The American firm J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. first introduced the .22 Long Rifle (.22 LR) in 1847. It has a rimfire case (based on Louis-Nicolas Flobert’s .22 BB Cap cartridge) and shoots a 0.22” calibre 40 grain bullet at around 1,200 fps producing virtually no recoil. Being cheap, plentiful and easy to shoot, the cartridge also makes a wonderful round for teaching and practicing the fundamentals of shooting.
Due to the popularity of the cartridge, the rifles and handguns chambered for the .22 LR must be in the tens of millions. British companies such as BSA certainly contributed their fair share and even the best gun and rifle makers of England offered rifles chambered in .22 LR. I have seen .22 rifles from makers James Woodward, James Purdey, Holland & Holland, William Evans, and of course, Westley Richards. Most were single shot rook and rabbit rifles, but I have also encountered more than one Best Quality double rifle chambered for the cartridge. However, as popular as the .22 LR is, it is more often associated with a child’s gun or small game hunting. Finding any kind of .22 rifle made to the standard of a best quality big bore rifle, is something that will rarely happen.
You can imagine my surprise when I first heard of the rifle that just came through the U.S. Agency. Made in 1983 to match a customer’s big bore Westley Richards, the rifle pictured here is the only best quailty .22 LR bolt action rifle Westley Richards has ever made.
The history is fuzzy on how this rifle actually came to be but, the story goes, it started out to provide the client with a rifle to practice his shooting, in a chambering more economical and fun to shoot than his big bore rifle, yet having a similar style of sights, size and weight. The current owner had told me about this rifle but seeing it in person, it was clear this project took on a life of its own becoming much more than just a rifle to practice with.
The rifle is best quality in every way. Based on an action of Mauser design, the MAS .22 LR Training Rifle. After WWII, the Mauser factory fell into French controlled territory and during this time, the French had the factory design a .22 calibre training rifle for their military. The Mauser people drew on a previous Mauser 22 design, the KKW, and made some slight modifications. The first ones were produced in the Mauser factory but, production was moved to Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne (MAS) or the Saint-Étienne Arms Manufacturer. MAS was a French state-owned manufacturing company located in the town of Saint-Étienne, where weapons have been manufactured since the Middle Ages. The rifles were assembled until the existing supply of parts were used up.
The metal is engraved in a full coverage 'House' pattern scroll common to Westley Richards bolt action rifles from the 1980’s. The rifle is fitted with a highly figured, full-size walnut stock complete with raised beaded cheekpiece, full pistol grip, a very fine point pattern wrap checkering and the traditional horn butt plate, pistol grip cap and forend tip. The rifle also features full size one-piece bottom metal with an inside-the-bow release straddle floor plate. The floor plate opens and reveals the 5-round detachable magazine the MAS 45 rifles were originally fitted with.
For the original MAS 45 magazines to work, the gunmakers hid the magazine under the floor plate and milled a magazine box, from a solid steel billet, to accept the magazine. This allowed the original magazines to work in a standard center fire rifle stock that is far deeper than the original training rifles.
The rifle has a 24” barrel with the same contour as a standard centerfire rifle and the muzzle’s crown is recessed ¼” with a diameter of about .330”, hiding the small .22 calibre bore and further adding to the rifle’s disguise. The barrel was also fitted with Westley Richards pattern island rear sight with one standing Express sight and three folding leaves (50, 75, 100, 150 yds) and Westley Richards patent combination foresight. The rifle was also made to accept a scope and has handmade grooved mounts that replace the original receiver sight the MAS 45 rifles were fitted with. The bases are engraved to match the rest of the rifle and accept American scope rings intended for .22 rifles with ¾” grooved receivers.
As with any best quality gun or rifle, the devil is always in the details. This rifle is certainly not short on any details. I also imagine the rifle comes with plenty of heartache, frustration and disdain from the men who had to make it. While it is hard enough to build a gun or rifle to best quality standards on a model of gun the makers are familiar with, applying that same standard to something the makers have never built brings a new host of challenges to its manufacture. Being that the factory had never made a .22 bolt action before, there were no plans, notes or examples to reverse engineer, so the project started with a blank sheet of paper. Add all of this with an overarching theme to deceive the viewer into thinking it is a larger calibre rifle than it is, I can only imagine the turmoil this little rifle’s creation caused.
Its rarity notwithstanding, the amount of thought, ingenuity and attention to detail that went into this project is quite astounding and, I guess, that is part of what makes this rifle so alluring.
Westley Richards has an outstanding reputation for supplying a comprehensive selection of pre-owned guns and rifles. We pride ourselves on our in depth knowledge of the many sporting arms built over the last 200 years, placing particular emphasis on big game rifles, like the 577 Nitro Express, 505 Gibbs and 425 Westley Richards. Whether looking to grow or sell your collection of firearms, or simply require a trusted evaluation, our team from the sales department would be delighted to hear from you. To view the latest available, head to the used shotguns and used rifles pages, and for those interested in new firearms, explore our custom rifles and bespoke guns pages.
vance daigle on August 6, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Great Story LD,
Can I send in my deposit for Westley Richards to make me one in take down, where do I send the funds??? HAHA!!!! Great job researching the details of not only this rifle but some of the Wonderful .22 cartridge history.
In Christ
Vance,
LD McCaa on August 7, 2019 at 10:12 am
I wouldn’t send that check in just yet Vance.
Allan Kirk on August 7, 2019 at 9:45 am
Clearly the original client was a man of taste. This is a perfect example of "Less is more"! That magazine detailing is excellent.
AK
neil mcveigh on August 8, 2019 at 2:57 am
This is for the guy/gal that must have everything and why not!Vance is keen on one and I am to.Will you take my 10/22 on a trade Trigger?
Trigger on August 8, 2019 at 9:07 am
Not a chance Neil!
Best regards
Trigger
Bill E. on August 9, 2019 at 6:47 pm
What a lovely custom rifle based on the .22LR Training rifle used during WWII. It is a wonderful execution especially the magazine to hide the normal 5 shot magazine for these rifles which normally just stick down ruining the bottom lines of the rifle. WR house scroll is reserved and yet a perfect accompaniment to such a superb work of functional art. The express sights are a wonderful addition and further disguise the .22LR hiding underneath in plain sight! Excellent work and if I was a squirrel, I would want my life to be ended by such a wonderful custom rifle! LOL
The Old Git. on August 11, 2019 at 3:42 am
Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
The deception at first glance is almost all encompassing, what a gem of a rifle!
The recessed crown, the magazine floor plate as you say LD adding to that deception, can’t understand why this .22LR is the ‘only one’ Westley Richards have built, the future may change this situation.
The Old Git.
Fowad on September 11, 2019 at 8:20 am
Regulated for eley crtgs
Stephen on September 12, 2019 at 10:07 am
That's a bit sexy for a .22. Gun Porn at it's finest. The lucky, lucky owner of this beautifully crafted piece must enjoy every second of dispatching small vermin with God's rifle!
John Utting on May 15, 2023 at 1:31 am
One word describes it all, beautiful.