The “Perfect” .22 Rifle

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Wouldn't say "perfect" but it's my favorite;

I think this is the second run for Remington? Found this 541S next to an equally mint fat barreled T model on a "used" rack a waaay long time ago. Having been down the, "must be fat brrl road for too long".... road,I didn't even pick the heavier one up. Snagged this sporter for a little more than what a used Marlin 60 goes for?

It was love at first sight. Then fell up on the perfect little scope for it. Was at a well attended gun store whilst visiting in laws just S of D.C. Clark Bros in Warrenton Va. Perusing their used scope display case,hiding in the corner,behind/under all these giant scopes that were coming into vogue.....

Was this small,cute as a button Burris 4X,1" with 32? mm objective. Standing there yackin with the nice salesman,asked if I could bring the 541 in and see what it looked like. He was very nice and basically gave me the scope for free when paying retail for the Redfield base and rings that mated it to the gun. He said I was the 1st person who ever looked at it? German post reticle.

Had that scope on there and was just a peachy rig for 15 or so years. My #2 son surprised me with a NOS,Redfield 5star straight 6X, a few years ago. It too is/was a scope that no one was interested in and he got it for what Chinese doodoo scopes go for these days. Very crummy pic,will get it out and snap some "glamor" shots in the field. This was when first mounting the Redfield.

Would be called a liar telling of groups it'll produce. Completely unmolested,has factory adj trigger that's never been touched.... factory bedding(there ain't none),and appeared to be never shot when I got it. Very plain,straight grained walnut stock. Absolute death ray on small game.

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I have a "new" Remington 504 that I happened to see at a Discount Salvage store in Maine. The other guys in line were clamering to get their hands on centerfire Remingtons, etc. but I spied this brand-new Rem 504 .22LR and grabbed it and never let it go until paying and putting it in my trunk.
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I think my Anschutz 1416 sporter I picked up last year might be close.
 
I've had really good luck with Ruger 10/22's. I've had quite a few but I only keep the one stainless now and I've had it since Hurricane Irene 2011 and it's been shot alot and still keeps me happy. I notice kids have trouble sighting the fixed 4x Sears 15mm scope but I can't bring myself to take it off yet. I've had it configured that way for ages and I can hit anything with it down to a bottle cap out to 50 yards and I can't ask for better than that from it.

Seems like back in the day when I first started collecting guns it seems like somebody had a 10/22 for sale every other week and picked up a few for cheap over the years but sold/traded em off towards other things, I figured those days would last but I guess I'm gonna have to make it a point to go hunt down another 10/22 because I'd like 2 or 3. One of em will hopefully be one of the International Mannlicher styles.....
 
I have a "new" Remington 504 that I happened to see at a Discount Salvage store in Maine. The other guys in line were clamering to get their hands on centerfire Remingtons, etc. but I spied this brand-new Rem 504 .22LR and grabbed it and never let it go until paying and putting it in my trunk. As close to perfect as it was, I still pillar-bedded the action and free-floated the barrel. I don't remember if I worked on the trigger, but it's really good, for a sporter.

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I'm assuming we're talking about just 22LRs here, not 22 WMRs or 223s, etc.

I have a few dandies. Like others, it's hard to pick a winner, but I don't want to be that annoying guy who posts several in response to "which one"?

Here are the dandies:
  • Ruger 77/22 - My most accurate one. It shoots tighter at 100 yards than my Remington 788 in 6 mm Rem...
  • Marlin 39M - (M = Mountie) It has the straight stock, carbine-length barrel. It's the old school equivalent to your little Henry. My brother bought this years ago, but he's got mental issues now, so I'm keeping it for him. I don't recall for sure, but I think it's between the 60 and 77/22 for accuracy. Time to bring 'er to the range again!
  • Marlin 60 - It's nowhere near as accurate as the 77/22, but for plinking out to 50 yards it's great. I'll have to shoot a group at 100 just to see, but I'm expecting about 5". This was my uncle's, from when he used to own a horse farm. He put down a horse or two with it. He got it from his farmer neighbor, who used to shoot stray dogs on his property. It's maybe not A Great Gun, but I just love how slim & trim it is. It is what a 10/22 is when it grows up.
  • Stevens? single shot 22, which was my grandpa's 12th birthday present in 1929. The stock is cut down and it has a peep sight. Great little gun. I bet it has take hundreds of squirrels, rabbits, crows and grackles in the central IL farmland.
My favorite: It is close and I hate to say it, but I think I'd have to pick the Marlin 39M. It is almost as accurate as the 77/22, better balanced, lighter, breaks in half with a thumb screw, and let's just face it: lever actions are more fun.

Tangent to the OP: If you haven't thought of it yet, you might try a silenced .22 air rifle for squirrel busting and plinking. Keep it subsonic and they are dead quiet. Ammo is cheaper too, and not regulated or taxed extra. You could go pre-charged pneumatic for the ultimate in power and accuracy, or spring piston if you don't want any support equipment. I just blitzed a squirrel in my back yard before heading to work this morning. Head shot at 25 yards, standing, braced on the door stile. (That was a .177 though, which are more backyard-friendly; they don't blow through the fence after going through the squirrel)
 
The Queen of any .22 RF collection is the rarely seen Steyr Mannlicher. Imported from Austria by Stoegers back in the 1950's they were at the top of my boyhood wish list, but at a then price tag even higher than Winchester's -70, all I could do was dream about someday owning one. DSC_0281 (2).JPG DSC_0287 (2).JPG DSC_0299.JPG DSC_0292 (2).JPG DSC_0321.JPG
 
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I cut my shooting teeth on my dad's Remington Model 12. I now have a pretty good supply of 22 rifles in the safe but as far as I am concerned nothing beats the model 12 for a carry around 22. It is too bad that it isn't still made. Young people are being deprived of a great little rifle.
I know that this is an old thread (hope you ain't dead ;)) anyway you are/were spot on on the model 12 Remington, a hundred old ergonomic rifle, they didn't know the word ergonomics but they knew what it was. Mine has an octagon barrel, drives tacks, and is a pleasure to carry, like my model 61 Winchester dad bought me at a hardware store when I was 12.
 
I know that this is an old thread (hope you ain't dead ;)) anyway you are/were spot on on the model 12 Remington, a hundred old ergonomic rifle, they didn't know the word ergonomics but they knew what it was. Mine has an octagon barrel, drives tacks, and is a pleasure to carry, like my model 61 Winchester dad bought me at a hardware store when I was 12.

I'm still alive and kickin', as long as it isn't too high. I am scheduled for a range trip later today to help the #1 grandson sight in his 30-06 for the upcoming deer season at his request. My contribution will be spotting for him when he moves out to the 100 yard target and maybe, the 200. It depends on how windy it gets. That and supplying the bench rest setup and spotting scope. Later we will take his and his sister's kids fishing, again depending on the wind conditions.
 
I've always wanted a Marlin 39A with the old Ballard rifling. Hard to find and when found too pricy for me , HO HUM
 
The Queen of any .22 RF collection is the rarely seen Steyr Mannlicher. Imported from Austria by Stoegers back in the 1950's they were at the top of my boyhood wish list, but at a then price tag even higher than Winchester's -70, all I could do was dream about someday owning one.View attachment 1110944 View attachment 1110945 View attachment 1110946 View attachment 1110947 View attachment 1110948
What a sweet rifle. I got to shoot a new one last summer. It was a piece of art and very accurate. The bolt was extremely stiff and difficult to operate otherwise i would buy one.
 
We have a 1979 Model 60. it was a cheap gun show find.
I want a bolt action tube fed rifle with a 20 inch barrel.
Till then the Model 60 with do.

Shot a Henry 22 lever, almost persuaded me to give up looking for a bolt gun.
 
I don't think I could call any gun the "perfect" .22 because it would depend so much upon the purpose at hand. If it has to be a single gun, I'd have to call it the "acceptable compromise" .22. :)
Even then, I'm not sure what I'd pick. I'm pretty certain it'd be a bolt action, and if it's coming from the group that I own I'd be tempted to go with my specific Winchester 52B with the Thomas trigger. The gun is pretty heavy for applications that involve a lot of walking and carrying, but it's a very high quality gun that I admire, a joy to handle, operate, and shoot, and super accurate. But I'm sure there would be times that I'd rather be carrying a light sporter like a CZ 452 Lux, American, or FS.
 
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That's why some .22's have come and gone from my stable.
Many have from my stable, but I didn't used to be able to correct deficiencies as well as I can these days. If a rifle doesn't shoot better than I can, it usually doesn't stay here.
 
That's why some .22's have come and gone from my stable.

My first new rifle was a Stevens Semi-Auto. It killed about anything it saw when I shot, until one day, when I fired it at a target and it couldn't keep all the shots within a couple of inches at 20 yards or so...not even 6 inches! It was traded that day on a better rifle. It's amazing, mostly when young, that we don't try to see how accurately a rifle actually shoots.

For many years now, I've been an accuracy "NUT". The Rimfire Benchrest game makes one VERY particular about rifles and ammo. The result is that I work to improve every rifle I own, so they exceed my ability and make me a happy shooter.

My S.I.L. used one of my centerfire rifles to hunt deer this week. He shot a nice buck at about 70 yards, offhand and commented that he was surprised when he saw the bullet strike exactly where he had aimed with the scope. The bullet was probably a little high at that distance, but it was too close to call. There aren't "target circles" on deer, you know.
 
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