Recommendations for a Classy .22 Sporter Wanted

[SwampWolf]

I'm in the market for a .22 sporter that is accurate, nice looking (in the "classic" sense- that is walnut and blued steel and no nasty roll-over monte carlo cheek pieces and some such), handy to carry, factory iron sights (harder and harder to come by and so I may have to forego them), sling swivel studs installed and priced not much over $800.00 or so and hopefully (much ) less. Ones I've been considering are the Anschutz 1416 DKL, the Sako Finnfire Hunter, the Ruger 77/22, the CZ 452 LUX, the Remington 504/547 "Custom", the Winchester 52 repos and (maybe, if affordable and most likely used for that reason), Kimber and Cooper variants. In other words, a classic squirrel hunting rig!

Any and all inputs much appreciated.

 

[TCB in TN]

I am a big fan of the Ruger 77/22, have had 2 and both were beautiful rifles that really shot well! IMHO you won't be disappointed.

 

[jame]

I know the CZ will be mentioned, but I'm another proud 77/22 owner since 1984.....

 

[woof]

How about the CZ 452 full stock? I like it because of the shorter 20.5 inch barrel.

 

[gvnwst]

CZ 452 or high end Savage MKII.

 

[SwampWolf]

I forgot to mention that as part of my squirrel gun "criteria", a decent trigger pull is required. In this regard, how do the CZ and Ruger stack up?

 

[woof]

The regular adjustable CZ trigger is good and there are aftermarket kits that improve it a lot. You could also consider the 453 which has the single set trigger but is about $100 more. All Savage Mark IIs now have the accutrigger.

 

[Gunther]

Swampwolf, I have a 77/22 and have shot a friends CZ. Neither is the gun that my Kimber Model 82 is. Trigger is fantastic, fit, finish, quality of wood,
blueing. If the top of the line ia what your looking for this is it. I have a Leupold 3x9 compact on mine and it was made for this gun. Oh yeah it shoots one hole groups too.

 

[ds92]

Henry .22 with octagon bbl. Check out some of the other threads in this forum.

 

[ken22250]

i dont know about the repros, but the winchester 52 is widley considered the best 22 rimfire rifle ever made, if you can get a origional, its well worth the price, if not i would get a repro, my grandfather has a vintage 1959 Winchester 52 he got new for about $150, there has been countless thousands of rounds fired through it, and ive seen heavy barreled .22 that wolnt shoot as well as the old winchester,i would definatley go for a 52.
ken

 

[az_imuth]

Don't forget the Winchester Model 75 Sporter. Should be near your price range and if you find a late model it will have a grooved receiver. Beautiful hand checkered walnut and deeeeep blued steel. As a bonus, the value on these will only contunue to climb.

 

[ThomasT]

Since it hasn't been mentioned I would suggest that you look at a Marlin 39. The prices have went crazy on them and I'm not sure I would buy one now. I purchased mine from a pawn shop about 15 years ago for $200+ tax.

The only reason I haven't bought a high grade 22 of some sort is because I'm not sure another gun will outshoot it. This is the most accurate 22 I have ever shot. I have no doubt that I could shoot the flame off a candle at 50 yards with it. Squirrels don't have a snowballs chance in... well you know.

 

[au2183]

Marlin 39A! Fits your description perfectly IMO.

 

[velocette]

The CZ 452 Full stock, Accurate, excellent iron sights, elegant and moderately priced.



Roger

 

[Horsemany]

Get on Gunbroker and check on Kimber of Oregon model 82's. IMO there has never been a better rimfire rifle ever produced. Possibly never a better production gun ever produced. They feel petite, shoot great, function flawlessly, and have excellent wood, hand-checkered with a hand rubbed oil finish. They are much nicer than the newer N.Y. Kimbers. The Neidner steel checkered buttplate with the widows peak is a thing of beauty. I've seen some excellent examples near flawless in that $750 to $1000 range.

 

[fireman 9731]

cant go wrong with a custom remmy.

 

[JohnBT]

How about a Remington 541-T if you can find one. The 5-round mags are in very, very short supply and they don't have sling swivels or open sights. I have a 541-S, but it might be a little gaudy for you, even they do shoot better. Here's a 541-T.



The Finnfire Hunters are accurate guns, but no open sights, or swivels, and not really too fancy. Accurate, but not fancy. Oh, and after Beretta bought Sako they started making them with a cheekpiece. My Stoeger import gun is very accurate, and no cheekpiece, right up there with the 541-S.

CZ are good guns, but don't buy one sight unseen - the quality of the wood and checkering varies wildly. The only one I have is a 452 American in .22 WMR. No open sights, no swivels.

I vote for a Winchester or Browning Model 52 Repro, but the ones I've seen have a cheekpiece. And they're getting expensive and hard to find.

www.gunsinternational.com/detail.cfm?id=100062284&string=cid=550

I don't know where you'd find a Cooper for $800, at least not one of the fancier grades. A plain old Classic with no cheek piece would be nice though, and they're great shooters. I have a Custom Classic w/cheekthingy. Good gosh, I just looked at the Cooper site. The Classic Model 57 lists for $1400 and the Custom Classic is up to, ack, $2395. I should have stocked up when they were cheaper.

You just have to keep looking and carry cash.

John

 

[JohnBT]

The old Kimber rimfires shoot good I think, but I've seen some used $600 guns that look like the stock was finished with mud. There just has to be a nice piece of walnut under there, doesn't there? Others are real nice. Go figure.

I always end up looking at the old Super Americas. Duh. Sold for $1376 last month. 1 of 200 with some nice features, but with matte/satin bluing.

www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=115567555#PIC

 

[bhk]

I have had a love/hate relationship with Kimber .22s for some time. I had an early 82 that had to be sent back due to extremely poor checkering. It was returned with fancy wood and perfect checkering. I stupidly sold it. My next Kimber was terrible. Stock stunk and the trigger pull weight varied dramatically from shot to shot. The rifle was sold. The one I own now is a Yonkers Kimber Classic and is really great. The wood is outstanding and the trigger is set to a consistantly crisp 2 pounds. I will keep this one.

Kimber quality (all generations) is somewhat insistant. Find a good one, and it is the best there is.

 

[publiuss]

sako, Kimber, CZ, take you pick of these 3 they're all great. I know this doesn't help much, but hey, Inarrowed it down. If you can find a Rem. 541T w/some mags jump on that.

 

[Horsemany]

http://http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=118070403

This is a good one.

 

[CajunBass]

I'm another fan of the Ruger 77/22. It's the best rifle I've ever fired. It's pretty easy on the eyes too.



I can't think of anything bad to say about the Marlin 39A either.



The others are good no doubt, but these two I got experience with.

 

[rangerruck]

check a nice classic stocked savage, or maybe the best right now, check out the Wetherby , it is a Anschutz clone, with annie parts.

 

[gunmaker2872]

you can always go custom

 

[22-rimfire]

Classy traditional 22 rifle, eh?

Savage Mark II Classic. Beautiful rifle. I've seen some with sort of a plastic looking finish (sort of like Browning) on the stocks. So do take a peak at the walnut stock before you buy. Mine's beautiful. Has no sights. About $450.

Remington 541-S or 541-T: Very nice accurate rifles which can be found used but in excellent condition. The 541-T is cheaper usually and often not as accurate as the 541-S. I prefer the -S but have both. No iron sights. Ranges from $400 to $650.

Remington 547: Beautiful rifle. Guaranteed one-half inch accuracy at 50 yds. Custom barrel. Pricey at $1000 to $1150. Love the rifle.

Weatherby Mark XXII: Beautiful rifle and comes with test target. They will generally shoot better than one-half inch at 50 yds. About $800.

CZ452 or 453: Nice solid rifles. Some of the walnut stocks aren't as nice as others. The stocks are hit or miss. Accurate rifles typically. I'm less a fan of the CZ's, but I own the 452 Varmint in 22LR. Heavy rifle. About $400 for the 452 and $500 for the 453.

Remington 504: Discontinued. Some are great shooters, and others are only so-so. Price varies but around $350-$400.

No experience with Ruger 77/22 or Sako Finfire. There are always the Anshutz, Coopers, and Kimbers around but pricey.

I feel the Weatherby is a good value for the money. The Savage Mark II Classic is very nice! The Remington 547 is expensive, but real nice. Cz's are okay. I'd go with the Weatherby or Savage Mark II Classic.