy in the store so I loosened the eye focal piece and began to play with it. It took about Six full Turns of it but it became crystal clear to anything that I put it on in any given power. I walked over the store clerk and asked if this price was the best he could do ? he said Give me 20 Buck's and it's Yours, That Scope is a Piece of Junk to me and I ceretainly was not going to Argue with his Wise Crack so I was out the door with a decent older Redfield 3-9 scope a few minute's later. I was Not real familiar with this Remington Model 581-S but by Judging that the rifle was made sometime in the late 1960's to Early 1970's time span I knew Remington was still putting out some Great Accurate barrels and actions so I felt it would make a good squirrel rifle.
Now after owning a few model 788's I know that the weak point was their Lousy trigger Pulls. I have Modified mine so that it Breaks clean at just two Pound's with zero creep and it only Involved some Sear Polishing as well as Trigger Polishing and Placing a reduced Trigger spring in it that I bought called The Patriot reduced Trigger Pull spring. The Fix of the cheap made trigger assemblies on a Model 788 is less than $10.00, so I was excited to see that this gun had the exact same trigger assembly in it that my model 788 has because it kept the cost of it down and other's from really wanting to fool with it at a cost that was attractive to me.
As soon as I got it home and Pulled the barrel & action out of the stock I noticed that it's trigger looked exact to the one in my 788, so I ordered a new reduced Trigger Pull spring for it and am awaiting that to come in at this point. In the mean time I mounted my scope and will be working on bedding the stock for the action as I feel once I modify it's trigger this Gun will be the little Brother to the Model 788 & I am certain that it will shoot every bit as accurate. If you have a Remington model 581-S I sure would cherish your Opinion on it. I will Post some picture's of mine as I progress with the work on it as soon as the reduced Trigger Pull spring show's up, she aint Pretty but then again it is hard to find and accurate .22 rifle these days for a Package price of $180.00. Regards, TheGeneral