Economic & Accurate 22???

[carpediem]

Hi all,

I'd like to get a 22lr rifle for $200 or less. Bolt Action or Self-Loading. Which rifles would you recommend as accurate, ergonomic, and reliable. I'm sure a good .22 is going to be way more accurate than I'm capable of, but accuracy potential is still important. Economy is a factor too.

I'm looking at the Marlin 60 and bolt-actions as well as the CZs (though a cursory price check puts them out of my price range). I hear the Romanian 1969s are nice too?


Thanks

 

[Gord]

My Savage 64F is a tack driver, and can be found for $100 or so at Walmart or online. I have no idea if this is indicative of Savage rimfires as a whole, but it's a thought.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

If you keep an eye on Gunbroker and Auctionarms (or put up a WTB ad on THR), you may be able to get a CZ 452 for the low $200s, shipped. Add another $10-20 for FFL transfer at your local dealer.

I don't know where you are, but around here used Marlin 60s can be had as low as $55 or so, in good shape. Open the bolt and look at the feed throat, you want one with a wire ejector, not the solid ejector carved into the feed throat (those wear out over time). Marlins are about indestructible, so if it seems good, buy it.

If you check the pawnshops, you might be able to find a decent bolt action .22 for similar price. I've seen Winchester and Remington single-shot rifles go for $60-70 in Austin.

-MV

 

[BamBam-31]

Ditto the 452. It's worth the $250 new. Hold one to appreciate the workmanship, materials, etc. Shoot one to appreciate the sights, trigger, accuracy, etc.

 

[carpediem]

I doubt it'll be easy to find one for that price. Gun prices tend to be inflated here in CA, along with housing prices, and gas prices, and.... I

t's all very well for those people who already own houses, and cars, and have established jobs - I'm not bashing, they've worked hard for what they have -, but it's murder for young adults. Politics aside, CA is going to lose a good percentage of its up-and-coming next generation workforce to other states with lower cost of living and a more business-friendly environment....

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

A good ol Ruger 10/22 is hard to beat. Not sure about Kali but they are usually about $170 on sale here. And if you ever get out from behind enemy lines you can get standard capacity mags

 

[CornCod]

Any Marlin

Any Marlin bolt-action .22 will do.

 

[BamBam-31]

I doubt it'll be easy to find one for that price. Gun prices tend to be inflated here in CA, along with housing prices, and gas prices, and....

I bought my CZ 452 from Turners Outdoorsman in Pasadena for $250. It was on sale.

 

[_N4Z_]

My out of the box Marlin 925 will shoot under quarter size, 7 shot groups @ 50 yards from a rest, with a good scope.

Rifle was bought brand new for $169.95 at a local shop.

Ammo of choice to frequently accomplish this feat?

Wolf MT
PMC Sidewinder

or...... (drum roll)

Bulk pack Federal 510 el cheapo ammo, 550 rounds for 8 bucks

 

[Ed Ames]

Your best bet is probably a used marlin 60... I've seen them for $75 in gun shops here in CA... that'll put it at somewhere around $105 out the door... the one I've played with seemed accurate though not as accurate as my bolt .22.

 

[iamkris]

I just bought one of the Charles Daly Zavasta-manufactured .22 bolties on CDNN for $149 with a "free" (retail price $30) 4x32 Simmons scope. This is now sold as the Remington Model 5.

First time out with cheapie bulk 22 it shot 15 rounds into 2" at 100 yards...I couldn't believe it. Remington Target 22 went into less than 1" at 100 yards. Keeper.

 

[Spencer]

My suggestion goes for the Ruger 10/22.

You can even get 50 round mags for those.
I think they go for about $150 give or take.

 

[Rupestris]

$200?
Marlin Model 60 - $99
Nikon 4X32 ProStaff scope - $99

Another nice one is the Remington Nylon 66 if you like reliable rifles that, even with open sights, are very accurate. Very easy to single-load too.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

My suggestion goes for the Ruger 10/22.

You can even get 50 round mags for those.

You can, Spencer, but carpediem can't.

He's in CA, no dice.

-MV

 

[rangerruck]

marlin , savage, mossberg, remmy . accuracy in that order.

 

['Card]

I'd also suggest a Ruger 10/22.

They probably aren't competition-level accurate right out of the box, but they shoot better than 90% of the people out there need them to, they're fun as hell, reliable, simple, and aftermarket parts/accessories for them are common and (relatively) cheap.

 

[carpediem]

Thanks all for the info

I notice a lot of people recommend the Ruger 10/22. The Marlin Model 60 seems to be less expensive, though, so I'm wondering how it compares to the 10/22.

Do Marlin bolt-actions have more accuracy potential than their Model 60 (just curious, I really doubt it'll ever be an issue)?

 

[wuchak]

CZ-452 Trainer, $216 at Whittaker http://www.whittakerguns.com/. Probably the most accurate new .22 you can get for the money. I got mine a Gander Mountain on sale around Christmas time a couple years ago for $179. We're getting into that time of year again so sales will be starting soon.

My other post on this to a similiar question.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=2725875&postcount=20

Seems that I recall the consensus at rimfirecentral.com being that stock Marlin 60's tended to be more accurate than 10/22's. However the list of aftermarket components for the 10/22 is endless (some folks spend as much upgrading their 10/22 as it would have cost to just by an Anschutz to begin with) but there's not much out there for the 60's due to their internals being more difficult to work on. Unless your looking to get into match competitions I think you'll find either of them more than accurate enough if you want a semi.

I highly recommend checking your local stores for a for used Marlin 39A. With a 3-9 scope on it mine will cut one dime sized hole at 50 yards with cheap Remington bulk pack ammo. The 39's are expensive new because they cost as much to make as a centerfire rifle and they feel like one in the hand. It took me a year (you probably don't want to wait that long) of watching the used racks to find one but I managed to score a 1986, pre-cross bolt safety, in like new condition for $175. One of the best deals I've ever made. Loading up the tube ,no bulky magazines thank-you, and sending 19 rounds downrange as fast as you can work the lever is a lot of fun.

 

[borrowedtime69]

affordable/accurate .22 LR rifle

Marlin 795 clip fed semi-auto. its accurate out of the box without tweeking. its lightweight too. the price varies from place to place, but its between $99 - $129. for your $200 youre willing to spend you can get the rifle, scope, rings, sling and a 500 round box of bulk Winchester dynapoints or other bulk ammo. -Eric

 

[Jubjub]

I beg to differ about the price of the 10/22. Sure you can get one for under $200, but then you pull that awful factory trigger and you go over to Rimfirecentral to read up on improving that, and then it starts.

Mine all seem to end up totalling $400-600 after all the stocks and barrels and scopes and mounts and slings and swivels and hammers and sears and triggers and extractors and bedding kits and magazines and it's probably best not to worry about it.

 

[115grfmj]

marlin 795...

just over 100. clip fed, and with good ammo will do 2" at 100yds right out of the box.

 

[dracphelan]

I have to agree with others who say to buy a Marlin 60. It is accurate out of the box and you can spend the rest of the money on a good scope. The only problem with mine is that it uses to much ammo. I'll take 500 or 1000 rounds to the range, and before I know it the dang rifle has ate it all.

 

[jefmad]

With a 10/22 all you really need to do is buy the gun, get the VQ target hammer ($32) and shoot as much as you want. The rest is Iwantacoolgun virus.

 

[wuchak]

I should also have mentioned in my previous post the Savage Mark II combo that Walmart sells for about $100 (I think Dick's has it too). My friend picked one a couple of years ago as a cheap plinker for him and his sons and it was a tack driver. They should be even better now that Savage has added their Accu-trigger to the bolt-action rimfire line. Definately worth the price if you don't mind plastic stocks and don't want to spend the extra $100 for a CZ.

Like I mentioned in my previous post the holiday sales are just over a month away so unless you are in a hurry to buy something you should be able to save a bunch by waiting.

 

[Red Tornado]

Everyone has mentioned good rifles, but since you asked specifically about the M69 as well, I'll chime in on that.

I really like the M69. For the price, it's very accurate, you can mount a scope, but that takes away one of my favorite features...the flip up sights. It's got 25, 50, & 100 meter sights that just flip up to the next one. For me, that's a lot easier than any other sight adjustment system I've used. I like to toss a piece of wood in a drainage ditch, or slow river channel and start out at ~25m and as the wood moves away, I just flip up the 50m sight, until it gets farther, then up comes the 100m sight. After that, it's just guessing.

Anyway, it's a full sized rifle, and the LOP is much better for me (6') than my 10/22. It's not a blaster, but a plinker. Pulling out the mag and reloading every 5 shots is a pain, so if I'm sitting somewhere, I'll normally use it like a single shot. You can actually maintain quite a high rate of fire when compared to reloading magazines.

Oh yeah, I think the Mauser type safety is pretty neat. Plus it's a rugged military type rifle that's been used, so you don't have to worry about damaging the pretty. It'll stand up to hard lovin' and come back for more.

Hmmm....anything else? Oh yeah, milsurps are for real men.

RT


P.S. I have a 10/22 and love it, you can't go wrong. Marlin's are classic, and you can't go wrong. CZ's have an almost cult level following, so they're obviously doing something right. However, if I had no .22 rifles, and wanted just one...er, a FIRST one...I'd find an old Remington 510, 511, 512, or 513.