Husqvarna Single Shot .22

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I'm looking around for my first .22 long rifle and have been thinking that single shot would be good since they are cheap and I can learn to shoot properly with it.

My first thought was a Cooey 75 (a local dealer had one for $95 and it seemed in good condition... probably with a refinished stock) but after looking at the Trade-Ex website they seem to have a number of good looking Husqvarna rifles.

I didn't even know Husqvarna made rifles at one time, so I really know nothing about them. I find the English stock on a lot of them interesting along with octagonal barrels. I can get a round barrel, pistol grip stock for about $110 so the price is right.

Does anyone have any experience with these rifles? I assume they are chambered in .22lr. Would a Cooey be better since I'd be more likely to find parts and info on them? Any info of that nature would be great.

Thanks (now watch me break down and get a Marlin semi-auto:p)
 
I've got one of the round (medium) heavy barrel ones and it's a pretty good shooter.

I bought it as a project gun and did a whole bunch of work on it (glass/pillar bedded, 11 deg target crown, added peep sights, stock refinishing, trigger and bolt polish, duracoat/paint of metal work, etc) and it's a decent looking rifle now.

I like the rifle as it shoulders very well and is quite comfortable. It didn't look like much when I got mine from Tradex but after a good cleaning and work, I found the stock to be an absolute gem.

Best of all, it's really simple to work on and it shoots very well.

That being said, in terms of bang for your buck, a Marlin 795 would also be a good (modern) choice.

DSN
 
Husky .22 shoots great. TradeEx discriptions are accurate and mine was recieved, by mail, in a couple of days. Can't go wrong with one of these.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I'm thinking I am going to get the Husky and then down the road get a Marlin. I'm going to have to see if any local gun shops have a Marlin for me to look at.

By the way DSN how did adding the peep sight go? Did you have to drill and tap the rifle to get it on? This is an upgrade I would be interested in (even on the Marlin, which I know I can get peep sights for). Some pictures would be awesome ;)
 
TradeEx's Husquvarna .22 is STRONGLY recommended. They are brilliant little rifles for cheap, and will happily outshoot you.

DSN, I'd really like to see pix of yours. I'm particularly curious about the peep sight. How did you mount that sucker?
 
Pics

Sorry guys, I'm out of town for a week or so but I promise to take and post some pictures early next week when I'm back home.

I used a Skinner Sight (h ttp://www.skinnersights.com/barrel_mount_6.html) on mine. It works good but the dovetail on the Huskys are larger than the standard 3/8" dovetail of today and some shim work was required.

These sights are of great quality.
 
I ordered a round barrel pistol grip Husky .22 from TradeEx. There was nothing locally that could really compare, and I expect i can find a use for the rifle long after I get a repeater.

I will update this thread with pics when it arrives.

@ DSN: Thanks for the update. Those are some interesting sights. I await your pics!
 
Well I just got my Husky this evening. It was pretty much just as described, and I'm happy with it. The stock has some dings and handling wear, but that just adds character. The rest of the rifle still has a very strong bluing with a few minor scratches.

The rifle needs a very good cleaning and I will save that for this weekend I think. I'm going to have to see if I can get my hands on a set of hollow ground gunsmith screwdrivers and take the stock off. I don't think the gun has been cleaned in years. The rifle doesn't look that complicated, but if anyone has any tips for stripping the bolt and trigger assembly please let me know.

Also from the research I've done with the serial numbers and other features of the gun, it appears it is a Model 165 made in about 1950. I'm finding these old rifles very interesting.

I'll take some pictures of it this weekend as I clean it and shoot it (assuming it isn't -30 by then!)
 
As long awaited

Here's a couple of quick, long awaited photos of mine:

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Yes I sure did do all the work myself. I'm quite proud of how it came out.

I was surprised with the stock. It looked horrible coming from Tradex, but I used Windex on it (to remove the old oil finish) and then sanded it down plenty, then a general hand rubbed walnut wood stain (from Wal-mart) and finished it with a couple of coats satin urethane. That was after the glass bedding with JB Weld.

It does shoot a bit lower with the peep / ghost ring site on it, but the aperature that I have on it is pretty big so it's all about consistancy of site picture. I sometimes have trouble with the shim on the ghost ring working loose too. That dovetail isn't standard size and it's a pain. Maybe I'll JB Weld the sight onto the dovetail?

The only problem that I have with this rifle is the extractor doesn't always catch the rim on the empty casing so it sometimes has trouble ejecting. It varies with ammo type however.

All in all, I like it and it's fun with open sights sometimes.
 
I'll have to try that with my stock at some point. I have a checkered stock so I'll have to get some products to remove the finish around them (don't want to sand them down). Will be a good winter project.

With the dovetail could you not fill it a bit with JB weld and then file it back for an exact fit?

Nearly the weekend so I will be getting mine out for its first cleaning and pics.
 
Here are the pics of mine.

Before cleaning:

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The pictures don't show the junk on the stock very well. I wasn't going to mess with it right away but I got sick of it after seeing it against the clean barrel.
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The worst of the chips in the stock. Seems like someone tried to take the trigger guard and plate off by prying against the stock. It was on pretty tight, but simply required a few taps from the dead blow hammer while you pulled on it.
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I have no idea what that white stuff was. Some sort of buildup or attempt at bedding? Almost seemed like some sort of ash.
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You can see where the white stuff was touching the action.

The rifle was very dirty when I got it. Crud all over it, in the action, and on the stock. The rifle wouldn't extract rounds due to the buildup in the port the extractor settles in when the bolt is closed. I'm just glad I didn't try to fire it in the state it was in.

I didn't get pictures of it but the bolt itself was sticky with crud. The bolt handle was so bad that I can't get it any cleaner then a dull brown. At least it looks better and isn't sticky.


After Cleaning:

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I striped the rifle down and went at it with a nylon brush, rag, Hoppes #9, and Wipeout for the barrel/breech. This was pretty easy but when I got to the bolt I realized it was pinned together and I couldn't get inside it. I'm not sure if the bolt is even suppose to come apart, so I just cleaned it the best I could.

The barrel and trigger came very clean. The blueing is still strong, and short of a few scratches I'm very happy with it.

For the stock I used a very soft sponge along with some wood cleaner (but not stripper). The stock was thick and black in many places but it washed off well. It will need refinishing, but it looks so much better.


I went and bought myself some Federal Bulk that was on sale and tomorrow will go out and see how it shoots. Probably no pictures of that I don't think... not till I get a lot more practice:p
 
Well I got out and fired a couple of dozen rounds though it on Sunday. Very fun little rifle to shoot and had no problems at all extracting the Federal bulk ammo.

The sights on the rifle are interesting. Very fine and will take some practice to get use to. The only other rifle I've shot at any length with was a Winchester 1890 with a Marble (I think) tang peep sight. I'm thinking I like the peep sight more right now.... so I may have to pickup one of the Skinner sights.

I was thinking of taking the Marble sight and attaching it to the stock of the Husky, but I really don't want to be drilling holes in it. I'll leave that for later if I run out of options.

One thing I did release is that i need a lot more practice. I was just shooting at a 6 inch resetting target but half the time I was shooting high and to the right, but other times it was dead center (but a little high... might be due to the range). All this was off-hand. The next time I shoot I'm going to setup a bench, measure out 20 meters, setup some paper targets and try to see what is up. Either I need some training or the sights need a bit of adjustment (probably is me tbh). Still fun though!
 
DSN said:
It does shoot a bit lower with the peep / ghost ring site on it, but the aperature that I have on it is pretty big so it's all about consistancy of site picture. I sometimes have trouble with the shim on the ghost ring working loose too. That dovetail isn't standard size and it's a pain. Maybe I'll JB Weld the sight onto the dovetail?
Click to expand...

Kind of a self bump but oh well.

I was reading over at the Marlin Owners forum where the Skinner Sights has a sub forum and it seems the guy who makes Skinner Sights (Mr. Skinner... go figure :p) is very reasonable about making his sights fit your rifle. There are a number of stories of people contacting him, telling him of fitting troubles, and him telling them to send back the sight and he will send one back with a larger dovetail... free of charge with an exchange. Maybe even send in the original sight with it to get an exact sizing.

He also seems to be able to make the ghost ring with a longer threaded stud if needed. Same deal with the exchange.

In all might be worth an email if he can get your sight to fit better.

Myself I'm going to save some money this Christmas and get one. I'll probably order the sight with the .390 dovetail and see how it goes. His customer service seems absolutely steller which is a major selling point for me. It should serve me well this spring during ground squirrel season :cool:
 
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