Bolt Action 22

[charlesb]

Recently I went through my rimfire ammo, and found all kinds of stuff that my Marlin model 60 semi-automatic would not digest.

Various low-powered rounds, and a collection of .22 short ammo. This got me started looking at 22 rifles that will shoot anything. My model 60 only functions well with high-velocity 22LR ammo.

What I wound up choosing is Marlin's bolt-action counterpart to the model 60, the XT 22TR tube-fed bolt action. I say it is the counterpart because it appears to have a very similar barrel to the model 60, if not the same. -Fairly heavy for a 22, and finished nicely.



It will fire .22 S,L, and LR interchangeably, holding up 25 Shorts in one loading! I tried all of these, and only the Shorts had a quirk... You have to hold the rifle level, and work the action briskly in order to reliably eject the short cases. If you do that, it works very well.

I intend to always fire the same high-velocity load, and occasionally shoot the low-powered stuff as the occasion calls for it.

The Marlin XT 22TR is more accurate than my model 60 semi-auto. It has a much better trigger. I have had bolt-action 22 rifles pass through my hands many times, and got to shoot a few, but this is my first one to own. I am very pleased with it, and intend to invest in a nice peep sight for it.

More on this rifle soon.

[Bullseye]

I have found that the Model 60's "micro-grooved" barrel shoots all varieties of .22 ammo very accurately, even Remington Thunderbolts. Some brands don't cycle well but they all seem to hit the mark. I would expect the bolt version to perform in the same manner.

R,
Bullseye

[charlesb]

It is much like the model 60 but a bit more accurate. I'm thinking the difference is in the trigger, which is way better than the one on the autoloader. The barrels seem to be much the same. Weight and balance are very similar.

[Bullseye]

You have a point there about the Model 60's trigger they are not ideal. I have had success in making some of them crisper, but it is not a pleasant task of taking one down to work the trigger.

R,
Bullseye

[greener]

You have a point there about the Model 60's trigger they are not ideal. I have had success in making some of them crisper, but it is not a pleasant task of taking one down to work the trigger.

R,
Bullseye

From the ignorance is total bliss department, I went into the basement to clean my Glenfield (Marlin) Model 60. Took the thing completely apart and ended up with a box of parts that wouldn't go back together. bgreene took it to a smart gun guy and they managed to get it back together and we ended up with something that would shoot but had all kinds of loading problems and a rifle that stayed in a duffel bag for years. When I finally took it out and decided to fix it I had quite a bit of entertainment getting it back together. Glad I took pictures, but I doubt I'll ever detail strip it again.

[charlesb]

The model 60 is a real booger to get back together again. Unless there is a part to replace, I take the trigger/action group and swish it around in Varsol or diesel fuel a bit to clean it up, then give it drop or two of lubrication after it dries and call it done.

On the XT22-TR, the action was kind of stiff at first. The single locking lug cams into the tubular receiver, and the bolt handle is attached to it. I found out that a dab of gun-grease where the lug cams into the receiver made a big difference - but not as much as running a hundred rounds through it. Now the action is much smoother than it was at first.



I didn't like the looks of the B-Square scope mounts, but for eleven bucks they are very sturdy, so I guess that I shouldn't complain. I'm getting used to them, but still plan to fix the rifle up with a good receiver sight when I can. Other projects are eating up all of my play money right now.

The scope is a pseudo-military looking Redfield 2-7x rimfire scope that I had on hand. It will get me by until I can get around to ordering a peep sight.

I really expected to hate the plastic stock, but actually it feels pretty good. My plan to replace it with a Boyd's laminated stock have gone onto the back burner, for now.

Here I am shooting at empty 12ga shotgun hulls at 25 yards. If you shoot right in front of them, sometimes they will launch straight up. A good action target for a 22. Lots of fun.

[Bullseye]

For something a bit more challenging try spent .45 cases as targets. I've even shot them off the tops of bowling pins with the goal of not disturbing the pin in the process. Fastest one to clear the tops of five pins without knocking any over wins!

R,
Bullseye

[charlesb]

Lately we have been shooting scuffed-up golf balls.

We set then up at fifteen yards, then see how far downrange we can keep hitting them. So far, it looks like 75 yards is about as far as we can fairly reliably hit them, from the bench with the 22. Nobody has sent one out to 100 yards, yet.

Shooting off-hand, a 50 yard hit is cause for real celebration.

An odd thing we have noticed is that the .22LR will make them go farther when hit, and more reliably than the 270 WSM will.