Help me pick out a good .22

[Cap'n Ahab]

Hi, just to preface this, I am pretty new to firearms. I just bought my first, a Ruger 10/22 a couple weeks ago and I'm already looking at my next purchase.

I've decided that I want these next four guns. I haven't decided what order to get them, but I'd have to wait a couple months to get any of the handguns since I'm still 20.

1. An excellent bolt action .22
2. A .357 mag revolver, probably a S&W 686+
3. A 9mm semi-auto, probably something like the glock 17
4. Some sort of inexpensive centerfire rifle, maybe an SKS

Since I'm on a college student budget, these will have to be spread out over a year or more. I just want to make sure what I end up buying is of good quality.

Now, what I need your help on is picking out which .22 I should buy, or at least consider. I'm not afraid to spend money on it since it is something I'll use hopefully for the next 40-60 years, but I'd like to definitely keep it below $1000 unless someone convinces me otherwise. Here are my requirements for it: it should have excellent out of the box accuracy, swivel studs so I can put a sling or bipod on it, bolt action, and here's the kicker. I want it to have iron sights. Maybe I'm strange, but that's just what I want and I won't really consider anything without them, I don't think.

I think that last requirement narrows down the list of possibilities quite a bit. The rifles that I have seen that have these are the Savage MKIIs (these seem to be pretty low on the craftsmanship scale), some of the CZ 452s, and the Anschutz 1416 (the 1710 is out of my price range by quite a bit). The CZs with iron sights all have the unusual European style stocks that might be pretty difficult to use with a scope, so I think those are probably not my best options.

I'd welcome all the input you can give me, and maybe you could make a few more suggestions.

 

[Magoo]

Do some research on the "rusty kimbers" from CMP. I think they may fit your criteria quite well, and far within budget.

 

[o Unforgiven o]

Marlin Model 981T

Stainless- http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/BoltAction22/981TS.asp

Blued- http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/BoltAction22/981T.asp


I have the 981TS myself and it is one hell of a rifle, and hands down my favorite .22 rifle. The bolt is nice and smooth, the stainless steel is really nice and it will shoot .22 short, long, or long rifle.

 

[BrocLuno]

On a student budget, I'd be shopping used. Use your time to find a good deal and don't rush.

A Remington 513 Target Master would be a fine full sized .22 with magazine feed. Winchester Model 52 is another. Kimber made some nice 22's and so did Mossberg. Tons of nice Marlins out there, and CZs too. The list goes on. Weatherby even made a super nice .22 once. Any of these can be found on a used rack somewhere

The other guns are somewhat away from my area. 357 I have some experience with. If you want a good shooting large frame, maybe a Taurus 66SS6 would be nice? Not quite a Smith, but dammed nice shooter (I have some Smiths and others). Of course the Colt Python is one of the better used 357 if you run across one

 

[benzy2]

If you can afford it, go buy a rusty Kimber from the CMP right now. If you can go to the store in person to find one with better wood and no/less box cutter scratch all the better. The rusty models typically have dried preservative on them that looks like rust but cleans up like preservative. The trigger is decent and can be made great if drilled for a different pivot pin location. The action is robust, right up there with many of the top actions. The barrels shoot decent on average. They are the week link. It is said that Kimber used barrels that cost under $10 a piece. Whatever they used, mine shoots sub MOA with the iron sights. That brings us to the irons. The front accepts Anschutz 18mm accessories. The rear is a little different than some people are used to but it works well and is easily zeroed. I like it myself. If you want to use a scope, unscrew the two rear sight screws and mount a scope on the 11mm dovetail rail. The stock has a rail which allows it to be shot in position with a sling or you can add a bipod adapter and use a bipod. For $400 they are darn hard to beat. Not perfect, but outstanding at that price.

Another option I would suggest is the Savage Mk II FVT. It has a front sight that takes Anschutz 18mm accessories as well. The rear sight is mounted on the side of the action and is from Williams. The rear aperture is a smaller thread than the standard Anschutz threads but an adapter is available. This isn't a rifle I would be thinking about handing down from generation to generation, but it will shoot well, is easy to scope, and comes with decent aperture sights that are better than your standard notch and post style sights.

 

[Skylerbone]

The real question in my mind is why you'd want another .22 rifle. The 10/22 is a very good shooter in it's own right. While having more than one .22 rifle is not unusual, thinking a $1000 model will far outperform what you have may be likened to a Porsche making me a better driver; it can help but it's only one part of the equation.

I might suggest a T/C Encore in the centerfire caliber of your choice. It is an excellent rifle and rather than buying a large number of lesser firearms you can purchase additional barrels. The biggest advantages are a nice trigger (saves you from fixing 4 or 5 lousy ones), a consistent platform (same stock, controls, etc.) and excellent support including aftermarket barrels.

Of course I'd spend a good long time with that 10/22 before moving on to anything else.

 

[Cap'n Ahab]

Just to answer your question, I'm not about to run out and buy another rifle tomorrow and $1000 was just a maximum number I'd be willing to spend really on any sort of firearm at the moment. Mostly I'm just doing a bit of research so I know what to look at at the gun shop.

 

[Moxy]

I have a Marlin 881 (I believe that is the correct model) that I received for my birthday when I was 8-10 years old over 20 years ago. I still have it, It still shoots straight, and has no problems other than cosmetic ones that come with use by an 8 year old on up to 20+ years of use. I would buy another one today if it up and died on me. Additionally, because this is a tube fed rifle you can find tube speed loaders for the marlin tube load rifles that give you few more shots than magazine fed rifles.

- on a personal note, I originally had shot my brother's 10/22 when I was younger and used up ammo like crazy. So when it was rolling around to my birthday I asked for a rifle with a bolt action "so I'll have something to do between shots" or so the story goes when my father tells it. -

 

[juk]

The 452 "Trainer" is a great gun. The sights are very good. I, too, was worried the stock might be too weird to use, but it turned out great too. It actually feels very natural. Never had the chance to try the others mentioned, so can't comment on those. I own the 452 and seriously doubt I would ever need or want anything else for the same purpose. I will say that the stock 452 with the factory irons calibrated will be more accurate than a stock 10/22 with a scope at almost any range. The long barrel makes for a very quiet shooter too.

 

[heron]

As Benzy mentioned, Savage Mk II FVT. I have one of these, in single shot, and I like it a lot. Aperture sights are great, and the Accu-trigger is very nice. I got mine new for about $300. Mine has the heavy barrel, and it shoots the same whether cold or hot, clean or dirty.

Choose your ammo carefully. When I bought this rifle, I tried lots of different ammo, and my best results came from subsonic target loads, so I bought a case of CCI Green Tag. I tried .22 Shorts, but even the match-grade ones gave poor results. I also found that, in the high-velocity ammo, the faster they went, the farther off target they would go.

 

[Legionnaire]

I think highly of the CZ line (very popular over on rimfirecentral.com). I have a 452 American 16--don't believe they are still offered. My father-in-law has one of the European-stocked specimens, and notices no difficulty with his scope. He loves how accurate and quiet it is with shorts. Lots of good options out there, but my vote would be CZ.

 

[benzy2]

The CZ line is fun too. They certainly shoot well. The irons are some of the best notch and post style irons on any rifle, let alone rimfire. They are much more a field rifle than the FVT or Kimber 82g so it really comes down to what type of shooting you plan to do. If this is a field gun some of the heavy barreled options aren't as useful.