Best .22lr rifle...

[CoastieTech]

I'm looking to buy a new .22lr, my first rifle, and I want something that will be reliable. I am looking at spending between $100-$150. Yes, I know that you get what you pay for but I don't want to spend a fortune on my first rifle. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and one more thing this rifle will only be used for shooting holes in paper, I won't be hunting with this rifle. Thank you in advance for all your help.

 

[MikeH]

A Marlin or Savage bolt action from Walmart should do fine and remain within your budget.

 

[ChefGW]

10/22

The Ruger 10/22 is by far the best .22lr rifle available.
There are so many different ways to configure the gun that you will have no problems finding something you like from tactical, hunting, plinking, etc.
About $160 to start then the skys the limit.

 

[Lupinus]

you get what you pay for but for a .22 under 150 is plenty reasonable.

I'd say go with the marlin model 60, semi-auto, holds 14 rounds, and out of the box a nice accurate gun (more accurate out of the box then a 10/22) and a grooved reciever if you want to scope it.

Won't find a lot to accesorize like the 10/22 but stock it is IMO a better gun. Also cheaper by about 50 bucks depending on the 10/22 model. Mine is plenty acurate with both bulk federal and remington and slightly more so with mini mags, but I'd be more then comfertable from an accuracy standpoint in the field withh bulk ammo.

This is last sunday (the ones a bit high were when I was still sighting in a bit) about 100 rounds give or take of bulk federal and a weaver k2.5 at 25 meters with a bit of a beeze. Not the best shot in the world and I have seen others do much better but works for me.

 

[mainmech48]

As long as you feed it reasonable quality ammo, it's tough to find a modern .22 RF of any action type that won't shoot better than you can hold for with at least a couple of brands. Also tough to find one from any major manufacturer that isn't reliable when used and cared for according to factory recommendations.

Even tougher to find a major maker that doesn't stand firmly behind their products if you should have any functional issue with it after purchase. Most of them go to great lengths to insure customer satisfaction, some offering limited lifetime warranties that even cover things they know will eventually just wear out.

Just go out and see what your local retailers have. Find one that suits your tastes and budget. Buy it. Honestly, it'd be hard to go far "wrong" as long as you're happy with it.

 

[f4t9r]

Ruger 10/22 for that price range.
my fav is the Marlin 39A a little more money

 

[White Horseradish]

Marlin 60 if you're ok with a tube magazine or marlin 795 if you want a detachable one. 795 is $113 at Walmart.

 

[Lupinus]

thought i wouldn't like tube mag, it isn't nearly as bad in reality as it sounds in theory if you have your mind set dtachable is better.

 

[m0ntels]

I love my Marlin tube-feeder to death, but any Marlin or Ruger will suit you just fine IMO.

Randy

 

[dm1333]

Marlin Model 60, Savage or Marline bolt guns. My objection to a 10/22 is the god awful trigger they seem to come with these days. Depending on where you live (CA) it may be impossible to get a 10/22 for anything close to that.

 

[clasiter]

Ruger 10/22

Ruger 10/22 is the way to go,you can do just about any config you want as you get the funds. I just gave mine to my son as his first .22

 

[ArmedBear]

10/22 stock trigger is HEAVY. It's got to be 10 lbs. Mine sucks. I can use it, but the more Ruger nudges the price up, the less I think the 10/22 is a good choice. The bolt release is a piss-poor design, there's no last shot holdopen, and the stock sights are useless unless you're in ideal sunlit conditions. By the time it's a really good gun, you've spent a good deal of money and time. It's a good way to learn basic gunsmithing, though.

For paper punching, I'd get a Marlin or Savage boltie (a CZ if you have more cash). For real range shooting, a semiauto offers nothing but a dirty action to clean, less accuracy, and flying brass. The bolt action is safer, easier to clean, and more accurate.

For plinking, a semiauto does have its advantages.

 

[Lupinus]

agree with AB

fired a friends 10/22 and the trigger was a little heavy but then I've never been as worrying about trigger pull as some unless it is extreme.

Model 60 is the best choice in what you discribe, 795 if you want detachable. Both are well in your price range, the 10/22 is more then 150 as it is and to make it a truly great gun you are talking even more.

only complaint is the sights kind of suck, not horrible, but could be better. Of no matter though of course if you scope it lol

 

[cookekdjr]

For $150, you can buy a very accurate Marlin bolt-action.
-David
P.S. come to think of it, you should look into the Toz-78. Check out AIM.
-David

 

[flinch444]

Howdy, just had to put in my 2 cents on the 10-22. In my opinion, they are great if you want to buy all kinds of aftermarket improvments.
There is so much after market goodies available because they need it. If there wasnt so much that needed improving on the 10-22 there wouldnt be a market for it.
Unless your going to build a 10-22 into something that has a nice trigger, is accurate, and is reliable, I would look somewhere else.
If you are going to build one, buy a wallyworld cheapie, keep the receiver and throw everything else away, as it will all be replaced with parts that do what they are suppose to from the factory.
I dont mean to be a 10-22 basher, its just that Ive had a few and none have met my expectations untill I have pretty much replaced everything.

 

[Lupinus]

for the cost of a base 10/22 you can get a marlin 60 and a scope (ok a somewhat cheapy scope, but a decent enough scope, better scope if you include the cost of an upgrade you now wont need)

 

[ABTOMAT]

What're the leading inexpensive _non semi_ .22LR's these days? Seems like a boatload of nifty rifles were around in the '60s, only to dissapear when the cheap semi's came on the scene.

 

[colt.45]

flinch. if you dont like the stock sights then buy a scope it costs a whoping $40. or better yet buy some williams peep sights.

you dont like the trigger ehh...

buy an aftermarket SPRING it costs a whopping $5

 

[dm1333]

If you want to spend more money think about a TC Classic or an R55 Classic if you can wait. My Classic is a tack driver! You might hear a lot about reliability issues with the extractor and that they are very finicky about ammo and cleaning. The worst that mine does when dirty is that the bolt release will stick so you have to fiddle a little to get the bolt to go forward. I only run Federal through it (a lot of the other brands I have tried seemed pretty crappy) and it is as reliable as my Model 60.

 

[asknight]

Marlin 981T bolt-action tube fed rifle. Get a bolt action, so that you can actually practice marksmanship rather than just plinking. You won't be as inclined to rapid-fire, and spend more time on making your shots count. A very important skill to learn if you wish to move on to larger centerfire rifles.

 

[rangerruck]

id go marlin 981. it is tube fed, black synth stock, and fires s,l,lr. i think it holds up to 25 shorts in the tube. Academy sell it all day long in Houston for 150. plus it's acc will be something you can depend on for the life of the rifle.

 

[StrikeEagle]

In your budget, I'd go with a bolt action. (I might even go bolt action with a larger budget)

I think that a $150 bolt action is going to be a better rifle than a $150 semi.

Years ago, I had a cheap semi... went by the name of 'Glenfield.' Kept it less than a week.

I don't wanna go through that again.

StrikeEagle

 

[Technosavant]

For a semiauto, I would (and did) get a Remington 597. Wal-Mart carries a camo-stocked version for $140, and it is quite accurate. There were teething problems with early models, but they seem to be worked out now (mostly magazine related). Other 597 models and all 10/22 models are going to be much higher.

I think everybody else has given good bolt action recommendations.

 

[tdb]

Hi , if you wanted to spend a little more money , you could get a nice CZ Trainner rifle , I bought one for my son for xmas , ted

 

[jefmad]

Another option would be the Biathalon Basic. They have started importing them again and are so accurate that benchrest guys buy them. Great value for the money.