H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 We all know that there are more than a few SASS okay .22 rifles that eject the spent case straight up. Old Winchester pumps and modern replicas thereof, the Colt Lightning, if you can find one the Winchester 73 in that caliber, and the Uberti 66 come to my mind right away as examples. But does anyone know of a .22, other than the Colt Lightning, that had/has a side loading gate like a full size rifle? Even the Uberti 66 loads like a modern .22, and in all truth it looks like it uses a full size Henry frame, which makes me wonder why the call it a 66, but let that go. And of course those rare Winchester 73s in the caliber didn't have a side gate either, so the concept of front loading a .22 repeater goes way back. I wonder why this is so. Can anyone think of any exceptions to this, either vintage or modern? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 I suspect no side gate loading because of the possibility of damaging the rim and setting the round off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingo Montana Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Loading a heeled bullet like the .22lr through a side loading gate is a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 The above two posts are what I thought may be the justification for it, but when you consider that the 66 had a loading gate for rimfire cartridge that was a heeled bullet, it starts to fall apart... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 1 hour ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said: The above two posts are what I thought may be the justification for it, but when you consider that the 66 had a loading gate for rimfire cartridge that was a heeled bullet, it starts to fall apart... In 1866 that was all that was widely available. The cartridge was also very large so plenty of room to push it through a loading gate with your fingers. without applying pressure to the rim. It wasn't till 1873 that an externally primed cartridge was made widely available. The 44 WCF was developed specifically for the 1873. Stand a .22 on the tip of your finger and then tell me how you are going to push it through a loading gate that is the correct size for the round? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.S. Sooner, SASS #73526 Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 Some Marlin 1891's had a side loading gate. https://www.marlinowners.com/threads/1891-marlin-side-loader-22-lr.30041/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 I have seen .22 LR actually bend (it's rare) so my guess it is it's a matter of many issues. This is from the same thread JS Sooner referenced" "My sideloader feeds flawlessly, and never had a glitch with shooting or cycling. However, there's a good reason Marlin dropped this feature, and that's due to difficulty loading rounds singly into the gate! That gate doesn't push in like a normal gate, or slide forward like your 1881, it drops down to load! This dropping spring loaded gate really makes loading the tube a hassle, and Marlin offered a "gallery" tube to assist in loading the 1st variation. You simply filled the tube, opened the gate and inserted the end of the tube, and then pushed a assist lever to fill the mag tube in one stroke. Much easier and faster, but another item to carry when you were out plinking." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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