Featured Gun: New Haven model 250C

The New Haven 250C as a semi-automatic .22 rifle built by O.F. Mossberg and sons. The rifle was a value priced copy of their model 350K, very similar to what other gun companies had done in brand labeling guns for large retailers.

In case you didn't know Mossberg's first home was in New Haven, which was also once the home to Marlin and Winchester. In addition New Haven Arms was the original name of Winchester, but that was close to 100 years before this gun came along. To further confuse things, Mossberg moved their manufacturing to North Haven (just up the highway) in 1960 with Marlin following them later in the decade.

The model 350KA was introduced in 1958. The 350KA had an MSRP of $37.95 or $38.95 if you lived west of the Rocky Mountains (shipping cost?). This equates to about $323 in 2018 dinero. I can imagine the New Haven rifle sold for a bit less when it was introduced two years later in 1960.
The two rifles were part of a series of .22 rifles made to compete with cross-town rifles from Winchester and Marlin. 

The New Haven 250C came with a "walnut finished" stock, that was made of birch, a simple plastic butt plate and a standard blued finish. The Mossberg version featured a genuine walnut Monte Carlo stock with a deluxe butt plate and white line spacer. The New Haven version also had a shorter barrel.


The 19.5" long barrel had Mossberg's "AC-KRO-GRUV" 8-groove rifling, similar to Marlin's "Micro-groove" rifling that was introduced years earlier.

Specs:
Length: 39.5"
Weight: Approx. 6 lbs
Barrel Length: 19.5"
Caliber: .22 Short, Long & Long Rifle
Rifling: "AC-KRO-GRUV" 8 Groove, 1 in 16" Right Hand Twist
Length of Pull: 13.5"
Stock: Birch,
Magazine: Detachable box, 7 round capacity 



This rifle belongs to my brother-in-law. He asked me to see what I could do about cleaning it up. So this post is the start of yet another project.
Ironically this gun was made in North Haven, Mossberg moved from New Haven to North Haven in 1960 and this gun was probably made around that same time....perhaps one of the first to ship out of the new plant?

Stay tuned for posts on this project




References
1911 Forum