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Sterling 302 .22LR Nickel plated or stainless?

jsergovic
My neighbor has a fine example I want to purchase. Close as i can figure, it's worth $150-$175.

Were these stainless or nickel plated?

I am under the impression the company is out of business.
Most of the info was mid '80s automatic rifle stuff, no handguns.

Any history/info woyuld be appreciated.

Thanks.

J.
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    There were (2) different companies named Sterling who made firearms.

    The one who made the rifles and submachine guns was located in England.

    The outfit who made your neighbor's pistol was located in upstate New York. They were in business from the mid 70's to the early 80's.

    In that short time period they made a number of different models, in various calibers, some were made of stainless.

    The reason they stayed in business only 8 years, was that most of their guns were garbage. I myself had one that I could never fix, so it would be reliable.

    $150 -$175, seems excessive to me for any Sterling product. But if your happy with it, that's all that matters. Put at least a couple hundred rounds of different brands of ammo through it to make sure it's reliable.

    luger_4.jpg
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  • cletus85
    I bought one of these in the late 80's when I was doing alot of fishing and just wanted a small carry gun for whatever I ran on to...
    Anyway They are stainless and I special ordered mine. At first glance they appear to be higher quality than the other 22's of similar size. THEY ARE NOT. They have a very fragile firing pin and it is prone to breakage. As much as I hate to admit ever owning a Jennings J-22 I swear on a stack of bibles mine was more far more reliable than the Sterling. There has been a Sterling used in Box at a local gunshop I frequent for years priced at $125 and no one has ever touched it. You will be very disappointed if you buy one, and you better start looking for a firing pin right now as well. If that size of .22 is of serious interest to you I'd be looking for an Iver Johnson like I think Nunn has for sale on the Auction. Unfortuneatly I don't think any small quality 22's are currently made. I had a Beretta 21 that was super, you might look at that. P.S. my 302 had no sights just a groove down the barrel.
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  • competentone
    From 1982 Handgun Tests:

    (All three Sterling's--a .32, a .25 and a 22lr--were mentioned in the "Unacceptable" catagory.)

    "...another loser from Lockport, NY..."

    "Jams were so common that we finally had to give up on the gun."

    "...Sterling manages to screw up the deal and we got another turkey..."

    "...if you never intend to fire your gun, this might be a good choice as it will not get rusty in your dresser draws..." (it is stainless steel)

    "Sterling, to keep their record umblemished has built a .22 that will work every once in a while."

    "We almost expected the .22 to be a loser for the 4th year in a row. It was!"

    I've never been "confronted" with an opportunity to buy one, but I might give someone $30-$40 for one just to see if I could actually make it work.
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  • jsergovic
    You'all prevented me from a serious mistake.
    Sure, the gun looked cherry. The wily woman said she paid $150, twenty years ago.
    It had not been shot in years, still loaded, and I plopped one into her lawn. Everything seemed fine. The finish and lines were sweet.

    I've overpaid on emotion, and that can get you burnt.

    She can keep her "treasure" and I'll content myself with my Buckmark Standard and an Erma RX22 I'm restoring. And there is always the amazingly accurate Inox Tomcat.

    Now, her late husband's Colt .357, I'd like to get a good look at that!

    Thanks again. May your shooting be in pleasant weather!
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  • rsnyder55
    That's why I got rid of mine, or I think I may have thrown it into the ocean about twenty miles offshore while fishing. It kept breaking firing pins. I bought it because it was fairly good looking, but it never proved reliable.

    I bought a J-22 just to see how long it would take to break, but the darn thing hasn't yet. (This is not an endorsement for Jennings, so please don't construe this to be such.)
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  • Hangfire
    Good call on letting it pass. When I had my FFL, Sterling, along with Jennings, was one I refused to sell !!

    Love them Pre-64's!!!!-Bob
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  • ATF
    Here's a picture of a Sterling .44 Mag Single Shot .This was made by Ithaca for Sterling in Lockport,N.Y.
    standard.jpg

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    standard.jpg

    It's my cat's world. I'm just here to open cans.

    We got rid of the kids. The cat was allergic.


    ATF,Eagle Guns
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  • jsergovic
    Once again, ATF there is not a gun and/or manufacturer someone can mention you do not have.[:p]

    I happened upon a gentleman in his 70's here in Mariposa County, CA,, who never sold a gun in his life. If he lets me photograph the collection, collectors will be wanting permission to use the photos in their gun books.

    Stuff back to the 1840s, octagonal cast iron barrels, up to newer, early '20's revolvers.
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  • ATF
    Is that bad?
    [:)][:D][8D][:p]

    standard.jpg

    It's my cat's world. I'm just here to open cans.

    We got rid of the kids. The cat was allergic.


    ATF,Eagle Guns
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  • jsergovic
    GUNS...GOOD!
    GUN LAWS...BAD!!!$%^!@^ 'cept for you civilized specimens where everybody's packing and no crime so to speak occurs.
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