First rifle

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gtrguy13

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First off hello everyone. I have been lurking here at THR for a few months now and had a question.

I own a Remington 870 and shoot it all the time but reading the rifle forum here makes me want to get a rifle(I have never owned one). I want to get a .22 rimfire rifle. I have shot them twice before and they were alot of fun and from the sounds of it cheap to play with. I will for the most part be using it at the range for target shooting and plinking. I would like your input on what .22 to get. After reading all the posts I could find I still need some input. Here is the agenda.

1. No more than $250 for the gun.
2. Accurate out of the box.
3. Able to shoot many rounds in one day before cleaning after.
4. Availibility of modifications if I want to do some small upgrades.
5. Semi/Bolt.
6. Reliable/Durable

I saw a guy at the range a few days ago with a bolt that would eject and reload his .22 everytime he cycled it. I had never seen that before and was wondering if most bolts are like that or if that is a specific termanology. If i were to get a bolt I would want one like that, not a single shot (unless you have some reason not to).

I am a little wary of the Ruger 10/22 from all the controversy about it and it doesnt sound like I have enough money to make it as accurate as I may want. It sounds like it would be more fun to build one up later in life when I have the money (I'm 20).

Any information is welcome as I know little about rifles. Thanks guys!
 
The 10/22 should be within your price range, and it's tops as far as aftermarket add-ons and upgrades. I'm not sure what negative input you've heard, but the Ruger is popular. Look around for a used one and you might find a real deal. These rifles are everywhere.

I've got the International Sporter version, and i've kept it stock. Shoots great. Good luck and good shooting! :)
 
I didnt know, the only .22 i ever shot was a single shot, I guess you just add a magazine and there you have it?
 
I vote for the 10/22 also. I've got two, one is scheduled to get hot rodded with a better trigger and heavy barrel and stock. They are fun, great plenty accurate for me (I can shoot dime sized 10 groups at fifty yards) and you can get all the goodies your heart desires.
 
cz for that money is the best fitted, most accurate, most beautiful rifle ,and it's out of the box accuracy is only beaten by few very expensive 22's. next i would go marlin. If you wanna spend several hundred dollars on a gun with poor accuracy out of the box, and spend a bunch of money to tighten it up, get a ruger. Go to a gun store, get a used Marlin Mod 60 with the feed rtube that goes to the end of the bbl almost, for under 100 bucks, or a pawn shop. next , go get a brand new bolt gun cz for the 250.
 
I own 2, a Savage MKII Bolt-Action and a Marlin Model 60 Semi-auto. If I had the extra money at the time I bought the Marlin, I would have gotten the 10/22, no doubt. Mostly because of the after market mods that can be had.
 
I have a 10/22 that can shoot super tight groups out of a benchrest (about 1/4 of an inch 5 rounds) And i have done nothing to it to accurize it, its stock. It is one of the old international models with the mannlicher stock and i know that they were much more expensive but im not sure if the accuracy had anything to do with the price increase. I dont really shoot it all that much as it is a bit of a collector as far as 10/22's go but when i do shoot it i can easily put 300 rounds through it before it needs cleaning. Go check your local swap meets (if law permits) and see what you can find. My dad just picked one up for 75 bucks and ot works just fine and is plenty accurate as well, just the stock is beat up.
 
i like the sounds of the CZ but where can i find these rifles for 250 and which model would you reccomend from them? Im guessing the 452.... which one.

also is there availibility of scopes and othe aftermarket thigns availible for them? i dont intened on doing much but in the event that i get the bug to do it it would be nice to have some things....


thanks guys

matt
 
I got my CZ452 Special for $240 out the door with tax last fall. It's definitely the most "bang" for the buck IMO. They are VERY accurate out of the box.

I have a 10/22 as well, but for the criteria you set, I wouldn't advise getting one. The generally have to have work done to them to get them accurate. The 10/22 is more for the guy that likes to tinker and mod his rifle and you can get a large sum of money tied up in one with all the aftermarket stuff available.
 
remington 572 speedmaster. More accurate than a ruger, able to shoot for ever, and feel nice in the hand. Remington also makes a pump .22 that is really nice too. feel like a mans gun. not a kids toy.

you find used all day for $150

new maybe a few dollars over our limit but not much. can add a scope no problem. have a reputation of shooting forever.
 
A good, inexpensive .22

GTRGUY:

Advice/Reminiscing:
On the subject of .22's - I'm not a major gun expert, in general, but I have shot a zillion .22 rounds in my life - mostly at gophers, quirrels and rabbits. I grew up shooting a semi-auto my dad got from a some catalog when he was a kid (JC Higgins?). It had a tube, which was cool because I could get about 18 rounds in it and fire 'em off as fast as I wanted. I bagged a good share of my game due to the ability to squeeze off rapid fire as the critter raced for home.
Usually the guns with the tube have a longer barrel than the Ruger 10/22 carbine, but I don't know if that adds to accuracy (some of these other pro's can tell you). I have not shot more than a few hundred rounds through my new Ruger 10/22, but I can hit very small targets at 50 to 75 yards - no problem (open sites). One cool thing about the 10/22 is that you can get clips that will hold up to 50 rounds and burn through them as fast (or slow) as you want. It is a very popular .22 - almost everyone that has guns has one, or has shot one. I'm sure finding scopes for it will be easy.
I also shot a bolt-action with a tube and a scope for a couple years when I was a kid (can't remember the brand/model - it was my neighbor's gun). It also held about 18 cartridges. It was also a lot of fun - we had the scope sighted in perfectly. As you said, you just have to eject/chamber another cartridge each time you fire.
Pricing:
As for pricing, you can choose from several new .22's at Wal Mart for under $200, including a "regular" Ruger 10/22 for around $150 or so. They have another Ruger 10/22 which has a longer barrel (silver/chrome-looking) for a little closer to $200. They have some Marlins (with the tube) for as low as $98. A friend of mine had a cheap Marlin - I shot it a few times and it seemed like a decent gun. In short, you should have several choices for somewhat less than $250. They are a lot of fun to plink with, or hunt little critters...and I must admit that zinging off the rounds rapidly is fun in either case!!
 
It depends what your inerest in rifle shooting is.

10/22
This is a great starter gun, and a lot of fun, however, if you are an average sized person or larger the stock model might feel like a toy gun. It is reasonably accurate out of the box and has the potential to be a tack driver with the right add-ons. If you want a gun for fun pop-can shooting and squirrl hunting this is the one for you. Also, everyone knows the 10/22 and you will have know problem finding people to help you fix/upgrade it.

CZ452 and other models
These are very good bolt-action rifles for a decent price. If your goal is to focus on rifle marksmanship and you have no interest in pop-can shooting or blasting fast semi-auto fire, this is your rifle. Add-ons for this rifle are rather limited because there is not much that needs to be done other than changing sights or adding a scope.

All the other .22 rifles in your price range pretty much fall between these two.
 
Another vote for the 10/22. Dad bought me one as my first real gun. Light, fun, and uber-modable with little or no after-market parts. Very easy to tear down and tweak on if you're so inclined.

Check out Rimfire Central for a taste of what you can do to one.

Worst thing I can say is the trigger has the potential to be horrible out of the box. Folks have reported gritty triggers with pull weights of over seven pounds. Fortuately, this is easy to fix with either and after-market trigger group or a little kitchen table gunsmithing.
 
I have a Remmy 597 and love it... I would put it against an out of the box 10/22 any day... I'd put it on par with the Marlin 60... easily as good a shooter. The length of pull also matches that of a Model 700. And there are slowly, more and more mods coming out for it... Volquartzin(sp) trigger and extractor, bull barrels, aftermarket stocks, etc...
 
I vote CZ. I found a used 452 Lux on gunbroker.com for $180. I'm in IL so it was also $20 s/h and a $20 FFL transfer. It is scary accurate and fun to shoot. It is bolt action and comes with a 5 round magazine. a 10 round mag is available.

I have seen this particular model for $230ish new at:

http://www.budsgunshop.com

I'm not a hunter or plinker-er... I plan to use it in a .22 league at my shooting club and as a rifle trainer for my other rifles. CZ has a great rep and as others have said, lots of features and accuracy out of the box.

Good luck and enjoy shooting!
 
Marlin Model 60

Marlin Model 60
Marlin Model 60
Marlin Model 60

Oh, and did I mention the Marlin Model 60?

Much better outa-the-box accuracy than most 10/22s (Mine's downright scary with the right ammo). Utterly reliable (about 5000 rounds through mine, never dissasembled, nor any parts replaced.

Can be had for about $125 on sale, add some good rings and reasonably priced scope, and you'll have great gun for under $200.
 
Another vote for Marlin, but the 925 or it's predecessor the model 25 or 25n is my choice. Bolt action, magazine fed, as close to 100% reliable as a rimfire can be, and very affordable.

The Ruger 10/22 is a fun and easily customized gun and the CZ's are super nice, but for an inexpensive (but not cheap) gun to learn with you won't find a better bargain.

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/BoltAction22/925.aspx
 
I cleaned my 10/22 once, after 25 years of shooting. It still ran well but there was a lot of gunk in it! Oh, and I needed a new magazine after 25 years, when it got below freezing the magizine was a bit sticky feeding rounds. Otherwise no problems. A great little gun, has killed thousands of tin cans! I am not much of a rifle shooter, so I could'nt say about accuracy. Most of my shooting is 25 to 50 yards and the ruger puts them into an inch or two. Course I am sort of shaky...
 
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