Remington Target Master .22mag

LawrenceN

LawrenceN

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
244   0   0
Location
Toronto (West end)
I have a lovely and accurate Remington Target Master model .22 mag single shot rifle, and I'm curious as to the date and value. There's some light wear on the bluing, but the bore is pristine, and the action is smooth as silk. The stock is nice walnut with rosewood grip and nose caps, and whiteline spacers, as the pic shows (pardon the crappy camera). Any of you folks familiar with this rifle?
IMG_0006.jpg
 
Is this "Targetmaster" stamped 22WMR on the barrel in an original Remington stamping? The original single shot "Targetmaster" Remington was the Model 41, but it was never offered in the WMR chambering. [Discontinued before the WMR appeared] If it is a model 41, the Serial number should be below 307,000. It is possible that a skilled gunsmith has converted one to the WMR chambering. The bore would be slightly "tight", but would probably perform Ok. Other than that, I cannot say. Remington was not too keen on offering rifles chambered in the WMR persuasion until recent years. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Remington Mod510

Thanks for the input Eagleye. I had the sense to take a second look, and it's a Mod.510 originally chambered in .22WMR. This isn't a gunsmith's rebuild or alteration, but factory original. Do you know anything about this particular model? It does have the lozenge shaped "TheTargetmaster" stamp on the barrel along with the patent numbers. I can't find a serial number per se. The scope and rear sight hide some of the Remington logo. Does this pique your curiosity?


Eagleye said:
Is this "Targetmaster" stamped 22WMR on the barrel in an original Remington stamping? The original single shot "Targetmaster" Remington was the Model 41, but it was never offered in the WMR chambering. [Discontinued before the WMR appeared] If it is a model 41, the Serial number should be below 307,000. It is possible that a skilled gunsmith has converted one to the WMR chambering. The bore would be slightly "tight", but would probably perform Ok. Other than that, I cannot say. Remington was not too keen on offering rifles chambered in the WMR persuasion until recent years. Regards, Eagleye.
Click to expand...
 
It is interesting, since, again, the WMR is not a catalogued chambering in the 510 series either. However, the 510 was produced till 1962, which is 3 years after the introduction of the 22WMR Cartridge. This would mean that the 510 overlapped the 22 WMR production enough to have been chambered in that persuasion. It is possible that Remington had a short run in the WMR cartridge. No production info tells me that, however. If it is an uncatalogued chambering, this would raise the value considerably if the rifle is otherwise unaltered. Regards, Eagleye.
 
OK Lawrence; I have done some serious research on your Remington 510, and consulted with 4 Remington gurus. Here is the skinny. The 510 was never factory chambered in 22 WMR [As I suspected] The general consensus is that some gunsmith has converted this to 22 WMR in the past. Additionally, 3 of the 4 said they did not feel that the 510 action was really up to the additional pressures that the 22WMR develops, and concurred that it would be better not to shoot it, for safety reasons. Obviously any collector value is lost, since it has been altered. Sorry for the not-so-good news, but facts are facts. Regards, Eagleye.
 
OK Eagleye, now you REALLY have my curiosity piqued! I've taken a hard long look at the rifle, and if it was gunsmithed in the past, it was done by a crackerjack pro. I've taken a few more close up shots that may help you (or have you pulling your hair out). I've been handling firearms since was a little tyke, so though I wouldn't call myself a (capital E) expert, I'm no babe-in-the-woods. Now I'm not familiar with the Mod.510 at all, other than the one I have, but please note the feed ramp with a round in place. I don't know if the .22 models have a feed ramp of the same dimension. It just seems odd that the bolt draws back enough to give good clearance, and the feed ramp is just the right size, for the .22 Mag. What do you think are the chances that it was custom made by Remington? I'd love the chance to put rifles with both .22 chamberings side by side to compare the size of the receivers. Push come to shove, do you think Remington would have any info I could use? I looked for a serial number, but the only thing I could find (other than the patent numbers) was the number 27 upside down on the right side of the barrel just ahead of the receiver. I appreciate your time and research, and I thank you for your input. I don't know about safety issues, but the rifle shoots like a dream. I'll keep an eye out for suspicious brass deformation or anomolies when I take it out next. Also, I don't know if this means anything, but under the rear sight there's a dovetail in the barrel for a more another model of sight. Check out the pics, and let me know what you think.
NiagaraFalls.jpg

IMG_0004-4.jpg

IMG_0006-1.jpg
 
Now that I get a better look at it, I can see that the stock has also been modified or replaced with a different one, since that is not like the original 510 lumber. The feed opening is the same length as all the 510 to 514 models. It is long enough to accommodate the WMR round, but not too long. Someone has also drilled and tapped the receiver at some time. I have been on the Remington website, and it offers no information that points to a WMR version. The custom shop? Hard to say, but it would be a long shot, at best. The 510 series rifles were not serial numbered, so that is normal. You should look for a couple of letters on the left side of the barrel, just ahead of the receiver. These would give exact build date, if you can pass them on, I can get the date of manufacture [month & year] There are some very skilled rimfire smiths out there, so the modification may not be that obvious. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Eagleye, you're fantastic! The stock is walnut with a rosewood forend and grip cap. I got it with the scope blocks already mounted, but the recoil pad was my work, just to get the right length of pull. It's a reversible modification, as I have the black plastic butt plate, and never touched the wood. Sadly, the striking on the left side of the barrel was poorly, or half, struck, so it's illegible. Now that I know they're letters and not numbers, I'll see if I can dope them out. Thanks again.
 
they were made form march 1939 to december 1962

about 5 5 8 6 8 6 to be exact, sold for $5.95 and were configured in 22 short only,

now the 510a weighed 5 12 ozs and chambered in short long and long rifle

the 510sb smoothbore 1939 22 long rifle shot

routledge bored m510 22 lr shot

510 skeetrap rifle smooth bore bead sight no rear sight, 26 inch barrel bored to loewi specs with a muzzle piece

510p same as 510 a execpt for a partidge sight mounted on a ramp and a rear sight peep variety

510 carbine 1961 21 inch barrel retail for 27.75

can get into barrel marking later once we knnow them

I am not a genius it is out of the excellent rem 22 rifles book recently released

Jefferson
 
I'm intrigued by the thread, mainly because I like older Remington's and especially the Rimfires. In the 1st pic of the receiver,is that not an ejector notch in the floor plate? If so, the empty mag case won't have cleared the chamber when the case head hits the ejector. Would be just the right length for LR. Just a thought !
 
Eagleye! I checked the letters, and they are "AX..V or Y". I don't think the last letter is another X, but it's hard to distinguish it clearly. I'm pretty sure on the first two.
 
LawrenceN said:
Eagleye! I checked the letters, and they are "AX..V or Y". I don't think the last letter is another X, but it's hard to distinguish it clearly. I'm pretty sure on the first two.
Click to expand...

Lawrence; The only possible combination that falls into the production years for the model 510 is "AXX", which means it was made in March, 1951. Only the years 1943 to 1953 had double letters for year ID. [1943 was MM, 1953, ZZ] This absolutely cuts it out of the possibility of originally being a 22 WMR, since the WMR was first released by Winchester in 1959, 8 years after your rifle was built by Remington. You have a rifle that has been converted by a decent craftsman, and restocked nicely as well. A keeper, for sure, but without collector value. Enjoy! Eagleye.
 
Eagleye, you da man! Thanks so much for the input. Trust me, that rifle will still see sterling service on pesky critters like groundhogs and the like. It's nice having more info, and knowing exactly what I'm shooting. Thank you so much for your time and research. Be well.
 
LawrenceN said:
Eagleye, you da man! Thanks so much for the input. Trust me, that rifle will still see sterling service on pesky critters like groundhogs and the like. It's nice having more info, and knowing exactly what I'm shooting. Thank you so much for your time and research. Be well.
Click to expand...

You are more than welcome! As I said, enjoy this unique rimfire! Eagleye.
 
Did you try pulling the stock off for more markings?? My 41 targetmaster had a bunch of extra stuff under it. Just a thought. If you don't want it cause of the lack of collector value i'll happily take it off your hands.
 
I checked the internet and have come across a few others who have posted in the past about having Reminton 510's stamped target master and 22 magnum. However, concensus in all threads was that they were conversions done by gunsmiths. In fact one fellow knew that his had been converted by a particular gunsmith. Also, there were a couple of gunsmiths listed in these threads who apparently did the 22 mag conversion and resold them. In all cases though the owners said they were great shooters.
 
gunsaholic said:
I checked the internet and have come across a few others who have posted in the past about having Reminton 510's stamped target master and 22 magnum. However, concensus in all threads was that they were conversions done by gunsmiths. In fact one fellow knew that his had been converted by a particular gunsmith. Also, there were a couple of gunsmiths listed in these threads who apparently did the 22 mag conversion and resold them. In all cases though the owners said they were great shooters.
Click to expand...

The only down side of the conversion is the fact that it doesn't eject the fired casing. It extracts OK, but it's a matter of tipping the action over to drop out the expended casing. No biggie as it's a single shot anyway so it doesn't matter about fast reloading. The only iffy response in this thread was the one gentleman who seemed to feel that .22 Magnum may be overstressing the action, and seemed to feel that this may create an unsafe firing condition as they were originally made for .22LR. I took the liberty of doing a close examination of all the locking lugs, and there are no signs of stress FYI. I don't know if those who own the other ones have experiences that mirror my own, but I find it functions beautifully and gives acceptable accuracy with the right ammunition.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom