Most Iconic 22LR Rifles?

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johnmcl said:
Marlin 39A, hands down. I so hope Ruger, as the Marlin owner, puts that grand gun back into production.
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Had one and it was a great shooter. I got lots of red squirrels at the camp our first summer of wedded bliss...and before, when I was in college, it was used to dissuade an old drunk to go away from my girlfriend's home one Saturday night. No one was hurt!
 
chicharrones said:
My favorite .22 LR rifles are my Marlin 39AS and CZ452 Trainer.

I believe that CZ rimfire rifles are on the brink of reaching Icon status in North America.

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I really think my CZ455 is one of the finest .22LRs I've owned.

I've had some of the highly-touted .22LRs, some much more expensive and nicer, but the 455 holds a warm place in my heart. It is now a .17HMR.

My first Marlin 39A, with a receiver sight, was a peach and was used for red squirrel disposition. My second one was a piece of crap, despite being a "Deluxe" model. A Winchester 52 target rifle was a pretty good rifle for beginning Rimfire Benchrest competition, but was out-classed by the newer bench rifles. Still, I loved the action.
 
I had back and neck surgery a couple years back, while I was recovering, I would walk the woods at our deer lease, and carry a rimfire, something. I can’t shoot hard recoiling guns more than three or four rounds at a time now. So as a result, I shoot a lot of rimfires now. The first firearm I ever owned, as my own, was given to me by my Grandfather, when I was 10 years old. It was a Winchester model 61. I still own it and it is priceless to me. I have accumulated quite a few rimfires over the years. A Win model 52, 75 and a model 63. A CZ 455 American, a Steyer Zephyr ii, a Weatherby mkii in .17hmr, a Browning T-bolt, SA22, Bar .22 and a BLR .22. Along with quite a few handguns in ever flavor. The one .22 I lusted after back in the 80’s, was a Kimber model 82. There was no way I could afford one, back then. I was reading all the things being written about them, at the time. I handled a few in gun shops, at the time. The regular production Model 82’s were beautiful to me. They were decked out just right, not too fancy, the wood was just on the plain side but with the right amount of grain and finish to make you realize, it was not a truck gun .22. The Super Americans were beautiful but too much in my eyes. A year or so ago, I found a very nice used one. I am very proud to finally own a model 82. It was just as I thought it would be. I know there are older rimfires. The old Winchesters and such, set the standard. You can see the influence the Winchester model 52 had on the Kimber model 82. To me, after studying the model 82 and the model 52 side by side, I can see it was kinda like a model 52 sporter. It is very similar. I think the Kimber of Organ has been mentioned one time in this thread. I have to wonder why they are not held in high regard, like the older rimfires are? I think they are one of the best looking rimfires ever. They came out at a time when real adult quality rimfires were not being made. They deserve more attention than, they get. There are some better but there are a lot more worse.
 
For filling the term "iconic" I would go with the list below, obviously there are others in each category, but in my mind this is where that term fits.

Levers: Win 9422, Marlin 39a
Pumps: Win 1890, Win '06, Win 62, Rem Speedmaster 552
Bolts: Win 52, Rem 40x, Rem 541, CZ 452, Kimber 84m/Gov, Anschutz
Semi: Win 1903/63, Ruger 10/22, Marlin 60, Remington Nylon 66, Browning SA22, Armalite AR7 Explorer
Breech/Single: Springfield M6 Scout

Probably the two that needs further support is one CZ452, it is iconic in my mind because it was thrust into American's minds by the affordability of such great accuracy their models provided. In the future it is without a doubt going to be an "iconic" 22.

The other being the Springfield M6 Scout, originally designed as 22 Hornet but the 22lr versions have such a cult following that I would call it "iconic" as far as survival 22's go the Armalite AR7 Explorer would fit into the iconic survival category as well.
 
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I have owned my 10-22 over 30 years. It is a great 22, and if I was only going to own 1, this would be the 1. I also have a nylon 66. When I was a kid, my uncle loaned me his 66 and an old sock full of ammo, and told me to do to the trash pit and have some fun. Several years ago, I ran across my 66 at a great price, so I jumped on it. I rarely fire it, but its cool owning it.
 
Armednfree,

and if you did not use HV shorts it was fairly quiet! Mine had finger grooves. That adult sized stock was hard on a seven year old! It took both hands to cock it with the butt against a knee. I am told it looked like a lot of gun next to my second grade body.

-kBob
 
FL-NC,

Nylon 66 were the hot thing in the 1960's in the "Fl panhandle". One of my best buds had one and I wanted one like you would not believe....I mean I would have eaten one of my aunt's pear/pineapple/ grated cheese on a lettuce leaf "salads" everyday for a week and smiled and lied to her about how much I liked it kind of want.

SO naturally my Dad got me something completely different. He also got a Nylon 66 for himself, the same Christmas... I actually HOPED they would send me off to a military school after that. I had two and a half Nylons over the years (one was Brazilian) and now with Dad's passing have the one he ticked me off so badly with.

I was so jealous that my Buddy could miss so much faster and more often than me and my old bolt action and once I got my own Simby automatical Gill Gun (Click CLACK) I found out I could miss pretty fast and often myself unless I remembered all that old bolt gun had taught me and do it with short, longs and Long rifles instead of just LR ONLY. Dad actually did good by me and I eventually figured it out. I actually used the Savage as a bolt gun most of the time rather than letting it cycle semi auto, unless there was an audience.

Still I think a Nylon 66 is pretty Iconic for those of us that came into the world of .22s in the late 50's through 60's. I just wish they had been as accurate as we all thought they were!

-kBob
 
Milkmaster said:
Couple of Winchester 74's

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I wish mine was that nice. My was run over as someone dropped it while riding on the binder an old fashioned one with steel wheels back in the 1950's. It was worn out and broken when my dad was going to trade it for a new Nylon 66. I gave him trade-in value for it. I had a gunsmith work on it but he could not figure it out. Over the years I'd tinker with until I finally figured out it needed the rocker spring replaced. Now it is very accurate. The stock was handcarved maybe before I was born and glued together after it was run over. Maybe I will replace the stock but no one has one. I will probably bed it as hasn't been snug since I was a kid. It's been in my family before I was.
 
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I have a few that I think qualify. Lots of folks hate on them but it's tough to argue against the 10/22. Plain few other rifles have as many faces to wear as the ubiquitous 10/22. Got my first almost 30yrs ago. Now I have nine of them, they are among my favorites. Not to be shown are my camera shy 94/22's.

10ex22%20French%20Walnut%20Sporter%2001.jpg

I've had the Remington 541T nearly as long. Newly remodeled with a new Leupold 3.5-10x and fancy walnut. This rifle's head count is high.

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Lastly the Winchester 63. Lusted after these for years before getting one.

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I may have missed it but the marlin/glenfield 20/25's bolt guns were good guns-
I think the Weatherby mark XXII semi's were iconic in their time- I like the one I have but don't shoot it as much as my others though I should

I did get a deal on a a couple norinco SA-22 copies and they have shown me that eventually I need to find a real browning sa-22
 
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