Welcome, if you’re a newcomer to this enjoyable bi-weekly phase of AllOutdoor.com! For individuals who have been following alongside, our final 4 articles explored the Winchester Model 1911 SL, infamously often known as the “Widowmaker.” We dove deep into its history, dating, variations, and range time, together with all of the mechanical quirks that earned it such a infamous nickname. Right this moment, we’re shifting gears to look at one other great piece of American firearms historical past – the Remington 550-1 .22 rimfire rifle.
Curious Relics Protection on AllOutdoor:
Welcome to our recurring collection of “Curious Relics.” Right here, we wish to share all of our experiences, information, misadventures, and fervour for older firearms that one may categorize as a Curio & Relic – any firearm that’s at the least 50 years previous in line with the ATF. Hopefully alongside the best way you’ll be able to garner a better appreciation for older firearms like we do, and concurrently you’ll be able to educate us issues as effectively by way of sharing your personal experience and ideas within the Feedback. Understanding the firearms of previous, their significance, and their improvement which result in most of the arms we now cherish at present is extremely fascinating and we hope you take pleasure in what we’ve to share, too!
Private Connection: A Grandfather’s Legacy
Earlier than diving into the official historical past of the Remington 550-1, I wish to share a private connection to this explicit firearm. Within the fall of 2023, my grandfather gifted me his 550-1 – not merely as a hand-me-down, however as a aspect undertaking that might take a look at the gunsmithing abilities I’d discovered a decade prior. He offered me with a box of disassembled parts, explaining that certainly one of my family had taken it aside for cleansing however couldn’t get it functioning once more when reassembled.
The problem was clear, and fortunately, diagnosing the difficulty didn’t take lengthy. Quickly sufficient, the rifle was again collectively and working easily. Once I handed it again to my grandfather, he instantly returned it to me with a easy gesture that mentioned it was now mine. He at all times bragged about what number of .22 Shorts this tube-fed marvel may maintain and what a dependable shooter it was in his fingers.
My grandfather handed away final summer time (2024), forsaking not simply recollections however this tangible connection to his life. I’m honored to have this piece of his historical past and to maintain it in correct working order. It’s firearms like these – handed down by way of generations – that usually spark our curiosity within the tales behind these mechanical masterpieces. This one is for you, Grandpa John.
The Start of The Remington 550-1
The Remington 550-1’s story begins within the early Forties, throughout a time when America’s manufacturing may was largely targeted on wartime manufacturing. Whereas precedence went to navy arms, Remington acknowledged the persevering with civilian demand for versatile rimfire rifles that would serve a number of functions on farms, ranches, and in leisure capturing.
The collection truly started with the Mannequin 550A round 1941, which featured the revolutionary “floating chamber” design – the important thing engineering factor that might outline the whole 550 collection. Manufacturing of the 550A was comparatively restricted, with roughly 34,577 items manufactured between 1941-1946 in line with collector documentation. These early fashions featured twin extractors and a particular shell deflector that might turn into a recognizable trait of the collection. The true manufacturing success started after World Battle II with the introduction of the Mannequin 550-1. Early variations produced from 1946-1948 had been marked merely as “550 1” with no sprint, whereas these manufactured from 1949-1971 carried the extra acquainted “550-1” designation with a touch – a delicate however necessary element for collectors and historians at present.
What made the 550-1 particular was its distinctive “floating chamber” design – a separate sleeve that moved independently throughout the bolt meeting. This mechanism allowed for the efficient biking of three completely different rimfire cartridges (.22 Quick, .22 Lengthy, and .22 Lengthy Rifle) with out requiring any adjustment from the shooter.
David Marshall Williams – Overview. http://www.uscarbinecal30.com/williams4.html. Accessed 13 Might 2025.
To understand why this was exceptional, take into account the problem: .22 Quick, Lengthy, and Lengthy Rifle cartridges fluctuate considerably in size, powder cost, and recoil impulse. Most autoloading firearms are optimized for a particular cartridge and wrestle with others. The floating chamber solved this by creating an intermediate recoil transmission system that successfully harnessed the power from even the modest .22 Quick rounds to cycle the motion reliably.
David Marshall Williams – Overview. http://www.uscarbinecal30.com/williams4.html. Accessed 13 Might 2025.
This adaptability wasn’t only a advertising gimmick – it was genuinely helpful at a time when ammunition availability may fluctuate, particularly in rural America, the place these rifles usually served as important instruments. The flexibility to make use of no matter .22 ammunition was obtainable on the native basic retailer made the 550-1 significantly versatile for farm use, small recreation looking, and pest management.
Business Success and Competitors: Remington 550-1
Between 1946 and 1971, Remington manufactured roughly 700,000-730,000 Mannequin 550-1 rifles, making it a industrial success even when it by no means achieved the long-lasting standing of some later rimfire designs. When launched, it competed towards rifles like Winchester’s Fashions 74 and 77, and later the Marlin Mannequin 60 (launched in 1960) and Ruger 10/22 (launched in 1964).
The 550-1 occupied a considerably premium place available in the market. Its all-steel development and machined components represented conventional high quality gunmaking at a time when extra producers had been transitioning to stamped components and cost-saving manufacturing strategies. The rifle’s strong development contributed to its sturdiness, with many examples nonetheless functioning completely at present, greater than half a century after manufacturing.
Apparently, as .22 Lengthy Rifle ammunition turned standardized because the rimfire cartridge of alternative in post-war America, the 550-1’s multi-cartridge flexibility regularly turned much less of a promoting level. Options just like the Ruger 10/22’s rotary journal and fashionable styling started to enchantment extra to shooters than the flexibility to shoot three completely different cartridge sorts.
Market Place and Reception: Remington 550-1
The 550-1 was positioned as a flexible and dependable device fairly than a specialised competitors or goal rifle. Its main markets included:
- Small recreation hunters who appreciated its reliability and capability
- Farmers and ranchers who wanted a reliable varmint management device
- Leisure shooters who loved its easy biking and accuracy
- Younger shooters studying firearm fundamentals (the rifle was reportedly utilized in Boy Scout camps in the course of the Nineteen Fifties and 60s)
Modern critiques praised the rifle’s reliability and flexibility. The floating chamber design, whereas revolutionary, did require common cleansing – maybe the one constant criticism present in interval literature. The flexibility to cycle completely different ammunition sorts reliably was persistently highlighted as its standout characteristic.
By the late Sixties, altering manufacturing economics and client preferences had been placing stress on Remington’s product lineup. The 550-1, with its machined parts and complicated floating chamber design, was costly to provide in comparison with newer designs with stamped components and easier working programs.
In 1971, Remington discontinued the 550-1, changing it with the Mannequin 552 – the same design that maintained the multi-cartridge functionality however used extra fashionable manufacturing methods and supplies. Many collectors and fans take into account the change a downgrade, because the 552 by no means fairly captured the strong high quality that made the 550-1 particular.
Finish of Half One: Remington 550-1
Right this moment, the Remington 550-1 occupies an attention-grabbing place within the collector market. Whereas not uncommon in absolute numbers, well-preserved examples command respect and curiosity from collectors who respect its engineering and historic significance. The rifle represents a transition interval in American firearms manufacturing, bridging the hole between conventional gunmaking with its emphasis on machined components and sturdiness, and the extra fashionable approaches that prioritized effectivity and cost-effectiveness.
For a lot of households, like mine, these rifles aren’t simply collectibles however treasured heirlooms that join generations. The tales of looking journeys, pest management on household farms, or just plinking with tin cans are woven into the historical past of those firearms as a lot as their technical specs.
In our subsequent installment, we’ll dive deeper into the assorted fashions and variations of the 550-1 that emerged throughout its manufacturing run, analyzing how the design developed over its quarter-century in manufacturing. We’ll take a look at the specialised variants just like the 550P goal mannequin and the 550-2G gallery gun, together with the delicate adjustments that occurred all through the usual manufacturing fashions.
In closing, I hope our Curious Relics phase knowledgeable in addition to entertained. This all was written in hopes of continued firearm appreciation and preservation. We didn’t simply understand how guns had been speculated to look and performance. It was an extended and tedious course of that has formed the world we reside in. So, I put it to you! Is there a firearm on the market that you simply really feel doesn’t get a lot notoriety? What ought to our subsequent Curious Relics subject cowl? As at all times, tell us your entire ideas within the Feedback under! We at all times respect your suggestions.
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