Remington 552 Repair...Cleaning Actually

nunn

It was a first for me.  I had never torn down a Remington 552, but an elderly friend called and said his rifle had stopped working and he wondered if I could fix it.  He told me what it is, and I told him that when a .22 auto stops working, usually a good cleaning and lubrication will get it going again.    I checked my book on teardown and reassembly and found it covers the 552, so we were good to go.  

I got the rifle in hand and found that it was sure enough gummed up.  I followed the instructions in my Gun Digest Rimfire Rifle book and got it all apart.  MAN!!!  My friend had owned this rifle for somewhere over 40 years and had never turned a screw on it.  Most he had done was squirt a little oil in the works now and then.  The inner workings were black, and gunky, just NASTY!  

Anyhow, I expended a bunch of patches, a little Blue Wonder bore cleaner, a little Hoppe's #9, a little Gibbs lube, and a whole can of brake parts cleaner.  Got her all cleaned up, slicked up, test fired and returned to the owner.  He won't shoot the rifle enough to gunk it up again.  

The 552 is deceptively simple to take down and reassemble, IF you have and follow the instructions.  Without the instructions, I'd be able to get the trigger group out and that's about it.  

A long time ago, Gun Digest ran a special on a collection of several of their teardown and assembly guides, and I am very glad I bought the books.   They have come in handy many times.

jimdeere

I have a couple. I wouldn’t take them apart because I like them.
The next owner can do it, if he so chooses.

SCOUT5

About three years ago a local gunsmith passed and his wife was selling out.  I bought a Rossi 92 .357, some speed loaders and other misc. stuff.  Among it was a couple of the books you mentioned and some other manuals.   Handy material, I copied one section with bolt disassembly instructions and mailed it to a forum member.   Like I said, handy material.

Ditch-Runner

I have a 552 and 572  for at least 30 years I would guess a lot  longer and at least that long since I shot them 
 I  have taken  every gun apart I have ever bought  new or used and the remingtons were no exception . 
      and I will add it would have been great to have youtube way back then .. even a digtal camera would have been great 
 but I always managed to get every thing put back with no extra parts 
 over the years I did pick up some detailed books on taking various guns apart and putting them back together ( apart was always easy )  maybe put out by the NRA . in the 1960's or 70's  . 
for many years ruger 10-22's have been my go to 22 so basic and reliable easy to clean the remingtons look a lot nicer but just never get them out any more 

TRAP55

Ingenious design with a floating chamber to cycle shorts, longs, and long rifle .22 cartridges. Interesting that no other firearms maker has ever duplicated it.

SCOUT5

TRAP55 said:

Ingenious design with a floating chamber to cycle shorts, longs, and long rifle .22 cartridges. Interesting that no other firearms maker has ever duplicated it.

The floating chamber has been produced in many models, maybe not .22s though.   Carbine Williams and all of that.   Benelli uses it in their shotguns.
I have a 552 but I'm thinking it has a regular blow back action.   I have a 550-1 that has the floating chamber, it will even run CB's.   I'm not an expert and will have to look it up.

nunn

I don't think the 552 has a floating chamber.  I didn't see one anyway.

TRAP55

Nunn, you're right, the 550 did, 552 didn't.

jimdeere

I have a 552 Gallery Special. Only shoots .22 Shorts. Will not cycle CB Shorts.

Okie

Yep, the Automatic short, long , Long rifle 22 cal Remington 550-1 has a floating chamber. (by carbine williams)
First time taking one apart and putting it back together carefully without doing any damage to fine thread screws is a real learning experience even with instructions. Very reliable and usually accurate gun when fed the right ammo and really has to be gummed up to malfunction though. I've installed Weaver scope bases on the older Models that are not grooved. Got one all back together once after replacing a bad barrel and then found the floating chamber laying on the floor.  had feel out of the old barrel and I did not notice such. That will not happen to me again.

DPHMIN

I have a Remington 550-1.  I assume the 552 disassembles about like the 550-1.  My will shoot anything  from .22 short CB caps to hot .22 LR flawlessly.

I remember 40 years ago, my grandfather (in Marfa, Texas) had a 550-1.  I don't know what happened to it.  When he died in 1985, I got his Remington Model 10 12 Gauge bottom ejecting shotgun and his H&R 922 revolver.  

Anyway, when I saw a clean, scoped 550-1 in a pawn shop a few years ago, I bought it in memory of my Grandfather.

Okie

DPHMIN said:

I have a Remington 550-1.  I assume the 552 disassembles about like the 550-1.  My will shoot anything  from .22 short CB caps to hot .22 LR flawlessly.

I remember 40 years ago, my grandfather (in Marfa, Texas) had a 550-1.  I don't know what happened to it.  When he died in 1985, I got his Remington Model 10 12 Gauge bottom ejecting shotgun and his H&R 922 revolver.  

Anyway, when I saw a clean, scoped 550-1 in a pawn shop a few years ago, I bought it in memory of my Grandfather.

Right: Them 550-1 just keep on running like the energizer Bunny. I've seen some nasty ones.
I seen one that was really nasty and would not shoot a group, but auto'ed good. Found a buldge in the middle of the barrel. Noticed some of the old ammo that was with the gun was really weak. Appeared that some of the bullets had hung up in the barrel and as they stacked for awhile the barrel swelled a slight  buldge in the middle of the barrel, Not noticeable until a jag was pushed through the barrel or fingers slowly ran down the barrel so as to feel the buldge. 
I cut my teeth using dad's 550-1 squirrel huntin with good squirrel dogs as a kid. (12 years old or so by myself)

DPHMIN

I can understand that happening if a low powered round didn't make it out of the barrel, and a subsequent round was fired.

Thankfully my 550-1 seems to have been taken care of, and has a good barrel.