Turnbull-Browning Elegant Grade SA-22

Shooting/Field Use

An SA-22 weighs only 5.5 lbs. When you pick one up and wrap your hands about the slender receiver, your feet begin to walk almost automatically. This rifle simply begs to be taken afield to participate in plinking events in the backyard, ding some .22 spinner targets and chase squirrels and rabbits.

This is old school from top to bottom. The sights are vintage, with the rear folding down and adjustable for elevation by moving the blade up or down. Windage is managed by gently tapping the rear left or right in the dovetail. The rear is a sort of typical “buckhorn” design with a bead post style up front. While the combo is fine for small game and field use, it isn’t as precise as a better design might be. But hey, this is a 10- to 50-yard small game and plinking rifle so just relax and enjoy it.

My test gun ran like the proverbial top, shooting everything I put into it. CCI Mini-Mags did what they do best — shoot reliably and accurately. I tried some “target” loads but found it really didn’t matter due to the sight situation. If I relaxed and shot smoothly, the 4.5-lb. trigger break allowed groups in the 1.5″ range at 50 yards. I know it will do better because my old scoped one could go a bit under an inch at 50 with the right ammo. But it’s not about doing that, is it?

Loading is easy too. Pull out the follower from the back of the stock, then drop ten .22 LR rounds into the angled hole on the side of the butt. Push the follower in and give it a half-turn to lock it. Pull the bolt latch on the underside to the rear chambering a round, then push the cross-bolt safety off at the front of the trigger guard. To unload, you can either operate the bolt latch on the underside ejecting loaded rounds, or pull the follower out, then dump the loaded rounds out of the buttstock. A few gentle taps help to coax them out. Either way, make sure you operate that latch a few times to make sure the chamber and magazine is clear, and eyeball the breech face to triple-check things.

The only interesting challenge to this rifle is the fact the hot empties eject right out of the bottom of the receiver. If you’re wearing a long-sleeved shirt, they do tend to find their way past your cuff and you might be surprised at just how hot a freshly fired .22 case is. Keep your cuff buttoned-up tightly.