need suggestions for accurate .22LR Rifle

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CB900F said:
Socalbeachbum;

What is your intended use for the gun? Roughly, what is your budget?

900F
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Yeah, that would be my question, what do you plan to spend for a quality 22 LR?

I have several old Remington and Marlin 22 rifles which run in the $200 to $300 range. They are fun and a pleasure to shoot. I also have a really sweet Savage Anschutz Match 64 sitting here which cost a few bucks more than the former Remington and Marlin 22 rifles. It is really fun to shoot. :)

I see your questions were all well addressed so nothing I can add there. I like the new CZ rifles as to an out of the box accurate 22 bolt gun. I also like some of the fine older 22 bolt guns. This will all come down to what you want to spend.

Ron
 
My budget is not rigid, maybe $150-200 for a scope, $250-550 for a .22LR rifle. My use is strictly fun, plinking, but long range plinking out in the desert.
 
If you can find a nice, reasonably priced Kimber 82 Govt, they are very nice, accurate shooters, albeit very heavy. Mine has proven to be superbly accurate despite the shooter, and it has a very nice trigger.
 
the CZ has fewer issues out of the box
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LOL My CZ had more issues than my Savage did actually. The Savage was inconsistent but most people would have been happy with it. The CZ had problems like the bolt not working. It was just a matter of breaking off the nubs though. It works fine now. But other things were wrong with it too. For one thing the wood is softer than it should be even though it looks very nice. And sometimes the set trigger didn't work just right at first but again it works fine now.

But from the budget listed by the OP a CZ would be the best choice IMO. Pair it with a Nikon scope and it will be a solid combination for a very long time.
 
Fella's;

With those numbers in mind I'd suggest the CZ455 American paired with the Nikon 3-9 target EFR. Talley rings, a good sling, and a couple of extra magazines & there's the budget just about on the nose.

900F
 
socalbeachbum said:
My budget is not rigid, maybe $150-200 for a scope, $250-550 for a .22LR rifle. My use is strictly fun, plinking, but long range plinking out in the desert.
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With that in consideration as to new I would be thinking a CZ. If you want to do some serious looking and patience you can also find a very good used rifle. As to new? The CZ would be my choice.

Ron
 
I would look for a CZ 452 varmint I would settle for a 455, but keep an eye out used would not be an issue for myself and you may save a little money (or the famed 453, but you will prob pay more). On scope I would look for a used Weaver 36x, this combo will be a perfect way to get into shooting target and neither gun nor scope will hold you back for a long time. The only thing I might add is get a extra set of rings and a lower power scope I have used Bushnell whitetail classic, a couple other bushnell scope just google them before purchasing you can find cheap in the 4-16, and 6-24 power you will need a adjustable objective for sure this will allow you to have a large field of view if you want to plink. I have a Sightron 4-16x40 fine hair with center dot I use more than any scope I test new guns for accuracy, slap it on the CZ for plinking/target, also on 223 for target. The one thing I have against the 36x scope is it doesn't have the fun factor for me when plinking, but targets and long range it's the best.
 
If you are not hunting and do not mind a heavier gun, the Kimber was a good idea but they are getting spendy as are Winchester 52's. For just Taget shooting I have a Remington 540XR. It is a single shot, pretty heavy and made for competition. I have one that is very accurate. But with some really good Ammo one of my CZ's isn't too far behind.
 
I had a Mossberg 144 target rifle and it was heavy but shot extremely accurately.
 
Finding a Weaver 36X for $200 may not be quite that easy. That's less than half the new price and most people hang onto a good scope even if they sell the rifle they had it on. Besides a 36X is really only good for target shooting. I know the OP mentioned benchrest shooting but he never actually said that was what he wanted to do. He just asked about whether a heavy barrel made a difference when shooting from a bench. If that is what he wants to do the Weaver is certainly an excellent choice but I don't think I'd look for a used model. My guess is that you might run into problems with a used model. If it was still good it probably wouldn't be sold. I have 2 of them myself and one I have on my CZ right now because I was using it to shoot tiny groups for a while. I'm eventually going to move it to my Savage because the Savage shoots slightly better and the CZ is a much better rifle for hunting so it should have a scope geared for that. I only put the Weaver on it to see what results I could get. I have a Nikon 3-9 on the Savage and it should be on the CZ. I just haven't wanted to shoot up enough ammo to zero both after I move them. I have plenty of rifles to pick from for hunting so I'm not worried about needing the CZ for that.

I would caution against getting a Savage with a thumbhole stock if hunting is something the OP might want to do at some point. They can be very limiting when trying to shoot up in a tree. They just aren't made for that. They're great for target shooting though. I'd just get a regular Monte Carlo for hunting.
 
Fella's;

If you search back a bit, you'll find where the OP stated that what he wanted was a long range desert gun. Carry in the hot sun & plink of varmints at around 100 I'm guessing.

900F
 
I bought a new one for $409 last summer...I figure I left about 50 bucks laying on the table by not buying and flipping the used one.
 
I bought a new one for $409 last summer...I figure I left about 50 bucks laying on the table by not buying and flipping the used one.
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Yeah that sounds about right. I got a new one for Christmas year before last. It was about $420 I think. I showed my kids what to get me so I'm not exactly sure that's what they paid.

The OP said he wanted to spend about $200 on a scope. That's about half a new Weaver it seems. Great scopes for target shooting. For hunting a Nikon will do just fine. I have a couple of those and they are rock solid. Hold zero forever. Great light gathering ability and clear enough for hunting with a .22. The ProStaff has gone up to about $175 last I checked. I paid about $150 for mine but I've had them quite a while. I have other scopes but those two brands are the best I've seen in the lower price ranges. I generally like to spend about hlaf to 3/4 the price of a rifle for a scope. I have a Marlin 60SS with one of those Nikons on it. It was only about $25 more than I paid for the scope. But the going rate for them was actually $275. I just got a good deal. I have the other Nikon on my Savage MkII. I actually like iron sights for a lot of my rifles so I don't put scopes on them all the time. I have several without scopes even though I have scopes in boxes everywhere I look it seems. Some are cheap stuff I got with rifles and some are fairly decent. But they aren't Weaver quality or Nikon either for that matter.
 
Of course... I'll recommend what I have :) bought it in 2003 and have enjoyed it for years shooting it with the kids

A Marlin 980S with stainless barrel... Accurate she is. I shoot it with and without a scope. Price is right too

Here's the specs and a pic

Capacity 7-shot nickel-plated clip magazine
Action Bolt action; thumb safety; red cocking indicator.
Stock Black fiberglass-filled synthetic with full pistol grip; nickel-plated swivel studs and molded-in checkering.
Barrel 22" with Micro-Groove® rifling (16 grooves).
Twist Rate 1:16" r.h.
Sights Adjustable semi-buckhorn folding rear, ramp front sight with high visibility, orange front sight post; cutaway Wide-Scan™ hood. Receiver grooved for scope mount; drilled and tapped for scope bases.*
Overall Length 41"
Weight 6 lbs.


5e06fe6a5497a874d138e3e9b23d232f_zpsedmbynvp.gif
 
A Marlin 980S with stainless barrel
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The XT is a better choice for a Marlin. It has the ProFire trigger on it. It comes in a variety of configurations including stainless with a box mag and a synthetic stock.
That would be the XT-22SR or you can get one with a tube mag. That would be the XT-22TSR. The tube mag versions will shoot shorts, longs and LR's. It holds 25 shorts. I have an XT-22TR which is the blued version with the tube mag and synthetic stock. It's a very nice rifle. It's accurate and solidly built. It just isn't as accurate as my Savage or my CZ. But for a really good hunting rifle at a really good price it's hard to beat. The XT-22TR cost me $180. The stainless version is right at $250 with the box mag version being about the same price.

Actually I don't think they even build the 980 any more. I looked around on the net and no one had any left. The XT series replaced it. IMO they are considerably better rifles anyway. The trigger alone is a big improvement.
 
With all the comments, I wonder if BeachBum is considering anything. He/she did not answer if using for BR or off hand target or general, or all purpose use or small game. I guess everyone replied to specific disciplines the use of a .22LR. For accuracy, ammo testing is pretty important. What is this person serious about in the application???
 
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I have 2 older savage Springfield 234 .22lr rifles that shoot absolutely where the crosshairs are on the target... you can pick them up for about $100 and out shoot most other .22lr lr
 
I'm going to go look at the CZ's. I've got a local shop that stocks them. I have a CZ 527 M1 American in .223 and it's very well built, and the single set trigger is incredible.

I have seen at gun shows older .22LR target rifles, Remington and Winchester that are interesting but they often want an arm and leg for them. Still, I'm gonna have a look at these at the next gun show.

My Savage 93 .22 mag in SS with synthetic stock and accu-trigger does very well for me, but is finicky as to ammo choice vs accuracy. Still, my 93 is more accurate than I am. So I may end up with a Savage bolt, the Mk II FV-SR is interesting.

The info here and suggestions are much appreciated, if maybe a bit overwhelming. Lots of food for thought here.
 
A lot of people have really good luck with Savage rimfire rifles including me. They all shoot pretty well. The ones with the varmint barrel shoot a little better from all I've heard over the years. I don't think you can go wrong myself. Some are more consistent than others but there are fixes for that. You might well end up with a rifle that shoots incredible groups like the ones I posted before. When you can put 4 shots in a single hole from 50 yards it's more than just luck. I just wish I would have had one more round to make a good 5 shot group that day. I had to go in the house and get some ammo that wasn't the same brand I was shooting and of course my Savage is finicky about changing ammo. It takes about 25 rounds before it settles in to a different type of ammo. So my group of 5 was only .3" or so. Still my first 4 shots measured .07". That's as good as any rifle gets right there. Of course I can't do that every time but I can shoot a lot of really good groups with that rifle. It can't all be luck.
 
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