Now, I REALLY feel old

E

Europe

Handloader
Jun 18, 2014
1,115
85
had the opportunity to discuss rifles with some younger gents today and although I enjoyed our conversation, I left feeling very old.

I use to love the old Rem Nylon 22 for plinking and even hunting small animals. I had several and enjoyed them all. I even picked up a used Rem Nylon 66 GS from a fellow that was with a carnival., many years ago

Anyway, nobody had ever heard of these guns, and nobody believed me that there was ever a rifle made specifically for 22 shorts. Or that these rifles were pioneers of the "un-walnut" stocks.

Please tell me that someone here remembers these rifles ?

Also, how many of you have and enjoy a 22 rifle ?

How many of you have shot all three -short, long and long rifle --cartridges

I need a martini--or several
 
Don't think of it as aging yourself. Just think of it as they never got a chance to experience a fun way to shoot a Rem Nylon! LOL

Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk
 
My first rifle was a Remington Nylon 12, bolt action .22 s,l,lr with the plastic stock. I still have it and it still shoots real good and reliable. Mine is the tube fed, they also made one with a detach magazine and one that was single shot. I wish I could find a windage screw for the rear sight.
 
I'm sure there's more than a few 66s in the safes of the folks roaming around here.

While I never owned one...my cousin did, and I was as green with envy as a 10 year old could be about that fact... I thought it was much cooler than my lowly Marlin bolt gun. The fact he was 5 years older than me and already had a Browning "Sweet Sixteen" AND a deer rifle made it worse.

I also have a strong affinity for the .22 Short, having shot about a million of them. For some weird reason, my Dad horse traded into a large quantity of them when I was a kid and I'm not sure my ancient Marlin ever fired a LR shell until I was in my twenties when that well of shorts finally ran dry.

I actually wish someone would make a short chambered rifle for the lowly "CB Cap"...my preferred pest control round for marauding red squirrels- no noise, no muss, no fuss. When the entire domestic supply of .22 ammo got subverted to Craigslist a few years back and I couldn't find any more, I turned to an air gun for that sort of duty.

Come to think about it...I probably ought to go out and procure a rather large box of .22 shorts myself and maybe one of those gallery specials if one could be found.
 
Of course I remember the Nylon 66. I thought it was cool and really, really wanted one. Unfortunately, with the money I had available in those dark days of the sixties, that was out of the question. I have to settle for a single shot from Montgomery Ward. It still killed cotton tails, rats, sparrows, black birds, etc.
 
While I know the Remington 66, I have neither owned or shot one. You still see them frequently ar the gunshows today.

I grew up with a Winchester Model 69A and shot S, L and LR ammo as it was available or affordable for a farm kid with a small allowance, of which 1/2 had to be saved and spent for clothing.

I have replaced that rifle with a target model today and shoot S's and LR's with it.
Actually hunted grouse with it and CCI's Quiet ammo (LR at a lower velocity and as quiet as shorts) last year. Puts 10 rounds into a small ragged hole at 25 yards. My daughter harvested her first blue grouse with an open sighted 22 last fall.
 
April, I remember the Remington Nylon 66. Also remember the advertisement of the shooting pro who used the Nylon 66 to set the world record hitting hand tossed hardwood blocks of wood. Don't remember the count but it was a heap of wood blocks on the ad with a picture of the Nylon 66 to on top.
Do you remember this?

JD338
 
The local Cabela's must have bought some one's collection or pehaps several collections. I counted 25+ on the rack at one point a couple of years back. Even saw (and I think posted here re: the Brazillian made version of the rifle). They were a rifle ahead of their time and from many reports a fine firearm. I was in the crowd that wouldn't have been caught dead with one "of those plastic ....etc" rifles. I passed on a clip fed version for $75 bucks, many years ago and passed on the Brazillian made version for $150 I think not all that long ago. There are versions that sell for fours times that much+ now. Not old....just ahead of your time. :) . CL
 
I have heard of them but never owned one

I do have a question however. Most will shoot short, longs and long rifle. Why would anyone want one that would only shoot shorts ?
 
I got a Remington Model 66 Nylon as well as a Winchester Model 290, back in the 60's. My dad traded off the Model 66 back in the 70's, but I still have the Winchester. It shoots S, L and LR also. I still have 22 ammo, shorts and longs in my safe somewhere.

I still shoot my 22 Marlin bolt rifle and a couple old 22 revolvers from time to time, still a lot of fun.
 
April here some stuff you may not have known about the little 66 Nylon, my best friend had one when we were kids! His dad told us when you could hit a D cell battery laying down " on its end " at 50 yds, you
where getting "pretty good"! Later on we used to take tuna can lids and hang them off a string bout
a foot below a branch in a tree, and when the wind is blowing the lid with move up/ down and back/ forth and spin on its own axis! Try it some time at 75yds with a .22 with 10 kt wind! The 66 was up
To it 8)


Tom Frye
In October of 1959 in Reno Nevada, Tom Frye, a professional and championship skeet and trap shooter for Remington, set out to surpass Adolf Topperwein’s world record. Frye used three Nylon 66 rifles and shot for 13 straight days, 8 hours a day at a pace of about 1,000 shots per hour . When it was all over he had only missed 6 times out of 100,010 for a new record of 100,004 two and a half inch square wood blocks. The rifles had only been cleaned three times in the 13 days. Interestingly, Remington put one of the wood blocks from the record into each of the boxes of the newly shipped rifles. I would guess those would be the holy grail for Nylon rifle collectors if one could be found and verified.IMG_2580.JPG
While it began as a cost-saving project, the Nylon 66 became Remington’s best-selling rimfire ever, with over a million units sold between 1959 and 1989, when it was discontinued.
IMG_2581.JPG

Read more: http://www.shootingtimes.com/rifles/rem ... z5CMGYtuiU
 
My first 22 was a bolt action Remington 512, after that a slide action 121 was acquired. As I was never much for slide action rifles, I sold that one, but still have and occasionally shoot the 512. Remington made some really nice 22's back in the day and a lot of family's had one. My first auto loader was the 10/22 which was extremely popular and still is to this day. I have lots of 22 ammo but don't shoot them much any more. I thought the 66 was an ugly piece of junk, and never owned one, but have composite stocks on all of my hunting rifles now.
 
Had one back in the day.. I believe my uncle bought it and we had a lot of fun plinking with it.
Must have been one of the very early versions as it lacked a serial number.
 
April, Gun Broker has several Martini Rifles for sale some even in 22 cal. if you really need one.
 
Yes I have shot a 66 and they were nice knock around .22s. My neighbor has one with the little 3/4" crappy .22 scope on it made by Weaver.
My first .22 was a Remington 510 Target master single shot which I still have and train my grandchildren to shoot with it. It has seen a ton of .22 shorts threw it and still accurate today.
High Standard made a pistol that was chambered for the .22 Short and was used for several different things.
I knew a CIA operative that had one silenced and also had a Ruger Mark I that was equipped the same for a back up.
I got to shoot both and the High Standard was sweeeet.
The .22 short has probably killed more people then any other hand gun cartridge
 
April, I also feel old, back in the 50's I shot a lot of shorts and longs In my Mossberg 22 as they were cheaper than paying 50 cents a box for long rifles. Also I have a nylon 22.
 
Bill and Bruce---martini makes nice rifles, they look a bit different than the nylon lol --Bruce, I never had one of the bolt rifles ( 10-11-12 ) but wanted to pickup a 10 smooth barrel--just cause --but never did ( I think it was the 10, but might have been the 11or 12 )

John, the GS.s were a lot of fun to play with and speaking of only shooting shorts. somewhere at home we still have a matching pair of derringers made by colt that shoot only 22 shorts

Hodgeman, + 1 on the CB cap

Rodger--a cia operative ? I knew there was something in your younger life you were not telling us lol

Earle, you have an unlimited stash of cool pictures, thanks for the pictures on this thread as well as on other threads. If I knew how to post pictures I would post a picture of a very young Bridget Bardot and try to convince you that it was a picture of a young me LOL ( I know some of you younger fellows will have no idea who I am talking about--but to give you a heads up, she was very early on referred to as " God created Women but the Devil made Bridget Bardot" )

Gil, thats good shooting, congrats to your daughter.

69gto--good point and what is amazing is the critters that one could knock down with
those little suckers

Dr Mike, everyone says, wow those were cheap rifles, but what the young fellows who say that dont realize, we didn't make as much back then. I remember thinking that if I could make 100 dollars a week or 400 a month, I would be in deep clover. Now Fotis spends more than that each month on Nosler bullets for his Weatherby's --

thanks to everyone for their comments, it was like spending a few minutes around a campfire talking about the good days

p.s. forgot to mention this. Can yon imagine having a live ammo shooting gallery at a fair or Carnaval today, but at one time it was a fact of life even at Disneyland for a short time and then was closed because it was too small for the crowd it generated and now the area it where it was is part of the penny arcade in Downtown Disneyland.
 
Well I do have a Remington 77 I don't even use it. It is almost like new. Should sell it but I just never seem to sell guns.
 
Europe said:
Bill and Bruce---martini makes nice rifles, they look a bit different than the nylon lol --Bruce, I never had one of the bolt rifles ( 10-11-12 ) but wanted to pickup a 10 smooth barrel--just cause --but never did ( I think it was the 10, but might have been the 11or 12 )

John, the GS.s were a lot of fun to play with and speaking of only shooting shorts. somewhere at home we still have a matching pair of derringers made by colt that shoot only 22 shorts

Hodgeman, + 1 on the CB cap

Rodger--a cia operative ? I knew there was something in your younger life you were not telling us lol

Earle, you have an unlimited stash of cool pictures, thanks for the pictures on this thread as well as on other threads. If I knew how to post pictures I would post a picture of a very young Bridget Bardot and try to convince you that it was a picture of a young me LOL ( I know some of you younger fellows will have no idea who I am talking about--but to give you a heads up, she was very early on referred to as " God created Women but the Devil made Bridget Bardot" )

Gil, that's good shooting, congrats to your daughter.

69gto--good point and what is amazing is the critters that one could knock down with
those little suckers

Dr Mike, everyone says, wow those were cheap rifles, but what the young fellows who say that dont realize, we didn't make as much back then. I remember thinking that if I could make 100 dollars a week or 400 a month, I would be in deep clover. Now Fotis spends more than that each month on Nosler bullets for his Weatherby's --

thanks to everyone for their comments, it was like spending a few minutes around a campfire talking about the good days

p.s. forgot to mention this. Can you imagine having a live ammo shooting gallery at a fair or Carnival today, but at one time it was a fact of life even at Disneyland for a short time and then was closed because it was too small for the crowd it generated and now the area it where it was is part of the penny arcade in Downtown Disneyland.

April, no comment. :)>)
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