Blast from the Past: Remington Model 24

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Today’s rifle is a Remington Model 24, which bears a striking resemblance to the Browning SA-22 rimfire because Remington made the Model 24 under license with Browning from 1919 to 1935. The very similar 241 replaced the 24 and was made until 1954.

Since there have been zillions of SA-22s made since 1914, almost everyone who has ever shot a rimfire rifle is familiar with the basic design, which loads through the stock and ejects out the bottom. It’s takedown gun, with a nut in the barrel that allows the action to be snugged tight. The Model 24 was slimmer and lighter than the already slim and light SA-22. It had a Schnabel forend, and an optional shell deflector, a piece of sheet metal that clipped onto the front of the trigger guard to sling spent cases off to the side instead of down into your shirt cuff, which sometimes happened with the SA-22.

Bob’s Model 24

My grandfather bought this rifle around 1925. I started carrying it in 1951 when I was 10 years old as a boy on the farm in Iowa. I became a crack shot over the five years I hunted with that rifle. Cottontails, jackrabbits, gophers, pigeons, starling, and squirrels were fair targets, although I only shot rabbit and squirrels during the hunting season.

I had to retire the rifle about the same time my father passed away; modern high velocity ammunition was too much for it. I detasseled corn that summer to earn enough money ($47.00) to buy a Winchester Model 63 to replace it.

I still have the Model 24 and I occasionally take it out and shoot it with standard velocity ammunition. It is as accurate as my old eyes allow it to be now. In 1960, I bought a Browning ATD [SA-22] as a replacement for the Remington. It is the current model of John Moses Browning’s genius as a gun designer. It is everything my Model 24 is, but it does not have the grace, Schnabel forearm, and petite size of the Remington.

Keep the old gun pictures coming to fsgunnuts@gmail.com

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