A friend who is moving a few guns gave me one of these to take home and try out. I know nothing about them at all. The fit, finish is really good, man this thing has a nice barrell on it! Has the Lyman sights, sling, handstop. Nice little rifle and has the T-bolt handle as well. Just wondering if anyone knows anything of potential accuracy, or any experiences at all with these rifles. I was wondering if mags were available anywhere for it?
Mossberg 144
- Thread starter P9shooter
- Start date
They were declared dangerous to public health around 1990, and there was an announcement made that all were to be handed in to selected depots for quarantine, as their ownership inevitably caused a particular mental illness. Fortunately, there is a containment depot located close to me, so if you ship it to me you can rest assured that you will never contract Mossbergitis.
Seriously, they are heavy, inaccurate pieces of crap. I'll give you $10 and shipping. Only because I use the barrels for tomato stakes and the stock for firewood. Seriously.
Seriously, they are heavy, inaccurate pieces of crap. I'll give you $10 and shipping. Only because I use the barrels for tomato stakes and the stock for firewood. Seriously.
P9shooter; Hang on to that Mossberg. These older rimfires are one of the true "sleepers" out there. Many were not aesthetically pleasing, but most shoot very well indeed! I have a mini-collection of older Mossberg 22 rimfires and I have silenced many a range egotist with them over the years. 144's are one of the best, with 146b's, 42's & 142's, 44's and several others right in there. I have a 146b that will stay around 1" at 100 yards with ammo it likes.
I also have a couple of Mossberg's tube [in the rear stock] fed, semi automatic 22's. These are amazing 22's, which I would put up against any production, and most tweaked, 10-22's. They are practically flawless feeders, and will digest almost anything. Every once in a while, you will find one with nicely figured walnut, which is simply a bonus. While they do not demand big money, they are going up, and I thinks they are a definite keeper. Regards, Eagleye.
I also have a couple of Mossberg's tube [in the rear stock] fed, semi automatic 22's. These are amazing 22's, which I would put up against any production, and most tweaked, 10-22's. They are practically flawless feeders, and will digest almost anything. Every once in a while, you will find one with nicely figured walnut, which is simply a bonus. While they do not demand big money, they are going up, and I thinks they are a definite keeper. Regards, Eagleye.
I own many Rimfire...10/22 Custom and Carbine, Bl22, Marlin 989M2, Cooey's,Anschutz and 4 Mossberg; 152a, 351Ka, 42b and finally a 146b. Man those Mossberg are definitively the best rimfire rifle I've never shoot. Particulary the serie 42, 146 and 144. I am ready to sold any rifle I own....but never my will sold my Mossberg Rimfire. Keep that rifle !!!
mudgunner49
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Agreed 110% - I have a Mossberg 144LS and it is one of the last that I'd ever sell. I also have 2 of the semi's with tubular mags in the butt (can't for the life of me remember the model #'s) and they are both great shooters, especially with Remington Subsonics and Wolf MT.
Highly under-rated...
blake
The Mossberg 144 series rifles came in 4 models: 144, 144LS, 144LSa & 144LSb. IIRC, the only real difference between the 144LS and the 144LSb was the rear sights they came standard with, and the 144LSb had a slightly longer, heavier barrel than any of the others. Only the 144 first run rifles had the "T" bolt. All the other models had a round bolt knob. FWIW, these were all heavy barrelled 22's. Regards, Eagleye.
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mudgunner49
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
You are correct, however there was also the 44US which was basically a 144 made for the US Army, utilized for marksmanship training, IIRC...
In Fact, the 44US series rifles preceded the 144 series. The 44US(a,b,c,d) series went out of production in 1948. The 144 series began in 1949. They share a fair amount of commonality with the 144LSb. I simply omitted the 44US since it was a predecessor of the 144, not a part of the actual 144 series. Regards, Eagleye.
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Hang on to it! Beautiful old shooters. First firearm I acquired was a 46B - $15.00 to a second cousin in the high school parking lot of a small western Manitoba town - it spent that afternoon in my doorless locker and went home with me on the schoolbus
You could lay down on a little knoll in the pasture and shoot gophers all afternoon without having to move. Check the firing pin and sear for wear and DON'T adjust the trigger pull TOO light ( as in rifle discharges if you thump the butt moderately on the ground
) Sold it to a trapper friend 20 years later and finally replaced it 6 - 7 years ago but this time it was $100. Kayceel
You could lay down on a little knoll in the pasture and shoot gophers all afternoon without having to move. Check the firing pin and sear for wear and DON'T adjust the trigger pull TOO light ( as in rifle discharges if you thump the butt moderately on the ground) Sold it to a trapper friend 20 years later and finally replaced it 6 - 7 years ago but this time it was $100. Kayceelmudgunner49
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I am smarter for having opened my mouth - a rather unusual circumstance that I find myself in!!! Thanks very much for the clarification. I will get my hands on a 44US shortly I hope, if the stars and planets align next weekend...
blake
I have a Model 144...a model 144lsb as well, and a 351 ka ,and another mossy bolt action bought from a cgn member on its way to my greedy little hands.
You just cant beat a mossberg for a good huntin rifle. The most I have paid for one is $300.00 ( for the lsb model) and it will out shoot my custom 10/22 target model any day of the week.....
You just cant beat a mossberg for a good huntin rifle. The most I have paid for one is $300.00 ( for the lsb model) and it will out shoot my custom 10/22 target model any day of the week.....
to make a point the mossberg 144 barrel does not come any where close to the 144 lsb model.The lsb model is 25 or 26 inches long and the full diameter of the receiver.The 144 barrel is more of a mid varmint weight barrel but both will drive tacks all day long.
WOW! I am impressed with the response here. My friend has tried to keep one precision .22 in his collection, and he is actually getting back an Anschutz that he sold several years ago, and offered the 144 to me. It is in really good condition, I mean REALLY. The price is better than "Just right" as he appreciates the great time I am having getting into rimfire shooting, and I think he just wants me to have it. I guess I will be handing some green over to him this week, One thing, if I decide to scope it, can anyone reccommend a good set of rings for the grooved reciever? I am very happy with the Burris rings on my Mako and 10/22, not sure what they have for a grooved .22 reciever. Thanks for all the input! For those of you that shoot these rifles fairly often, what ammo do yours like? Any decent results with bulk ammo? Thanks again!
Wow, just how much nostaliga can you get out of one subject! In the era that I call the glory years of shooting, from about 1947 to about 1960, organized 22 target shooting was in full bloom. In Prince George, BC, fully organized small bore shooting was carried on 4 or 5 evenings of every week in the winter. Masses of shooters attended, ranging from doctors and lawyers, to you name it, they were represented. The editor of the Prince George Citizen was very active. (Hey, maybe we got some publicity!!)
By far and away the most popular brand of rifle was the Mossberg. I never owned one, so am not familiar with the model numbers, but many were the lower priced versions. Once the the shooter got the peep sights adjusted, which was not easy, they seemed to shoot as well as any. I had a Savage, one brother had a Winchester 75 while another brother had an Anschutz. A friend had the famous Winchester Model 52 sporter.
Greatest shooting events were the turkey shoots, ran before Christmas. The Fish and Game Club, the shooters organization, would run three turkey shoots before Christmas and other organiztions would run another couple.
The club's turkey shoots were always off hand shooting at twenty yards. It was either one shot, with closest shot to centre winning, or three shots for best score on standard target. The room would be packed with shooters at the start, about 7:00, and steady shooting would continue until at least 10:00. It cost a dollar to enter, 12 shooters and the winner got a good turkey, or sometimes a full ham. There was a limit of two wins per night for any shooter, to try and give the lesser shooters a better chance.
Off hand shooting was my long suit and I did very well at the turkey shoots. I would sometimes get my two wins with three entries, and I remeber getting two wins with two shots. There were some great rivalries among some of the better shooters.
I have to confess that for the turkey shoots, I used my brothers Model 52 Winchester!
By far and away the most popular brand of rifle was the Mossberg. I never owned one, so am not familiar with the model numbers, but many were the lower priced versions. Once the the shooter got the peep sights adjusted, which was not easy, they seemed to shoot as well as any. I had a Savage, one brother had a Winchester 75 while another brother had an Anschutz. A friend had the famous Winchester Model 52 sporter.
Greatest shooting events were the turkey shoots, ran before Christmas. The Fish and Game Club, the shooters organization, would run three turkey shoots before Christmas and other organiztions would run another couple.
The club's turkey shoots were always off hand shooting at twenty yards. It was either one shot, with closest shot to centre winning, or three shots for best score on standard target. The room would be packed with shooters at the start, about 7:00, and steady shooting would continue until at least 10:00. It cost a dollar to enter, 12 shooters and the winner got a good turkey, or sometimes a full ham. There was a limit of two wins per night for any shooter, to try and give the lesser shooters a better chance.
Off hand shooting was my long suit and I did very well at the turkey shoots. I would sometimes get my two wins with three entries, and I remeber getting two wins with two shots. There were some great rivalries among some of the better shooters.
I have to confess that for the turkey shoots, I used my brothers Model 52 Winchester!
My dad; sadly not with us anymore, used to shoot alot in the 50's and 60's. It was very common, and lots of people participated on a regular/weekly basis. I recall several times him talking about rimfire shooting and how he had enjoyed it. I have just recently re-discovered it,( now in my 30's) and I hope others do too, as what a blast can be had. That is one of the features that grabs me about this Mossberg, it "Looks" like it is from that era, and I am going to relive it as best I can!
