Browning SA-22 Grade VI
Browning Arms Company · Rifle · In Production · 1914
Also known as: Browning 22 Semi-Auto, Browning Auto-22, Semi-Auto 22 Grade VI
Overview
The Browning SA-22 Grade VI is a semi-automatic rimfire rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle, and is the top-tier presentation grade of Browning's long-running Semi-Auto 22 line. Designed by John Moses Browning and patented in 1914, the original design was the first successful semi-automatic .22 rifle and remains famous for its distinctive bottom-ejection blowback action and quick takedown, which allows the barrel and receiver to be separated for compact storage. The tubular magazine housed in the buttstock feeds up to 10 rounds of .22 LR, cycling from a clean, low-recoil blowback action that has made the rifle a favorite for small-game hunting, plinking, and gallery shooting for over a century. The Grade VI elevates this classic with a deeply engraved receiver featuring scroll work and gold-plated game scenes, a select black walnut stock and forearm with cut checkering and a high-gloss finish, and a gold-plated trigger, offering collectors and sportsmen a heirloom-quality expression of a proven design now produced by Miroku of Japan for Browning.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2353 g (83.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 940 mm (37.01") |
| Barrel Length | 492 mm (19.37") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 10 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tubular |
| Muzzle Velocity | 330 m/s (1083 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 141 J (104 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 406 mm (15.98") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .22 Long Rifle · primary — also known as .22 LR, 22 LR, 5.6x15mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Cross Bolt Safety
- Features: Takedown, Bottom Ejection, Tubular Magazine, Engraved Receiver, Gold Inlay, Checkered Stock, Adjustable Sights
Production
Production years: 1914-present
Originally produced by FN in Belgium; also licensed to Remington as the Model 24/241. Current Browning-branded production by Miroku in Japan.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: John Moses Browning
Notes
Grade VI is the highest presentation grade, offered in deeply blued or grayed steel finishes with gold-enhanced scroll engraving and gold-plated game species. Barrel drilled and tapped for scope mounting; 16-inch twist rate.
Background
Introduced in 1914, the Browning Semi-Auto 22 was the world's first commercially successful semi-automatic .22 rifle and one of John Browning's most enduring civilian designs. Its unmistakable bottom ejection and takedown construction kept spent cases away from the shooter's face and made it a natural for both right- and left-handed shooters. Generations of hunters and exhibition shooters have carried the little rifle, and the engraved Grade VI stands as its most refined and collectible form.