Most Iconic 22LR Rifles?

Status
Not open for further replies.
My grandson's 10th birthday is coming up and I wanted to buy him his first gun. My first rifle was a browning SA-22 that my dad gave me and I considered passing it down, but just couldn't part with it (+ it's Belgian). So last week I bought a new one to give to him on his birthday.
Some recommend against a semi-auto for a first gun, but I survived and he will too.
 
My grandson's 10th birthday is coming up and I wanted to buy him his first gun. My first rifle was a browning SA-22 that my dad gave me and I considered passing it down, but just couldn't part with it (+ it's Belgian). So last week I bought a new one to give to him on his birthday.
Some recommend against a semi-auto for a first gun, but I survived and he will too.

Give him the long sleeve shirt talk before he shoots it.
 
What does iconic mean? If something or someone is considered iconic, they're very influential, recognizable, and revered.

Lot of .22's that fall in to that category, Ruger 10/22, Marlin 60 & 39, and others. My pick would be the Winchester model 52.....early on it achieved engineering perfection to where all other bolt action .22's were compared. Many other great bolt actions but the 52 set the standard that had to be met or exceeded to be considered in the same class and quality.


52C.jpg

51MFP42GZ6L._SX381_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
 
Last edited:
Here are a cpl of mine. Upper is a M61 Winchester in .22 lr, & with the old Redfield .22 lr scope on it. A great rifle for loafing around the pastures west of our farm here in KY.

The lower is a M62 Winchester with a Marbles (I think!) windage adjustable tang peep mounted. I also changed out the front sight for a Marbles white ivory bead. This is a great squirrel hunting rig that's seen considerable time afield over the years.

Both were acquired in the late 70's early 80's when I began to search out the dreams of my youth. And both will go to grand-daughters when I'm gone. YMMv, Rod

IMG-E9332.jpg
 
My Winchester 94-22 XTR is my favorite "Classic" 22. The Marlin Mounties would be in 2nd place. I never cared for the standard long barreled Marlin 39. But I put a lot more rounds through one of the 3 Ruger 10-22's I own. FWIW I've never cared for the common 10-22 Carbine. But Ruger has made well over 100 different variants of the 10-22 over the years and several of those can be quite nice. As well as some with aftermarket stocks, barrels and some trigger work.

And it isn't iconic nor classic, at least not yet. But my Tikka T1x is by far the most accurate.

levers 003.JPG
 
There are so many that we grew up with. I had a Remington 514 single shot that never missed. I graduated to a nylon 66 and it became my truck gun for a long time. My Dad told me the barrel was worn out so I sold it and got another. Turns out the barrel was not worn out. I tried scoping one, but that was a failure as they don't shoot to the same poa because the barrel and receiver are not rigid and small variances in pressure on the forearm will change the poi.
 
And a few more: Upper is a Kimber M82 Gov't from the CMP back when they had them. Accurate, heavy, a fair position rifle if you can handle the weight offhand without a hook butt plate.

The 2nd one down is a H&R M12 gov't, again from the CMP but fitted up with a 20x Lyman Supertarget scope. Very heavy, but capable of aspirin sized groups at 50+ yds. I've spent many a happy am, picking off starlings that infest our tree lines, while sipping on a morning's coffee, here on the farm.

The 3rd is a Remington M541x Target with spare magazine. Good gun, easier to move about with less weight, but still no use in the fields. It's as accurate as the Kimber, with selected ammunition that the gun likes. Best Regards, Rod

IMG-E9333.jpg
 
Here are a cpl of mine. Upper is a M61 Winchester in .22 lr, & with the old Redfield .22 lr scope on it. A great rifle for loafing around the pastures west of our farm here in KY.

The lower is a M62 Winchester with a Marbles (I think!) windage adjustable tang peep mounted. I also changed out the front sight for a Marbles white ivory bead. This is a great squirrel hunting rig that's seen considerable time afield over the years.

Both were acquired in the late 70's early 80's when I began to search out the dreams of my youth. And both will go to grand-daughters when I'm gone. YMMv, Rod

View attachment 976014
Along with these, I think the Remington Model 12 might be included. Nice looking 22 rifles!
 
What, no love for the Nylon 66? Truly an everyman's rifle if there ever was one. Sleek, futuristic lines, virtually indestructible, and light as a feather compared to some of its contemporaries of the time.
Good call on the Nylon.
Id add the 1903 Winchester and all its many derivitives-
20190609_193432.jpg
 
And a cpl to round out the post. The upper is a Springfield M1922-M2 in .22 lr, fitted with a Lyman #48 receiver peep. This rifle is a joy to shoot both offhand and from position. The sights are excellent and it is and always was a superb understudy for the 1903 Springfield. I've spent some time afield with this one, taking any and all shots out to 200 yds with it on a variety of targets. Thistle tops at 25 yds, clay birds on the 100 yd berm, and even railroad tie plates (~8x15") at 200 yds. It's fun at that range to hear, after a considerable delay, that satisfying 'plink' when the little pill strikes home. Windage is fun...estimating the drift, and the .22 lr is almost the same trajectory as a .45-70 at that range! Check out the "logwood" stain used by Springfield on issue rifles before the war...beautiful doesn't begin to describe the stock & machine work.

The 2nd is a genuine M1903 National Match rifle from 1931. This one sports O'hare sight covers on its issue sights and is complete in every respect. Again the wood / machine work is superb. With it, and with Gary Anderson's kind approval for a non-scoring target, I was able to shoot it in the '06 Camp Perry Springfield Match. Dropping two rounds in rapid, sitting, I was still able to score a silver medal. The day prior, while zeroing at 600, I managed a 92 in prone. These old rifles, sitting in museums now for the most part, deserve an occasional outing on a good range. This one gets shot yearly with the old match load: 172 gr FMJBT Frankfort Arsenal bullet over 47 grains of 4064 in LC-78 brass. It'll do an inch and a quarter at 100 if I'm having a good eyes day.

Best Regards, Rod

IMG-E9334.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG-E9333.jpg
    IMG-E9333.jpg
    166.4 KB · Views: 9
And a cpl to round out the post. The upper is a Springfield M1922-M2 in .22 lr, fitted with a Lyman #48 receiver peep. This rifle is a joy to shoot both offhand and from position. The sights are excellent and it is and always was a superb understudy for the 1903 Springfield. I've spent some time afield with this one, taking any and all shots out to 200 yds with it on a variety of targets. Thistle tops at 25 yds, clay birds on the 100 yd berm, and even railroad tie plates (~8x15") at 200 yds. It's fun at that range to hear, after a considerable delay, that satisfying 'plink' when the little pill strikes home. Windage is fun...estimating the drift, and the .22 lr is almost the same trajectory as a .45-70 at that range! Check out the "logwood" stain used by Springfield on issue rifles before the war...beautiful doesn't begin to describe the stock & machine work.

The 2nd is a genuine M1903 National Match rifle from 1931. This one sports O'hare sight covers on its issue sights and is complete in every respect. Again the wood / machine work is superb. With it, and with Gary Anderson's kind approval for a non-scoring target, I was able to shoot it in the '06 Camp Perry Springfield Match. Dropping two rounds in rapid, sitting, I was still able to score a silver medal. The day prior, while zeroing at 600, I managed a 92 in prone. These old rifles, sitting in museums now for the most part, deserve an occasional outing on a good range. This one gets shot yearly with the old match load: 172 gr FMJBT Frankfort Arsenal bullet over 47 grains of 4064 in LC-78 brass. It'll do an inch and a quarter at 100 if I'm having a good eyes day.

Best Regards, Rod

View attachment 976045
Gorgeous! Does the magazine on your 1922 actually accept 5 rounds? I have to compress the follower more than I really like to to get all 5 in there, so I limit mine to 4 at a time and hand load the chamber. Ive also noticed it seems to have a very tight chamber (which of course is good for accuracy)- Winchester Super-X wont go in at all, Federal and CCI are tight, but chamber and extract smoothly.
 
Winchester 60. Seems every kid in the neighborhood had one. Could yo imagine what would happen today if 8 or 10 kids, on their bikes, were seen riding down the street. Common after school site when I grew up.

There was a Japanese farmer that had land just a couple of miles away. We were welcomed because we kept the critters in check.
 
Id say
winchester. 62
Marlin 39
And the 10/22.

Given pure numbers you would almost have to consider the marlin/Glenfield/westernfield etc etc model 60 and variants

There are many popular 22s. From the cricket to the Browning lever and SA, winchester 94, remington rolling blocks etc.
 
I believe that CZ rimfire rifles are on the brink of reaching Iconic status in North America.

I have a couple 452 American In 22lr and 17HMR purchased around early 00s. The 17 is the most accurate rimfire i own out of 30 or so. Excellent rifles. But when anyone around here sees them they are clueless as to who CZ is. The few who have heard of them are shocked that they make rifles. Lol. I would hold off on them being iconic rifles for a while at least to us "hicks"
 
I have a couple 452 American In 22lr and 17HMR purchased around early 00s. The 17 is the most accurate rimfire i own out of 30 or so. Excellent rifles. But when anyone around here sees them they are clueless as to who CZ is. The few who have heard of them are shocked that they make rifles. Lol. I would hold off on them being iconic rifles for a while at least to us "hicks"

Yep, that's why I wrote "on the brink". A generation from now, I think CZs will be much more widely known here.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top