I've just received a (cough) rather charismatic Springfield Model of 1922 M1I (Armory-upgraded M2) .22LR, sporterized to order for a customer by Griffin and Howe in 1958. The rifle is a beefy, heavy-barrelled charmer; its lines, to my eye, are unimpeachable, if slightly incongruent: It looks like someone decided they needed a full-sized African stopper rifle for shooting belligerent ruffed grouse straight through their brain-boxes at ten yards. With a Lyman rear peep. The crazy thing has a barrel-banded front sling-swivel attachment point, a jewelled bolt, and a checkered steel trapdoor buttplate concealing a socket for a magazine. Among other features. Nothing this crowd ain't seen, I imagine, but I've never held something like it in my hands before. I feel like I'm custody of an artifact.

It's sort of the Marilyn Monroe of mid-century .22LR sporters, by my lights. A one-off, and a bit much to carry around, but I ain't gonna complain.

Well-assembled blondes aside, what might be of more interest to this archivally-bent hive-mind is the wad of paperwork that came with the rifle. It fills a letter-envelope beyond standard postage rates, and it's a summary of the entire ordering process, bi-directionally, with each of G&H's replies signed by Phil Johnstone. Receipts, work-order numbers, conversations about the suitability of the customer's supplied stock for customization... Echoes of a gone-away world, no doubt dictated, typed, and signed in ink. Mailed with stamps someone had to lick. My eyebrows are still sailing over my forehead.

The rifle's had only two owners, prior to me: the man who ordered the custom work to be done on his supplied rifle, almost sixty-five years ago, and the gent he willed it to upon his demise in 2017, and who just sold it to me, who's not put a round through it since it went to him. Because, as James McMurtry would put it, he's gettin' on in years.

Any interest in seeing pictures? Of the rifle, its paper-trail, or all of the above? Because I'd like to record this critter's existence for posterity, and this seems like the proper place to do so. Even if it's primarily a shotgun forum.

Please....

Definitely interested in pictures

Yes, photos please.

What does it weigh?

I don't know how much it weighs; my scale only goes to 2000g. But I'm curious enough that I intend to borrow a postal scale from work next week. It's certainly heavier than any of my 12-gauge shotguns.

I wonder if the original purchaser had it built to match a full bore Springfield Sporter he had so he could use it to polish his marksmanship with .22 cartridges?

Does the paperwork yield any clues?

No mention of that in the correspondence. Only an allusion to a centrefire hunting rifle he was thinking of having built next.

Edit: I pointedly asked the second owner, who was a close friend of the man who commissioned the customization, and he almost immediately replied, "I believe he had the Springy done up because that was the thing to do in those days."

Woof.

You are aware of the hive mind, and, question if it wants to see pictures?

Really?

Let me know if you need help getting them up here.

I have a Remington 581 lefty gun, that is part of a tug of war at the moment. I want to sell it, and replace it with a righty, BUT, my son wants to keep it. Never mind, that we both have Remington auto loading.22s, that seldom see the light of day.

He is not left handed. I don’t get it.

Best,
Ted

Really. Figured I should ask politely before spamming the forum with an avalanche of pictures of something it's not quite about. I don't recall seeing many rimfire posts in this sub-forum.


You're very kind. I should be able to manage it, once daylight and time conspire to permit. Thank you.

I'm quietly smiling at and laughing about your left-handed Remington 581 dilemma, because I'm a former ambidextrous prone target rifle shooter. If your son wants to keep the thing, I say let him do so. Might be more personal than practical.

Let’s see,

Custom? Check.
Classic? Check.
Single barrel? Check.
Sporting? Check.

I suspect you have the bases covered better than most, regardless of caliber.

You know, my dad and brother left me with a pile of guns I don’t use and will never use. I was just ‘sort of hoping not to be that guy….


Best,
Ted

Roger, Mister Schefelbein. Merci. I'll bust the tripod and the iPad mount out and start taking pictures.

It's a very interesting old(ish) rifle. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief.

Just a point to ponder, my 1922 Sporter weighs almost ten pounds. Why? I don't know. I didn't build it. I think it came out of the Parker-Whelen shop in Washington, D.C.

Yes, definitely. But more so, some pics of groups it has shot. Remember, "Only accurate rifles are interesting.". Or, put another way, pretty is as pretty does.

I think one of the reasons the 1922 sporters weigh so much is the hole in the barrel is so much smaller than a 30-06 and the outside profile is the same. The actions are big for a 22 and subsequently seem to make the stocks man size.

I have a 1922 MI made by Jack Haugh that we tried to make as light as possible and it’s still around 8#.

My little wonder gun may weigh ten pounds, but feels three pounds lighter in the hands.

Out of curiosity I weighed my M2 Springfield, original configuration with Style B stock - 9 pounds 12 ounces with 1907 pattern sling. Funny thing it doesn't feel that heavy to me and was kind of shocked. Countless hours of hiking/squirrel hunting never found me complaining about its weight.

Count me as another who would like to see pics of this jewel.

I don't seem to have immediate access to an accurate-enough scale to weigh the thing to my satisfaction, but it's definitely stout. Barrel does not look like it's been turned. Big thick pipe, tiny little bore. The stock's been whittled, but wood's definitely not steel.

I expect to have some bright sunlight this coming weekend, and will endeavor to take some pictures with it posed over the kitchen sink. I unfortunately don't have the privacy of a back yard, and taking the rifle to the riverside park a block away to pose it on a picnic table would get me arrested in the time it'd take to light a cigarette.

Taking pictures of its paper-trail will be far easier. I'll start with that.

Thank you to all who've expressed interest.

Regarding the rifle's weight... I bought Brophy's book on the Springfield 1903 because it includes a fairly good chapter about the M1922s. One of the appendices lists the M1922's weight, all variants, in arsenal condition, of course, as being 8.7 lbs. The funny thing is that my sporter hefts heavier than that!

Time to buy a cheap digital 5kg kitchen scale off of Amazon. It'll also come in handy for weighing beef brisket so I can calculate brining salt.

First firearms book I ever bought new off-the-rack was "The Accurate Rifle" by Warren Page, and I remember that he quoted Whelen's dictum in it. We are in agreement.

I aim to take it to a nearby indoor range that allows walk-ins within the next few weeks and try it out. If it (and I) can group 'em touching or at least clustered at fifteen yards (minute-of-partridge's head), I'll be happy. I've got an old brick of Fiocchi Biathlon left over from my rimfire pistol days, and I still have a few unused short-range free pistol practice targets in the top drawer of my shotgun trunk. Hopefully the thing will group, as opposed to patterning.

It's at least 90 years old. Hoping I remember how to shoot a rifle! Been out of that game 23 years.

Fudd, I sympathize with you, not being a rifle guy. I found a load that would shoot ragged one hole groups at 50 yards with my 1922. It is serial number 251, so I guess mine is what, 101 years old? I don't know much about the serial number versus date of manufacture of these great guns, but considering its place of origin at Colonel Whelen's shop, I have only questions, no answers.

Kitchen scale I ordered last night arrived at work just before I left today. Just weighed the rifle with its magazine: 8.56 lbs, 3.88 kg. Huh. Expected it to be ten pounds. Must be because it's quite muzzle-heavy, balance-wise.

Where’s the pics ???

Untaken, I regret. Have gotten sidetracked the past couple of weekends.