Besides the 10/22 what's a good .22LR rifle?

[dfaugh]

Marlin 60

Marlin 60
Marlin 60
Marlin 60
Marlin 60

Can't be beat for an inexpensive gun.
Mine shoots ridiculously small groups for a gun in its price range. Works good with most ammo (except Remington), but best group so far with Wolf Target Match is around 1/2" (10 shot group!). My buddy has a stock 10/22 that he won't bring to the range anymore, 'cause its nowhere near as accurate as my Marlin. And he has a Model 52 Winchester target w/ 24x scope, that he STILL can't shoot quite as accurate as my Marlin. He's come close, but not quite!

If you wanna spend a bit more, though I've heard nothing but praise for the CZs, but have no first hand experience.

 

[Byron Quick]

Just one? Blasphemy! Heretic!

I love my CZ 452 Lux.

And my Winchester Model 1890.

It's a shooter. Mechanically sound...virtually no finish left. I was amazed at the accuracy of that old rifle, If I was forced to own just one .22 rifle, I'd keep the Winchester.

 

[jshmata]

Marlin Model 925 .22LR It is a handsome bolt action. Built in New Haven , CT by Americans for Americans. Accurate and priced affordably. I paid $150 at Gander mtn in NY. Placed a Barska 4x 32 scope on it. I like shooting 1/2 inch groups at 25 yards. Up until 2005 Marlin checkered the stock and forearm grip. This made it look great, like a large caliber rifle. Easy to clean and easy to live with. Shot about 1000 rounds thru her already and I remember only 2 misfires; Ammo was the federal brand. Great gun for plinking and hunting.

 

[pete f]

For those having trouble with the bulk box ammo. try these tips. First strip your bolt and really clean the ways that the firing pin slides in. then really clean the barrel face and the bolt face, make sure all the gunk and flotsam is gone. We have found that most times the problems with misfires can be atributed to weak pin strikes and those can usually be traced to a bolt being cushioned by crud or a firing pin haveing crun on it and absorbing a lot of the inertia of the pin after the hammer strikes.

As for my favorites I really like an old pump 572 that i have as well as a 39 pre A and 881 marlin tube feed. My father in law has two OLD springfield .22 autoloaders and a rem bolt, a 513 T that was GI issue he says he paid $8.75 for it out of boylife back in the fifties. The old rem will make head shots all day on squirrel and rabbit. I bought my dad a browning M52 sporter to replace a stolen winchester M52 B that he had. Althoughit is very nice it is not as nice as it shouldbe for the price, and i would have been better off buying him a new 541 T when i could have. The new Savage high grade .22 seems to be stunningly accurate from all reports. i believe they call the MK II LV not sure tho

 

[cgv69]

+8(?) for the 597. Accurate, great shape and perfect balance, (and maybe I got lucky here but) an awesome trigger. All that from a $125 gun is pretty sweet.

I do not own, nor have I shot one, but I have heard that the Rem. shoots well but appears to be cheaply made. I'd thoroughly check one out before buying. I own the 10/22 synthetic/stainless model and love it. The only problem I had was the first couple times the mags did not feed the ammo properly. I oiled them up a little and now it shoots like a charm. It has an 18.5' barrel but is accurate as the Winchester 61A single shot with the longer barrel.

The 597 does have some cheap features but for a gun that sells for $125 brand new in 2006, you can't expect beautifully figured wood and highly polished blued steel.

The receiver is made of some kind of thin cheap metal. The only problem with that is if you try to use a screw on sight base. Some people who have tried have found that screws strip out easily. It is better to use 3/8" "rimfire" types rings which hold just as well.

The trigger guard is made of some type of polymer (plastic). Now I will admit I would rather it be made of some type of metal\aluminum too but think about it. 870 Express models have been made with plastic trigger housings for decades. Have you ever heard of one breaking?

Again, I have to repeat that this is a $125 gun. How many semi-auto .22 do you know of that are as accurate, light, well balanced (and now that the bugs have been worked out) reliable as the 597 and can be bought for anywhere near $125?

10/22's around here go for no less then $170 NIB (unless you get lucky) and will cost you even more then that to make them as accurate, well balanced and fun to shoot as the 597 is out of the box. There are probably 20x the number of aftermarket parts out there for the 10/22 then there are for the 597. Makes sense when you remember the 10/22 is a 30 year old gun and the 597 is what? 5-6 years old. Thing is, I think most people will find there is no need to upgrade the 597 like most people do with the 10/22.

The next step up the food chain that I would seriously consider is a CZ 452 American. I know you wrote you are not a big fan of bolt guns but it's another gun that offers a hell of a lot for it's price.

 

[BOOM]

So, if you're only going to own one .22 LR rifle which one should it be? Mostly range work with some hunting thrown in.

In .22 LR, a T-Bolt --> http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=021B&cat_id=025&type_id=175

Dad gave me one for my 8th birthday. I didn't know what I had at the time and I abused it as a teenager. After getting married and having kids, money was tight and I traded it in on something I felt I needed at the time. I'd give anything if I could get that gun back.:banghead: It really is unique, and something that would be worth holding onto and passing on to grandkids.

For hunting, I really like my Brno ZKM-611, 22 magnum semi-auto. It's a fine little gun, but I can't seem to find a place to buy an extra magazine or two.
http://www.weareguns.com/BRNOZKM611.htm

 

[backlash]

I like the federals too. They do not seem as dirty or jam as much as other brands in my experience.

I agree, Federal is a lot cleaner compared to Remmington.