Hi, this is my first post, id appreciate some advice on a Anschutz 1420 .22lr

[Olaf]

Hi, im about to buy my first .22lr and ive decided to buy a second hand 1420 model Anschutz rifle. The gun appears to be in lovely condition with a nice clean barrel and crisp rifling despite the fact that the gun is nearly 40 to 50 years old. Im certain that its had little use as I know the chap who is selling it and he has probably only ever used it a few times a year. Basically he is old and has no use for it anymore as he is moving home and wants it to get put to good use. Id be really pleased if someone could give me some tips on the following points.
1. the gun does not have a screw cut barrel for a sound mod, is there anything I need to know other than simply getting one fitted by a decent gunsmith ? can it spoil the accuracy ?
2. id like to buy a nice scope for the gun and im happy to spend about £500 on a second hand one or a bit more for a new one, something that i can use in low light at a decent range, any thoughts ? i was thinking about a Zeiss, the Duralyt ? one perhaps ??
3. the sound mods that ive seen so far all look a bit new and would look out of place on the gun, can I get a blued steel sound mod or are they all ssteel or anodized aluminum ?
4. is anyone familiar with the Anschutz 1420 22lr ? im hoping to try and get good at shooting it out to about 100 yds using subs on targets such as rabbit heads ! Do you think that an older Anschutz such as this 1420 is up to it ?
Your thoughts on the matter would be really appreciated. kind regards and many thanks, Olaf

 

[straightbetweentheeyes]

hi olaf, don't know anything regarding the rifle but i have a SAK mod on my .22 and i find it fairly quiet... mine is in silver but i know that they also do one in black/darkgrey which may suit the look of your rifle?
regards, Jez.

 

[limulus]

Ive never heard of the 1420 and I'm sure there are some on here with greater knowledge of them but in general for a .22lr I wouldn't be looking to spend vast sums on a scope as something like a Hawke or other similarly cheaper range of scope would be more than adequate for bunny bashing out to 100yds. You'd probably be using a lamp on/in darkness so would gain no benefit from better optics.
If the gun has open sights on it would you really want to chop a bit off the barrel to fit a mod after having it screw cut? ( a quandary I currently have with a nice old .308, leave the open fore-end sight or have it removed and screw cut)
With respect to a moderator there are plenty of options for various colours and a tins of spray paint can solve lots of problems.

 

[ian67]

Olaf,
Getting your rifle screwcut for a moddy will cost you between £50 and £100 and a competent gunsmith should be able to carry out the work. If done correctly it will not effect accuracy. Parker Hale does or did a blued moddy and they work quite well. I dont want to open a can of worms or open a debate about scopes but do really need to spend £500 on a scope for your .22 rimfire when there is the likes of Hawke out there for a fraction of the cost that work very well on rimfires and handle a fair bit of rough handling. I use Hawke scopes on two of my rimfires and they work really well in all weather, hold their zero well and take a bit of rough handling whether lamping from the motor or crawling around shooting vermin. just my thoughts.

 

[Olaf]

Nice point Ian and thanks for your reply. as you may have seen in my earlier post this is my first rifle and so i was just going on the fact that everyone i know who shoots keeps on saying to me that i need to spend twice the amount of the cost of the gun on the scope ! i figure that if i get a zeiss it will probably last me a lifetime and perform really well plus if i buy a .17hmr next year then i can always use it on that too. ??

 

[Olaf]

Thanks for that. i must admit that id love to be able to keep the open sights intact, the fact is that the gun is never going to impact the rabbits anywhere near as well without the mod fitted so i suppose that im just going to have to have it done.

 

[j0e_bl0ggs]

I have a 1422 which is pre 72 I guess this could be what you talk about 1420 seems to reference a magazine.
Anyroad screwcutting is not a problem. Shortening the barrel will affect the accuracy as the Anschutz barrels were choked.
There is enough room in front of the fore sight to screw cut the barrel.
I use Schmidt & Benders scopes on mine as the rifle will shoot to that class of optics without a doubt. Chuck the hawke ching chong stuff in the bin or just leave them to the airgun boys! The rifle will wear good optics and be a pleasure to use and if you ever find a bridge mount well....

 

[finnbear270]

Buy a bit of decent glass, or buy more than once.

 

[Olaf]

This is good to hear, i didnt know that the barrels are choked,. i spoke to someone who imports Anschutz rifles and he said that the 1420 was built some time in between 1950 and 1965 ! if its possible to maintain the open sight and get the mod on then that would be great. Also, whats a bridge mount ?

 

[Olaf]

Hi finnbear, thanks for you welcome earlier on in the intro section. Any thoughts on a good scope ?

 

[finnbear270]

If you are willing to spend , as you say £500.00, why not use £150.00 ish for your .22LR & £350.00ish on a stalking scope?, plenty of good second hand fixed power stalking glass on here, as for the rimfire, you could fit a lower end Bushnell or Burris for that money & refit it to any other sub calibre.

 

[Olaf]

I have a 1422 which is pre 72 I guess this could be what you talk about 1420 seems to reference a magazine.
Anyroad screwcutting is not a problem. Shortening the barrel will affect the accuracy as the Anschutz barrels were choked.
There is enough room in front of the fore sight to screw cut the barrel.
I use Schmidt & Benders scopes on mine as the rifle will shoot to that class of optics without a doubt. Chuck the hawke ching chong stuff in the bin or just leave them to the airgun boys! The rifle will wear good optics and be a pleasure to use and if you ever find a bridge mount well....

By the way Jo, what do you mean by a choked rifle barrel ????..... dont get that one at all.

 

[j0e_bl0ggs]

By the way Jo, what do you mean by a choked rifle barrel ????..... dont get that one at all.

Barrel is smaller diameter at the muzzle hence 'do not shorten it' !

 

[j0e_bl0ggs]

This is good to hear, i didnt know that the barrels are choked,. i spoke to someone who imports Anschutz rifles and he said that the 1420 was built some time in between 1950 and 1965 ! if its possible to maintain the open sight and get the mod on then that would be great. Also, whats a bridge mount ?

Anschutz bridge mount, one piece scope mount, like rocking hoss poo!

 

[Fisheruk]

No point in trying to shoot live quarry at 100 or so if you are just starting. 60 - 80 is far enough for starters.

 

[Fisheruk]

Nothing wrong with an old gun that has been well looked after. 22 subs are soft and you can put 1000's through a good barrel. I have a 50 yr old Browning semi auto 22 it shoots like a dream, great little gun.

 

[Emma Rifles]

Anschutz.....never a cheap option when new and generally for good reason as they are excellent rifles throughout the range. Ive had a couple of 1400's in for sale too and unless theyve been abused they tend to hold up to the years very well....one of the reasons for the cost new....they are very well made and finished for longevity as well as being very accurate.
That shouldnt be an issue if you decide to have it threaded, it may even improve if done correctly !
As to the scope I can only say again that its a LOT of over kill for the quality your talking about. If you want to then go for it but personally I would just get a fixed 6 power 42? and something far less expensive ( £40 to £100 max ) Its not like even the cheap scopes dont stand up to full bore recoil these days. If you want to spend that kind of money Ill point you to some new night vision kit which is ammazing and 'in budget' at £400!
As to taking bunnies out to !00 yards with a .22.....good for you but thats good shooting on a regular basis if your talking about walking around for them. Yes..... a .22 'can kill a man at a mile' warning on the ammunition is all very well but if you hit a rabbit wrong at 10 yards its away into cover or down a hole. I would reckon if you can consistently hit rabbits heads at 60 yo 80 yards off the shoulder your not a bad shot at all. As such a huge mag scope is a bit of a waste of time as at these ranges you should get a good picture and dont forget that the higher the mag the more it magnifies any movement.
As to a blued sound moderator....I have about a dozen old P/H here but your a little far away to call in ! Sure you will be able to find one locally anyway.

Robin.

 

[Olaf]

yah, i get that part but i dont understand why a barrel would be tighter at its muzzle, what does it achieve ?

 

[Olaf]

Anschutz.....never a cheap option when new and generally for good reason as they are excellent rifles throughout the range. Ive had a couple of 1400's in for sale too and unless theyve been abused they tend to hold up to the years very well....one of the reasons for the cost new....they are very well made and finished for longevity as well as being very accurate.
That shouldnt be an issue if you decide to have it threaded, it may even improve if done correctly !
As to the scope I can only say again that its a LOT of over kill for the quality your talking about. If you want to then go for it but personally I would just get a fixed 6 power 42? and something far less expensive ( £40 to £100 max ) Its not like even the cheap scopes dont stand up to full bore recoil these days. If you want to spend that kind of money Ill point you to some new night vision kit which is ammazing and 'in budget' at £400!
As to taking bunnies out to !00 yards with a .22.....good for you but thats good shooting on a regular basis if your talking about walking around for them. Yes..... a .22 'can kill a man at a mile' warning on the ammunition is all very well but if you hit a rabbit wrong at 10 yards its away into cover or down a hole. I would reckon if you can consistently hit rabbits heads at 60 yo 80 yards off the shoulder your not a bad shot at all. As such a huge mag scope is a bit of a waste of time as at these ranges you should get a good picture and dont forget that the higher the mag the more it magnifies any movement.
As to a blued sound moderator....I have about a dozen old P/H here but your a little far away to call in ! Sure you will be able to find one locally anyway.

Robin.

Robin, thats a really comprehensive answer, thank you. I think that you have a good point. ive just been calling about this eve and I think that ive managed to get a scope to get me going on loan . I will see how I fare and then make a decision. Whats your opinion on the choked barrel explanation that joe bloggs wrote ? how does a smaller dia of barrel at the muzzle improve accuracy ?