The Vacationist’s 
Rifle 
For Target Work and Vermin 
Shooting, the .22 Is Unexcelled 
By 
WILLIS O. C. ELLIS 
HE ever popular twenty-two is 
T pre-eminently the gun for spring 
and summer and the vacation. 
The big game rifle has its place, but it 
is not the arm for the summer vaca- 
tionist and cannot be made to serve an 
all-round purpose. 
It is not likely that a more satisfac- 
tory caliber than the .22 will ever be 
produced for the rank and file of shoot- 
ers. The great interest taken in recent 
years in small-bore shooting has done 
much to lift the twenty-two to a higher 
level and to give it a popularity that is 
enjoyed by no other arm. 
Go back a number of years 
before the makers of firearms 
and ammunition were putting 
forth the efforts they are now, 
and still the .22-caliber rifle was 
a fine gun, though hardly so ac- 
curate or effective at long range 
as it is at present. 
But shooters liked this small 
caliber for several reasons and 
the demand for these arms 
has grown steadily until now 
there is no gun and ammuni- 
tion given closer attention in 
manufacture than the twenty-two. 
Not so very many years ago, the 
single shot was by all odds the most 
common type of .22-caliber rifle. Only 
one or two firms supplied repeaters in 
this size and the fellow who was lucky 
enough to own a .22 magazine rifle was 
envied by all his friends. 
OW conditions are reversed. In- 
stead of the single shot rifle pre- 
dominating, the demand is for repeaters 
and automatics, with the result that 
the single shot twenty-two goes a-beg- 
ging. As an outing proposition no 
other gun will afford the genuine 
Page 333 

Some good twenty-twos—Top to bottom: Automatic using the short 
cartridge; Lever action repeater with peep sights; Slide action repeater 
with peep sights 
pleasure of a good .22-caliber repeater 
of standard make. I say standard 
make because repairs, if ever needed, 
may be easily and quickly obtained. 
And this is a big thing to consider. 
Any gun may give way at some point; 
then it pays to have one for which you 
can buy a part rather than be held up 
in time and price for a gunsmith to 
make the part. 
Whether you get a slide action, lever 
action, bolt action repeater or an auto- 
matic, matters little; for they will all 
do the work and shoot better than you 
can hold. However, there is one point 
TUWUGIUUUUUOVUTU UTE 
It is not likely that a more satisfactory rifle 
caliber than the .22 will ever be produced. 
Light in weight, compact, inexpensive and 
accurate in the extreme, it constitutes the 
ideal utility arm for the average shooter. 
NVA 
it is well to bear in mind. If you are 
a big game hunter it is best to select 
a twenty-two having the same type of 
action as the big game gun. That is, 
if your big game rifle is lever action, 
the lever .22-caliber repeater will be 
the thing; or if it is an automatic, use 
a .22 automatic; if a slide action, use 
one of the popular trombone repeaters, 
and so on. Or, if you have never 
hunted big game it is well to select a 
twenty-two having the type of action 
that you prefer in the big game arm. 
Then when you get the rifle for big 
game vou will find it easy to operate 
due to the practice with the same 
style of action on the smaller gun. 
But above all, get the type and make 
of rifle that YOU like best. You will 
never be satisfied with a rifle that you 
don’t like, even though it may be a fine 
shooter. Satisfaction is a big thing 
with any item of outdoor equipment. 
N° real enjoyment can come from 
the possession or use of anything 
with which you are not satisfied. 
Nearly all of the high-grade .22-cali- 
ber repeaters are take-downs which is 
most desirable, as it permits their be- 
ing packed into small space. In addi- 
tion to this many permit of 
cleaning and inspecting from 
the breech—a fine thing in any 
rifle, especially the twenty-two. 
Also, these guns are made for 
the attaching of tang peep 
sights of Lyman and Marble 
pattern, while any one of a 
number of special front sights 
may be used. 
On the whole it may be cor- 
rectly stated that the poor- 
est thing about the standard 
twenty-twos is the sights. Open 
sights are regularly supplied on all 
guns, there being but one firm that 
regularly supplies a Lyman tang peep 
sight on a .22-caliber repeater. And 
it is my opinion that a good tang peep 
sight increases the value of a rifle, 
especially a twenty-two, from 50% to 
100% over the best open sights. And 
many experienced shooters will bear 
out this statement. 
FoR target shooting the tang peep 
sight should have a large disc with 
small aperture, the front sight being a 
post, pin-head or aperture. For hunting, 
(Continued on page 368) 
