If You Could Own Only Three .22 Rimfire Rifles - What Would You Choose?

[MacAR]

I look at 22's as both plinkers and meat getters. So, without further rambling, here are my three picks, and one honorable mention:

1. Henry Golden Boy 22lr. Just because I like it, and it shoots really good, really fast, and won't jam.

2. Remington 572 Fieldmaster 22lr, with old Bushnell 3x9x32 fine wire crosshair scope. Its a highly accurate rifle, and has claimed many varmints since coming into my collection.

3. Ruger 5.5" Single-Six. Gotta have a matched side-arm for the Henry, and its just a fun little gun to shoot. I aim to keep it for many years to come.

Honorable Mention: Henry 22WMR carbine. Its loud, and the ammo is more expensive, but expense be d@mned. That little carbine has rode with me everyday for 4 or 5 years, and has never, not once, failed to put down what its pointed at. And that means a lot.

Mac

 

[deadin]

Browning SAR22
Winchester Model 74
Stevens Favorite

I already own these so I don't need any to fill out the list.....

(I also have 16 .22 rimfire handguns, so I really don't need anymore..)

 

[Garandimal]

- Ruger 10/22 Woody (w/ TechSights aperture sight)
- Ruger RAR compact (w/ TechSights aperture sight)
And, possibly...
- Ruger RAR Std. (w/ scope, for dedicated squirrel hunting)




GR

 

[P5 Guy]

Three Ruger 10/22s configured for different purposes

 

[BigBlue 94]

I own them all already...

#1 is an early 50s stevens 22-410 with tennite furniture. Shoots minute-of-squirrel-eye. And the 410 will take down a bird or deer if i use a slug. Its probably my favorite that i own.

#2 is a 10/22 for fun stuff and plinking.

#3 Marlin Papoose for backpacking purposes.

I do like the ruger 96/22 but have only actually shot a 96/17.

 

[BigBlue 94]

Browning SAR22
Winchester Model 74
Stevens Favorite

I already own these so I don't need any to fill out the list.....

(I also have 16 .22 rimfire handguns, so I really don't need anymore..)

Ive got one of the remake savage 'stevens favorite' in 22mag. That is a sweet little rifle.

 

[Hangingrock]

Marlin 37A
Winchester 9422 Legacy
CZ 452-2E

 

[Picher]

Marlin Mountie
Browning SA
Dad's Remington Fieldmaster for nostalgia

I had a Mountie back in the early 1960s and it was a fabulous rifle. I don't know why I got rid of it.

 

[DerMerchant]

So, like it says, if you had to choose only three .22 rim-fire Rifles to own, what would they be and why?
I shoot for fun so I'm not worried about scopes and such. Minute of tin can accuracy is fine with me.

View attachment 937084
Ruger 10-22 Rifle
- Classic rifle, made for around 55 years.
- M1 carbine looks, fun to shoot, excellent open sights, a very good trigger pull, and reliable.
- 10 round rotary magazines that I really like.
- A traditional birch stock which has a very nice finish.
- Accepts Skinner sights, will enhance M1 carbine appearance and accuracy.
- Everyone should own a 10-22.


View attachment 937085
Browning BL-22 Grade II
- Another classic rifle, around forever.
- Western lever action, beautiful, fun to shoot, with a high capacity tube magazine.
- Excellent open sights, very good trigger pull, very reliable, very high quality.
- Grade II walnut with fine line checkering and shiny poly finish.
- Engraved receiver (why not).
- Always wanted one, so I finally bought one (not getting any younger).


Rifle #3 - ??

Don't even own 3 22 lr rifles, but my choices would be

Remington 550a1 because I like the ability to take .22 short and 22 lr

Takedown 10/22 for camping and such

A .22 bolt action with an adjustable length of pull for kids and new shooters

 

[CopperFouling]

I don't have three, but I do have a CZ 452 (two of them, actually). I would like to add a Browning SA-22 as well, some day.

 

[Mosin77]

1. Marlin 39A -lever action. Accurate too. You could do everything you wanted to do with a .22 with this rifle.

2. Winchester 1890/1906/62 (take your pick, all the same action and great fun) -pump.

3. The first 22 I ever shot was a bolt action in Boy Scouts, so the first one I ever bought with my own money was a CZ bolt action. Very high quality gun with a nice action. But, a bolt is inherently not as fun as a more physically engaging type, and any 22 will adequately kill rabbits and tin cans. So I’d say the CZ is a nice compromise in terms of accuracy and affordability. There are more accurate 22s but most of us probably won’t be able to outshoot their CZ, at least with iron sights.

 

[MarshallDodge]

10/22 in some flavor

CZ 455

Vudoo

 

[Old Stumpy]

For my #3 rifle I think that I would want a pump action.
The Henry doesn't do it for me, and I would want something new yet traditional.
Bolt actions are very accurate, but since I am an impractical romantic nostalgic contrarian plinker at heart, not really what I want.

 

[earplug]

I'm stuck with the current three Ruger 10/22 with a military set of iron sights and a rail if I want to slap a scope on it.
Browning SA-22 with Marble bullseye sights.
CZ 455 receiver, aftermarket trigger, stock and barrel, Athlon FFP scope with mil dots.

 

[Rembrandt]

Have two of the three, Winchester 52 Sporter and a Custom built 10/22 from Tom Volquartsen. Would like to find a 40X Sporter.

 

[BreechFace]

1. Winchester 9422
2. Kimber 82 of Oregon
3. Volquartsen Summit Rifle

 

[entropy]

I only own two, and I wish I didn't own one of them. I have a Western Field 497A (Mossberg 42) and a Marlin 60. Guess which one I don't want.
My three dream .22's
1.) A tricked out Ruger or Voquaqrtsen 10/22.
2.) A Win. 52D with aperture & globe irons, and a Unertl 10x. (Co-witnessed, of course! )
3. A CZ 457 or an Anschutz 1710 HB.

 

[Howland937]

Since I've mostly only used the .410 barrel on my 30's era Savage 24, I won't count it as a .22

So, 2 rifles I already own and if I never bought another .22, I wouldn't mind.
#1 Thompson Center .22 Classic. First one I ever saw when they first came out, and I bought it. They were $279 when a 10/22 was $139 anywhere you went.
#2 Another Thompson Center .22 Classic. Traded a "stainless" 10/22 action that had some trigger work done even up for the rifle. It'll be my son's when he's ready for it.
#3 My dad has one of the 2 nicest Winchester model 74's I've ever seen, made in 1937(IIRC) I had the other one (1938 IIRC) Got it because of how much he loves his. Couldn't shoot with the peep sight and didn't have the heart to have it drilled and tapped for a scope so I traded it off. Wish I had it back.

 

[Spats McGee]

Since this is Rifle Country, I'll stick with rifles.
1. My 10/22, Standard Issue Carbine. She's been with me for about 40 years and I'm not leaving her behind now. I must admit that I have been thinking about tricking her out a little more lately, though.
2. Ruger American Rimfire. I got one of these a couple of years ago for a suppressor host. I didn't own a bolt .22, and since the RAR uses 10/22 mags, that made sense. I've picked up a few 10/22 mags over the years. That said, if I had it to do over, I might get a RAR with a bull barrel.
3. This is the tough one for me. Probably a lever gun, so that I'd have 'one of each' in semi, bolt and lever. I like the looks of the Henry Classic Lever Action, but must admit that the Pump Action Octagon looks fun, too.

 

[Offfhand]

Not necessarily my three favorite .22's, but here's three pretty good ones: Rem 40-X Sporter, Win 52 and Springfield M22..

 

[dranrab]

It's depressing thinking about just 3 rimfires. My Ruger 10/22 bull barrel would remain. Although it would be a difficult choice over my Mossberg lever gun. I'd keep one of my HM2s. Probably My Ruger American even though it's less accurate than my Marlin. And I'd hang on to my Ruger 77/22 magnum. I have a 327 Federal Ruger SP101. I can load it down to 32 long levels. That effectively negates the need to hang onto a pistol.

 

[George Dickel]

Not necessarily my three favorite .22's, but here's three pretty good ones: Rem 40-X Sporter, Win 52 and Springfield M22.. View attachment 937458

That's a nice collection of some classics.

 

[rust collector]

Rem M37, CZ 452 FS and Browning T-bolt (Miroku). These are easier on the ammo supply than those newfangled semi-autos and pumps

 

[Meeks36]

I would get three marlin model 60s. One from the first year of manufacturing. Second halfway through to this year. So of they have been made 20 years I would get one 10 years old. And finally a new model. And compare the three.

 

[chicharrones]

View attachment 937258

CZ452 - Barrels in: .22 WMR and .17HMR;


I tend to shoot the 452 with the .17 HMR barrel more often than the other rimfires these days.

https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344852