Semi-auto 22lr

[dak0ta]

Hi,

I was wondering what you all recommend for one. I'm looking at the Ruger 10/22, Marlin 60, Marlin 795, and Savage 64.

I'm not looking to customize the rifle, just leave plane jane with iron sights. I'm leaning towards Marlin due to it's simplicity, bolt-catch after the last shot, microgroove rifling, and good build.

I don't know much about the Savage 64.

Ruger 10/22 I know is popular, but besides customization, I don't know what really makes it better than the Marlins.

 

[bigfatdave]

Stock irons on a 10/22 aren't exactly great, but there's lots of options to upgrade them, I'm really liking the tech-sights I put on mine.

None of your other options appear to have substantially better stock iron sights, but I'm not that familiar with them, they might be better than the 10/22's.

The Marlin model 60 appears to be tube-fed, which has advantages (no need to remember mags or worry about feed lips) and disadvantages (slow reloads make for a chore at the range)
I've heard good things about the Marlin 795 as a LTR base, tech-sights are available for it also. If someone's making a LTR out of it, it can hold good tight groups at rimfire ranges just fine.

 

[Kwanger]

Don't really know about any of the above, but I do love my Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22. Very accurate with stock irons and reliable. Bolt hold open on last round; break down and cleaning is the easiest there is. 25 round mags that look good.

Was going to get a 10/22, but changed my mind last minute - very glad I did.

 

[DasFriek]

Id go Marlin 60.
Ive heard not so good things about the 10/22 right out of the box.
I have a 15/22 also which i have a love/hate relationship with, But its not a gun i would suggest to the OP. Its made for people who want to customize and don't mind the $450 average price tag.

 

[bfoosh006]

I'd get the 10/22, I understand you don't really want to customize it...but
with a good barrel you will be way over impressed. My Rimfire Technologies barreled 10/22 shoots Fed. 510s ( the cheap stuff) shockingly well, as well as .22 ammo costing 2-3 times as much. In other words I am in love. There is nothing as satisfying as a accurate rifle.... except for a accurate .22 ( cheap shooting)

Poke around this forum before you decide...http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/index.php

 

[22-rimfire]

I would get the Marlin Model 60. I prefer the under barrel tubular magazine for a general purpose 22 rifle. It should shoot better than an out of the box Ruger 10/22, but there are always exceptions. I believe there are some special editions available through the Gallery of Guns (Davidson's) which include a walnut stock last time I checked. I do prefer a walnut stock. Cost more these days however.

The Marlin 795 is essentially the same gun but with a detachable box magazine. There is a rebate program going on with the 795 from Marlin.

I really don't know much about the Savage M64. I have a Savage Mark II Classic that I really do like.

I have a Ruger 10/22. I like it for plinking but really never cared for the rotary magazine that they come with. If I were buying a Ruger 10/22 today, I would look for a used one with the walnut stock since you don't plan on customizing it. Most usually replace the stock during the process. I have used my Ruger for small game hunting and it makes a very fast pointing little rifle. I have a 4x scope on mine which is what I recommend for a general purpose 22 rifle. But many mount higher powered scopes.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Model 60. There's a reason it's still the all-time best selling .22 autoloader, even though there are others at the same price point.

The Marlin model 60 appears to be tube-fed, which has advantages (no need to remember mags or worry about feed lips) and disadvantages (slow reloads make for a chore at the range)

Actually, unless you have pre-loaded removable mags ready to go, tubes load much faster. No spring pressure, just drop 'em in. I can load all (17, I think) rounds in my tube-fed Marlins far faster than I can load any 10-round removable .22 LR mag. The only disadvantage I'd give it is loading in tight confines; that tube has to come out quite a ways, which can be a bit cumbersome in, say, a truck cab, if you're out patrolling a ranch for praire dogs. Or if you drop a round in backwards, in which case you have to remove the tube the rest of the way and shake it out. But even with those two minor drawbacks, I'll take a tube feeder any day where .22's are concerned. They also feed the short little rimmed cases more reliably, in my experience.

 

[Acera]

Don't forget about the Browning SA-22, it's a top of the line rifle.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

the Marlin is a bit more difficult to clean well than the Ruger but likely a tighter grouping .22 LR with good ammo. I've always liked the forward weight bias of the tube fed Marlin too. and the sights are marginally better than Ruger.

 

[bigfatdave]

Actually, unless you have pre-loaded removable mags ready to go

Pre-loaded, speed loaders, and someone to load while someone else shoots.

I have a tube-fed (Henry lever carbine) and love shooting it, love not needing mags, and love the reliability of the tube design. The slow reloads don't bother me much in a lever-action gun ... but ...
Loading the rounds is a chore and I'm at the range to (1)shoot, (2)spot, and (3)enjoy being outdoors. I can only do one of those while I'm dropping rounds into a little slot. If I'm indoors I can't even do one of those things while loading.
Plus I worry about tube damage borking the whole gun.

I have mag-fed (two 10/22s, one a M1 carbine trainer and the other plain for now, eventually a mini-14 trainer for MrsBFD) and having a bunch of mags and a butler creek mag loader means I spend more time burning up cheap ammo and less time fiddling with little tiny .22 rounds.
Also, since feeding is the most common semi-auto problem, having a different feeding device to swap to helps troubleshooting.

Don't get me wrong, I see the positives to tube-fed, but for a plinker that would see high-volume ammunition consumption magazine-fed wins out, so long as you aren't that guy with only one magazine, negating all the positives interchangeable mags bring to the party.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Loading the rounds is a chore and I'm at the range to (1)shoot, (2)spot, and (3)enjoy being outdoors. I can only do one of those while I'm dropping rounds into a little slot. If I'm indoors I can't even do one of those things while loading.

I can appreciate that. In the same spirit, my use of the little rimfires is usually in the field, and I don't make an excursion out of small game hunting. In other words, at the most I have a small hip pack for a bottle of water, a couple granola bars, etc. That doesn't leave alot of room for bulky rimfire rifle magazines. But it's real easy to carry a couple hundred rounds of loose .22 Rimfire in there.

Different strokes and all that. If nothing else, we're giving the OP some insight as to which conditions of use make one system preferable to the other.

 

[Guvnor]

The Marlin 60 is a great gun until you try to clean it.

Removing and reinstalling the bolt, recoil spring, and spring guide is a major pain in the arse. Its very easy to kink the spring or bend the spring guide in the process. I ruined the spring twice on mine. Its probably the same with the 795 since they are based on the same receiver design.

If you do get one, I would leave the bolt and recoil spring installed and clean around it, instead of trying to remove it for cleaning.

But its otherwise a very good gun, very accurate and reliable.

 

[Kentucky_Rifleman]

Don't overlook the Thompson Center .22 Classic. I bought one when they first came out and over the next year ditched every other .22 auto I owned except the "loaner" 10/22 and the Remington 597 I won in a poker game. The TC Classic right out of the box will ruin you for any other .22 auto short of high-end custom stuff.

KR

 

[Sport45]

If you want to load a tube fed .22lr really fast get one of these. I don't need one though as the time it takes to drop them in the slot doesn't bother me at all.

 

[CZguy]

If you want to load a tube fed .22lr really fast get one of these. I don't need one though as the time it takes to drop them in the slot doesn't bother me at all.

I can load a tube feed rifle much faster than a magazine.