By Joe Berk
Springfield Armory has a new .22 bolt action rifle. It looks interesting from several perspectives. One, it’s a bolt action rimfire, so that has my attention immediately (I love bolt action rifles and I love rimfires). And two, it is being offered in both a composite stocked (read: Tupperware) competition version (something in which I have negative interest) and any of several grades of walnut. Fancy walnut…that works for me.
It’s the last part about the fancy walnut that has my attention. Springfield’s graded walnut runs from standard (they call it satin select) all the way up to AAA (or finely figured) walnut. That’s cool, as most manufacturers don’t give you a choice on the quality of the walnut figure. Judging by the photos on the Springfield website, I’d say they are grading their lumber way too generously; what they show as AAA walnut I would classify A grade stuff, but hey, it’s a start, and it’s a move in the right direction.
A Springfield 2020 rimfire rifle with satin select (or plain) walnut.As mentioned above, Springfield is also offering their new rifle with two versions of a composite stock. One is black, the other is a speckled charcoal affair.
I’ll be watching the Gunbroker.com and Gunsamerica.com listings. These rifles are already up on Gunbroker. When the listings that include photos of the actual rifles (and not just a standard print media photo) are up, I’ll pay attention. The gunshops will show the wood if it’s really good, and if it is, it’s likely I’ll pull the trigger (pardon the pun). If that happens, I’ll write about it here.
High end rimfire rifles appeal to me, and I own two or three that have exceptional wood. You can read about them here.
Never miss an ExNotes blog:
I would imagine composite or plastic in case it might get wet, I used to buy the Marlin Glenfield, semi automatic 22 long rifle at Walmart for $56
The Tupperware rifles are usually more accurate because the stock does not warp with humidity changes. But highly figured walnut…that’s the way to go for this boy.
This will seem like a dumb question but do you have to load each round one at a time?
To quote the education experts, there is no such thing as a dumb question.
On a bolt action rifle (which this one is), you can load several rounds in the magazine. After firing each shot, you have to cycle the bolt by rotating the bolt handle up, pulling the bolt to the rear to extract and eject the spent cartridge case, sliding the bolt forward to strip a round from the magazine and push it into the chamber, and then roating the blot down to lock it. Then you can fire that round and repeat the above cycle until there are no rounds left in the magazine.
I love the walnut stocks, but .22 does nothing for me. I do have a Ruger 10/22 with a backpack stock. Great for groundhogs in the back yard.
Joe, I am very concerned with your obsession with “wood”
…working on a snappy reply…
Be concerned about michaels obsession with ground hogs.
Seems like we have seen tgst mibie before.
No sights? What is it with all these no sight rifles? Getting kickback from scope mfgs? Ownership of scope mfgs?….
The world is one huge conspiracy.
I like bolt action 22’s as well. As a boy, my second rifle was a 22 Cooey…Canadian manufacturer. Wood stock of some low grade but serviceable type, can’t remember what…brown. Simple rifle, tube fed magazine held 12 rounds. You could not break that thing with a hammer and it was deadly accurate out to, oh, 75 yards or so. After that the spread grew, but I never tried out past that with any real interest…iron sights only as a boy. It was simple, reliable and I could put shot after shot on target and pretty darned quick, too, since the action was slick and short.
My first rifle was an ancient 22 with a henry martini style action. That thing could put the eye out of a fruit fly, but I lost interest once I got my hands on the Cooey. I would love to get another, since I am currently sans 22 bolt action. Let us know how this one works out for you if you decide to pick it up.
I will, if I find the one I want. I have a couple of CZ bolt action rimfires. If you want something accurate, CZ is tough to beat. I don’t own a Savage rimfire, but I’ve heard they are excellent, too.
Yes, I’ve long been interested in CZ bolt 22’s. Price is up there, but I suspect you get a lot of gun. They seem like a mismatch for me: all my guns have been strictly working class and the CZ’s would be like a foreign princess slumming with an old rancher. Not something that would be at home at the ‘Need more Land and Cattle Co.’
“Need More Land and Cattle Co.”
Good one. Kind of like the “Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe” law firm. You have a way with words, Mr. Gilmer.
Thank you, Mr. Berk. I could say the same.
I am a work in progress. I want to be like Joe Gresh when I grow up.
Don’t bother growing up, Joe, the pay is bad, the hours are long and the benefits don’t match the problems. And don’t sell yourself short, either: Mr. Gresh is a fine writer, to be sure, but I want to hear more from the pen of Mr. Berk.
Appreciate snappy repartee.
…60 years ago in June 1963, my dad gave me a Marlin 81c on the night I graduated from 8th grade (in New Jersey, no less – seems it was in a galaxy far away in a different solar system an a different race of beings) – I’d love to find another 81c or a tube fed heavy barrel, bolt action .22…
Awesome. Where in NJ? Maybe we were neighbors.
AAA