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We found ourselves in need of a 22 magnum rimfire rifle that would enable us to baseline 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire ammunition. We needed a solid gun that could hold up to a lot of flogging, something without a truncated barrel, a bolt action with real wood and steel parts. A gun like the type of Winchester, Remington, Marlin, and Mossberg rimfires that were available in the fifty to sixty dollar range when I was young. Unfortunately, those kind of beefy firearms no longer exist in the world of under $700 firearms, and I’ve begun to wonder if they ever did exist.
Zastava
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Zastava is not the new kid on the block. Originating in 1853 as a gun foundry casting cannons, they are now a joint venture between the Serbian government and private investors. Periodically they team up with companies like Remington to make a proprietary or private labeled value priced product, however, the company’s range of rimfire and centerfire rifles and shotguns are also imported into the United States under the factory’s brand name.
In addition to civilian firearm production, Zastava produces rifles and machineguns for military and law enforcement consumption. All firearms are produced in Zastava’s ISO 9001 certified Serbian factory, some very basic, some quite elaborate with stocks featuring hand carved art and ornately engraved hardware.
The MP Precision, pictured left and described on table right, is available in 22 LR, 22 WMR and 17 HMR versions. There is also a Mannlicher stock carbine version with a shorter 460mm, 18″, barrel. Somewhere around 2006, Remington purchased this model from Zastava and resold them as the Remington Model Five, along with the centerfire Mauser action Remington Model 798 and Remington Model 799. That did not last long as an arrangement as Remington learned customers really do care what gun gets the Remington logo. The Model 798 remains as the worst mini Mauser action rifle I have had the misfortune to own.
The MP22 Precision
After pulling the mag, checking for empty and removing the bolt, the bottom metal was removed. The bolt is pulled through the receiver by depressing the trigger to release the bolt. The bottom metal has socket head screws. Don’t let the fraction wrench throw you, that was me “wishful thinking”. The fasteners are actually 4mm. The front has machine thread, the aft is a wood screw and the small 2.5mm socket head screw under the trigger guard has a machine thread, fastener. Once the three fasteners are removed the barrel lifts out of the stock.
I never get excited about the use of wood screws for the purpose of anchoring bottom metal to stocks. Eventually they work loose and will fall out at the most inopportune time. There is only one fastener ferrule to control the spacing of action to bottom metal and that is at the stock’s through hole at the front position.
The MP22 has twin extractors which are very effective. Ejection is accomplished with a simple blade inside the gun’s receiver with force determined by the aft speed of the bolt on opening. Ejection left a lot to be desired with empties clinging to the extractors so tightly that even a finger tip couldn’t pry them loose.
The trigger doesn’t have a pull, it has a journey; a long, long journey, with lots of creep and overtravel, seemly being dragged through a bag of rocks. Fortunately, the basic trigger design is very good and it is adjustable for pull, sear engagement and overtravel. Unfortunately, the procedure is not covered in the manual and service is referred to an authorized factory center.
I will say that a cleanup of contact surfaces, a couple of turns of adjusting screws and a sliding pin repositioning would conclude with a trigger that is better than the CZ 455 trigger, a trigger that is known to be very good. First gun from this part of the world, that I’ve seen, that doesn’t include trigger adjustment in its firearm manual.
More lumber than a stock…
The stock is walnut. The outside surface is darkly stained, looking almost charred in some areas. The inletted areas are rough with lots of irregular pressure points and unsealed areas you would think would have an adverse effect on accuracy. Is the stock ugly? No. It looks like a darkened 50 year
old oil finished stock which in some ways is appealing, however, it is crude.
Yes, that is actually the safety fire indicator paint stamped on the stock and unsealed. The barrel channel is roughed out within two inches of the forend. At that point the stock forms a pressure pad that supports the barrel. The seam along the barrel channel is uneven and contacts, and doesn’t contact, the barrel at random points.
Live fire and the MP22’s redeeming qualities
After five rounds the magazine locked in place properly and stopped falling out and my trigger finger and brain adapted to overcome whatever challenges the trigger presented. Ammo shot was Winchester 40 grain jacked soft point @ 2061 fps and CCI 30 grain TNT hollow point @ 2219 fps.
The first five shots apparently blew out the cobwebs and got some copper down on the bore because the rest of the day the gun shot like the last two groups. The picture, right, is the back side of the target above it. Made it easier to see all five holes.
My guess is that this gun is a tough sale. It does have a warm older gun look about it and it surely is accurate. It isn’t a premium firearm, by any stretch of the imagination, but it doesn’t have a cheap plastic or stamped steel trigger guard or thin wall receiver. Still, both Marlin and Savage have lots of models in 22 WMR and within this price range so, for me, Zastava would do well to step up a on stock fit and finish to make this a desirable rimfire.
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