Which .22

Ditto a CZ. eg 457 Lux:

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Check out the CZ 457. This is my 457 Trainer. It's beautiful and very accurate.

x3 for the CZ. I really like my 457 American w/ Leupold 4x28 scope. I would take a bolt over a semi, just in terms of accuracy. If you just want a good plinker, buy a nice 10/22 Sporter.

Mac

@Bandit67 thanks for posting better pics of the CZ to highlight the grain; my pic was in poor lighting that didn't show it off very well. The rifle really looks much nicer "in the flesh". And it shoots even better than it looks. The neat thing about the CZ it that is has a rather unique report. I can tell when someone's shooting a CZ at the range just by the sound.

Savage makes some nice looking rifles with laminate stocks.

Starter52 said:

Savage makes some nice looking rifles with laminate stocks.

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I have a hard time calling plywood....wood. Not a fan of laminate, would rather a solid wood if I had the choice.

CZ all the way. They are not horrid in the price area as well.

Nothing wrong with a nice CZ, but I suggest you take a look at the used rimfires on LGS market first. Around here used .22 bolt actions don't move off the shelves very quickly and offer up some real bargains.

CZ

The cz are great but from groups I've seen lately there not shooting as well as I'd expect. The ruger americans are nice to and if you don't need nice wood I think are more for The money over the cz.

I like Dave D's suggestion about the used market. If that won't turn up something suitable I'd suggest CZ, or if that's too much money take a peek at the Ruger American or Savage rimfires.

My friend has a CZ 457 Varmint .22 L.R. and a Lux in .17 HMR. They are absolute tack drivers. It's honestly incredible.

They come with a sheet of paper showing their test groups at the factory. The .17 had a flyer in their test, but subtracting they from the group makes the group very attractive.

The .22 test group is remarkable. It had a .197" 3 shot group with RWS 40 grain ammo. I don't have a photo of it currently, but I'll upload one when I can.

We've used CCI Standard in it because we can't find any RWS, but the CCI are one hole at about 20 or 25 yards.

Would highly recommend the CZ. Beautiful rifles, just wish they still high polish blued them. I'd be all over one if they did.

If you’ll pardon the poor quality pictures, a few more suggestions. A Browning SA-22, gets close to that $1,000 you don’t want to spend ($800 new, less used).

Ruger 10/22 Sporter with walnut stock. Not a bad rifle that everyone ought to own at least one of (IMO).

Henry lever. Pretty enough from 10’ away, offered in blued, “brass”, engraved, octagon barrels, etc. They run the gamut from around $400 up.

CZ. Of course I’m gonna chime in with everyone else and add them to the list. A more refined rifle than most at its price point and still reasonably priced.

None of the above is heirloom quality but all of them are quality rifles that will last. My suggestion, tempered by my own thoughts on handing down firearms, is to chose what you want to shoot. Enjoy that rifle, make it yours, and don’t fret over what will become of it once you’re gone. No doubt in my mind a good number of my firearms will be sold off by my children and if that suits them, I’ll still have no regrets over what I bought.


My copy of the Browning SA-22. Light, svelt, nicely finished (the Brownings, this one not so much).


Sure it’s just a 10/22 but it’s nice to own something you can tinker with that is also dead reliable.


Henry makes for a respectable looking lever (this one is a .357 but serves to stand in for the pic).


CZ!!!

OP-

I also like the idea of older, used 22 rimfires. As you state, you are not hung up on bolt guns,

Suggestions would be for a nice Marlin 39A in rifle length or in carbine length (that is, the Mountie version) or perhaps a Remington 550-1, auto loader.

Both of these models are unquestionably "hand downable".

Just some more ideas...

Bayou52

Man you guys is so High-Brow! I'm always searching the gun shows for old single shot "boys" rifles. I love them things. My other favorite rifle is the Little Badger. I have one in .22LR which is laser-accurate. I'd love to get another in .22mag, but it's second or third on my want list.

Nope, no wood or beauty to them, and probably will never achieve heirloom status but I sure love them.

nick22 said:

I have a few .22 rifles that I enjoy shooting. I have a Marlin model 60 that was my first rifle it is pretty well worn out. A bolt action Marlin that is my current user. I am interested in picking up a rifle that is usable but something that's also got great fit and finish with a pretty wood stock. I am not overly hung up on bolt action vs semi or lever gun. Something that I can hand down to a grandson someday. I don't really want to spend $1,000. What do you guys suggest. My current thought is a CZ.

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I have lots of 22's of all types, from expensive to cheeper, but the one EVERYONE loves to shoot the most is hands down, my Henry lever. IF, you want a decent fun gun it would be my first choice.

Mine has untold thousands of rounds through it, and it feeds EVERYTHING I feed it, from long rifles to shorts to CB's, in any order! And it's accurate enough that I can knock a crow out of a tree every time at 100 yards, with the factory open sights! It's been 100% reliable and even though I treat it as a "beater" on my ATV, it just keeps on keeping on!

IF, you are looking for accuracy, go with a Savage or CZ bolt action, but that grandson will love to shoot the Henry a lot more!

DM

DM~ said:

I have lots of 22's of all types, from expensive to cheeper, but the one EVERYONE loves to shoot the most is hands down, my Henry lever. IF, you want a decent fun gun it would be my first choice.

Mines has untold thousands of rounds through it, and it feeds EVERYTHING I feed it, from long rifles to shorts to CB's, in any order! And it's accurate enough that I can knock a crow out of a tree every time at 100 yards, with the factory open sights! It's been 100% reliable and even though I treat it as a "beater" on my ATV, it just keeps on keeping on!

IF, you are looking for accuracy, go with a Savage or CZ bolt action, but that grandson will love to shoot the Henry a lot more!

DM

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There is just something magical about a lever gun. I feel the same way about the lever 357 I have....it is just magic.

I have quite a few 22 rifles, and really as the OP is asking for something heirloom CZ fits the bill very close without going nutty on the price. They do have that old gun feel.

Of the 22's I shoot most it seems to go in a rotation, and I would bet many of us with over a few think the same way. Before all the rain I was shooting an old winchester pump from the late 40's. Not sure why I thought of it, I just did, sat back at 100 yards and banged the plates. Before that it was the old polish and german single shots that look like a mauser and mosin. It just drifts here and there. But if going down to do something past just 22's it is a 60 that will come with, I just enjoy them.

Hard to go wrong with some type of 10-22.

FL-NC said:

Hard to go wrong with some type of 10-22.

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Not generally thought of when you hear "that's also got great fit and finish with a pretty wood stock" or "Something that I can hand down to a grandson someday."

But when we think back on what we hold special from our childhood it is the stuff that grandpa always used. What he always wore, we link that item with the person as he always used it, so a run of the mill cheapo 10-22 could end up being the special thing.....or his old 60, this was my first....we don't know.

Story time:

My grandfather always wore a Waltham watch, with a speidel bracelet. It is what he always word. Now if he was doing something fancy he had a Rolex and another. Those watches are worth many times what that every day Waltham is, but it is the Waltham that I spend money on fixing, as I just link that watch with him. That is what is special to me.

I won't recommend any particular rifle for you,,,
It's too subjective a thing as your aesthetics will be different from mine.

What I will suggest is that you not just jump out and buy something,,,
Before you've actually held it in your hands to see if it "feels" right to you.

I'm one of those guys who was always on the search for that perfect .22 rifle,,,
Now I have a cabinet full of very nice .22 rifles,,,
Most of which I don't shoot at all.

Be patient and take your time selecting your rifle,,,
You'll be happier (and spend less money) in the long run.

This isn't earth-shaking advice,,,
But it is good advice.

Aarond

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If you want to stay well under $1000, and you want something with pretty nice wood, blued steel, good craftsmanship, and that you and your heirs are likely to appreciate more and more the more you use it, I suggest you consider a CZ 452. All CZ rifles are nice and functional, but I prefer the 452/453. 527, and 550 lines. Those, and their BRNO predecessors.

If you want open sights, the Trainer (beech stock) or Lux (walnut stock) can be found in the $500-$700 range, and are really great guns with such a good feel in hand. The action on these CZs is nice and just fun to operate. Here's a Trainer with its Beech stock:


If you will be shooting mostly with a scope, the American is a good all-around choice. If you really want to see the nice wood grain in a CZ Walnut stock, you can remove the factory finish and refinish it with some clearer finish like lacquer or Tru-Oil, such as the American in the bottom of the photo below. Prior to refinishing, it looked very similar to the top gun in the photo. That's how much the factory finish can hide the nice grain in the Turkish Walnut stocks.


Here's the bottom gun before I refinished the wood. Regardless of preferences, one can see why people refer to the factory finish as "mud" due to how it obscures the grain feature. The above guns were made 6 - 10 years ago, but it's surprising to me that the current 457 line is still coming through with nice walnut stocks in this day and time.

I6turbo said:

Here's a Trainer:

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Now that is a beautiful .22!

If you want accuracy, and reasonable price, a CZ is a great option. I shot a few groups at 100 yards from a bench the other day with the CZ-455 Standard I picked up a few years ago for $300 and added an older Nikon Buckmasters 4.5-14X scope:

It even came with the CZ soft case!

I have a CZ 453 Varminter. Has a single set trigger which I would most highly recommend. With Wolf Match on a good day it will usually hold +/- .5 @ 50 yards. This is with a bench and excellent rests. They’ve discontinued the 453 but there are models that do have the set trigger currently available

If you do get a nice CZ, I’d suggest you don’t cheat yourself on the scope. I put a Leupold VX-3 4-14x40 on mine.