best all around on a budget 22 rifle?

If you just absolutely can't get the 10/22 to shoot well, go for the Marlin Model 60.

My 10/22 runs close to 100% now with the cheap Federal bulk pack ammo, and has been perfect with Federal American Eagle 40 grain solids and with CCI mini-mags.
But... I did have to replace the extractor on it when it was brand new out of the box to make it that way.

I'd say before you give up on the 10/22 you should first try some different ammo. If it hasn't been shot much, run 500 rounds of hot CCI stuff through it, disassemble and look for anything that looks like it's rubbing or causing undue friction and do some light polishing if need be.
If it doesn't run reliably with hot CCI stuff or something comparable, I'd look at the extractor. Replace it with a VQ and try that out.

On the Marlin 60, some love them and that's fine with me. The ones I've shot are more prone to malfunctions when they start to get dirty than the 10/22's I've owned and shot. Some may exist that aren't that way, but I haven't seen one yet.

The finest .22LR rifle I've owned to this point was a CZ-452. If you can afford one or find a decent one used, by all means, buy it!

Of all the ammo complaints I've heard from the 10/22 people, remmington seems to be the most hated brand.

Most people use Federal bulk, Mine and some others seems to like Winchester 333s and 555s super-x bullets, I've only heard of one that preferred golden bullets.

Mini-mags and Velocitors seems to be pretty accurate. If you want great accuracy maybe Wolf or Eley.

Marlin Model 60. accurate, low cost, and from what i have heard it will digest almost any ammo just fine.

Has anyone mentioned the Marlin Model 60, because that would be my vote
I learned on a 60. It's a cheap 1982 Glenfield model that my grandfather bought for my dad for "home defense" 30 years ago. My grandpa is a little guy and has favored the .22 for years. I wouldn't mess with him if he was cradling one
Anyway, the Model 60 is a fantastic rifle.

Currently I favor the 795 for my beater .22. The old Model 60 has too many good memories to go knocking around right now. I find that I can shoot the 795 almost as well as the 60, it's lighter, it's cheaper, and for safety sake I like that it has a detachable magazine.

I have lots of guns that I love, but the one that NEVER gets left at home when I go to the range is the 795.

my 10 22 works best with anything CCI.

I have had, in 22LR ...

Marlin M-60s, Ruger 10-22, Remington Mohawk 10C and Nylon 66s, and a Glenfield M-25 (it is a tube fed M-60).

I purchased them because they were on sale and I needed a 22LR.

I would take any of them again. All were excellent guns and all were sold at one time of another to feed, cloth, house, or otherwise take care of kids.

Currently I have a Glenfield M-25. It is more accurate than my youngest sons 10-22 but not enough so to make it an issue.

Can the 60 plink with Stingers and such?

Geckgo said:

Of all the ammo complaints I've heard from the 10/22 people, remmington seems to be the most hated brand.

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Guess I must be lucky. I've had mine since 1986 and it shoots the Remington bulk or CCI blazers well...it will shoot 10 rounds into a dime at 50 yards.

Only feed problems I ever had with it were with a cheap aftermarket 30 round magazine.

If you can deal without a mag, a used Remington Model 41 Targetmaster is about the best there is for single shot 22 IMO. I don't even have to try to hit the target, its just that easy & good aiming to use. Probably could find one for $200 even.

I've had a Marling Mod 60, actually a Glenfield, since my dad bought it new in '81. Very accurate, reliable, light, etc.

i would say the issue is the Golden Bullets. They have always gave me grief. Stick with federals.

Jeff56 said:

I've bought many Marlins over the years and I've talked them up too. But what they did was low. I'm about convinced to never buy another one and to never mention that I've had good success with them. I haven't even needed customer relations until I got the 795 and I'm very disappointed with how they have done things. It wasn't right and I told them so.

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I had something similar happen to me with parts I ordered from T/C. I ordered a sight, which was in stock, and frizzen, which was not.
Two weeks go by, no parts arrive, so I called them. Turns out that they were waiting for the frizzens to be in stock to save me on shipping by shipping both items together. It's apparently their standard policy.
They should have told you something was on backorder to begin with, but by not shipping things separately they were probably trying to do you a favor.

It sounds like an ammo issue as remington makes the second worse rimfire ammo available, but it also could be that a few parts might be worn out. If you are having a fail to eject your extractor might be worn out. $12 for a new VQ or PC, or if you have a dremel with a metal cutting tool you can reshape the edge, doesn't always work but it usually fixes the problems. Heck, the extractor might just be really dirty. If you buy an extractor go for a bolt buffer at the same time, takes a lot of the noise and vibration out of the cycling.

Your magazine might be at fault also. It aids in the ejection process and if it is worn out then it can cause problems. The spring can get tired also, a quick tightening will do wonders. If it is dirty, clean it but leave it dry.

As for the 60, they are great guns. I own four right now, and if anyone believes they keep ticking without maintenance they are sadly mistaken. I have two right now that are down waiting for new hammers. Ejectors bend and the buffer can bust. Plus, they can be downright picky on what they like. But, when they run they run awesome.

Marlin is offering a $25 rebate on the BLUED only model 795.

You really cannot go wrong with a Savage MkII or a Marlin 60. I have owned plenty of 22s over the years but those are the two that I really miss. Both as accurate as can be, flawless cycling, good triggers too.

be careful on the 795's. There was a batch last year that had bad receivers. They had a canted 3/8" dovetail on the top of the receiver. Otherwise great gun. I never noticed the canted dovetail until i put tech sights on it. The factory sights were fine. Rimfirecentral had some threads about the dovetail. They might have it fixed by now. Mine was a 2009 model.

If your not to high on the 10/22 I'd like to suggest the Savage model 64 it seems to get overlooked quite a bit but is a fine gun it just lacks the aftermarket support the 10/22 has.

Dump the cheap rem and Win ammo. Marlin 60 definetly. No stingers or other HOT stuff, it will bust the buffer and recoil spring. Fed, blazer,CCI, Win good stuff. Best accuracy with plain lead. Put ~ 100 rnds through 10 ring, offhand, standing, iron sights at 50 yds. Even with my double vision.

Jeff56 said:

I love the rifle but it is built cheaply. It's way cheaper made than the Model 60 but it shoots great and it doesn't weigh much at all. That's probably why it will have a lot of problems. It could end up bankrupting Marlin IMO. They've sold a lot of them with 5 year warranties and that's going to mean a LOT of replaced trigger guards. Maybe they'll get off the stick and make a metal one at some point. My guess is they would save a lot of money if they do.

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That is a different scenario. I hate sending guns back for warranty repairs because it's a PITA, but Ruger, SIG, and Smith & Wesson have all sent me prepaid shipping labels in the past to cover the cost of shipping.
You can schedule pick-ups with both UPS and Fedex and ship directly from your home, and have it delivered directly back to you without dealing with an FFL. I think you should call them again and make them pay shipping and repair it.
The plastic parts that are working their way into guns as cost saving measures irritate me. Rugers and Marlins worked fine with metal triggerguards... and manufacturers need to stop trying to just sell us the cheapest crap they can crank out. I'm voting with my wallet by only considering older, used, quality guns and letting the new stuff with the shortcuts on the rack.

You don't really need the barrel band. Some models don't have one, and some guns shoot better without them anyhow.

I have heard of alot of people acutally taking the band off to gain accuracy, from what I hear helps on some hurts on others, I have 3 10/22's and honestly wouldn't mind a few more, I've had all kinds over the years including most models listed with this series of posting and the only one I've still got besides my 10/22s is my henry 22