I was in my local candy store last Friday looking to see if anything new had come in. And by "new" I mean "old". I saw a rifle in the corner, no price tag, and had to pick it up. It was well worn, but was a tube-fed semi-auto .22. Not a Marlin, but a Remington. A Remington 550-1 to be exact.
It gets better. The 550-1 is not a .22LR semi-auto, but also fires .22 Shorts and .22 Longs as well! So, if I could get it for the right price, it would kill two birds with one stone - a tube-fed semi-auto and a semi-auto that can handle .22 Shorts!
Like I said, there was no price tag, so I picked it up as nonchalantly as I could and asked, “what’s the story on this one?”
The store owner said that he had taken it in trade a couple weeks before. It had a small bag of parts taped to it, and he wasn’t sure if it worked.
I asked him what he wanted for it and he said $100. I countered with $50 – since he wasn’t sure if it worked and I would be taking the risk. We met in the middle at $75, tax included.
Here’s a few pictures of it; the first with my trademark!
![Image](http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m2/Ysabelkid/Weapons/2011-08-24Remington550-116.jpg)
![Image](http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m2/Ysabelkid/Weapons/2011-08-24Remington550-117.jpg)
![Image](http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m2/Ysabelkid/Weapons/2011-08-24Remington550-124.jpg)
![Image](http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m2/Ysabelkid/Weapons/2011-08-24Remington550-122.jpg)
![Image](http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m2/Ysabelkid/Weapons/2011-08-24Remington550-123.jpg)
![Image](http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m2/Ysabelkid/Weapons/2011-08-24Remington550-121.jpg)
Well, I gambled that I would be able to get it in working order on my own – and I lost. I recognized the parts in the bag as the safety, but when I got it home it wouldn’t function, and it was missing a few parts. Off to the gun store I went (but I different one, where I know the gunsmith). $75 and a few days later and I have it back – and it works perfectly! Functions well with Shorts and Long Rifle rounds (didn’t bother trying Longs), and groups very nice!
So, it was a bit more than I originally thought, but if you don’t take a chance every now and again, you don’t get any deals.
So, should I refinish it, or leave it as is?