Help me replace my old nylon 66 22 rifle

[wheelgunslinger]

My very first weapon was a nylon 66 .22. It was brown, mag fed, and was just a super little gun.
I traded it away years ago to a guy who decided to move to the desert to wait for some religious holocaust to occur to the world. So, it's gone for good.
In today's market, the nylon commands a premium as there are a lot of collectors who like them.

But, in 20 years, surely there are models that are built better, function better, etc.

I've been doing some research lately, since SM and others have convinced me that a 22 would be worth having again.

I need it for possible hd use, woods use when packing or hiking/camping, general plinking, and punching paper. Like my old nylon, it needs to be mag fed- no tube loader, semi-auto, and it needs to not be 1000 bucks. I'm looking for something to use and use hard in all kinds of weather, so it needs to be reliable.

So what are my options?

 

[foghornl]

Ruger 10/22 with either a sackfull of the 10-round rotary magazines, or a sack-o-Butler Creek Steel Lips mags.

I have a couple of the plastic "Hot Lips" Butler Creeks. They work fine, but some folks have questioned the long-term reliability of the plastic Hot Lips. I have put about 500 rounds through both of my Hot Lips mags witn no problems.

The standard Ruger 10-round rotary mags for woods-n-field work, the BC's for use in HD situations.

I'll have to look, but IIRC, both Mossberg and Marlin offer a box-mag-fed .22 autoloader. Not sure of Remington's current offerings.

Yep...Mossberg offers the "702 Plinkster" and Marlin has the 795..the Marlin 795PSS is a 'takedown' model.

I had an "Apache Brown" Nylon 66 as a teen, and it was tube-mag fed...you took the tube out of the stock, dropped 14 rounds into the hole in the stock, and re-installed the tube. I sort of very vaguely remember the "Nylon 77" (???) that used a box-style detachable mag, but never owned one of those.

 

[Markbo]

Ruger 10/22. Why look at anything else? Best bang for the buck out there. You want super-uber? Get a Weatherby or a T/C for several times the cost of a good stainless 10/22.

If you are only a little bit handy, you can buy a used one and customize it yourself. You can have exactly the gun you want for less than $400.

Short and pretty:

Long and pretty:

Super lightweight:

While there is significant time investment in each one they are all easily sub 1/2" shooters at 50 yards. That cannot be said of any Nylon 66 that I am aware of.

 

[rangerruck]

the two best are also the cheapest, and made for field use. The marlin has several models, the 795, the 7000, 99, 989, 75,75c,the 70c papoose, etc. the 795 and the 7000 will be newer models, the other ones you will have to get at a gunshow , gunshop, or pawnshop, used. The other is a Savage 64. both of these models will be 150 bucks or less, and they are rugged, and they are accurate and reliable. the mags can be had almost anywhere if you want more, the savage mags are so thick and heavy steel, you can throw them , as a weapon.
Now peeps are going to come along and mention the ruger 10.22, but it is not, in my mind, a beginners rifle, it's wood is too nice for heavy field use, and likely it will not be accurate or reliable, without tweeking it. even with tweeks, it will still not be as accurate or reliable as the marlin or savage, this coming frrom a person who has a seriously tweeked 10.22!!!

 

[JonB]

Guess it depends on your price range. Mag fed, semi-auto limits you a little bit.
Savage makes a mag fed semi auto. No idea on accuracy though. My nephew has a Savage bolt 22 that is plenty accurate to pop gophers easily.

CZusa website shows a discontinued model (511) that would have fit the bill too.

Marlin makes mag fed semi's as well. I am guessing the Marlin 795 series is the same action as the Model 60 series, just mag fed. The Marlin mod 60 is generally very accurate out of the box (search THR for opinions on the 60).

And of course you have the 10/22 that a lot of people like. Fairly inexpensive to buy the base model, and hands-down winner of the after market modifications potential.

My money would go for the Marlin (I own a Mod 60 already). Unless you want to make it uber-cool like Markbo's examples

 

[doubleg]

http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/rimfireRifles.php

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Thanks for the good info, folks.

 

[Steve H]

There are some Nylon 66's on Gunbroker.com if you want to replace yours with another.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Yeah. I've been checking them out.
I'm going to keep my eyes peeled at gun shows for one. I'm not crazy about buying a used firearm off a website sale. I really need to handle one before I buy it. Though, the way gun shows are going, it's getting harder and harder to find a gun for sale at any of them.

All the same though, I'm going to buy a new 22 rifle to use as a woods gun and plinker so I can teach my little niece to shoot. Just don't know which one yet.
I fondled a scoped Rem 597 at Dick's today that was on sale, a 10/22, and another one... it's important to hold something and check it out before I buy.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Keep looking for a nylon 66. They are out there and the last one I saw was at my local gunshop and went for $150. These rifles are one of the most trouble free ever built. If you have a nylon 66 and it jams it's probably due to the ammo or it's just stinking nasty dirty. The only downside to the nylon is they do not lend themselves to a rigid scope mount and will shift point of impact. Their triggers are mushy too, but these guns work great and you're not gonna wear it out.

Good luck

 

[Jubjub]

Stainless/synthetic 10/22.

Here's my version. It's not exactly stock, but it's Mister Reliability.

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[30-06 lover]

Ruger 10/22. My favorite gun.

 

[Flatfender]

Marlin 795 is a little cheaper than a 10/22. $157 MSRP

 

[TCB in TN]

Ruger 10/22. Why look at anything else? Best bang for the buck out there. You want super-uber? Get a Weatherby or a T/C for several times the cost of a good stainless 10/22.

If you are only a little bit handy, you can buy a used one and customize it yourself. You can have exactly the gun you want for less than $400.

I love the 10/22 but straight out of the box the Marlin IS the better gun. If you just want plain jane gun, shoot and enjoy, buy the marlin. If you want a modular toy that you can literally do ANYTHING you want with them buy the Ruger.

After having shot literally dozens of both over the years, I am very comfortable saying that the only advantage for the Ruger straight out of the box is the abillity to accept mags with a greater than 7 capacity while the Marlin will function better and more accurately with a wider range of ammo. Again if you want to doctor them up then the Ruger is the better buy, other wise get the marlin.

 

[Squidward]

Uber cool

Jubjub,

Where did you get the mag holder on the stock??

 

[TAG2501]

Check out Thompson Center's 22's. They will be more pricey that the base Ruger or Marlin, but for that you end up with a nicer rifle. Better wood, more accuracy and nicer fit/finish. Not dissing either of the other mfgrs (I own then all), but the TC's are really nice.