Suggs For Rifle in .22 WMR
- Thread starter schlitz45
- Start date
C.R.
Member
I snagged a Henry H0001 in .22Magnum it is a good companion for my .22Magnum revolver it is a fun gun to shoot not too much more than your 400 dollar limit .My buddy has a Savage with the accutrigger and he loves that rifle . depends on weather you prefer a lever or bolt action
chicharrones
needs more ammo
A Zastava MP22 (aka Remington 5, Charles Daly, etc.).
If I started over, I'd probably be interested in a Ruger American Rimfire for the budget you've looking at. Around my part of the world, those Rugers with poly stocks go for $340 to $410.
I simply like .22 WMR in bolt guns better than any other action type.
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Armored farmer
Member
I would lean towards a bolt gun like the Savage or Ruger American and pair it with a 4x or 3-9x scope.
Also don't overlook a .17HMR for that purpose. All my friends say that it is a flat shooting little laser beam.
Also don't overlook a .17HMR for that purpose. All my friends say that it is a flat shooting little laser beam.
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
Ruger, Marlin and Savage all make good bolt guns that are an easy button to me.
My Marlin 25M is pushing 40 YO now and has been an excellent gun. More recent I wanted a suppressor ready Mag and got a Ruger American Rimfire Predator and love it.
I've also got a Henry lever 22 Mag it's great if you want a lever.
Here's my Ruger setup
My Marlin 25M is pushing 40 YO now and has been an excellent gun. More recent I wanted a suppressor ready Mag and got a Ruger American Rimfire Predator and love it.
I've also got a Henry lever 22 Mag it's great if you want a lever.
Here's my Ruger setup
Armored farmer
Member
Here's a couple examples of bolt 22mag
Ruger American Farmer edition.
Marlin 835?
Ruger American Farmer edition.
Marlin 835?
MacAR
Member
If you want cheap, you can find a Rossi bolt gun in 22 WMR for around $225, and then add another $50-$75 for a scope and some ammo. My little brother bought one a couple weeks ago, brought it to me to sight in. It shot surprisingly well for what it was, but the scope bases kept wanting to come loose and the magazine wouldn't feed the first round right. A little loc-tite fixed the bases, and some judicious bending got the magazine feeding correctly.
My personal magnum is a Marlin 882 stainless; I "stole" it from Dad a couple years ago. It shoots very well, functions great, and can be found on the used market for a reasonable price. I prefer the old JM Marlins to most of the newer rim-fire stuff, with the possible exception of a CZ 457 American. However, a CZ will run you about $550 so well over budget.
Mac
My personal magnum is a Marlin 882 stainless; I "stole" it from Dad a couple years ago. It shoots very well, functions great, and can be found on the used market for a reasonable price. I prefer the old JM Marlins to most of the newer rim-fire stuff, with the possible exception of a CZ 457 American. However, a CZ will run you about $550 so well over budget.
Mac
Y'all are a bunch of enablers. Now I want a .22WMR rifle . . . .
MacAR
Member
Everybody needs one! And to be honest, they're pretty handy around the farm for pest control and just general plinking.
Mac
Riomouse911
Member
I have a Henry Classic Lever and a Ruger American Rimfire in .22 WMR. There are pros and cons to each.
The Henry is a pretty, smooth handling rifle. They lever is slick to operate and it is a handy size, scope mounting will be easy with the grooved receiver if you want to. Fit and finish are very nice and the stock is checkered. Accuracy is good, but adding a peep or scope will extend your useful range (especially on small critters.)
The Henry doesn’t have all steel parts, as the barrel bands are polymer and the receiver has a shell made of some sort of metal that is finished black to match the steel barrel. The receiver finish can chip and show dings fairly easily, if this will be a truck gun it may show wear from use fairly fast. These covers can be replaced if it gets chipped up and you want to make it look newer again.
They offer other .22 WMR models. Some are pretty fancy, with larger lever loops, octagon barrels, silver or brass receivers and really nice wood. Others like the Small Game Rifle or carbine come with a peep installed and are pretty dang nice game-getters.
Henry also offers a pump .22 WMR. But those seem to get bad reviews for a stiff action, and I haven’t tried one, so I won’t offer an opinion.
The RAR is very nicely blued and looks great. It uses the 9- round Ruger 10-22 magnum magazine that is practically foolproof. The action is slick and fast, and the trigger is good right out of the box.
It came with a somewhat cheesy polymer stock that shot well, but felt like a kids toy. For a truck gun this stock would work and not get beat up too badly, but I replaced it with a Boyd’s laminated stock sometime after bringing it home. It is now heftier and feels like a big game rifle in my hands. I have it zeroed at 100 yds and it will keep any ammo I have in 2” at that range. (I do not claim to be a crack rifle shot by any means!
)
Of the two, the RAR was a bit more accurate open-sighted, and now that I mounted a scope on it this rifle would be my pick for smaller critters or longer range. Neither of these are compact rifles, especially the 22” barreled RAR, but they do offer shorter versions of their .22 WMR if the overall size matters. (Ruger offers a stainless 18” carbine, too.)
Savage also makes a well-received .22 WMR, I just haven’t shot one so I can’t add much about it.
Once you get a rifle you may need to try a few different styles/brands of ammo to find the best combo for accuracy, as sometimes these guns can be a bit finicky.
Good luck finding what you are looking for.
Stay safe.
The Henry is a pretty, smooth handling rifle. They lever is slick to operate and it is a handy size, scope mounting will be easy with the grooved receiver if you want to. Fit and finish are very nice and the stock is checkered. Accuracy is good, but adding a peep or scope will extend your useful range (especially on small critters.)
The Henry doesn’t have all steel parts, as the barrel bands are polymer and the receiver has a shell made of some sort of metal that is finished black to match the steel barrel. The receiver finish can chip and show dings fairly easily, if this will be a truck gun it may show wear from use fairly fast. These covers can be replaced if it gets chipped up and you want to make it look newer again.
They offer other .22 WMR models. Some are pretty fancy, with larger lever loops, octagon barrels, silver or brass receivers and really nice wood. Others like the Small Game Rifle or carbine come with a peep installed and are pretty dang nice game-getters.
Henry also offers a pump .22 WMR. But those seem to get bad reviews for a stiff action, and I haven’t tried one, so I won’t offer an opinion.
The RAR is very nicely blued and looks great. It uses the 9- round Ruger 10-22 magnum magazine that is practically foolproof. The action is slick and fast, and the trigger is good right out of the box.
It came with a somewhat cheesy polymer stock that shot well, but felt like a kids toy. For a truck gun this stock would work and not get beat up too badly, but I replaced it with a Boyd’s laminated stock sometime after bringing it home. It is now heftier and feels like a big game rifle in my hands. I have it zeroed at 100 yds and it will keep any ammo I have in 2” at that range. (I do not claim to be a crack rifle shot by any means!
)
Of the two, the RAR was a bit more accurate open-sighted, and now that I mounted a scope on it this rifle would be my pick for smaller critters or longer range. Neither of these are compact rifles, especially the 22” barreled RAR, but they do offer shorter versions of their .22 WMR if the overall size matters. (Ruger offers a stainless 18” carbine, too.)
Savage also makes a well-received .22 WMR, I just haven’t shot one so I can’t add much about it.
Once you get a rifle you may need to try a few different styles/brands of ammo to find the best combo for accuracy, as sometimes these guns can be a bit finicky.
Good luck finding what you are looking for.
Stay safe.
chicharrones
needs more ammo
They're like a baby .223.
Of course, reloaders will start talking up their preference for .22 Hornet over the .22 WMR in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .
Riomouse911
Member
But only in a pre ‘64 Model 70 or a Ruger No. 1.They're like a baby .223.
Of course, reloaders will start talking up their preference for .22 Hornet over the .22 WMR in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .
Stay safe.
chicharrones
needs more ammo
My ol' shooting buddy has that exact model. Which means I got to have substantial trigger time with it. A surprisingly good action and trigger, and it did well at 50 yards. 100 yards was a bit stretching it for his gun, even with the 3-9x scope mounted on it.
Having said that, I did entertain the idea of getting the .22 WMR Small Game Carbine to make it into my own kind of "truck gun". But, Henry sure wants a lot more money for that large loop lever and that Skinner sight.
Jim Watson
Member
We let a guy shoot a Marlin .22 WMR Model 25 bolt action in CMP Rimfire Sporter matches. It was very accurate.
Dave DeLaurant
Member
This Marlin is $100 overbudget, but the accessories help make up the difference:
https://simpsonltd.com/marlin-xt-magnum-d16579/
https://simpsonltd.com/marlin-xt-magnum-d16579/
alsaqr
Member
About 20 years ago i bought a lefty Savage model 93 in .22 Magnum. The scope is a 4X Redfield Widefield. The Accu Trigger is great.
Bought the rifle to kill wild hogs on public property where center fire rifles are prohibited outside deer season; it's killed at least 75 hogs.
Bought the rifle to kill wild hogs on public property where center fire rifles are prohibited outside deer season; it's killed at least 75 hogs.
Have you tried the 33gr Remington accu point mine absolutely loves the stuff?
And second I've been trying to tell myself I don't need a Boyd stock l, you're not helping lol. That's beautiful.
I hope to be buying a house out a little ways out into the country soon, and I was kind of thinking I'd like to have one for pest control.
Riomouse911
Member
I haven’t tried that one.
I have a bunch of different stuff that I have accumulated over the years, but if I see the Rem 33 grain load I will buy a couple of boxes and give them a go.
Stay safe.
I have a bunch of rifles, but this 452 Lux in .22 WMR is one of my very favorites to shoot. They come up pretty often on GB, and would probably cost a couple hundred more than your desired budget, but IMO would be very much worth it. The CZ WMR rifles tend to shoot Hornady 30 grain V-max very well (this one definitely does, and many other people report the same). I like the .22 WMR round a lot, and think it often gets a bad rap, accuracy wise. Here's a older photo of my Lux. These days it wears a Weaver Grand Slam 4-16x44, which is a great scope for the CZ Hog-back guns because they can be mounted low, resulting in a setup that fits me at least as well as straight-stocked guns (I actually prefer the feel of this setup when I shoulder the gun).
ETA: With the Weaver Grand Slam
ETA: With the Weaver Grand Slam
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I am biased towards Savage since they make 22WMR bolt actions in left hand. That being said, I have always been pleased with the function and accuracy of the Marlin bolt action 22WMR rifles I have shot. Too bad Marlins are out of production and used rifles are climbing in price. I don't have enough experience with any Ruger 22WMR rifles to comment on them.
I went a different direction when it comes to 22WMR. I bought a Kel-Tec PMR30 and later bought a CMR30 to go with it. What's not to like having a pistol and rifle that uses the same 30 round magazines.
As others have mentioned a bolt action and lever action both have their positives and negatives. I would personally go with a bolt action and a decent scope if I plan on taking shots on smaller varmints out to 125 yards. Though a lever action with good iron sights will be quicker for up close targets.
Now one has to remember that 22WMR has never been known for its great accuracy but the round does well for hunting uses. As a kid we used a 22LR, 22WMR, or 410 with slugs all the time for raccoon hunting. And 22WMR got used a lot around the farm for dispatching varmints and on hogs too.
I went a different direction when it comes to 22WMR. I bought a Kel-Tec PMR30 and later bought a CMR30 to go with it. What's not to like having a pistol and rifle that uses the same 30 round magazines.
As others have mentioned a bolt action and lever action both have their positives and negatives. I would personally go with a bolt action and a decent scope if I plan on taking shots on smaller varmints out to 125 yards. Though a lever action with good iron sights will be quicker for up close targets.
Now one has to remember that 22WMR has never been known for its great accuracy but the round does well for hunting uses. As a kid we used a 22LR, 22WMR, or 410 with slugs all the time for raccoon hunting. And 22WMR got used a lot around the farm for dispatching varmints and on hogs too.
Riomouse911
Member
If you get a .22 WMR handgun later on, like a Heritage, Smith or Ruger, I will recommend ear protection. Those little WMR rounds have some bark from revolvers! (4” S&W Model 48 shown.)
Good luck finding what you want.
Stay safe.
If you get a .22 WMR handgun later on, like a Heritage, Smith or Ruger, I will recommend ear protection. Those little WMR rounds have some bark from revolvers! (4” S&W Model 48 shown.)
Even semi auto pistols in 22WMR will have a big flash and lots of bark. I double up on hearing protection while at indoor ranges when I shoot my Kel-Tec PMR30. I made the mistake of not doubling up on hearing protection once with the PRM30. I was at an indoor range shooting rimfire pistols and started out with several in 22LR before switching to the PMR30 with just ear muffs on. I put plugs in under the muffs after the first couple of shots out of the PMR30.
