The best "value" in a .22 rifle?
- Thread starter UpTheIrons
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Quoheleth
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For an all-around plinker and tree rat gun, I think a Marlin with a decent 4x scope is HARD to beat. Take your pick: the tube-fed or mag-fed, the semi or the bolt gun. For +/- $150, and $50 for a decent scope (Bushnell, maybe), you'll have a 100-yard soda killing machine.
I have an OLD Marlin, re-labeled as Western Auto pre-serial number, and it'll flat-out shoot. I have no idea how many rounds it had pushed through it before I got it at a farm auction 20 years ago. Back in the day, I could hit soda cans at 110+ yards. Maybe not every shot, but regularly enough that it wasn't an accident.
If you want a fun plinker for your kids, look at the Browning BL-22. It's a shorter gun, with a very short throw and for a kid, it's a great shooter. It carries easy. My one and only caveat for a young shooter is it's lack of a safety or hammer block. It'll shoot with my Marlin, and the Browning is only irons.
If you want to drop a little more coin, my Ruger 77/22 has been very nice. It might not be CZ accurate, but it's as accurate as I am.
Q
I have an OLD Marlin, re-labeled as Western Auto pre-serial number, and it'll flat-out shoot. I have no idea how many rounds it had pushed through it before I got it at a farm auction 20 years ago. Back in the day, I could hit soda cans at 110+ yards. Maybe not every shot, but regularly enough that it wasn't an accident.
If you want a fun plinker for your kids, look at the Browning BL-22. It's a shorter gun, with a very short throw and for a kid, it's a great shooter. It carries easy. My one and only caveat for a young shooter is it's lack of a safety or hammer block. It'll shoot with my Marlin, and the Browning is only irons.
If you want to drop a little more coin, my Ruger 77/22 has been very nice. It might not be CZ accurate, but it's as accurate as I am.
Q
rangerruck
Member
marlin mod 60, or 795. the 795's are on sale right now at Academy's, and with the 20 dollar mail in rebate you can get off the internet, you can get one for about 80 plus bucks--- that is for a new 22 rifle--- chances are you will never see a new 22 for under 100 bucks again.
And as you all know, for a semi auto, nothing beats the reliability or accuracy of the marlins, unless you just wanna go really hi end, and spend a ton of money.
mod 60's are 150 or less, for new, and in pawn shops or gunshops, they are 60 to 90 bucks used.
And as you all know, for a semi auto, nothing beats the reliability or accuracy of the marlins, unless you just wanna go really hi end, and spend a ton of money.
mod 60's are 150 or less, for new, and in pawn shops or gunshops, they are 60 to 90 bucks used.
Well, I'd say the inexpensive-without-being-cheap option in clearly the Model 60, although I don't personally own one. Might rectify that, but I don't know.
On the other hand, there's the 10/22, which is for .22's what the AR is for semi-auto rifles. Sure, you can spend mucho $$$$ tricking it out, or you can do what I'm doing and simply drop a set of Tech-Sights on it, buy a half-dozen or so Butler Creek mags and call it good.
My personal favorite so far, though, is my Mossberg 351CB, which should still have a thread up here about it.
It's a classy little rifle, and accurate to boot. Enough so that I'm stocking up on Wolf Match ammo for this spring, so I can really see what she'll do. Usually prints 1.5" groups at 50 yards, which I'm pretty happy with, especially out of a 40-ish year old rifle that didn't look like it'd ever been cleaned before I owned it. 
If you wanted to get something a little different, though, you could get a Henry Pump .22lr, or even better, an old Winny M1890 in .22lr. You'll pay for the Winny, and it might need re-lined/restored, but they're just about the most awesome thing I've ever laid hands upon. The Henry would be a nice runner up, if you don't like top ejectors or don't want to spend the $$$ on the Winchester.
On the other hand, there's the 10/22, which is for .22's what the AR is for semi-auto rifles. Sure, you can spend mucho $$$$ tricking it out, or you can do what I'm doing and simply drop a set of Tech-Sights on it, buy a half-dozen or so Butler Creek mags and call it good.
My personal favorite so far, though, is my Mossberg 351CB, which should still have a thread up here about it.
It's a classy little rifle, and accurate to boot. Enough so that I'm stocking up on Wolf Match ammo for this spring, so I can really see what she'll do. Usually prints 1.5" groups at 50 yards, which I'm pretty happy with, especially out of a 40-ish year old rifle that didn't look like it'd ever been cleaned before I owned it. If you wanted to get something a little different, though, you could get a Henry Pump .22lr, or even better, an old Winny M1890 in .22lr. You'll pay for the Winny, and it might need re-lined/restored, but they're just about the most awesome thing I've ever laid hands upon. The Henry would be a nice runner up, if you don't like top ejectors or don't want to spend the $$$ on the Winchester.
TCB in TN
Member
Marlin 60 is IMHO the best bang for your buck!
UpTheIrons
Member
Thanks for all the insight and suggestions!
I'm not looking to accessorize anything, so the 10/22 is at the bottom of the list right now, even though I've wanted one off and on for several years. All I want to put on it is a scope and maybe a sling.
Best accuracy for the dollar in a field gun is #1 for me, so it may be down to the Marlin 60 (or maybe 795) - don't know if I can justify $300+ for a squirrel gun right now.
But I've made a list, since - like Lay's tater chips - you can't have just one! Savage, CZ, Marlin 39... oh, so many!
I'm not looking to accessorize anything, so the 10/22 is at the bottom of the list right now, even though I've wanted one off and on for several years. All I want to put on it is a scope and maybe a sling.
Best accuracy for the dollar in a field gun is #1 for me, so it may be down to the Marlin 60 (or maybe 795) - don't know if I can justify $300+ for a squirrel gun right now.
But I've made a list, since - like Lay's tater chips - you can't have just one! Savage, CZ, Marlin 39... oh, so many!
hmm... well I've got a Savage Model 64 and a Remington 597, both semi-autos. The Savage is pretty nice, rather accurate and comes with a 3x20 scope. Only issue I've had with it is you need to make sure you push the magazine all the way in. And it only holds 7 rounds, and is some weird keyhole shape and I can't find a larger sized one online anywhere. But its a pretty decent rifle.
I havent gotten to play with the Remington too much (just bought a small scope for it though) Though I took my mom to the range last week (her first time aside from a bit with dad's 12ga and llittle bro's BB gun) and she was able to get around a 6-7in grouping with 100 or so rounds However, the 30-rd mags you can buy apparently jammed on her a couple times but the stock 10rd one was fine. Though again, I havent gotten to try it out much.
Really though, unless you are gonna do some serious shooting, most .22s you can buy at a gun store or wally world should work fine for you.
I havent gotten to play with the Remington too much (just bought a small scope for it though) Though I took my mom to the range last week (her first time aside from a bit with dad's 12ga and llittle bro's BB gun) and she was able to get around a 6-7in grouping with 100 or so rounds
However, the 30-rd mags you can buy apparently jammed on her a couple times but the stock 10rd one was fine. Though again, I havent gotten to try it out much. Really though, unless you are gonna do some serious shooting, most .22s you can buy at a gun store or wally world should work fine for you.
I sure agree with that. I have twelve .22s and have never really found one that I didn't like something about.
A couple of my favorites (that I didn't see posted above) are the Remington 527 pump action and a Winchester 69a bolt action.
But for someone who wants the best value for the dollar................I don't think you could beat a Marlin model 60.
Stainlessbutcher
Member
Man, I grew up with a very old Remington .22 semi that was tube fed. Had a good wooden stock, seems to me it was quite long, but I was young. The back of the receiver looked like a stepped cone pointing towards the back. I wish I knew the model number and I also wish I still had it. It was a nail driver at 75 yards using iron sites.
Butch.
Butch.
WhoKnowsWho
Member
Marlin 60 + Spee-D-Loader easy and quick reloads!
I love my CZs. To be honest they are my best bang for the buck rifle. The only real problem with them compared to the Savage/Marlin options is that they aren't much, if any more accurate. What they have is in build quality, in my case wood, and the trigger.
My marlin was ok stock. I felt the T900 trigger was about as bad as it gets and replaced it with a rifle basix trigger. That and bedding made the thing a real shooter. My Savage, out of the box shot well. The trigger adjusted down is good. It is great for a hunting rifle trigger, good for a casual paper punching rifle, but far too heavy for a dedicated target rifle. Both of these rifles shoot well within my expectations of what a rifle in their price range should be capable of producing. I just prefer the CZs for mainly opinion based reasons. For the dollar though the Savage/Marlin line are very tough to beat.
Best bang for the buck is tough to generalize. I feel the CZ is as close to an Anschutz as I can get for under $500. That to me makes it a great bang for my buck. A used Marlin Model 60 for the $50 claimed available at pawn shops is an amazing bang for your buck. Group size per dollar spent is going to be hard to beat against a $50 rifle. Today most rimfires from respectable companies are good shooters. As long as you don't buy something abused you are probably going to do alright.
If I were to pick though I would put the Marlin model 60 as the best bang for your buck semi auto. I'm not too familiar with the detachable magazine models from Marlin or Savage to know how they compare to the Ruger 10/22 but honestly the 10/22 is an average rifle, not bad but nothing spectacular. For bolt rifles I think the Savage line has the slight edge for the dollar. I really like the Accutrigger compared to Marlins T900. The Ruger bolt option prices itself out of the market in my opinion. The CZ is nice but it is in a category different than what I see you looking for. In the lever market it is hard to beat the Henry. They tend to shoot well and are priced right. That said the Marlin 39A is an amazing rifle, but much like the CZ is in the bolt action line, I think the 39A is in a different category than you are looking.
My marlin was ok stock. I felt the T900 trigger was about as bad as it gets and replaced it with a rifle basix trigger. That and bedding made the thing a real shooter. My Savage, out of the box shot well. The trigger adjusted down is good. It is great for a hunting rifle trigger, good for a casual paper punching rifle, but far too heavy for a dedicated target rifle. Both of these rifles shoot well within my expectations of what a rifle in their price range should be capable of producing. I just prefer the CZs for mainly opinion based reasons. For the dollar though the Savage/Marlin line are very tough to beat.
Best bang for the buck is tough to generalize. I feel the CZ is as close to an Anschutz as I can get for under $500. That to me makes it a great bang for my buck. A used Marlin Model 60 for the $50 claimed available at pawn shops is an amazing bang for your buck. Group size per dollar spent is going to be hard to beat against a $50 rifle. Today most rimfires from respectable companies are good shooters. As long as you don't buy something abused you are probably going to do alright.
If I were to pick though I would put the Marlin model 60 as the best bang for your buck semi auto. I'm not too familiar with the detachable magazine models from Marlin or Savage to know how they compare to the Ruger 10/22 but honestly the 10/22 is an average rifle, not bad but nothing spectacular. For bolt rifles I think the Savage line has the slight edge for the dollar. I really like the Accutrigger compared to Marlins T900. The Ruger bolt option prices itself out of the market in my opinion. The CZ is nice but it is in a category different than what I see you looking for. In the lever market it is hard to beat the Henry. They tend to shoot well and are priced right. That said the Marlin 39A is an amazing rifle, but much like the CZ is in the bolt action line, I think the 39A is in a different category than you are looking.
CajunBass
Member
Sort of like these?
Just showing off a bit. Personally I've never had a problem with any of them. There may be more accurate rifles out there, but they've always been "good enough" for me for plinking and squirrel hunting and such. Plus I think they have classic good looks that just can't be beat. Trim lines, flush fit magazines, decent checkering (for a $200.00 rifle), light weight. What's not to like.
RockyMtnTactical
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10/22
scythefwd
Member
a set of weights. Turn that 144lsb into a field gun I'd look at the savages.
I'd look at the savages.Daveboone
Member
Remember the Henry and Marlin model 39 are designed along the classic saddle gun design. I love them, but they are born to be open sighted. You can scope them, but it takes away from their carrying and shooting balance., and makes em ugly.
The Marlin model 60 is bomb proof, accurate and inexpensive. The Savage bolt is equally accurate (from my guns), inexpensive, and quicker to reload/ unload. If kids may shoot it, it is a better learning gun for safety reasons. The Ruger is great for carrying, accurate, and has a zillion upgrade potentials, which make it fun. Trigger sucks, though. It is still one of my favorites in its basic form because of its compactness. for 50.00 or so you can get a more full size synthetic stock.
The Marlin model 60 is bomb proof, accurate and inexpensive. The Savage bolt is equally accurate (from my guns), inexpensive, and quicker to reload/ unload. If kids may shoot it, it is a better learning gun for safety reasons. The Ruger is great for carrying, accurate, and has a zillion upgrade potentials, which make it fun. Trigger sucks, though. It is still one of my favorites in its basic form because of its compactness. for 50.00 or so you can get a more full size synthetic stock.
Handgunner
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I thought price AND quality went hand in hand when value was concerned.
scythefwd
Member
handgunner, I don't think that is what hgunhntr is saying. A high priced arm won't be a good value, so the price doesn't reflect the value of a gun. Example - a 900 dollar high point 9mm. On the other hand, a cheap gun may not be a value either. Example - anything jennings. Then there are the exceptions to the rules, where a great gun can be had cheaply. Example - Stevens 200.
Good price and quality must both be there for value, but one or the other isn't a foolproof indicator of value (a 5k ar would be a good gun at a bad price). That is what I think he is saying.
Good price and quality must both be there for value, but one or the other isn't a foolproof indicator of value (a 5k ar would be a good gun at a bad price). That is what I think he is saying.
Handgunner
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Ahhh, gotcha.
Agreed 100%
Agreed 100%
UpTheIrons
Member
Well, the votes are in. Not really, I didn't count 'em! 
I'm going with a Marlin Model 60 this time around. As time passes and cash starts to build, I'll probably add a few others that have been suggested here, but the Marlin wins this round. Pics and a range report will follow after it arrives.
Thanks again for helping me think out loud and for steering the discussion in all the right directions.
I'm going with a Marlin Model 60 this time around. As time passes and cash starts to build, I'll probably add a few others that have been suggested here, but the Marlin wins this round. Pics and a range report will follow after it arrives.
Thanks again for helping me think out loud and for steering the discussion in all the right directions.
Pony Express
Member
delete
devildog32713
Member
WOOOW, hysterical signature, everyone get out your Bibles, and look up that verse, im laughing uncontrollably! and I would look into a Mossberg, Mossbergs for longetivity and value.
Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow
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IMO, it's the CZ 452 "Scout" - add a slip-on recoil pad to turn it into an adult sized rifle. Better rifle than the 512 Trainer for the same price.
But the Marlin semis, Savage semis, Marlin turnbolts, Savage turnbolts, and other CZs are ALL up there closely competing at the top.
But the Marlin semis, Savage semis, Marlin turnbolts, Savage turnbolts, and other CZs are ALL up there closely competing at the top.
UpTheIrons
Member
UPDATED with Range Results
I sarted this thread looking for a .22 rifle that would get busy out of the box and not need any "foolin' with" to get it killing squirrels. I settled on the Marlin Model 60 (with synthetic stock) and have been very happy so far. It balances well, is light, and easy to get shooting.
I'm about 500 rounds in and still haven't had one FTF, FTE or misfeed. Guess I've gotten some pretty decent boxes of ammo so far.
Here are some targets from ammo testing and sighting in. I need a real rest, as these were at 20 yards without an adequate rest. I'll reduplicate this when I get a decent one to see if there is any change (especially tightening of the groups). Needless to say, I was somewhat surprised at the results. The white squares are actually 15/16", while the 'boxes' are advertised as being 1". The red circles are 3/4" in diameter. The black bull on the last picture is also 3/4", and this is what the gun did after I adjusted the scope (Bushnell 3-9x32).
The first three targets are 15 shot strings, the last one is 5. Since you should shoot what your gun likes, it looks like it is Winchester Xpert, unless something else comes along that's better, or the groups improve on a decant rest.
The Federal 550 round High-velocity hollow points are not going intot he rotation any time soon if this is what they continue to do:
The CCI Mini-Mags left a bigger pattern than I expected, too:
The Winchester Xpert high-velocity hollow points were the surprise performers on the day:
After I adjusted to the left, this 5 round string of Winchester Xpert should be able to take down any vicious tree rat that dares to come right at me:
I sarted this thread looking for a .22 rifle that would get busy out of the box and not need any "foolin' with" to get it killing squirrels. I settled on the Marlin Model 60 (with synthetic stock) and have been very happy so far. It balances well, is light, and easy to get shooting.
I'm about 500 rounds in and still haven't had one FTF, FTE or misfeed. Guess I've gotten some pretty decent boxes of ammo so far.
Here are some targets from ammo testing and sighting in. I need a real rest, as these were at 20 yards without an adequate rest. I'll reduplicate this when I get a decent one to see if there is any change (especially tightening of the groups). Needless to say, I was somewhat surprised at the results. The white squares are actually 15/16", while the 'boxes' are advertised as being 1". The red circles are 3/4" in diameter. The black bull on the last picture is also 3/4", and this is what the gun did after I adjusted the scope (Bushnell 3-9x32).
The first three targets are 15 shot strings, the last one is 5. Since you should shoot what your gun likes, it looks like it is Winchester Xpert, unless something else comes along that's better, or the groups improve on a decant rest.
The Federal 550 round High-velocity hollow points are not going intot he rotation any time soon if this is what they continue to do:
The CCI Mini-Mags left a bigger pattern than I expected, too:
The Winchester Xpert high-velocity hollow points were the surprise performers on the day:
After I adjusted to the left, this 5 round string of Winchester Xpert should be able to take down any vicious tree rat that dares to come right at me:
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