Springfield Model 85 .22 Silencer Host Project

[1srelluc]

I finally came across a Springfield Model 85 in the wild last Friday and since I had a extra mag for it already I bought it for $150.00. It was made by the Stevens Arms Company in 1951.

Another advantage was that someone had already installed a tip-off scope block on it.

As a kid I cut my teeth on the old "clickety-clack" or "gill rifles" with the side mount and 1/2" scopes with tube feed but they shot really great....Many a squirrel and ground hog met their end with it.

Once I got into silencers I always had in the back of my mind that the box mag version (Model 85) should serve very well as a silencer host and be as quiet as a bolt action due to the fact that you can lock the bolt closed yet still retain the semi-auto feature if you want it. Of course you have the option of .22 shorts too....Shorts were always a "straight-pull" affair anyway.

So I took it all apart and took barrel and receiver (all other parts removed) to my gunsmith last Saturday for a chop/recrown/thread job.

I was surprised with a call from my gun smith yesterday morning.....My barreled action was ready, only a 5-business day turn-around!

I took it home and put it all back together and test fired it with my suppresser.....It's everything I hoped as far as function and quietness. Accuracy is really good too.

I took my bolt-action host with me to compare and I believe it's a tad quieter (with the bolt locked) and not that much louder in semi-mode.

With .22 shorts all you hear is the firing pin strike and the noise when the bullet hits the target.

As far as LR went I used CCI Standard to test it with. The scope is a old Redfield 2 X 7 X 32. I also made a barrel dovetail blank to put in where the rear sight was.

I'm into it at the tune of $350.00. Not bad considering it's versatility/accuracy. It's even a bit more accurate than my Ruger American Bolt action host.

 

[jotathought]

That's a nice looking rifle ... Is this the model where the bolt open and closes based on the position of the trigger? e.g. you pull and hold the trigger to fire a round, and the bolt will stay open until the trigger is released?

What size suppressor did you go with on the rifle? Did you go with a .22 caliber (or .223, 5.56) or is it a larger bore suppressor, like .30 or .45?

 

[1srelluc]

That's a nice looking rifle ... Is this the model where the bolt open and closes based on the position of the trigger? e.g. you pull and hold the trigger to fire a round, and the bolt will stay open until the trigger is released?

What size suppressor did you go with on the rifle? Did you go with a .22 caliber (or .223, 5.56) or is it a larger bore suppressor, like .30 or .45?

Yes, the old Clickity-Clack action. With the bolt handle pulled out (semi-auto mode) when you fire the bolt stays open till you release the trigger then it moves forward and loads another round.....Thus the "clack" of the bolt as it seats against the chamber......I just used my .22 LR/.22 Mag rated suppressor.

 

[jotathought]

Yes, the old Clickity-Clack action. With the bolt handle pulled out (semi-auto mode) when you fire the bolt stays open till you release the trigger then it moves forward and loads another round.....Thus the "clack" of the bolt as it seats against the chamber......I just used my .22 LR/.22 Mag rated suppressor.

ahh .. didn't catch the "Clickity Clack" comment .. Great rifle .. you keep finding these jewels.

 

[The Duke]

I finally came across a Springfield Model 85 in the wild last Friday and since I had a extra mag for it already I bought it for $150.00. It was made by the Stevens Arms Company in 1951.

Another advantage was that someone had already installed a tip-off scope block on it.

As a kid I cut my teeth on the old "clickety-clack" or "gill rifles" with the side mount and 1/2" scopes with tube feed but they shot really great....Many a squirrel and ground hog met their end with it.

Once I got into silencers I always had in the back of my mind that the box mag version (Model 85) should serve very well as a silencer host and be as quiet as a bolt action due to the fact that you can lock the bolt closed yet still retain the semi-auto feature if you want it. Of course you have the option of .22 shorts too....Shorts were always a "straight-pull" affair anyway.

So I took it all apart and took barrel and receiver (all other parts removed) to my gunsmith last Saturday for a chop/recrown/thread job.

I was surprised with a call from my gun smith yesterday morning.....My barreled action was ready, only a 5-business day turn-around!

I took it home and put it all back together and test fired it with my suppresser.....It's everything I hoped as far as function and quietness. Accuracy is really good too.

I took my bolt-action host with me to compare and I believe it's a tad quieter (with the bolt locked) and not that much louder in semi-mode.

With .22 shorts all you hear is the firing pin strike and the noise when the bullet hits the target.

As far as LR went I used CCI Standard to test it with. The scope is a old Redfield 2 X 7 X 32. I also made a barrel dovetail blank to put in where the rear sight was.

I'm into it at the tune of $350.00. Not bad considering it's versatility/accuracy. It's even a bit more accurate than my Ruger American Bolt action host.

Scope so glossy! 70s?

 

[1srelluc]

Scope so glossy! 70s?

I suspect both were....The one that came with it (top pic) was a older (Japan) Bushnell. I don't beleave there was such a thing as a matte tube back then.

Redfield made a green ionized M40 for the .mil that bled briefly into the commercial market.....They even reproduced it for a time when building .mil sniper rifle clones became a craze.