I got a Browning SA-22 this week

Steve600

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I got this 1956 Browning SA-22 recently. It is in decent shape with a few small rust spots on the barrel. 4 digit serial makes it a first year import. I took it out shooting today, it is actually pretty accurate considering my eyes are not that great. It is grooved for a scope but doesn’t look as if anyone has ever mounted one and I don’t plan on it myself. You all probably know this, but it is a take down model meaning the barrel comes right off for transporting or cleaning ease. The bottom ejection can be an arm burner with loose sleeves!E0196871-E06D-4E80-BBAD-FE7DF9B19F93.jpeg
 
I got this 1956 Browning SA-22 recently. It is in decent shape with a few small rust spots on the barrel. 4 digit serial makes it a first year import. I took it out shooting today, it is actually pretty accurate considering my eyes are not that great. It is grooved for a scope but doesn’t look as if anyone has ever mounted one and I don’t plan on it myself. You all probably know this, but it is a take down model meaning the barrel comes right off for transporting or cleaning ease. The bottom ejection can be an arm burner with loose sleeves!View attachment 689680
Pretty sure you have the wrong ammo there for it… 😜

Nice score.
 
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Pretty sure you have the wrong ammo there for it…

Nice score.
A relative left it to me years ago, first time his wife has opened the safe since he died. He was a gunsmith and FFL who had a small but nice collection. He left me several plus I found my Ruger single six I gave him to hold when I went in the service in the 70’s. He was married to my sister.
 
A relative left it to me years ago, first time his wife has opened the safe since he died. He was a gunsmith and FFL who had a small but nice collection. He left me several plus I found my Ruger single six I gave him to hold when I went in the service in the 70’s. He was married to my sister.
That’s a cool gun man. Lefties love the bottom eject guns....

Edit: by lefties I’m meaning left handed people. Not communist scum.
 
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I've got three of those ... a new one with a scope, one with the stainless and laminate stock, and one nice used one that I actually shoot :)

You do need to keep your forearm clear of the downward eject, but you get used to it quickly (ouch)
 
That’s a cool gun man. Lefties love the bottom eject guns....

Edit: by lefties I’m meaning left handed people. Not communist scum.
Real lefties dont notice RH ejecting rifles , unless they hit you in the face. So far in 40 yrs the only rifle or hand gun that dings my head is M1 carbine.
Bottom ejection is cool though
Old 22s are cool especially some of the brownings.
 
Real lefties dont notice RH ejecting rifles , unless they hit you in the face. So far in 40 yrs the only rifle or hand gun that dings my head is M1 carbine.
Bottom ejection is cool though
Old 22s are cool especially some of the brownings.
Years ago an acquaintance had a bottom eject 12 gauge. I believe it was some sort of browning no idea. He was left handed and lived the thing. Another left handed friend probably has the worlds largest collection of left handed AR uppers.....he buys every one he sees!!

That’s ok about the m1carbine though, those kinda suck anyways. Garand FTW!
 
Years ago an acquaintance had a bottom eject 12 gauge. I believe it was some sort of browning no idea. He was left handed and lived the thing. Another left handed friend probably has the worlds largest collection of left handed AR uppers.....he buys every one he sees!!

That’s ok about the m1carbine though, those kinda suck anyways. Garand FTW!
The carbine will actually hit righties also!
Browning made a lot of bottom or top eject designs.
 
Real lefties dont notice RH ejecting rifles , unless they hit you in the face. So far in 40 yrs the only rifle or hand gun that dings my head is M1 carbine.
Bottom ejection is cool though
Old 22s are cool especially some of the brownings.
I am righty but shoot long guns lefty. I've never had a problem shooting my right eject AR's.
 
Love their semi-autos. I just purchased a browning .22 lever action. I love these older .22’s compared to the new ones out there now
 
As a Uh-1 'Charlie' model gunner, I had a freehand M-60 and sat on the left rear of the AC. If the AC or the PP pissed the CE or me off I'd direct a load of hot brass down the neck of the deserving party. Strapped in and in armored seats they had to suck it up the heat.....😂
 
I got this 1956 Browning SA-22 recently. It is in decent shape with a few small rust spots on the barrel. 4 digit serial makes it a first year import. I took it out shooting today, it is actually pretty accurate considering my eyes are not that great. It is grooved for a scope but doesn’t look as if anyone has ever mounted one and I don’t plan on it myself. You all probably know this, but it is a take down model meaning the barrel comes right off for transporting or cleaning ease. The bottom ejection can be an arm burner with loose sleeves!View attachment 689680
I have always loved these rifles. I inherited a beautiful one from my father, with really dark wood. The others have varying shades and like yours and one even lighter. They are all Belgian made. I SBR’ed one and threaded it for a silencer, it gets a lot of attention.

I was on vacation in Maine a few years back and stopped at a gun store in Kittery Maine, they had one for sale for $800 bucks, they have gone way up in price.
 
That’s a cool gun man. Lefties love the bottom eject guns....

Edit: by lefties I’m meaning left handed people. Not communist scum.
I read the first sentence (the edit was already there, but I hadn't gotten to it yet) and thought

Does he mean that left-wingers like bottom eject guns?
Do they?
Why?
Is that even plausible?
I'll bet he just means left-handed people.
Oh, yes, of course. Now that makes perfect sense.

Then I read the Edit and laughed.

A Browning SA-22 was the first gun I ever shot. I believe my brother-in-law has it now, as his boys (my father's grandsons, of course) would have put it to good use. I've thought about getting another, or possibly offering to buy the very one now that those boys are all grown up and it probably sits in a closet, but I'm pretty happy with my 22 setup already. I'd actually rather have the Remington Model 34 that my father shot as a boy and inherited from his father. Alas, nobody knows what became of it. My father must have sold it.
 
I read the first sentence (the edit was already there, but I hadn't gotten to it yet) and thought

Does he mean that left-wingers like bottom eject guns?
Do they?
Why?
Is that even plausible?
I'll bet he just means left-handed people.
Oh, yes, of course. Now that makes perfect sense.

Then I read the Edit and laughed.

A Browning SA-22 was the first gun I ever shot. I believe my brother-in-law has it now, as his boys (my father's grandsons, of course) would have put it to good use. I've thought about getting another, or possibly offering to buy the very one now that those boys are all grown up and it probably sits in a closet, but I'm pretty happy with my 22 setup already. I'd actually rather have the Remington Model 34 that my father shot as a boy and inherited from his father. Alas, nobody knows what became of it. My father must have sold it.
I posted, then had basically the same thought process, hence the edit!!!

I also have fond memories of childhood guns, that are worth more nostalgic wise than monetarily (not that they’re not quality guns) but large family means MANY uncles and even more cousins and those nostalgic old guns ain’t never coming my way. Such is life.
 
I got this 1956 Browning SA-22 recently. It is in decent shape with a few small rust spots on the barrel. 4 digit serial makes it a first year import. I took it out shooting today, it is actually pretty accurate considering my eyes are not that great. It is grooved for a scope but doesn’t look as if anyone has ever mounted one and I don’t plan on it myself. You all probably know this, but it is a take down model meaning the barrel comes right off for transporting or cleaning ease. The bottom ejection can be an arm burner with loose sleeves!View attachment 689680
That's a nice genuine Browning. I saw one at a NH gun shop years ago. Though for sure it was a Browning. I was wrong. It turned out to be a Norinco copycat model. No thanks!
 
Cool gun. I also inherited one but it's early/mid 70's when they started making them in Japan. The older Belgium made ones (like yours) are worth a decent amount of money these days.
 
That's a nice genuine Browning. I saw one at a NH gun shop years ago. Though for sure it was a Browning. I was wrong. It turned out to be a Norinco copycat model. No thanks!

I also have a Norinco clone, which I bought for $100 (NIB) at a gun show back in the early 90's.
It's actually a quite a good gun, well made and perfect functioning, what it lacks is the nice wood and fine metal finish of the originals.
I'm OK with this because it's a very reliable gun which I can bring into the woods, have fun with, and not worry about getting a scratch on it.
Also, genuine Browning parts fit them. I broke and extractor once, totally my fault, I failed to hold open the bolt when removing the barrel. Since Norinco parts are not available, I got one from Browning, which fit perfectly without any file work. BTW, the OEM Browning package had a warning about NOT using their parts in guns other than genuine Brownings. I guess Browning is aware that their replacement parts do fit in non-Browning made guns, and they're not happy about it.
I also own some genuine Brownings, some new and some old production. Browning is one company that didn't cut any corners on their current production of old design guns. Yes, they are manufactured in Japan by Miroku, but the quality is superb. In fact I'll go as far as saying the new ones may even be better that the old ones due to the advances in metallurgy over the decades, but the prices reflect this, quality does not come cheap.
I love my Brownings, but they only go to the range, and I wouldn't hesitate to snag another Norinco if one came along cheap.
 
I have one. Friend gave it to me years ago when she was having severe psychiatric issues and didn't trust herself.. Had a trigger lock on it. She had lost the key. I've actually never shot it. Not sure she ever did either. It's spotless. Looks brand new. Guess I will pull it out, see if it's Browning or Norinco, how old it is etc.

BTW My 13 yo picks locks for a hobby and took the lock off a while ago because he wanted to shoot it. We just never got around to it.
 
I have seen several for sale on gun broker that are mis-dated and do not have matching serial numbers. 0-1200 are the serial numbers for 1956, and the serial numbers of mine match in all three places and mine is a 4 digit also. They are just trying to pass them off as being much older. Too bad people have to make stuff up to sell them.
 
I also have a Norinco clone, which I bought for $100 (NIB) at a gun show back in the early 90's.
It's actually a quite a good gun, well made and perfect functioning, what it lacks is the nice wood and fine metal finish of the originals.
I'm OK with this because it's a very reliable gun which I can bring into the woods, have fun with, and not worry about getting a scratch on it.
Also, genuine Browning parts fit them. I broke and extractor once, totally my fault, I failed to hold open the bolt when removing the barrel. Since Norinco parts are not available, I got one from Browning, which fit perfectly without any file work. BTW, the OEM Browning package had a warning about NOT using their parts in guns other than genuine Brownings. I guess Browning is aware that their replacement parts do fit in non-Browning made guns, and they're not happy about it.
I also own some genuine Brownings, some new and some old production. Browning is one company that didn't cut any corners on their current production of old design guns. Yes, they are manufactured in Japan by Miroku, but the quality is superb. In fact I'll go as far as saying the new ones may even be better that the old ones due to the advances in metallurgy over the decades, but the prices reflect this, quality does not come cheap.
I love my Brownings, but they only go to the range, and I wouldn't hesitate to snag another Norinco if one came along cheap.
If you ever need them, there are a few places that stock sa22 parts.
 
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