what old .22 bolt action rifles are worth looking for?

I saw an old remington 512 for $125 locally. Still want to pick that up. They had a few others as well. For $400 you should be able to find a really really nice used rifle .

42b would be high on my list. There is one locally sitting and begging for me to rescue it, but I can’t pay what they want right now. If it’s still there in a few months I might start lowballing them to see what response I can get.

42? Is that mossberg?

Well, I suppose a Winchester 52 is out of your price range (mine too) but there are some interesting old classics that can be found for well under $400. The previously mentioned Remington 512 is a fine little rifle. The earlier model 34 is also a good gun. Savage made the 23AA. It has a dual locking lug setup, with an opposing lug to the root of the bolt handle. It was strong enough to handle the 25-20, 32-20 and 22 hornet. I have one in 25-20 and one in 22 Hornet, along with my 22. They all shoot fine. The savage rifles in this series are unique because the barrel and receiver are one piece.

I tend to collect a lot of "anything but Winchester" because Remington's and others just don't get the respect from collectors like the Winchesters do. Hence, they are cheaper. And they are every bit as good, at least functionally.

For $400 you’re not too far off from a new CZ. They tend to be ultra accurate

if you can do 400 i would save up some more and get a Winchester 52. if you find a action i got a barrel for one.

Most of the old 500 series Remingtons are good shooters and can be found for decent prices.

I had a Remington 513 that was stolen that was extremely accurate. I bought a Kimber Model 82 when they first came out that I still have and is my personal favorite rifle.

The older high quality and highly accurate bolt action .22 rifles are expensive and I think justifiably so. It's no different today.

Just swept Gunbroker and here's what I saw on a very fast look...
Savage Mark II with scope and decent looking wood stock for $250 (buy it now) - Savages running from under $100 (current price) to approaching $300.
Marlin 81 DL (no scope) currently under $100 (would need a scope and probably some smith work to mount it).
Several Marlin 25 running anywhere from $250 (nicer looking with scope) to (with under an hour left) $52.
Some Mossbergs for under $100 to over $300.
New CZ's (nice rifles) in the upper 300-to upper 400 range.

Looks like a target-rich environment under $200 for a decent little 22 bolt.

Any of the old Mossberg turn bolts are good guns. They also made many of the store brand guns like Western Field and J.C. Higgins, etc.....as did Savage and Marlin amongst others.

Winchester's are nice, up until the late '70s when they went to hell- but even the crappy ones command silly prices.

Personally, I like the Mossberg full length military trainers like the 46M, and the Marlin 80/81 types.

If I were to buy new these days in your price range without question I would choose CZ.

a cz trainer .22 us under 400 and I would go that route... the ruger n savages run under 400 new... If you have time almost any of the classics used are nice guns... and a "hunt " for them can be fun

If it were me I'd have nothing but a CZ. New or used I dont think it matters. I doubt you could find much better at any price.

Frogfurr is right about the Remington 513 T Matchmaster. they are a fantastic bolt action as well as the
Remington 513 S-A Matchmaster. Both are bolt action & with 27" barrels!! I own both models & nothing
I have ever owned can match their precision & accuracy.
Didn't say if you are going to use the 22lr for plinking or hunting.

Remington 510/511/512/513 series
Mossberg 42/44 series
Winchester 52 series
Anschutz 1413/1416 series.

The Winchester 52 is the best that I have shoot .

entropy said:

Remington 510/511/512/513 series
Mossberg 42/44 series
Winchester 52 series
Anschutz 1413/1416 series.

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Gotta say, I'm not a fan of the Remington 512. My dad has one and it doesn't like truncated-cone or HP bullets at all, they tend to nose over the top of the elevator and jam the gun up solid. Granted, it wasn't designed for anything but round lead- still, not my favorite.

The CZs sure are nice, and of course there is the 52 Winchester, but, if money is no object, let's not forget the US Rifle, M1922-



The various German KKW rifles can be found for under $400 usually too:


If you are willing to search a bit, there are always the .22 Enfield trainers:

I used the US Army marked 513T extensively in High school and college and if you can find one for under $500 and it is in good shape, one would be great. Closest I have come to having one is having a the butt half of a broken stock for one I got to play with for cutting, cleaning, and refinishing walnut without buggering up something useful.

I will say my scores on 50 foot indoor (though in High School we shot it outdoors at my school) went up a few points, even on a quarter course ( 30 rounds) with the Winchester 52D and another point or two with the Anshutz 54. Granted this may have had something to do with stock and butt stock options and improved sights, but I thought it important to mention. I know this is hair splitting but the ten ring in that game is about the size of a 12 point font period so a little bit meant a lot.

-kBob

I'm a fan of the Remington 510 series and have a couple; they are excellent shooters. My buddy also has a few Winchester 67a's, while they are only a single shot they seem like they might be a tad more accurate than the Remingtons.

I've been shooting a Remington 512 for 50 years. The first, and only bolt action 22 that I have owned.

I would also say CZ, I posted this in another thread:

CZ 455 American 22LR 20.6 Inch Blued Barrel Wood Stock 5 Round
806703021102 1 $349.99 USD

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That was from Impact Guns in Utah.

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The blued and wood was because that was what I wanted, I was not trying to go cheap. For that matter, I think the plastic stocks are a bit cheaper. So your budget will get you a new CZ and a cheap scope, you can then upgrade the scope later.

Kookla said:

Have been slowly saving my pennies towards getting a .22 rifle. Thinking of going used and was looking for advice on some good ones to look for. For the most part, this would be for range use. Hoping to hear about the ones that can be found on the used racks for under $400 or so.

Thank you.

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All good suggestions, BUT what do you want to do with the rifle? Most of us shoot at "the range" But what are your expectations? Do you wnat to informaly plink? Small game hunting? Somewhat serious target shooting or serious competition? You don't want a heavy barreled target gun for hunting or a light sporter for serious work. You can get 2 of the plinking/small game hunting guns if you shop carefully with 400. You probably will need a bit more for a serious target gun. What do you want?

As mentioned before the various Remington 500 series rifles are good. Some of my favorites in this group are the 513S, 511, 541 and 581. Really though, if you have $400 dollars to spend on a rifle you can't go wrong with a CZ...

My favorite is the Winchester 57 a friend gave me 25 years ago. It has a 4 digit serial number and was made in 1934. Still shoots lights-out.