Look What U Find When Your Not Looking

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This past week I wanted to lay low and not find anything. However a friend called and said check out what I just bought on Gunner Runner Auctions...he bought a Browning HP i 30 Luger..so while I was scanning through what they had to offer I stumbled on this...

This is a Springfield Model 1922 M1..22LR converted to 22 Hornet back in 1931. The Boys at the Arsenal had nothing better to do so they developed the 22 Hornet Cartridge and got Winchester to start producing the Cartridge...one problem there wasn't a gun made that would chamber the Cartridge...So the Springfield boys made up a few rifles and converted a few others out of the Model 1922s. Before long Griffin & Howe and Sedgley were doing conversions as well, as it was the newest and badest Varmit Cartridge of the day. By 1932 or so Winchester( mdl 54 & 70) and Savage (mdl 23D) were making Rifles in 22 Hornet so the demand for the conversions fell off. This is one of those rare, rare rifles. The only question I have is who did the conversion. Both Sedgley and Griffin & Howe marked the rifles that they did with their names. It is a possibility that the Springfield Arsenal did the work, but being just a single shot tends to preclude that possibility. It could be an unknown Gun Smith that did the work as well. I won't know until I get the Rifle in my hot little hands.

BTW: This rifle will be just under $1100 delivered, the Unertle scope alone is worth around $600. I would say that the rifle is worth from $1000 for an unknown Gunsmiths work to about $10,000 if the Springfield Arsenal did the conversion. Check out Brophys book on the 1903 Springfields..page 145 or the 1998 Gun Digest article on the Development of the 22 Hornet Cartridge by Mark Beneson. I wonder if anyone would care to take a guess who has some fo the hardware pictured and mentioned in these sources.

Anyway someone with the handle Ronin bid on the rifle on Gun Runner, and I wonder if its anybody we might know...at $260 there was no way he would get that rifle...he had something and let it slip away for lack of knowledge. It was only blind luck that I even saw the rifle.

[Joeaksa]

Very nice looking and with that scope on it would love to try it out on a long range target.

[Drdogface]

Tabs,
Nice find...as you say the Unertl is easily worth $600. What power? I only heard of Sedgley recently. I had, but sold, a Win. Low Wall which had been converted by him to Hornet. It began life as a Winder Musket. It was a decent conversion but someone had later hacked on it a bit with a file and spoiled its collector value. BTW, some old 22WCF chambered rifles will chamber Hornet brass. As I understand it the basic difference is rim thickness.

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The Scope is 8X, the old 22 WCF was the basis of the 22 H.

Sedgley was in business from the 20s until the late 40s. They were known for sporterizing Springfield rifles. During the war they also made barrels for the 03 Springfield most notably for the USMC.

Sedgley converted Ballards, Winchester Low Walls and 03 Springfields into 22H. I even had a Colt New Service Revolver that was made into a 22 Hornet. The quality of Sedgleys ranged from excellent on a par with the best to tool room or very rough quality. Sedgleys are now starting to catch the eye of collectors..finally...I also had a Low Wall in 22H by Sedgley. I wound up selling it to a guy in Phili and thought geeez I have someone who wants this stuff why don't I sell him the Sedgley Colt in 22H. While I made a very small profit on the Low Wall I doubled my money on the Sedgely Colt.

Bothe Griffin & Howe and Sedgley would do anything from just rechambering and putting a new magazine housing to accomdate the 22H to full blown custom rifles. Generally a full blown Griffin & Howe 22H custom is going to cost $5000 + while a Sedgley will now cost about $3500. A Sedgely full blown conversion in 22H is for sale at the upcoming Rock Island Auction (April 29).

Currently I have 2 custom Sedgleys one in 30/06 and the other in 22H. The 06 is especially nice.

[Seahawk]

I have a 1928 Winchester Model 52...can you recommend a good scope?

Gun is in great shape.

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I would put a scope on it from the same time period...and U have 3 basic choichs.

1. Unertle Tgt scope
2. Lyman TGT scope
3. Fecker TGT Scope

All are going to look similar to the one on the rifle I just bought. The Unertle is going to be the most expensive. Look to spend from $350 to $600 for a good scope.

Unertle scopes are interesting as the maker of the scope bearing his name was a WW1 German Sniper who imigrated to the US after WW1. His scopes are known far and wide for their quality. The USMC used his scopes on their 03 Sniper Rifles in WW2....and currently the USMC is using a Unertle on their Sniper Rifles. The company is now located here in LV, unfortunately they don't have a showroom. The current USMC Sniper scope is priced at $2500.

[Seahawk]

Originally posted by tabs
I would put a scope on it from the same time period...and U have 3 basic choichs.

1. Unertle Tgt scope
2. Lyman TGT scope
3. Fecker TGT Scope

All are going to look similar to the one on the rifle I just bought. The Unertle is going to be the most expensive. Look to spend from $350 to $600 for a good scope.

Unertle scopes are interesting as the maker of the scope bearing his name was a WW1 German Sniper who imigrated to the US after WW1. His scopes are known far and wide for their quality. The USMC used his scopes on their 03 Sniper Rifles in WW2....and currently the USMC is using a Unertle on their Sniper Rifles. The company is now located here in LV, unfortunately they don't have a showroom. The current USMC Sniper scope is priced at $2500.

I thank you...the ground hogs will not

[Jeff Higgins]

Cool score there, tabs.

Check with Parsons Scope Service in Ohio for Unertl, Lyman, and Fecker stuff. They can rebuild them and turn up used ones for you. 513-867-0820.

[Drdogface]

IMHO the Lyman SuperTarget scopes are on par with Unertl for most of us. Check on ebay and often you will find them in their original pine box for an affordable price. Unertl on the other hand, really draws big cash unless you run across someone who doesn't really know what it is....e.g. estate sale.

[Superman]

How are we going to connect this purchase with the Iraq matter? Is this the kind of rifle that's used in Iraq? Help me out here.

[billwagnon]

The rifle's a straight shooter with excellent long-range vision, just like our esteemed commander-in-chief.

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The very first 22 Hornet that I ever bought was a Savage 23D that came with a 4X Unertle scope. I paid a whopping $200 for the gun with scope. The barrel was shimmed with Brown Paper and was said to shoot as straight as a Sako would by its previous owner. I still have that gun.

Later I bought a nice Unertle scope from a Gun Dealer I used to frequent deep in OC...Laugna Nigel to be exact on Forbes Road off Crown Valley Parkway. Paid $200 for that scope.

If any of U OC boyz want a good gun dealer who gets some good stuff from the Leisure World Crowd from time to time...Saddleback Valley Gun Center on Forbes Road is the place to be...George Heuiman is the owner. Geezus what havn't I bought from him over the years.

[9dreizig]

Originally posted by Seahawk
I thank you...the ground hogs will not

Ground hogs?? We should all be taking out Mullah's or whatever they call thier leaders over here.. If we all only took out one,, that would be a movement!!

[Drdogface]

Originally posted by 9dreizig
Ground hogs?? We should all be taking out Mullah's or whatever they call thier leaders over here.. If we all only took out one,, that would be a movement!!

Wouldn't surprise me much...

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by Superman
How are we going to connect this purchase with the Iraq matter? Is this the kind of rifle that's used in Iraq? Help me out here.

Just tell Off Ramp that it could kill or injure something and he will start typing and drooling on the keyboard whilst typing something silly.

9dreizig,

Still like the somewhat joke of sending over our "country good old boys" after telling them that they were responsible for the death of Dale Earnhart and did not like BBQ ribs.

These small caliber weapons sure are fun to shoot but with any wind get interesting to connect. Guess I am spoiled but a good 30.06 is hard to beat, but kicks 3x or more than a 22 Hornet.

[ronin]

Originally posted by tabs

Anyway someone with the handle Ronin bid on the rifle on Gun Runner, and I wonder if its anybody we might know...at $260 there was no way he would get that rifle...he had something and let it slip away for lack of knowledge. It was only blind luck that I even saw the rifle.

wasn't me! I swore to myself that I'd stop my gratuitous consumeristic binges this year and focus on my retirement account instead

and then tabs came a calling...

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Can anyone help this rifle find a new home sans scope.