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Is this .22 safe to fire?

4K views 14 replies 13 participants last post by  Alpo 
#1 ·
So I just found an old 22 in my grandparents basement and I want to take it to the range. He says he got it from his friend in 1968 and his friend had it for a long time even then. My best guess is that it is from the 1940s. The top says sport 22 long rifle. The bolt is intact and I am planning to clean and oil it so it is a bit smoother when I pull it back. The mechanism works fine when dry fired. I shone a light down the barrel and it is clean. I am going to use my cleaning kit to clean the dirt out of it. I am worried that it will blow up when I shoot it and at the same time, I don't want to damage it. There are no cracks in the metal and everything looks in good condition. The biggest concern is the metal because there is some texturing that looks like corrosion. This is only on the outside of the gun and it only affects the top of the bolt that doesn't touch the casing for it. The gun is a single shot bolt action. You pull the bolt to add a round, close it then you cock it with a separate part behind the bolt. Three is also a bit of residue around the place where you put the round. It looks like a decomposed o ring or something but it could just be dirt.
 

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#2 ·
Clean it up and oil it properly. To test the weapon, lock it in a padded vise or weigh it down with sandbags. Tie a long piece of cord, 20 or 30 ft, to the trigger, load and cock the gun then back off the length of the cord and pull the trigger. The odds of a .22 blowing up are extremely high as it is a low pressure round. Good luck and be safe.
 
#3 ·
^^^not bad advice for a .22 you can start with a. 22 short and fire a few rounds inspecting as you go. Move up to .22 LR same precautions.

I've used a wrapped blanket to do that many years ago. Or take it to a qualified gunsmith.
 
#4 ·
Diamondback, do you mean extremely "low"?
My biggest concern would be a spray of particles hitting you in the eyeballs from a worn bolt. I had a similar type gun in the 60's that I put a gadzillion rounds through and it began spraying stuff in my eye when I shot it. In any event, Diamondback is correct in the first shot, but I would strongly suggest you wear eye protection with every shot. You may want to put a tissue (Kleenex type) over the bolt when you fire it to see if any crude is flying from the area where the bolt meets the barrel. I am guessing it is an old springfield????? But am far from being an expert.
 
#5 ·
............wear eye protection with every shot. You may want to put a tissue (Kleenex type) over the bolt when you fire it to see if any crude is flying from the area where the bolt meets the barrel. I am guessing it is an old springfield????? But am far from being an expert.
1. Yes eye and ear protection always a good idea.

2. Bolt looks a little like my dad's old Springfield single shot I learned to shoot on.
 
#6 ·
I have an Arisaka T38 that was in much worse condition than what you have there and today it gets used on a regular basis. Took some #9 and 0000 steel wool which managed to get off most of the surface rust, with just a few small spots that I keep an eye on just in case it returns. Not seeing it first hand none of us can say for sure so you'll have to use good judgement. Everyone has given you good advice and if you have any doubt, have a gunsmith give it a check for your peace of mind.

Enjoy
 
#7 ·
Welcome to the forum! None of us can tell you for sure that your rifle is safe to shoot. If we had it in our hands, that's a different story. My advice is to take it to a gun smith, and ask him these questions. Probably won't cost you anything, but then again he might charge you $1o. Good find by the way!
 
#8 ·
when I got my Ruger Standard it looked just like that. A 2 day bath in a 50/50 mix of ATF and penetrant freed it up. I took it to the range and clamped it in a jewelers vise (thank wife), loaded one round in magazine, tied a 40 foot fishing line to trigger, and let her rip.
 
#9 ·
When I was in junior high school some 60 years ago my dad allowed me to buy a Sears-Roebuck J C Higgins single shot that worked just as described. My life long friend was from a shooter family and I wanted to participate too. My Dad was not adverse to shooting but was not a gun person. I am thankful that he trusted me enough to allow me to have a gun. I have vivid memories of the transaction with he and I standing in the Sears sporting goods section of the store. Today I have many guns and that single shot was the start of it all. There was a several decades pause in my shooting and the gun was somehow lost. None of the family remembers where the gun went but I suspect construction workers took it when they heavily remodeled the family house in the 1970's.

The story behind old guns found in basements and attics is fascinating to me. I wish I had my old single shot today but I don't even have an idea of what model it was.

LDBennett
 
#10 ·
I'm not exactly sure who made it. But I don't think that rifle is American made. Possibly Pre WW-2 German (possibly a Mauser) and brought back as a souvenir from the war. As such it could be fairly valuable. Until you find out exactly what it is, I would recommend very minimal cleaning and absolutely NO refinishing.
Really need better pics of entire rifle and ANY markings, however small.
Nearly all factory made guns will have proof marks that vary by country of origin. These could tell us a lot.
 
#11 · (Edited)
What you have is a Winchester / Cooey model 39. It will most likely have some sort of trade name stamped on it and you will not see the Winchester or Cooey name.
These were low cost single shot rifles that when in good condition are remarkably accurate.
Now then as for condition, that rabbit gun is in a sorry state . As for function , all the right parts are there and it should work just fine with a good cleaning.
As for safety , there are two main parts that must be looked at. The first is the barrel cone at the chamber area. This is a one of two week spots of your rifle. Yours appears to be intact with no damage and just some wear and tear. The other week spot on this rifle is the head space. The head space is decided by/at the base of the handle of the bolt and the receiver notch. ( that's the place were the bolt handle comes into contact with the receiver when closing the bolt)
To check the head space of this rifle . put an empty 22 case in the chamber and close the bolt. Then pull the trigger to release the firing pin / bolt preasure. (it will go click) With out lifting the bolt handle , check to see if there is any movement of the bolt either forward or back. There should be NO movement at all.
This rifle is made for 22short,long and long rifle. Never, Never use high velocity rounds in this rifle. PLEASE follow the safety instructions when firing for the first time as mentioned it the above posts.
 
#12 ·
Can't tell you to shoot it or not. If I had it I would shoot it. If you have a range or gun shop you could ask their gunsmith to look at it. Most won't charge you for this. They don't want an unsafe gun on their range.
 
#13 ·
" Three is also a bit of residue around the place where you put the round. It looks like a decomposed o ring or something but it could just be dirt."

I forgot to mention , there are no plastic or rubber parts on this rifle with the exeption of a possible plastic but plate. The "o-ring" is just dirt from poor cleaning.


If you have ANY DOUBTS about this rifle , then take it to a gunsmith.
 
#15 ·
I'll throw my two cents in.

You said it works when dry fired. Don't know if you just did that a time or two to check it, or if you are doing it regularly, but if you are, stop it. That old of, and inexpensive of, a rimfire can be damaged by dry firing. If you bugger the chamber mouth, that might can be fixed. If you break the firing pin, finding a replacement part will be difficult.

grcsat said to not use HIGH VELOCITY ammo. I agree. That gun is old enough that High Vel 22s probably weren't around yet, and therefore the gun was not made to take the pressures of them. MOST 22 made today is High Velocity. You will have to look hard to find none-hi-vel. What you want will be marked STANDARD VELOCITY, or SUB-SONIC, or TARGET. Will cost more. High Vel is more common, so is cheaper. Standard Velocity stuff is more rare, so costs more. Such is capitalism. :)
 
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