Thread: What to do with grandad's 22

Inherited this 22 Remington target master. Condition is well used but still shots fine and I use it all the time. Just trying to decide whether to restore it to like new, re blue and give the stock some tlc or keep it as is with us current patina? What would you do?

Without doubt a gentle clean and maybe light rub with fine wire wool to remove surface rust and dirt then oil

Similar with the stock, wiping with turps then boiled linseed oil to feed the wood.

Just give it a good clean and a wipe of oil and leave it as is

I’ve got the same rifle, my dad bought just after the war, have to wear safety glasses when firing as shot comes back passed the bolt. Hate to think how many rounds he put through it.
I’ve held on to it for 60 yrs, now there’s no one with a licence in my family to pass it onto

Originally Posted by Maca49

I’ve got the same rifle, my dad bought just after the war, have to wear safety glasses when firing as shot comes back passed the bolt. Hate to think how many rounds he put through it.
I’ve held on to it for 60 yrs, now there’s no one with a licence in my family to pass it onto

I've got the same issue. My Dad's was a single shot German Joosten from pre WWII. I think Joosten disappeared under a hail of bombs never to reopen. At any rate I still have that rifle, haven't fired it for maybe 30 years, but cannot part with it because of its sentimental value. My kids are all girls so no passing down there.

Originally Posted by zimmer

I've got the same issue. My Dad's was a single shot German Joosten from pre WWII. I think Joosten disappeared under a hail of bombs never to reopen. At any rate I still have that rifle, haven't fired it for maybe 30 years, but cannot part with it because of its sentimental value. My kids are all girls so no passing down there.

Never say never, maybe a grandchild will be the one to get it.

Originally Posted by Maca49

I’ve got the same rifle, my dad bought just after the war, have to wear safety glasses when firing as shot comes back passed the bolt. Hate to think how many rounds he put through it.
I’ve held on to it for 60 yrs, now there’s no one with a licence in my family to pass it onto

run it with more oil around action and clean it really well every 50 or so shots,my old remington 33 did the same but only about 5 times in total..build up of unburnt powder eventually decides to ignite....one rilfe I shouldnt have sold..but didnt need it anymore as had bought a JW15...which Ive now bought 3 times..same rifle lol.

Originally Posted by zimmer

I've got the same issue. My Dad's was a single shot German Joosten from pre WWII. I think Joosten disappeared under a hail of bombs never to reopen. At any rate I still have that rifle, haven't fired it for maybe 30 years, but cannot part with it because of its sentimental value. My kids are all girls so no passing down there.

Just read this to my girls. They'll have it.

First thing to do is undo the big slot-head screw under the stock and remove the barreled action. Then clean away any rust that may be under the stock area on the metal work. A cheapy woven-style stainless pot scourer and some WD40 will do that without affecting any blue that might have survived. Then gently clean the rest of the barrel and action with said pot scrubber and oil , give it a good wipe down then apply some oil of your choice to the metal work.

The stock probably has bugger all finish - thats fine , its part of the story of the firearm. Give the bore a good clean , spray out the extractor area with some Brakekleen or Electrical Contact Cleaner orsimilar , then lightly oil. Too much oil is worse than too little.

Then cherish it as part of your family history.

Originally Posted by sportco62

First thing to do is undo the big slot-head screw under the stock and remove the barreled action. Then clean away any rust that may be under the stock area on the metal work. A cheapy woven-style stainless pot scourer and some WD40 will do that without affecting any blue that might have survived. Then gently clean the rest of the barrel and action with said pot scrubber and oil , give it a good wipe down then apply some oil of your choice to the metal work.

The stock probably has bugger all finish - thats fine , its part of the story of the firearm. Give the bore a good clean , spray out the extractor area with some Brakekleen or Electrical Contact Cleaner orsimilar , then lightly oil. Too much oil is worse than too little.

Then cherish it as part of your family history.

It’s your gun but I would recommend that you don’t use steel wool or stainless wools for removing rust or wd40 as it’s not an oil as such and dries as a gum. Your best bet is goldilocks as it’s copper/brass which is softer than steel agains steel so it won’t damage your blueing. Buff with a light oil or hoppes and it should remove surface rust & gunk. Hand rub in a few drops of raw linseed for the stock. Google its use and how it dries. The stock is very dry

I use Frontier Big 45 cleaning pads - which are specifically made for this type of cleaning , but real hard to find here - and the poly pad-type cleaner from the supermarket is pretty near the same thing. I certainly dont recommend using steel wool on anything gun-related , and usually use CRC 556 or WD40 - which ever is handy at the time . Never had issues , only good success.

Originally Posted by Andygr

Never say never, maybe a grandchild will be the one to get it.

My grandsons are a bit young and into man buns and earrings FFS. But the excel at cricket, soccer, basketball, water polo and swimming.
I shouldn’t complain

I've always had great success with 4 naught (as the Yanks call it) steel wool and oil. Never use the course soap impregnated stuff. For bad spotting of rust I use a brass object to scrape. I use a 308 case with the neck flattened. If the rust has gone much deeper than the surface you cannot easily remove it. You can oil the craters and scratch around the bottom of them with a scriber to dislodge the rust but that's about it.
For the wood I clean with something like methylated spirits and rub with Birchwood Casey Tru-oil. You don't want to overdue it, just freshen it up and preserve it.

Originally Posted by Fssprecision

Without doubt a gentle clean and maybe light rub with fine wire wool to remove surface rust and dirt then oil

Similar with the stock, wiping with turps then boiled linseed oil to feed the wood.

yup exactly what I would do

Originally Posted by Maca49

My grandsons are a bit young and into man buns and earrings FFS. But the excel at cricket, soccer, basketball, water polo and swimming.
I shouldn’t complain

What did you expect when their grandfather strutts around in lycra?