Mystery .22

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Finn

    waiting for the zombies
    Feb 28, 2009
    472
    Columbia
    *** EDITED NOW WITH PHOTOS!!!***



    Ok here is the story as I have been told it since I was a lil kid.

    It was a dark and stormy ni.... just kidding.

    My great Uncle was part of the D-day invasion of Normandy in WW2. As he was going through the French countryside he was picking up ummm "stuff" that was left laying about and shipping it home (Dad said his basement was full of backpacks flags helmets and all sorts of stuff).
    He came along a french farmhouse and found a small .22 cal bolt action single shot rifle and decided that it needed to be sent home as well.
    Long story short.... yea I know too late, my Dad and Uncle were given the rifle and they learned to shoot with it (in Baltimore no less). I learned how to shoot on it as a child as well. My Dad was down visiting his folks in GA and decided to surprise me and brought back the old .22 for me to have.
    Yea a sweet guy I know.

    Now here is the problem. There are NO markings on the rifle at all. I mean NONE!! zip zero nada blank gooseegg. The wood has been refinished as well and has no markings either. So all I have to go on is that my Dad thought that he remembers my Great Uncle saying it was orginally and English Rifle.


    What I am hoping for is someone who can either say ... oh thats a .... or know of a site that has photos and info on some old bolt action rifles.
     

    Attachments

    • 7724_143614797004_578087004_2746382_5251612_n.jpg
      7724_143614797004_578087004_2746382_5251612_n.jpg
      36.2 KB · Views: 646
    • 7724_143614807004_578087004_2746384_7812721_n.jpg
      7724_143614807004_578087004_2746384_7812721_n.jpg
      27.3 KB · Views: 633
    • 7724_143614817004_578087004_2746385_3959564_n.jpg
      7724_143614817004_578087004_2746385_3959564_n.jpg
      23.5 KB · Views: 627
    • 7724_143614822004_578087004_2746386_5038481_n.jpg
      7724_143614822004_578087004_2746386_5038481_n.jpg
      28.3 KB · Views: 632
    • 7724_143614827004_578087004_2746387_1813887_n.jpg
      7724_143614827004_578087004_2746387_1813887_n.jpg
      25.4 KB · Views: 628
    • 7724_143614832004_578087004_2746388_8260404_n.jpg
      7724_143614832004_578087004_2746388_8260404_n.jpg
      37.6 KB · Views: 629
    • 7724_143614847004_578087004_2746389_5345591_n.jpg
      7724_143614847004_578087004_2746389_5345591_n.jpg
      35.5 KB · Views: 630
    • 7724_143614852004_578087004_2746390_3019210_n.jpg
      7724_143614852004_578087004_2746390_3019210_n.jpg
      28.6 KB · Views: 625
    Last edited:

    Splitter

    R.I.P.
    Jun 25, 2008
    7,266
    Westminster, MD
    I don't think no serial number will cause a problem. From what I rememebr when researching a particular .22 rifle, serial numbers were not required on rifles prior to 1968 and it's not a regulated firearm to begin with.

    Fin has a nice little research project coming up. Rimfirecentral would also be a good place to ask the question and, especially, post the pics.

    Splitter
     

    Finn

    waiting for the zombies
    Feb 28, 2009
    472
    Columbia
    damn guys haven't even gotten through 3 crabs yet and I am washing my hands to reply.
    Yea I am not too worried about the lack of serial numbers as one look and you can tell this is an OLD rifle.

    Thanks Splinter I will have to check out that site and post there as well.
     

    Bigdtc

    Ultimate Member
    BANNED!!!
    Dec 6, 2007
    6,673
    South Carolina
    You or your dad/uncle should write down as many details about the rifle and it's history as possibe. It should be kept with the gun. IMHO
     

    Finn

    waiting for the zombies
    Feb 28, 2009
    472
    Columbia
    Once I get it all cleaned up and maybe re-refinish the stock and maybe get the barrel blued or parked or maybe just leave it as is, I will write up the story with a few more details such as dates and which unit and all if I can find them out. Make it a bit more of a story and frame the rifle... maybe.
    Then again I remember having SO much fun shooting it as a kid I may want to just keep it and plink cans like in the good ol days when I was young and only worried about finding money to get a box of .22 at the store.


    Sad fact is that my Dad was so young then that he doesn't know if there was much else to the story and his brother is no longer with us to ask him about it. I will have to ask PopPop and see what if anything he can remember about it.
     

    Splitter

    R.I.P.
    Jun 25, 2008
    7,266
    Westminster, MD
    Wayyyyy cool rifle.

    Now the choice becomes whether to refinish or leave it as is (stabilized of course).

    I had a similar situation where I found a 45(?) year old family rifle in my dad's closet, also a .22. No one can rememebr exactly how old it is, but it pre-dated me and I am 40. My dad purchased it some time after highschool and that's as close as we can come. I chose to have Smores (a guy on this site) re-blue it fo me but did not refinish the stock. I figured there was family history in the handling marks on the stock, but the barrel and action were about as pitted as yours and I wanted them returned to something close to original (though his buling is better than factory given that it was a cheap rifle probably and he did an excellent job).

    I shoot it fairly often and because the bore was near perfect, it shoots great out to 100yds....better than me at least :). The danged mag won't feed with more than 4 bullets, but that's ok. I feel all of the failed squirel hunts every time I take it out of the case :). Yours has an even better story.

    Splitter
     

    Capt.Link.

    COLD SHOT
    Oct 31, 2008
    101
    Silver Spring Md
    Nice old rifle don't worry about numbers it looks a lot like a old Remington in particular the shell lifter the stock is straight and most European rifles have the hump back I notice that it is a take down you may wish to lift the but plate as sometimes information may be there
     

    Finn

    waiting for the zombies
    Feb 28, 2009
    472
    Columbia
    I just got done taking the metal piece off the butt but all it had was my Dad's name written on it in red pen.
     

    rrrrrrkevin

    Its comin right for me!
    Jul 18, 2008
    2,603
    North Beach
    Sweet lookin .22

    My Grandad gave me an old .22 last year and I tried to fix it up and I really should have taken it to a professional. I think I did a great job on the stock but the metal was trashed,I used steel wool to remove the blue and the rear sight was missing the elevator and was a little bent so when I tried to remove it I broke it. I thought it could not get much worse so I then began to dremel it off the rest of the way!! :banghead: That was about the dumbest thing I have ever done. Now I am left with a family heirloom that was only worth about 25$ to begin with but priceless too me(didnt realise til I destroyed it) thats now an eyesore I hope I can one day fix. Accurate as hell tho and blows my scoped 10/22 out of the water with a 5$ gunshow scope that I bought for it because I thought it matched the older look of the rifle.
     

    Attachments

    • DSCN0362.jpg
      DSCN0362.jpg
      60.7 KB · Views: 590
    • DSCN0364.jpg
      DSCN0364.jpg
      88.8 KB · Views: 584
    • DSCN0368.jpg
      DSCN0368.jpg
      51.8 KB · Views: 588

    Finn

    waiting for the zombies
    Feb 28, 2009
    472
    Columbia
    Wow it is great to hear these stories and to see photos of these old guns and knowing the same feelings I have for mine are the ones you have for yours. These are all some great stories and guns. Lets keep sharing them folks.
     

    rrrrrrkevin

    Its comin right for me!
    Jul 18, 2008
    2,603
    North Beach
    I am really curious of the make and model of your .22 now, also what is the length of the barrel? most people like the shorter barrels now but I shoot crap bulk ammo through my old marlin and I get way better results than I do from my 10/22 and I really think it is due to the much longer barrel.
     

    Finn

    waiting for the zombies
    Feb 28, 2009
    472
    Columbia
    **** Update *****
    I was flipping through a copy of the NRA's Rifleman and I think I have figured it out. I am thinking it is an FN-22 Bolt from the early 1900's.
     

    guthook

    Grrr.
    Apr 7, 2008
    7,056
    St. Mary's
    I'm about to clean up around 10 rifles that look very similar to those. When I have them in my posession, I'll look up some information on them. One might be what you've got there.

    I'll post any info in the Cleaning Pop's guns thread.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,921
    Messages
    7,258,988
    Members
    33,349
    Latest member
    christian04

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom