Browning's Semi-Auto .22 Rimfire

I’ve always been a fan of Dante. For those unfamiliar, basically he wrote an epic poem in three sections: the Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso that described the current U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the Executive Branch under Harry Truman. What does this have to do with the perfect little Browning Autoloader? Nothing. I’m just stalling while I try to rise to the task of writing about and photographing yet another work by the inimitable John Moses Browning.

The Browning SA-22 has always held my interest. Beyond being the most successful of the John Browning rimfire designs, it has crossed my path several times, each time with a different outcome. Sometime around 1959 or 1960, when I was fourteen years old, I walked a couple of miles from work to the Bloomfield Sporting Goods Store and put $5 down on a $65 layaway purchase a Grade I Browning SA-22.

The purchase price was $65, I paid in $45, before accepting I could not spare the money. I lost the rifle and my money and conceded I could no more afford that fancy little .22 than I could afford an Auto 5. Clearly I was spending too much time reading the Shooter’s Bible. The little Browning did not elude me forever.

When my youngest son turned ten, his older brothers were eleven and twelve, he wanted a rifle of his own. Michael was the little guy who was frustrated by not always having the same freedom as his older brothers. So my wife and I, on a very tight family budget, gave him a Browning Semi Auto 22 as our contribution toward sibling parity. I understand he has since given the Browning to his son. We never did tell him the history behind the rifle’s selection. Perhaps we should have… Perhaps not.

An enterprising John Browning

Browning was granted patents 1,065,341 and 1,065,342 on June 24, 1913, patent number 1,083,384 on January  6, 1914. The first is for the take down assembly as utilized on the semi-auto 22 rimfire Browning, the second is a safety device and the third patent is for the rifle, although it specifically states the design could be applied to a rimfire or other type of cartridge. It is my understanding that the first production placed the loading point at the top of the buttstock and through to the receiver.

Some may wonder how the rifle patent came after the subassembly design patents. While the award is later, the filing for the rifle preceded the others by five months. The patent for the rifle clearly places and describes the magazine tube being filled top side at the base of the small of the stock. In one of the two iconic photos of Browning, he is cradling the early semiautomatic 22 and the loading port is on the right side of the buttstock as the rifle is generally seen.

Browning’s semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle was first manufactured by Belgium’s Fabrique Nationale in 1914 as the F.N. .22 Caliber Automatic Rifle. Remington licensed U.S. rights to the design which led to their Model 24, 1922 – 1935 and the Model 241 Speedmaster, 1935 – 1949. The Browning Arms Company began offering the Browning .22 Automatic, manufactured by F.N. and imported into the U.S., in 1956 – 1974. Importation continued on with manufacture moved to Miroku in 1976. The History of Browning Firearms – Miller and John M. Browning American Gunmaker – Browning & Gentry differ slightly in dates.

There have been numerous configurations and production has been interrupted by war, politics and market demand. Still, a rifle with so few changes, and in production over 100 years after its introduction, has got to be something special. I’ve always found it interesting that an inventor, so accomplished in martial weapons, would be motivated to finesse such a refined rimfire rifle design as he neared the end of his career.

Familiarity breeds content….

The sight set is quite good for small game, varmints and for recreational target shooting. The folding rear sight is adjustable for elevation, shipped from the factory centered for windage and elevation set for 50 yards. Moving the small U notch plate on the face of the sight shifts elevation approximately 2″, also at 50 yards. The two screws on either end of the sight are for mounting a scope, the location keeps a scope zeroed to the barrel.

Below, the magazine partially withdrawn for side loading and the rifle’s steel buttplate. Every piece, wood or metal, is substantial and well finished.

Loading is easy; the magazine tube is withdrawn until it stops and clears the opening for the loading port in the side of the stock. and then ammo is fed in through the port. The rifle spec indicates 10+1 rounds, the manual indicates 11 rounds in the magazine, 11 works. Once loaded the magazine tube is pushed in and twisted to the locked position. The spring preload makes for reliable feed.

The Semi-Auto’s light weight and compact receiver suggest it would feel small when shooting. It does not. The adult length of pull and hand filling forearm make for a steady hold, even when shooting from a standing position. Well balanced, the Browning is fast tracking.

Legacy firearms….

There are more 22 rimfire rifles sold than any other type of firearm. They go small game hunting, they teach marksmanship, they provide friendly recreational competition for family and friends. They bring new shooters into the fold and often keep us old timers in it. They point to our past and, for firearm enthusiasts, they hold the future. While they are well mannered and mostly benign in their applications, they are the firearm that speaks the loudest for support of shooting sports.

Good rimfire rifles are used for a lifetime and passed along to future generations. Unfortunately, each year there seems to be fewer legacy rimfire rifles produced and too many attempts to lower the standard. The Browning Semi-Auto has been with us for over 100 years and it is still going strong. Fancy or plain, it is a special firearm to own and it is a special firearm to give.