By Glen Wunderlich
Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
I love my Marlin model 81 bolt-action .22 rimfire rifle. Manufactured in years 1937-1940, it still produces some startling accuracy – especially with anything in the sub-sonic category.
Marlin model 81 rimfire shoots shorts, longs and long rifle ammo
Mine has been relegated to garage duty and it’s an important niche for this small game getter and takes out pesky red squirrels near the home front. Like many vintage rifles, the trigger was creepy and heavy, but a professional gunsmith at Williams Gun Sight in Michigan massaged it to a degree suited for accuracy.
Atop the barrel sits a Hawke HD, 3×9 power optic with adjustable parallax – a good match for the closer shots, where most of my shots are taken. Since the scope allows for adjustments down to 30 feet, it provides the necessary parallax adjustment for anything close to far away.
Some 35 years ago, I planted 2,000 conifer seedlings that have grown to harbor all kinds of perching birds and way too many damaging red squirrels. While working at endless projects in the garage, I keep an eye to the back window for the troublemakers and the Marlin is always ready to answer the call.
Two reds fall
victim to the 87 year-old Marlin
The super slow CCI Quiet .22 rimfire ammo is propelled at a breath-taking speed of 710 feet-per-second from the muzzle making about as much noise as snapping fingers, but the 40-grain bullets supply all the energy necessary for ethical kills.
CCI Quiet .22 Rimfire Ammo
CCI also offers a 45-grain bullet with a bit more velocity of 835 fps, but it’s not necessary – and, makes more noise. Both of these offerings are quite a bit slower than any other sub-sonic ammo available in the 1,000+ fps range but are much quieter.
Recently, I had been using some CCI CBs, which are 29-grain solid shorts but ran out and had to switch to the CCI Quiet fodder. Much to my surprise, the Quiet ammo shot to the same point of impact at 25 yards with absolutely no scope adjustments necessary. However, after using the short 29-grain ammo for a long time, I found the longer Quiet ammo would not chamber and would get stuck in the chamber when closing the bolt. It took a good scrubbing with Hoppe’s gun cleaner and that was all the prep it needed.
I’d have to estimate the number of red squirrels taken this year at dozens. I recycle them at a particular site in the back 40 by placing them on a stump for the vultures, hawks, and crows or whatever else enjoys them.
