it's been

a while since i made an entry here so i guess I'd best get to it, huh?

I've been doing some 'upgrades' on my equipment.

I've taken apart the bolts of four of my rimfire rifles and stoned, cleaned and polished all parts that could be done; all work very well now.

i have two very fine, high quality rimfire rifles that need little, if any, upgrading or improvement(s) yet i still took apart the bolts and honed the extractors; it did enhance the operation.

I've had a long time affair with rimfire firearms. in fact, since i was a 13 year old kid in Oklahoma where i worked for and saved the cash to purchase a single shot, bolt action, .22 rimfire rifle; a Sears JC Higgins,(made by Marlin as the model 100)actually, my dad is the one who actually purchased it for me as i was not old enough to legally purchase a firearm.

i have that rifle to this day. it still shoots, but...it could use a new trigger. the trigger that's installed in it now was manufactured by a friend of mine as the original was lost somehow and it's showing a great deal of wear. it's a manually cocked model and has no safety device other than not to cock it until ready to shoot.

I'm certain i put thousands of rounds thru it and my sons have cycled uncounted thousands thru it as well, yet it, like the energizer bunny, "keeps on going".

i run hot and cold in my project to restore it and right now I'm in a 'cold' spell with it. someday i hope to have it fully restored. i researched it and as i recall it was made in 1936.

I've also come to a point in my shooting and hunting life where i believe there may be more of a "future" in rimfire due to the political environment and the violence along the American/Mexican border involving firearms as well as international arms talks involving the UN; i believe there will be an all out attempt to ban private ownership of any military/law enforcement grade weapons worldwide. especially in the area of AR's and semi-automatic, self-loading firearms.

i heard that one UN resolution has stated that shoulder fired small arms (mostly the propagation of the AK47) constitute the biggest threat to mankind in history and called for the banning of private ownership of them (shoulder fired, military grade, small arms.) worldwide and part of the resolution would include the banning of military grade caliber ammo such as 9mm Luger,.45 ACP, 5.56, 30-06, .303, 7-8mm Mauser and it goes on.

as i see it, and i see no evidence to support the beliefs, and if there were, anti-gun organizations would be throwing in the face of the public, the AR's, in the hands of law-abiding citizens, are NOT a national security threat of any sort, the threats are mostly in legislators warped, demented, reasoning. keep in mind...legislators do not think and reason like 'normal' persons.

with that in mind, i believe they will shun the .22 rimfire as not being a "threat" as they perceive a threat as being.

i personally believe the .22 rimfire is highly underrated in today's shooting culture as being "underpowered" and not worthy of consideration when considering "self-defense" or "survival" applications.

i certainly do not advocate the use of a .22 rimfire for the taking of "big" game, under normal circumstances, or for long range applications (by long range, i mean in the area of 100 yards/90 meters and farther and by "big game" i mean deer sized and larger animals.)it simply hasn't the energy to perform the necessary task to penetrate big game animals, or human threats, at ranges over those and the energy it does have is severely limited even within the confines of those ranges on bigger animals.

the .22 rimfire does have merits that make it worth considering as an overall wise choice for use, though. it's very economical for one. being economical also means one can afford to practice/train more often to become proficient with the chosen arm. it's quite capable for the taking of most small game, can be had in extremely accurate loadings, there is negligibly felt recoil from virtually every rimfire firearm available. just to name a few reasons.

as far as it being a choice in the arena of self defense cartridges, it does not rank very well. almost every handgun cartridge around, sans the .25 ACP, would be a better choice. (as far as handguns are concerned)nevertheless, in a situation where i could select a .22 rimfire rife/carbine, i think it's a valid choice as long as one is not faced with contending with an armored up aggressor. velocities a 40 grain bullet can attain from a .22 rimfire rifle are quite respectable...some as high as 1600 FPS...certainly not to be shunned. with all the .22 caliber rimfire variants available in the AR platform now days it's hard for me to believe that in a "face down" situation an aggressor would be able to look down the bore and scoff at a .22 cal...after all, bore size is .22 for an AR/M4/M16 also.

the venerable Ruger 10/22, as an example, is available for less than $300 brand new anywhere in the country and it is without doubt, the premier, one of the most stalwart examples of the semi-automatic carbines ever designed. it's highly reliable, rugged, accurate and will digest almost any .22 long rifle fodder on the planet.

now, couple that up with the ability of a shooter to be able to empty a 10 round (California law prohibits magazines in semi-auto firearms to no more than 10 rounds, but most other states have no limit.) magazine into a 3" circle, rapid fire, within 20 yards using high-velocity, 40 grain bullet, rounds...that, my friends, is 400 grains of lead, nearly one ounce, hitting a target in near milliseconds...what do you think? i think the results would be sobering, to say the least.

with all that in mind, one must also accept the fact that it is probably the most widely available ammo and firearm available now.

in the end...i think one could do worse than ending up with a selection of .22 rimfires...at least they prove to be more practical than most we now see...

just my opinion.