Looking for .22 Rifle

[cleardiddion]

Well, seeing as how ammo prices just keep riding a little rocket up higher and higher I've decided that it's probably a good idea to get back into the game of .22's.
The last real experience that I had with one, aside from putting a handful of rounds through a friend's rifle, was a used Remington Viper 522 which admitedly gave me the most awful time I could've imagined with a firearm (constant jamming, FTE, etc.).

I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of a Marlin 60 or a Ruger 10/22 but I'm open to any other rifles which I can use (bolt/semi I'm not picky) and get for a *hefty* sum of about $150 (definitely under 200).

Thanks in advance for the input!

 

[akolleth]

For the money you just can't beat a Marlin 60

Fantastic accuracy, great dependability (haven't had any issues with mine), 18 rounds loaded, and cheap as heck

I paid $50 OTD at a gun show about a year ago for mine. Even brand new, you are only talking about $120

There have been soo many made that you can regularly find them at pawn shops and gun shows for $75-100, then you can dump the rest of your cash into a couple thousand rounds of 22lr.

 

[coloradokevin]

I have a 10/22, and it is a great little gun. Lots of aftermarket stuff available for them too!

It has probably been 15 years since I shot a Marlin, but I remember having fun with those as a kid too!

 

[john917v]

I have heard good and bad about the 10/22, but mostly good, it's probably a Ford-Chevy type of thing. You probably can't go wrong with the Marlin 60, either. I have the Savage MK II, I love it, simple, light, and affordable-mine was $100 at Wal-Mart. They have an updated version for about $115. As far as I can tell, the only difference is the newer version has swivel studs mounted. It was accurate enough for me at the 100-Yd. range. Mine seems to like a wide array of cartridges. There are a TON of different types of .22LR bullets. For example, I recently bought a box of 60-Gr Sniper bullets from Aguila. At the close-quarters range, one Sniper was enough to knock down a steel torso silhouette, when no other .22 LR bullet would do it.

 

[Mark_from_Iowa]

I'll reserve comment on the Marlin 60, since I only have experience with the 10/22.

The basic 10/22 carbine, in my experience, is fine for general use (squirrels, cans, paper, etc). For anything beyond that, there are hundreds of products that can be used to upgrade. I have seen amazingly accurate 10/22s, beautiful 10/22s, indestructible 10/22s, and even machine-gun 10/22s. It is the Lego set of the .22LR world.

For more information than you could ever possibly use, hop over to RFC:
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/

 

[CajunBass]

Basically you can't go wrong with any 22 rifle that doesn't look like it's been used as a fence post for the last 25 years. Ruger, Marlin, Browning, Mossberg, Remington, Winchester, Sears, JC Higgins, CZ, and a half a hundred others I can't think of off the top of my head. Just pick one you like and have fun with it.

In the price range you mentioned , (< $200) I like the Ruger 10/22 and the Remington 597, but there are a lot of others out there just as good, maybe better. Think used and you can open up the field quite a bit.

 

[ArmedBear]

I sold my 10/22. My example was an unreliable, inaccurate POS that was frustrating to shoot, due to frequent failures to feed and/or eject.

Took the money and bought a Marlin 60. The Marlin shoots as well as the Ruger Target model, and FAR better than the standard, for less money than the standard.

That was my experience with sub-$200 .22 rifles. Others have had good experiences with the 10/22, but many people pour lots of money into aftermarket improvements. The Marlin is a fully-functional, accurate rifle right out of the box. Now there isn't a lot of aftermarket stuff for it; you can't turn it into a pseudo-AR-15 or MG-42, or build it into a $1000 match rifle. To do that, get a 10/22. But to shoot a rifle that works well, for the best price and with the least hassle, at least in my experience, it's hard to beat the Marlin.

If you look around, you can get a new Marlin 60 and a scope for the price of a 10/22 these days, and the Marlin's stock works much better with a scope than the standard 10/22. Ruger has been raising the price regularly, lately, and it's risen quite a bit.

That said, there are many .22's out there. I like lever guns, among other things. I'm assuming you want the most common rifle in the US, a .22 semiauto. If I'm assuming wrong, then I apologize for assuming.

 

[Afy]

CZ 452 with RWS, Lapua Match, Stingers (if you can work the ballistics out)or Eley Tenex will give 98% of shooters more than a run for their money out to 100 Meters.

 

[jgo296]

i have to say ruger 10/22
it is so much fun not to mention you can get an array of after market accessories
and i think its accurate enough for anything a 22 will be used for
but if you plan on shooting hummingbirds at 200yrds it might not be the gun for you

 

[Savage Shooter]

Get a Marlin 60 they are awsome most popular .22rifle ever over 11 million made over twice as many as ruger 10/22 they are famous for shooting any brand of ammo reliably and accuratly I should know i have one my go to gun for a little fun or hunting it is my coon rifle mostly because its light and offers accurate, quick, and reliable follow up shots in the event of a coon bailing from the tree.
BUY ONE YOU WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED!

 

[bannockburn]

I would have to say a Ruger 10/22 in a semi-auto and the CZ 452 in a bolt action. The CZ might be a little more money, but I think for what you get, it's money well spent.

 

[cleardiddion]

Well, since I'm not looking to do any mods or even placing optics on the thing I've decided on a Marlin 60.

What sort of pricing and things should I be looking for?

 

[Feanaro]

I've got a Marlin 981T I rather like. Bolt action with a tube magazine that will hold 17 rounds of .22LR, 19 rounds of .22R, or 25 .22shorts. Shooting .22 shorts is a barrel of laughs for me. With hearing protection, you have to wonder if you actually fired the shot sometimes.

Get one of those big "speedloader" tubes and you've got a high capacity, fast reloadin' dandy little rifle. Only problem I can think of it with is the general lack of accessories compared to a 10/22 and the scope ring grooves don't come back as far, due to the cutout for the bolt. I think doodads belong on ARs and don't use scopes, so it doesn't bother me.

 

[CB900F]

Cleardiddion;

I've got a Ruger 10/22, own a CZ452, bought a Savage MKII, and have 1.5 times "several" other .22's. In the price range you've stipulated, it would be hard to go wrong with the Savage MKII.

If you realize that they are built to a price point, all will be well. Which is to say that you can do minor work yourself & make major improvements on the platform. For example: You might find if you remove the action from the stock, that there's a lot of "hair" left over from a less-than-razor-sharp inlet cutter. Clean it out yourself & seal the inletting at the same time. An easy thing to do that will reward you down the road.

Strong advice: Buy lots of .22 ammo now, the price is going nuts & no end in sight.

900F

 

[Bartkowski]

I have a Glenfield Model 60, it is a fine little gun, especially for $25. I like my marlin 25n a little more, just because I don't go through as much ammo.

 

[glockman19]

I have had great success with my 10/22. It shoots groups of 10 in the size of a dime at 100 yards with CCI 40 grain minimag high velocity. I just got a Mark III hunter, and am looking to add a bolt action and leveraction .22 too.

I have decided on the Marlin 981t Bolt-action under $200, and the 39A lever-action around $550 in my neck of the woods. Only thing left would be a .22 revolver.

Oh yes the nice part of the 981t Bolt-action? it shoots .22 short/long/LR with a capacity of 17 LR.

 

[Avenger29]

Ruger 10/22.
Set of Techsights iron sights.
Butler Creek speedloader.
Butler Creek steel lips or even better, Tactical Inovations polymer or aluminum mags.

That's the recipe for fun. Just add .22LR. Try a bunch of different brands of ammo (Walmart has 3-4 types of bulk packs, in addition to 100 ct boxes of Mini Mags, Remington Target ammo, and other assorted types of ammunition) for best accuracy and reliability.

Have fun.

You can't go wrong with the Savage MkII, one of the Marlin bolt actions, the Marlin 39 lever, or the CZ series of .22 rifles. The irons on some of the CZ rifles (like the CZ 452 Lux) are excellent, too.

 

[rangerruck]

the ruger 10.22 is not a beginners' rifle, in no way. any rifle bolt or semi , from savage or Marlin will be under 200 bucks. used at a gunshop or pawnshop, will be more like 100. They will be more; accurate, reliable, durable, easy to understand and take apart, than the ruger. And yes, i have a ruger 10.22.
AS far as the marlin 981 goes, it is fabulous for a boltie, they have been made tube fed or mag fed, for 70 years now, and they are all fabulous. And yes, they will shoot short, long, and lr's, It will
hold 25 shorts at one time in the tube. Outstanding!!!!

 

[TimboKhan]

the ruger 10.22 is not a beginners' rifle, in no way.

Why not? It certainly isn't an experts rifle. Besides all that, they can be found used for as little as $100.00, but certainly under $200.00. I have one in my closet that cost just that, purchased last year.

Here is the thing, I am a dedicated fan of the 10/22, but I also just like shooting .22 so I kind of like everything. Between a Marlin 60 and a 10/22, you really can't go wrong, and it honestly just boils down to what you like better. The 10/22 has but one clear advantage, and that is the large amount of aftermarket upgrades that you can purchase, should you opt to go the customization route. Technically, the rotary magazine is probably superior to the tube on the 60, but realistically, your not likely to have trouble with either.

Edit to add: I still am having a hard time figuring out why a 10/22 isn't a beginners rifle, but I want to clarify that I think it is a fine rifle for any skill level from first-time shooter to experienced one.

 

[akolleth]

Well, since I'm not looking to do any mods or even placing optics on the thing I've decided on a Marlin 60.

What sort of pricing and things should I be looking for?

They only run about $120 for a new one. Used, you can find them for as cheap as $50, but more likely in the $70-100 range.

Check your local pawnshops, and gunstores, with 11 million made they pop up very frequently at places like that.

One big difference between older models and current models is the tubular magazine capacity, currently it is at 14 rounds, older models have 18 round capacity.

 

[Avenger29]

I think the 10/22 is easy to disassemble and reassemble, plus any parts can be changed with very basic tools (allen wrench, plus a couple of screwdrivers).

 

[bowl443]

http://www.galleryofguns.com/gungal...+Caliber+=+'22LR')+ORDER+by+manuf,+unk2,+unk3

 

[cleardiddion]

Well, I've gone ahead and struck a deal with an older gentleman at a shop I frequent (Florida gun exchange).

He has an older M-60 glenfield without the push tab safety and I believe the 18 round capacity. It's about 20 years old and I have a feeling that it'll be in pretty good shape, but I won't know until tomorrow. Since he's getting a new .22 himself he's willing to part with this one for $75, which I think is pretty fair.