I’m an old codger. I have seen rimfire platforms come and be the king, and then, it seems, they just ghost away. So , I have old rifles that I’m wondering what put them away. My Remington 541 S , my Sako P 94S, etc. The trend seems to be the action only locks up with one locking lug, with only a couple of exceptions. What is making the newer rifles better ? Has CZ got the lock on accurate affordable platforms ? I just recently got interested in “custom “ rifles, if you call a barrel swap a custom job. Both of my “ builds “ are on the CZ 457 action, one with a drop in Bartlein, the other a drop in Walther. I haven’t gotten a chance to wring them out yet. I want to get a really good trigger, but , I am totally ignorant about what to buy. Suggestions welcomed ! Sorry for the ramble……..one last question……has the price of the CZ 457 gone up as much as 20 percent ? I was thinking they had in the last year.
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Old Gold shines like new ?
- Thread starter gr8guns
- Start date
Your P94S is one of the best things ever. Beretta screwed up big time by changing and then discontinuing/redesigning such an awesome beast. A rifle truly ahead of it’s time!
If I were not satisfied with the triggers on my three CZ457s, I'd have gotten on BScar's list to get one of his 2-stage custom triggers. But I'm pretty pleased with my factory triggers on these rifles - without doing anything more than adjusting the sear engagement & return spring, I've been able to get them down to a safe break at just a hair over 1lb, and since I'm not competing with them, that's just fine for my purposes. If I were going to shoot club 22RF BR matches with one of them, then I'd probably spend the extra for a BScar.
Trends come and go. If you're anywhere near my age, you remember the days of long-barreled pistols for handgun silhouette, the revolvers and lever guns of cowboy shooting, and cold-war area survival guns.
Rimfires really don't wear out, so they are all still out there.
Right now we are seeing PRS-style matches take off and rimfires make great trainers. This is also amplified by the leaps and bounds in machining. Extreme accuracy is normal and inexpensive and increasingly do-it-yourself. I would bet any off the shelf Ruger American is as accurate as my first year manufactured 77/22 with a Rifle Basix trigger and Shilen barrel at a fraction of the cost.
The rimfire market is being taken serious and booming right now. Great ammo, new testing in bullet weight and rate of twist, awesome pre-fit barrels and stocks/chassis are the same as centerfire, not an afterthought or cheap copy.
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Agree with tortuga I am old enough to have gone through all those phases of what was latest and greatest or in some cases old classics like during my cowboy shooting time, when an old colt was a hot item.
from post ww2 to the 1970’s to early 80’s traditional bullseye competition was the dominant competitive / accuracy discipline which has since faded mostly to obscurity ( too bad ). In my youth I recall shooting the old classic small bore competition rifles like the older anschutz and Winchester 52’s.
the popularity of prs has created a whole new fad of guns and gear,and expectations of what precision is.
there will come a time ( we might already be here) that rimfire will be more popular than center fire.
sadly what I have seen is a shooting discipline explodes with popularity then over time tends to then shrink back down.
I also agree we are seeing great innovation from the boutique makers of guns and gear ( with some bigger companies following the trend with various degrees of quality/ success) which is always good to add options for us all.
from post ww2 to the 1970’s to early 80’s traditional bullseye competition was the dominant competitive / accuracy discipline which has since faded mostly to obscurity ( too bad ). In my youth I recall shooting the old classic small bore competition rifles like the older anschutz and Winchester 52’s.
the popularity of prs has created a whole new fad of guns and gear,and expectations of what precision is.
there will come a time ( we might already be here) that rimfire will be more popular than center fire.
sadly what I have seen is a shooting discipline explodes with popularity then over time tends to then shrink back down.
I also agree we are seeing great innovation from the boutique makers of guns and gear ( with some bigger companies following the trend with various degrees of quality/ success) which is always good to add options for us all.
I think rim x and vudoo are both outstanding examples of what can be built here in the states when someone focuses on quality / performance/ customer service - too bad the larger companies can’t or won’t.
reality is that “boomer “ gear can still hold its own against these modern marvels. The edge for the new stuff is parts availability,ergonomics and aftermarket compatibility
from a pure accuracy standpoint the old classics can easily keep up with the newer stuff. They also have that abstract style and elegance the new stuff just doesn’t
sort of like the reality the modern corvette is far superior to the old ones from the 50’s and 60’s, but both can be a joy to drive
You nailed it. Vudoo and Rim-X kinda remind me of Kleinguenther, Kimber, and then Cooper, semi-customs that filled the niche of their target market. A ‘55 Win.52C will definitely hang with the groups I’ve seen out of the premium makes of today, but you’d be fighting the gear to run one in NRL22/Rimfire PRS/MARS events.
That is when you have to choose what you are, a shooter or a collector. I grew up putting character dings in a Win 52 pre-A, hunted a Cooper like it was a Walmart 10/22, and would not hesitate to walk the woods with a Annie 1727. It is the same as with classic or exotic cars. Race 'em or store 'em, just don't cry when you leave a memory on it.
I’m feeling the same, do ya enjoy ’em or just act at curator? Me, if I own it I’m going to enjoy it. That said, I’m not taking a mint rifle like a Sako Range and running barricades with it, I just can’t bring myself to do it. However I’d have no qualms running a CMP Win 52C if I had a chassis for it.
While I do enjoy shooting old classics ( not one to hold on to stuff I don’t shoot) but take a bit more care with how I approach things with an. Old classic versus a modern gun.
I will haphazardly toss a glock on a bench, carry it scratch it up, even have fallen in ponds or swamps wearing them, no biggie. I don’t carry or treat my colt single action army that way- out of the safe into a case, rested on bench on a towel, but then shot and enjone’d
I will haphazardly toss a glock on a bench, carry it scratch it up, even have fallen in ponds or swamps wearing them, no biggie. I don’t carry or treat my colt single action army that way- out of the safe into a case, rested on bench on a towel, but then shot and enjone’d
If you take care not to use them as fence posts or pry your truck out of the mud with them.... there is nothing stopping you carrying fine classics in the field. Ever. Or, especially, taking great old .22's to the range.
Last fall, carried a really nice Purdey through days of rain on quail and pheasant hunts... with some good cleaning, it's as good as ever. Guns are made to be used. With proper care, you won't hurt them. If picture uploads were working, I'd post pix!
Old .22's ranging from 52's and 512's to beautiful sporters and plinkers are so field-friendly that there is no excuse for keeping them in a safe.
Old Guns Rule!
Cheers, Sirhr
