Remington Model 24 22lr

[DesertRanger]

I have acquired a 1928 Remington Model 24 22lr. I don’t know yet if I want to keep it, but my dilemma is about refinishing and one mechanical issue. The stock finish and blueing are original (see picture). If I refinish does that impact the collectibility? A buddy showed me his Browning version of the same gun and it was perfect- it made me want to refinish. I’m interested in your opinions.

The mechanical issue is that it’s not cycling rounds after the first. I was using Blazer 40gr lead nose rounds. The spent case would jam before completely ejecting, and because I turned it downside up to clear it, the next round feeds and jams out of the magazine. There are guys online with feeding problems, but not this one exactly. Any ideas? My two questions are related because if I tear it down completely for the mechanical issue, I will want to refinish it.  I have more than enough 22s as it is, so I think my preference would be to send it to another owner. To date, though, I have never sold a gun that wasn’t in good working order. Any advice is appreciated.

[MacGyver]

I would not refinish it.  

[gregintenn]

Me either.^^^

I have no problem buying a non working firearm at a discounted price as long as the seller is honest and upfront about it. I’d love to tinker with that rifle and get it working again. It’s like working a puzzle. I doubt I’m the only one.

[10-Ring]

45 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Me either.^^^

I have no problem buying a non working firearm at a discounted price as long as the seller is honest and upfront about it. I’d love to tinker with that rifle and get it working again. It’s like working a puzzle. I doubt I’m the only one.

You certainly are not.  This is right down my alley as well.  

[KahrMan]

Refinishing it will hurt the value and collectibility of it.  I vote do not refinish it.

[derf]

Refinishing a gun with this much history would be like having a gold metal bronzed. Don’t do it. As fa4 as jamming, try CCI ammo. It’s slightly smaller case allows them to eject from the chamber easier. I have a Uberti 22 revolver that you can’t hardly get anything put CCI to slide into the cylinder. 

[TripleGGG]

No way would i refinish it.

[DesertRanger]

On 2/25/2022 at 4:56 PM, derf said:

Refinishing a gun with this much history would be like having a gold metal bronzed. Don’t do it. As fa4 as jamming, try CCI ammo. It’s slightly smaller case allows them to eject from the chamber easier. I have a Uberti 22 revolver that you can’t hardly get anything put CCI to slide into the cylinder. 

I will leave it as it came to me and try CCI tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes.

[DesertRanger]

On 2/25/2022 at 2:52 PM, gregintenn said:

Me either.^^^

I have no problem buying a non working firearm at a discounted price as long as the seller is honest and upfront about it. I’d love to tinker with that rifle and get it working again. It’s like working a puzzle. I doubt I’m the only one.

I'm going to try hotter 22 ammo tomorrow and see how it does. 

[Snaveba]

So if you decide to not keep it, I call dibs (depending upon what you want for it) 

[Grayfox54]

Another vote not to refinish. 

Bear in mind when that rifle was made and the .22 ammo available then. I think it may be jamming due to ammo that's cycling  the action too fast. Try some standard velocity ammo in it.  CCI Standard Velocity is the benchmark in this class of ammo. 

If that doesn't work, try replacing the recoil spring. I just checked and Wolff does make a spring for this model. $8.49. 

Edited February 27, 2022 by Grayfox54

[xtriggerman]

9 times out of 10, the chamber is compromised "if" the extractor is in place....and functional. Hi vels will only eject at a faster speed. other than that, no difference. Standard vel should be the choice for plinking as stated. Alot of these old corrosive primed 22 eater's that have alot of use on them simply have over sized chambers. A hi vel can expand the casing to the point where a worn extractor (even a good one) just cant grab whats left of a minimized rim lip. Not so much with a standard vel pressure. Also, these guns have a wide extractor that if the action is slammed into battery ALOT without a cartridge going into battery, the extractor can peen an inward lip at the barrel extractor cut notch inward into the chamber creating a lip that will reduce the expanded cartridge cases ability to slide out of this inward protruded chamber wall. IMO, if the barrel's chamber in not in spec, I would reline it with a Redding liner and have it shooting along with the accuracy of 10/22's. I learned how to refinish guns to match factory cut steel finishes. From what I'v seen over the decades, 90 percent of the reblued guns I'v seen were buggared up abortions of wrong grit, wrong strike direction cut and mostly washed out screw holes, lettering and edges. It would make my stomach churn to see that gun be destroyed by some basement trained wana be gunsmith's blueing tanks. The wear on it, is years in service stripes. We used to call em french fries on class A duds. Why demoralize that ol gun? Sell it to one here above who will do it right and stand it upright next to its brethren!

[No_0ne]

As others have said, refinishing destroys any collectablity it had.  Fix any problems, but otherwise leave it as is ...

[DesertRanger]

19 hours ago, xtriggerman said:

9 times out of 10, the chamber is compromised "if" the extractor is in place....and functional. Hi vels will only eject at a faster speed. other than that, no difference. Standard vel should be the choice for plinking as stated. Alot of these old corrosive primed 22 eater's that have alot of use on them simply have over sized chambers. A hi vel can expand the casing to the point where a worn extractor (even a good one) just cant grab whats left of a minimized rim lip. Not so much with a standard vel pressure. Also, these guns have a wide extractor that if the action is slammed into battery ALOT without a cartridge going into battery, the extractor can peen an inward lip at the barrel extractor cut notch inward into the chamber creating a lip that will reduce the expanded cartridge cases ability to slide out of this inward protruded chamber wall. IMO, if the barrel's chamber in not in spec, I would reline it with a Redding liner and have it shooting along with the accuracy of 10/22's. I learned how to refinish guns to match factory cut steel finishes. From what I'v seen over the decades, 90 percent of the reblued guns I'v seen were buggared up abortions of wrong grit, wrong strike direction cut and mostly washed out screw holes, lettering and edges. It would make my stomach churn to see that gun be destroyed by some basement trained wana be gunsmith's blueing tanks. The wear on it, is years in service stripes. We used to call em french fries on class A duds. Why demoralize that ol gun? Sell it to one here above who will do it right and stand it upright next to its brethren!

Thanks for the list of issues and possible corrections. I plan to disassemble and check this weekend.