I found this gun.......

J

Juan with phish

Guest
..in a local pawnshop and i'm trying to get a little info. on it. I'm relatively new to shooting, having done trap the last three years and punching paper with a Ruger M77 in .223. I'm 71, still have a few nerves left and decent eyes and enjoy playing with different reloading recipes for the .223. The gun i found and bought is marked on the barrel Hart-Womack 22LR cal.Ser# on the action is 11193. It has a removable/slightly adj. comb and adjustable butt-plate, beautiful wood, seems very tight and would appear to be a decent rifle. It has no sights, but has two lugs, one just forward of the bolt, the other mid-way up the barrel and a lug near the muzzle.

It also has what appears to be a mount for a scope attached on the left side, opposite the bolt handle. I paid $175.00 for the gun after a bit of haggling down from $400.00 asking price. I would like to fit it with a scope, but keep it correct to the period it was made if possible. I also want to shoot the little critter, see how bad a shot i really am and just have some fun with it before they haul me away to the retirement home. Any info. you can share regarding it's origins, scope & mount parts availability, maker history, I would be most appreciative.

Thanks in advance, John Bloom
 
From a Google search, another BR Central post:

We used to have a smith by the name of Bob Hart & Walter Womack....who did great things with rifle bolts. They would change firing pins and springs and we had some great shooting rifles. N o w,there work produced speed fast and faster lock time. We need the same every shot repeatability for that very small mouse ear group. Slow fast they both work off a bench.When you are in a sling lets get it on.

Back then they also bedded on or off of wood also.

Sometime as smith "go on"...there work ideas are lost . Shooters have to train the smith again.

Smiths are not the only ones with brains.

The smith the rifle and the shooter are a team.
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As a guess, the barrel was chambered & fit by Hart & Womak (i.e., they're the gunsmiths). What manufacture the barrel, action, stock etc. are is still unknown -- to me, anyway.

Also found this article by Hap Rocketto that mentions those last names:

http://pronematch.com/wp-content/up...or-Smallbore-Rifle-Championship-1919-2010.pdf

FWIW & that's not much
 
Here's a few pix

kansasvet said:
A picture would really help.
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Here's a few shots. Hope this helps in identifying it. Btw, any idea on how to remove the bolt? There is a lever on the left side, but is obstructed by what appears to be a mounting plate for a scope.


Charles, thanks for taking the time to reply. I read the info. on that same link earlier, but it did not reveal enough. I'll keep the search going. It would be interesting to find the maker and a little history. At least i am retired and have plenty of time when i'm not shooting, reloading, chasing around in the desert and taking my nap.
 

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I'd have to agree with RJM - the Rem 37 was Remington's topdog smallbore rifle until the 40X series came along. Lyman Targetspot & Super Targetspot scopes were commonly used in that era, along with Unertl scopes. Your rifle looks to be a very fine example of the 37; the $400 asking price wasn't at all out of line IMHO.
 
Juan with phish said:
Here's a few shots. Hope this helps in identifying it. Btw, any idea on how to remove the bolt? There is a lever on the left side, but is obstructed by what appears to be a mounting plate for a scope.


Charles, thanks for taking the time to reply. I read the info. on that same link earlier, but it did not reveal enough. I'll keep the search going. It would be interesting to find the maker and a little history. At least i am retired and have plenty of time when i'm not shooting, reloading, chasing around in the desert and taking my nap.
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what you are referring to a "a mounting plate for a scope" is a mount for the rear peep sight, I can't tell from the pictures what sight the plate may have been made for but it is not for a scope.

drover
 
"It has no sights, but has two lugs, one just forward of the bolt, the other mid-way up the barrel and a lug near the muzzle"

The lug near the muzzle is the mount for the front sight. The lugs near the action and mid-way up the barrel are scope blocks.
 
drover said:
what you are referring to a "a mounting plate for a scope" is a mount for the rear peep sight, I can't tell from the pictures what sight the plate may have been made for but it is not for a scope.

drover
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I found this to be the case myself after a bit more snooping about. Pardon my ignorance in all this,in spite of my years,i'm fairly new to shooting in general and have much to learn. I had a more learned friend stop over today to check it out. He thought it was amazingly tight and well machined. The bore is very clean, action smooth and trigger very nice. He thought it was a great buy and certainly worth spending some $ to make it complete with a correct scope. I'm looking forward to putting lead to paper.
 
Lovely rifle. A couple of years ago I bought a Win 52D that had been built up by a Ohio gunsmith and small bore shooter. He shot mainly prone. From what I could see, your stock's configuration is identical. The adjustable buttplate was made by Al Freeland, and in the case of my rifle the stock was also made by Freeland. The mount at the rear, opposite the bolt is for the original Rem 37 rear sight. The sights can be found for reasonable money and are a quality sight. One was available on Ebay this week, and when I last checked was up to $175.00, I think. I bought another 52B that was heavily modified and had a 37 sight installed, works great. The blocks, actually bases, are as someone said, used for Lymans, Unertls, Feckers, and other externally adjusted scopes. The Redfield 3200 will also fit those bases and has internal adjustments. Lots of shooters loved the 37 trigger, and still do, but some shooters with a customized rig like that, may also have had the trigger worked on by the day's finest rifle smiths. I believe that Karl Kenyon made a trigger for the 37 and would also sweeten up the stock triggers. Congratulations, I am a Winchester guy, but I'd be proud to own that rifle, I am sure the Remington fellows will be drooling! Cheers, Charles
 
I have 5 Mod 37s including Mike Walker's personal Mod 37. It has a barrel mounted Lyman Target Spot. The lever that you mentioned on the LH side of the receiver is the safety. I believe I have an extra Womack stock for a Mod 37 and it has a Freeland butt plate. If you decide to sell, contact me.
 
Remington as well as Baush & Lomb had long external adj. scopes also that would be period correct for you new toy. Redfield made sight sets that could be used like the Plama and International as well as the entry level #75.
 
3 of mine have Remington aperture sights. The quality may not be better on them, but I think they are. They sure bring more money when they change hands.
 
Rem sights, I have never seen a set that I was aware of, but then only one or 2 guys were using 37's and those were with scopes during the winter smallbore leagues. Annies and 52's were what most of us had. Warm months were dedicated to Cross the Course HI-Power + long range and the Palma matches. Redfields and Mo's rear sights ruled on bolt guns otherwise it was M1 and M14, Mouse guns hadn't taken over the field yet. They did well at 200-300 but would get eaten at 600 yards due to the .223 bullets/twist rate at the time.
 
This is one of my 37s and with the Remington brand sights.
14b8avc.jpg
 
Hey Butch,
Is that rear sight marked Remmy? I have a 37 also and I can find no maker name anywhere on the sight, it looks just like yours.

Thanks,
Bryan
 
I'm not for sure but didn't Parker Hale make this receiver sight for the 37, even though Remington says its theirs? It sure looks like one and everyone I've ever seen on a 37 was a Parker Hale. I could be wrong .
 
Dan,
Most of my Mod 37s have Remington brand sights. Pat# 2,005,866. You might do a patent search. I have a Lyman on one of mine. I do need to purchase a rear base for one of mine inorder to mount the rear sight.
Anybody have one?
 
I suppose if Remington says it theirs, it is a Remington. If they made it-it's one heck of a good clone. Either way it's a darn nice sight.
 
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