Fun 22LR bolt action rifle?

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The Savage MKII is extremely light, the CZ is going to be a bit more heavy. Is there a reason you want Bolt Action only?
For backpacking & hiking I'd recommend the Ruger Takedown for a very well put together .22 LR.
 
Well that's the thing about a set trigger. You can shoot it light or heavy. If I didn't want a light trigger I wouldn't want to pay for one though. But IMO they make for accurate shooting. BTW my Savage MkBTV is just over a quarter of a pound heavier than my CZ 453 American. The Savage is a varmint model though with the heavy barrel. But the Savage MkIIG is about 3/4 of a lb. lighter. Not a lot of difference IMO.
 
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As with 9mmepipheny, lots of seasoned .22LR sportsmen recommend the Romanian M69 Trainer.

They were priced a year ago at about $150-$175.
One of mine feeds pretty well from its magazine. The second rifle won't feed at all from its magazine, or from the other M69's mag.

But the triggers are not as tight as that on my 1940's Savage, and the Romanians have two nice flip-up rear leaf sights for 75 and 100 meters or so.
 
CMP usually has 22 LR Trianing rifles for sale. Mossbergs, etc. All are full sized and accurate. Personally, I like the Ruger 77/22, mine has been rebarreled with a Winchester Model 52 barrel. If I were looking for a new rifle, I would study the offereings of Savage. Unless I could find an old Remington or Winchester.

If you are looking for a truly innovative piece, consider a Springfield Model 1922. Full sized rifle designed as a training rifle for the 1903 and the 1903a3 Springfield.
 
I have an old Remington pump that is extremely accurate. Fieldmaster maybe? I also have a couple of old single shot bolt action 22s that shoot very well. They have iron sights which makes them almost unusable to m now so I rarely shoot them.

I own a CZ and I will agree that it "feels" more solid than the newer Savage and Ruger guns. I don't shoot for extreme accuracy but it is as accurate as anything I have in my arsenal. None of my bolts or single 22s is less than 40 years old with the exception of the CZ.
 
Cee Zee said:
BTW I can't imagine why you don't like the single set trigger.
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One BIG reason is, if you know anything about triggers, you know that a set trigger INCREASES the "lock time" drastically and that's never good...

And YES, I do have a set trigger on one of my firearms, but I don't use it much because of the above reasons.

DM
 
I bought my wife a Savage Mark II-F, which she loves. It needs a scope mount to put a scope on it, but it's a great gun either way.

The Marlin bolt actions are great for scopes..they've got the scope grooves already and their Monticarlo style stocks are more conducive to scope shooting than open sight shooting, in my opinion. I have a couple of those, as well...wouldn't give them up for anything.
 
If you like accuracy, a great adjustable trigger, AND you appreciate good craftsmanship, good balance and feel, and a solid action that's almost as enjoyable to handle and operate as the gun is to shoot, get a CZ. Be warned though, you're likely to buy more CZs -- possibly several more -- within a few months of buying your first (known as czitis, and afflicts a substantial percentage of owners, including myself. :) ).
Here's the internet's best forum on CZ rimfires:
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=18
 
climbskirun said:
I'm looking for a nice 22LR rifle I could put a small 4x-6x scope on for some plinking/target fun when camping.
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Others have mentioned tube magazines and detachable magazines. For bench shooting at a shooting range, I prefer detachable mags. Since you mention camping, a tube magazine would be great and will keep the cost of the gun down. Buying extra mags drives up costs in a hurry depending on the brand of the gun. Plus, no worries about losing a mag or two in the weeds. ;)

And while off topic of the thread, some of the best tube magazine guns (IMO) are lever guns, just like EchoM70 mentioned. However, I believe rimfire lever guns are much more fun at plinking without a scope. :D
 
If light and compact is the way you want to go for a carry around, camping, hiking sort of rifle then I' suggest the Savage Mk II FV-SR with the short'ish 16.5 inch barrel and synthetic stock. Such a rifle would be more compact and durable for general woods use.

I sort of agree with the guys about the stick vs tubular magazine. But I like the idea of easily dropping the mag and opening the action. I'd simply paint the magazines bright orange to aid in finding them if dropped.

Another fun plinking rifle option would be a Henry basic model H001 lever rifle with a small compact scope. Or just use the plain iron sights. It's an amazingly fun plinking rifle.
 
Apart from being a single-shot the Savage Cub T (thumbhole) is a hoot to shoot. It's a short stock, short barrel with no magazine to lose, something I've never done in 30+ years of hunting.

My apologies for bucking the trend but if you're looking for a plinker, the 10/22 TD previously mentioned stows as easily as a fold-out chair and you can shoot 25 rounds without reloading with factory magazines. Very decent accuracy from mine, not CZech accuracy but we're plinking people.

I like my Marlin bolt but as with many bolt actions with longish barrels the balance isn't the greatest. I too am a fan of the CZs.
 
You might get a Savage that is more accurate than a particular Savage but that is not the norm. Check out other forums with comparisons and groups fired in sanctioned competition. CZ s nearly always outshoot Savages but there are exceptions. I don't put much weight into backyard shooting reports.
 
I got a Savage MKII. It shoots like CRAP. Believe me, I tried EVERYTHING to get that d**m gun to shoot. I shoot smallbore benchrest, so I know a little bit about what makes a rimfire shoot, and I know how to shoot well from the bench. Tried 3 different stocks, different action screw torque, cleaned up the bolt, checked the headspacing, and in a last-ditch effort, re-crowned the rifle.

Long story short, it wouldn't shoot any type of ammo better than 0.7" at 50 yards, which to me is unacceptable.

Get the CZ.
 
tuj said:
I got a Savage MKII. It shoots like CRAP. Believe me, I tried EVERYTHING to get that d**m gun to shoot. I shoot smallbore benchrest, so I know a little bit about what makes a rimfire shoot, and I know how to shoot well from the bench. Tried 3 different stocks, different action screw torque, cleaned up the bolt, checked the headspacing, and in a last-ditch effort, re-crowned the rifle.

Long story short, it wouldn't shoot any type of ammo better than 0.7" at 50 yards, which to me is unacceptable.

Get the CZ.
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AH HAH! Finally, a person who puts forth his negative opinion and then supports it with his standard(s) as to WHY he thinks this way!

My hat's off to you, tuj! Thanks!


For what it's worth, I'm perfectly happy with 0.7 inch groups at 150 feet. Plenty accurate enough for small game/varmint hunting, plinking, and general target shooting.

;)
 
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Chief, just trying to help. I'm probably spoiled from shooting custom rimfires from the bench that do 0.3" at 50 yards on a bad day. If you're happy with 0.7" at 50, cool! I hear many examples of the MKII shoot better than this, so I think Savage QC is just a little variable. But hey, you aren't paying Anschutz prices either...

In many respects, the Savage is fine. The accu-trigger is one of the better budget triggers and is easily adjustable. The bolt operates fairly easily and can be improved with a little polishing of the internals. Magazines are cheap and plentiful.

I would say to stay away from the 'synthetic' stock; it is very flimsy. Boyds makes a nice replacement.
 
I really do like that post, tuj, because it quantifies what you find unacceptable. Lots of people toss out negatives without really explaining why certain guns/ammo/practices are unacceptable to them.

Competition shooting, and the gear that goes along with it, is an entirely different beast. There's another thread out there about .22 LR ammo, for instance, where I guy posted a great price on .22 LR...somewhere around $50 a brick, if I remember correctly. Immediately a lot of people jumped all over this as a "bad deal" without realizing it was match grade .22 LR. Big difference!

I wouldn't mind shooting a CZ for the experience...but I doubt I'll ever get one, simply because I don't have a need for one. Beautiful rifles, though.
 
Zevastava. That was the brand I was trying to think of. If you can find one, it is the most gun for the money I have ever seen in .22LR.

To clarify my problem with Savage, it has nothing to do with accuracy. In fact I've never shot one. But the mags are extremely cheap and everyone I know who has bought one in the last 10 years and shot it a lot began having reliability issues (basically they wore the tinny gun out).

Not to mention the bolt throw is terrible and cheap-feeling.
 
I inherited my dads Mossberg 144LS. Although magazine fed, it is really accurate wkth the old 4X Bushnell scope. Has a thick barrel. I was told that the Military used this model as a target gun????

Have fun looking!!!!!!
 
You know, I was thinking about this thread and about ammo availability right now, and I think a 17HMR would be a fantastic choice. The 17HMR ammo is available most places right now on the shelf, unlike 22lr. The 17HMR will shoot as good or better than a comparable cost .223 rifle at 100 yards and do so with zero recoil. To me, I like being able to watch my hits in the scope, I think that's a lot of fun. And at 50 yards, the 17HMR is virtually immune to wind, unlike 22lr, which is already being significantly affected by a moderate breeze at that distance.

Of course another fun one is a Fortner bolt 22lr if you can find one. They shoot almost as fast as a semi, but are as accurate as any bolt.
 
Chief, I didn't have a need for a CZ either. I owned 3 Savages, a Marlin, Ruger, Mossberg and Rossi in .22lr but the prospect of owning a well balanced open sight rifle with above average accuracy was a no lose proposition.

I don't doubt that any of the rifles mentioned thus far would be more than capable for plinking accuracy. For a no-nonsense take along though, something like the Ruger or Marlin Papoose suits the purpose better than most IMO.
 
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