Looking for a .22 thats accurate and reliable without mods

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streetstang67

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I want a .22 that is accurate and reliable for plinking and target benchrest shooting. I don't want to spend a whole lot, under $200 would be ideal. And it must have a detachable magazine, not tube fed.

I know many people will suggest a ruger 10/22, and that may be the best choice, but how accurate is the factory barrel?

Almost forgot, must be semi-auto.
 
there are several reliable .22's for your price, but not really accurate ones for benchrest. Marlin has a nice one, and the longer barrelled Ruger without the barrel band.
 
I was just about to post a similar thread.
My situation is that I want a fun semi-auto .22lr that isn't for hunting anything, but just for some fun can-assassination.
Fun is the most important part of this purchase for me, so I have (I think) narrowed it down to a ruger 10/22 with a bull barrell and a hi-cap mag, or converting it using the krinker-plinker kit, or a Walther G22.

As of now, I'm thinking I'll get the G22, because I really like the bullpup design. Does anyone know anything about this rifle yet?

First post BTW. :D

And sorry if I'm asking a question diverting the topic away from yours. I just think that our questions are similar enough to be in the same thread.
 
Ruger 10/22 barrel is about 3-4moa. It can go down to 2moa at best if you get lucky, find a load it likes (match grade ammo), and conditions are good.

Talking about 10/22 factory barrel accuracy is a sensitive subject, because a lot of times when you report the real accuracy of these barrels, someone gets offended or feels the need to report the 1moa group they shot. Either they shot a 3-shot group which is useless, or it was the miracle group of the day - while the other 15 groups were 3", or they don't know how to measure. This happens with all categories of rifles though.

When I had my factory barrel, I did shoot some 1-hole groups. That's true. But it wasn't the norm by far. Of the dozens I've seen, I have yet to see one produce exceptional accuracy consistently.

The Ruger is pretty reliable. It is hailed as the most reliable autoloading .22LR. Mine was not. It was pretty rough from the factory and wasn't smoothing out. I buffed the inside of the reciever and various contact points and the action became smoother than butter. No problems since then.

The Ruger is an "accurate enough" rifle for small game, and for plinking/blasting at the range.

The best .22LR that exists today for the money is CZ. This is not opinion, this is fact. Best quality wood, actual steel receiver. Well machined. Well built. Made like rifles were once made in the U.S. 50 years ago. They are tack-driver accurate and solid with good triggers out of the box.
 
I would recommend that you check out the CZ 452. It is a bolt action .22 caliber rifle, with a five round detachable magazine. Mine is a real nail driver, and has functioned perfectly with all kinds of ammo. You can find them priced at anywhere from $250-$400. It is the perfect .22 for benchrest shooting.


Edit: Sorry, I just realized that you were asking about a semi. In that case, I would recomend a Marlin 60. I have found them to be more accurate out of the box than the Ruger 10/22.
 
Semi-auto, benchrest, and $200 in the same sentence show some SERIOUSLY unrealistic expectations.

A Ruger 10/22, while it lacks basic features like an automatic bolt release, is probably your best bet if you MUST have a detachable mag, good reliability, some semblance of accuracy, and semiauto, for that price range. I'd get a Marlin 60 -- and I have a 10/22 -- but either way you'll have a fun toy. Nothing more. $200 is a tight budget, if you really expect the world.

Benchrest target shooting, in any serious way, requires a VERY accurate rifle. Semiauto rifles generally offer the lowest accuracy per dollar of any type of gun. BR target shooting is generally done with enormous scopes and tiny targets, at least in any kind of rimfire competition.
 
The best .22LR that exists today for the money is CZ. This is not opinion, this is fact. Best quality wood, actual steel receiver. Well machined. Well built. Made like rifles were once made in the U.S. 50 years ago. They are tack-driver accurate and solid with good triggers out of the box.
Click to expand...

They're not accurate enough for benchrest target shooting, if that's really what he means.
 
There is a fair amount of sporter benchrest shooting being done. Groups are not as small as with dedicated (expensive) target rifles, but good shooting is being done and you can have a good time and learn a lot for not a whole lot of money. CZ is the way to go for that.
 
Not without a good scope. $600 would be a realistic minimum, I think, for sporter benchrest. That's a lot cheaper than the real deal, but it's still not $200.:)
 
Well, in the original post, it sounds like you just described an older Remington 511. They can be easily found in decent shape for about $150 and are far higher quality than you will find with todays rifles.
 
I have a Ithaca X15 from the early 60's that will shoot honest-to-god! sub 2 inch ten shot groups at 100 yards all day long if I feed it Winchester copper plated hi/vel solids, but it's not as good with other ammo. Not what you call bench rest accuracy, but darn good for a semi-auto 22 with a long skinny barrel and a slightly creepy trigger. Wish the new Ithaca company would start produceing that one again, this time with a flush fitting magazine instead of the ten round that sticks out and screws-up the carry point and a real metal trigger guard instead of nylon.
 
Why does anyone even have to pick apart "benchrest" on this thread. If the guy actually ment a benchrest competition he would more than likely already know that those guns are not $200. He probably ment benchrest as in the sandbags at the local range for punching paper. Its like the internet has got rid of all common sense. :banghead:

The guy wants a $200 rifle that is acurate for a $200 rifle.
 
The guy wants a $200 rifle that is acurate for a $200 rifle.
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When I got into shooting a .22, I had no idea about what kind of accuracy I could expect for $200. As far as I knew, a decent rifle shoots the bullet straight at the target. Hell, I took a semiauto to a benchrest competition; I had no IDEA what it really took to shoot accurately.

I wasn't trying to pick that apart. Even if you're shooting off bags, you'll see the limitations of a rimfire rifle.

It's a "what do you REALLY want?" question.
 
Inexpensive .22lr that is reliable and accurate?

Plain Jane Marlin925 bolt action with a 7 round magazine.

Mine has shot under quarter size 7 shot groups @ 50 yards with WolfMT ammo. This has also been done with bulk boxed Federal510, though not as consistantly. The WolfMT has also managed dime size a few times.

This past weekend the wife and myself went out. With this rifle she pushed a golf ball from 40 yards out to about 98 in under 6 shots. Lost it in the grass @ 98.

We both have rung an 11" diameter gong with it @ 200 yards.

This is both bragging and truth. Damn good rifle. I've got a 100 dollar Simmons scope on it too. The rifle was bought new for $160 out the door from a local gunshop.
 
Any rifle I buy, I want it to be as accurate as I can afford. I know there will be compromises...but I want a good all around 22 that is accurate, reliable and somewhere around $200, no more than $250-275, the less the better. It has to be semi-auto, ammo is cheap so I will be shooting a lot. Also has to have a detachable magazine, I dont like leaning over the muzzle to load a tube fed rifle.
 
OK, well if you insist on a semi auto, you could look to Marlin again. Marlin60 can be had for around 100 bucks and is very accurate. I have 2 different friends who each have one of these, one scoped, one not. Both accurate, though I like mine better. :D It is tube magazine, but you don't lean over the muzzle to load it. It loads on the side of the tube.

If you want "expert" opinions on the 22lr and similar, also look here -

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/
 
U.S.SFC_RET-

Remington 597 gets pretty close, I swear. I bought one from Dicks sporting goods for 157.00 out the door with a scope and at 100 yards 2 MOA easy.
Click to expand...

I got a 597 and love it. i havent had the time to really test the accuracy of it, but so far it hits what i point it at. very reliable too
 
Marlin

For a 200 dollar rifle, I went with a Marlin 60s. I didn't like the clip sticking out of the bottom on a 10/22 and figured the tube magazine is easier to load. Anyway, slapped a decent scope on it and it is the bane of many many gophers.
 
Marlin 60.

From my experience (1 Marlin 60 and have had 3 different 10/22s), it easily out shoots the Ruger 10/22 out of the box. Nice little rifle with more accuracy than you should expect at that price point (around $115 at Wally World).
 
in ruger 10/22's defense

since ruger 10/22's are aftermarketed to death, why would ruger put in good parts to begin with? ever notice that the only parts on a 10/22 that are junk are the commonly replaced ones? barrel, trigger, extractor, ect. why spend money making decent parts when users are just discarding them anyway.

rugers need a few aftermarket parts but not that many.
 
The Savage 64FVXP Package has a 10 round detachable mag and a 4X32 Scope. It lists for $193. Unfortunately that model doesn't come with the AccuTrigger. Even without the AccuTrigger it's a very good rifle but the AccuTrigger would be a better shooter. http://www.savagearms.com/64fvxp.htm

We own 2 Savage .22's and both are great. (Model 64F semi-auto and a Mark II-G bolt action) I added a 4-9X20 scope to both and that was all I had to do. I think a 32mm lens might have been better but the 20mm lens does a fairly good job.
 
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