So my grandmother passed away a few years ago leaving my dad to clean out the house and settle the estate. After the house was completely cleaned out and in the process of being sold, my parents did one last walk through. For some reason, when my mom went and looked in the master bedroom closet, she looked up at the shelving then turned and looked above the door. Hanging on the inside of the closet, above the door casing was an old Remington single shot bolt action .22 rifle. The rifle had my grandmothers first husbands initials carved in the butt plate, meaning it had to of been hanging there since at least the mid to late 1950's. Maybe 1960 but no later. The rifle has some very lite surface rust and some knicks in the stock from obvious use during the day. Dad gave it to me and I'm trying to decide what to do with it. The book value is only about $60.00 so it isn't some great treasure. The rifle definitely has character with it's looks but it has no sentimental value to me as it didn't belong to my grandfather and actually my grandmother was my step-grandmother as well. So, I'm torn as to whether to leave it as is and maybe display it or maybe take it on as a learning project and try to restore it. If I go that route, should I take it to a gunsmith to have the inside of the barrel and internal parts inspected first? I've just started researching a little on refinishing firearms but if anyone has any advice, I'm all ears. Thanks

If the barrel isn't partially obstructed by rust/dust/etc.. than I'd fire it. A 22 won't blow the gun apart. I bet it fires and I bet it's a tack driver with good ammo.

EDIT: I'm a sucker for good old 22 bolt actions. I bought one for my daughter and got the barrel reblued. I got CL Sweatmon down below Cullman to re-blue it for me. I refinished the stock. It turned out great.

Fur, I've got some old OF Mossberg 22 rifles that were my grandpas. I love them. I use one to squirrel hunt and it will keep the shots inside a 3" square at 60 yards. It has a place for a peep sight that I plan to add later.

My great grandfather left my dad a old single short bolt rifle. Sounds like they may be around the same age. My dad still totes it. Honestly it shots better than alot of the new guns.

My grand father bought my brother and I .22 rifles. My was stolen in a burglary in the 1980's. My brother kept his underneath his bed and rarely used it. When he passed, I was luck enough to inherit it. Browning lever action 22. It had some pitting on the outside, but the inside was clean. It still drives tacks as well as it did when I last shot it in the 70's.

Yep. Keep it, use it, enjoy it. It's a free rifle, and flipping it wouldn't even bring a hundred dollars. You might come across a kid who needs an introduction into shooting, or, at the very least, for $60, it could sit and rust in my house same as it could anywhere else!

Give it a good cleaning and see how it shoots. It still has a family connection with a cool story of sitting in the closet for over fifty years. Keep it.

Hang it above a mantle, leave it rusty for the looks unless you are just wanting to learn gun refinishing.

Clean it up and shoot it.

Most of those old single shot rifles don't have a safety and the bolt can be lifted and drawn back even with the hammer/plunger cocked which results in the gun discharging. Clean it up, get familiar with it and keep it but get to know how it operates and be safe.

My father in law gave me a old remington 33 single shot. That joker will shoot.

I've got my grand-dads Model 33 also. Shoot it. Up to you, but someday that gun may mean something to you. The "on-hand" memory may be worth more than the value. If you sell it, be careful what you ask for. It may be gone forever. But if it's safe to shoot, I'd leave it as-is. Like you say: character.