mossberg 22 target rifle

B

bozo699

Guest
Hey Guy's
Has anybody heard of a mossberg 144lsb 22 target rifle? my son is interested in getting started
in rimfire shooting, is this rifle worth looking at? any feedback would be nice thanks.
Wayne.
 
I have a Mossberg 44 US d, a bolt action .22 from the 40's (?), it is nice vintage rifle, but not really a target rifle. I think the 144 is a later version of the same rifle.
 
Jlmurphy,
Thanks for info.Since I posted this I did find it is in the 60s vintage,Lyman style rear and front sights,heavy barrel not much more info than that.Any way thanks for your input.
Wayne.
 
If you bot is realy interested in shooting smallbore the best idea is to find a club that has an established JR program with smallbore and get involved with that. They will have a varity of rifles in different weights and sizes to fit the kids as they grow and the rest of the equipment that goes with that glove, sling, coat, etc,
 
If he is really interested get him a Kimber 82G from the CMP-nice ones for $400. By far the best gun buy around. The 'rusty' ones for $400 have perhaps a minute amt of rust.
 
langenc said:
If he is really interested get him a Kimber 82G from the CMP-nice ones for $400. By far the best gun buy around. The 'rusty' ones for $400 have perhaps a minute amt of rust.
Click to expand...

Langenc,
I own a 82g and it is a great shooter it cost me alot more than $400 though.Who is CMP?
 
As both an active smallbore competitor and NRA certified coach, I would advise against any rifle purchase for a potential junior shooter at this stage.

Get hooked up with a junior rifle program (air rifle or smallbore) and go from there. Kids outgrow rifles so fast that you need to be making stock or rifle changes about every 6 months or so. A club is usually much better equipped to provide and/or advise you on equipment issues. Do not purchase some adult size rifle and expect the kid will grow into it. Bad idea. It will only teach bad habits and frustrate the kid.

If your son gets really interested (and there is a good chance he will not, as serious paper punching does not appeal to everybody), you will soon find out that the various old US made target/match rifles are totally obsolete today. Not to mention there is exactly zero factory support (parts, accessories) for them. Yea, they may be ok for a starting shooter, but their usefulness will be rather transient. The limitations and frustrations are generally not worth making any significant expenditure. Use the club guns for instead.
 
Bronto48,
Sounds like sound advice except we don't have a shooting club around where I live .He has been punching paper for 10 or 11 years now with center fire and loves it.Just hoping for my pocket books sake he might like rimfire better.Thanks for the good advice.
Wayne.
 
I've got an mossy 144lsb shoots great it was made in 1980
it will shoot circle around my mossy 44us {by the way the 44us is for sell}
but they are really great for a beginner to get used to the sport of shooting.
 
The 144ls i have is listed in an old 1959 shooters bible. Other books show no listing for a lsb. The gun will shoot 1/2" @ 50yds. Mossbergs can get excessive headspace if used hard. The bolt handle contacts the receiver, acting as a locking lug. To cut down on the wear, i keep this spot lubed with Break Free CLP. Mine has no problems. While you looking, keep an eye out for an old Remington 581 bolt action, very accurate firearm, but not a heavey barrel.
 
i have owned one of these back when i was shooting nra smallbore position. mine was a great rifle and shot well as a position rifle. i think the previous posters are correct not to purchase a rifle just yet. let the boy shoot as many rifles as he can and the decide on what he likes. remenber that a bad choice now could turn him off later. wellcome to the wonderful world of shooting. ps tell him not to drink coke ect. before he shoots...
 
I own about 25 Mossberg .22's and find them to be generally to be well built rifles. Built from ~the mid 1960's (no one is really certain but there are some without serial numbers, meaning that they would have been produced prior to the 1968 GCA) through 1985, the LSB is regarded as the best of their target rifles.
That said, it IS as243winxb says 1/2" at 50 yds rifle with the right ammo (mine likes Wolf). The trigger is not amienable to target work and any attempt to bring it below 2# risks damage to the components.
Unfortunately, the current price of a good used LSB seems to be in the $300 to $400 range, making other (newer) rifles more attractive.
I played with several of my Mossbergs (the LSB, an LSA, a model 43) at our club's matches and was never able to be competetive with any of them (against the Annies and Suhl's). I finally found an 82G that holds it's own.
 
My first target rifle in 1958 was a Mossberg 144LS (LS stands for Lyman Sight). I used it for a couple years, until I could afford an older Winchester 52 with a Titherington barrel, which I used until I could afford a 52 D (The old one outshot the D, though).

In the early 1960s, the Anschutz were beginning to make serious inroads in the States, even among the junior shooters. The average Annie was just better than the average 52, but more expensive. Probably still true.

As a kid, I save my pennies and mowed a lot of lawns to get the first used 52 -- I think it was around $50, with much better Lyman sights than on the Mossberg. I had to wait a bit to afford the Redfield International Match sights -- $29.95 rear and I think $9.95 for the front, circa 1960.

What the other posters said is correct. You can start with a 144LS, and you will be at a disadvantage. As long as you recognize that, it's OK.
 
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