Fudd Friday: The Remington 550-1's Useful Floating Chamber

FUDD FRIDAY: Remington 550-1's Floating Chamber – Over-Engineering Actually Made Sense

In the firearms world, there's a certain breed of enthusiast often labeled a "Fudd" – that old-timer at the range who insists his wooden-stocked rifle from the Truman administration is superior to your modern plastic fantastic. While some are quick to roll their eyes at claims that "they don't make 'em like they used to," sometimes the old guard has a point. The Remington 550-1 is one of those rare cases where complicated old-school engineering actually delivered something genuinely special.

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The Triple-Threat .22 That Actually Worked

Manufactured from 1941 to 1970, the Remington 550-1 wasn't just another .22 plinker – it was a legitimate engineering marvel that solved a problem most firearms designers don't even bother attempting: true multi-cartridge compatibility. The 550-1 could reliably cycle .22 Short, .22 Long, and .22 Long Rifle without any adjustment whatsoever.

This wasn't accomplished through simple design – it was achieved through what might be the most over-engineered semi-auto action ever created for a rimfire: the floating chamber.

Why create a floating chamber when you could just optimize for one cartridge? Because that's not how they rolled back then. Remington engineers didn't take the easy way out – they solved the problem completely.

When Versatility Actually Mattered

In post-war rural America, this versatility wasn't a marketing gimmick – it was genuinely practical. Imagine you're a farmer in the 1950s. The local general store might have .22 Shorts one month and Long Rifles the next. Your Remington 550-1 doesn't care – it eats them all with equal enthusiasm. With approximately 700,000 rifles produced over its lifespan, clearly this feature resonated with practical-minded shooters.

The tube magazine could hold up to 15 rounds of .22LR or a staggering 22 rounds of .22 Short – an impressive capacity for its time and something owners often bragged about.

The floating chamber concept wasn't created as a marketing tactic. It was developed to solve a legitimate mechanical challenge: how to extract maximum reliability from rimfire cartridges while maintaining smooth semi-automatic function across dramatically different loadings.

This is one area where the so-called "Fudd" mentality deserves some respect. The 550-1 wasn't over-engineered to justify a premium price tag – it was designed that way because it was the correct solution to the problem at hand.

As .22 Long Rifle ammunition became standardized as the rimfire cartridge of choice in post-war America, the 550-1's multi-cartridge flexibility gradually became less of a selling point. Features like the Ruger 10/22's rotary magazine and modern styling began to appeal more to shooters than the ability to shoot three different cartridge types.

Reliability That Stands The Test Of Time

Perhaps the most "Fudd" quality worth celebrating about the 550-1 is its long-term reliability. Many 550-1s are still functioning perfectly today, more than half a century after production.

The biggest maintenance requirement? Keep that floating chamber clean. Most owners note that the floating chamber gets dirty and wears out easily, with the simple solution being to clean it regularly. With proper maintenance, it can feed and cycle all kinds of .22 caliber rounds, including subsonic ammunition.

The 550-1 occupied a somewhat premium position in the market with its traditional quality construction at a time when manufacturing methods were changing. In 1971, Remington discontinued the 550-1, replacing it with the Model 552 – a similar design that maintained the multi-cartridge capability but used more modern manufacturing techniques and materials. Many collectors and enthusiasts consider the change a downgrade, as the 552 never quite captured the robust quality that made the 550-1 special.

The Last Word

You know what the 550-1 represents? Engineering without compromise. It's what happens when the solution matters more than the production cost.

Nobody today would design a rimfire with a floating chamber. Too expensive, too complicated, not enough marketing appeal. But nobody today makes a semi-auto .22 that runs three different cartridge types without complaint, either.