THE BEST .22 Rifle Ever

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eric.cartman

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I want to buy my first .22 rifle. Something my kids can shoot some day. Something I'll enjoy shooting being 27 and 6'4". Something great, classic, reliable. You get the drift...

I'm looking at Marlin 60. Looks nice. But it's very cheap ($160). How is the quality of Marlin rifles?
Also, what else would you recommend?

I'm thinking about getting a .22 semi auto pistol and semi auto rifle. To have handgun and rifle just for plinking all day long :D and still stay below $20 in ammo cost :what:
 
For an autoloader, few can better the T/C Classic .22, which has a threaded barrel to receiver fit. Not many .22s can boast that.

For bolt-action rifles, the Savage Mark II, CZ 452 and Marlin (various models) are all excellent.

The Ruger Mark I, II and III pistols are excellent. No shock there.

Don't overlook the T/C Arms Contender or G2 Contender. You can even get the Encore in .22LR.
 
The marlin model 60 is a GREAT rifle. Of all my guns it's the first I bought myself and one of my favorites. It's not cheap, it's inexpensive and there is an inherent difference.

It's reliable, easy to maintain, and accurate, far more so in all categories then a gun that price has right to be. Holding 15 rounds is a nice benefit and the tube magazine makes a nice profile if you hunt.

Was just shooting it yesterday but forgot to save the targets. Using my lead sled as a sight in/rest and 4x magnification 85% of my 50yd groups of all 15 rounds could be covered by a silver dollar using bulk pack Remington. The only thing I have done to it has been to add a bushnell scope and leopold rings. Everything else on it is stock.
 
Another vote for the Thompson/Center Classic .22 (now called an R55).

Graceful lines, classic styling, accurate, dependable... the only thing I miss is an option for a click adjustable peep sight... and I'm 'modifying' a set of tech-sights made for a 10/22 to fit mine :)

Either that, or the browning auto... I prefer a magazine loaded configuration for a semi-auto rifle.
 
But it's very cheap ($160). How is the quality of Marlin rifles?

The quality, fit, and finish of Marlin rifles are excellent. I have 4 different Marlin rifles, and my basic Model 60 doesn't have a checkered walnut stock, but the blueing and overall quality are the same as my Golden 39A for almost 4 times the price. And the quality of my 2007 39A is equal to my 1973 39M, so Marlin's quality has not gone downhill, either. You don't have to find an old one to get a good one...

The base model 60 has relatively primitive sights, though they work fine, and the other variants have nicer ones. I put a scope on mine; the accuracy and the stock geometry begged for one, and I like my .22 lever guns for open sight shooting.

The 60 is my hands-down choice for an inexpensive semiauto .22. Fun, reliable, accurate, cheap (mine was $129 last year on sale at a local store). Heavier barrel with noticeably better accuracy than the more expensive "Brand X".:)

Now, if you want to know what THE BEST rifle is, hell, that's hard to pin down. I haven't shot a Remington Speedmaster, but people love 'em. Same with the little Brownings. They look weird, but they shoot well. T/C's have a well-earned following. Magnum Research and Volquartsen do amazing things with the 10/22 design. I've recently put a .22LR upper on my AR, and man that thing's fun, and accurate, too.

But these guns start at twice the price of the Marlin 60 and go up from there, in multiples. Dollar for dollar, I still dig the Marlin.
 
Something my kids can shoot some day
I've got a Montgomery Wards Model 35A .22 that is 75 years old. Bought by my great grand dad, passed to my grand dad, passed to my dad and passed to me. Plan on using it at the range this month. Family passed down .22's are cool !
 
You need to check out the other .22 rifle thread going on right now.

Of course I'm gonna recommend a Ruger 10/22. :p
 
I have a Ruger 10/22 (who doesn't?) and a Marlin 60. I love them both for different reasons. My 10/22 is very compact and easy to handle, and it's fun for plinking. You can put high-cap magazines on it, but it's most reliable with its factory 10rd rotary mag. The Marlin 60, on the other hand, has a tube magazine under the barrel which holds more than the factory mags for the Ruger. My Marlin is from the early 1980s, so it holds more than the brand new ones they sell now, I think. Either way, you'll have a higher capacity than you would from a factory Ruger magazine.

As far as accuracy goes, they're both fine for plinking, but the Marlin seems to shoot tighter groups. Maybe that's because of its longer barrel. If I'm going out to shoot at soda cans, I'll grab whichever one is handy. If I'm going to shoot squirrels, I'll pick up the Marlin.
 
Agreed OMGWTFBBQ, but he wants to know about semiautos...:)

The lever guns will feed CB Shorts, Stingers, Velocitors, dirty cheap bulk LR ammo, whatever you put in them. And they're FUN.

That's another reason to go with the 60. It shoots well, but it doesn't cost so much that you can't afford to get a lever gun, too.
 
Can't tell you about Marlins but if you want quality go with Ruger!

My advice is 180 degrees - I would say "I CAN tell you about Rugers because I've had both, and if you want quality and the vest value, forget about the Ruger and go Marlin". But that's low-end. Your question didn't set a budget, which implies high-end. Hence my recommendation above. But now since there is confusion, what exactly is the budget here?
 
I would say "I CAN tell you about Rugers because I've had both, and if you want quality, forget about the Ruger and go Marlin".

I second this. I ended up selling the Ruger.
 
My Mossberg 342, which belonged to my Dad, is still pristine and already belongs to my 3-year old son (but it is, of course, still in MY safe).

Ash
 
Oh yeah, the 552 speedmaster will indeed shoot shorts, but it ain't overly pretty. The 597s with the laminated stocks aren't too shaby looking.
 
IMO, you have a contradiction in terms with "great .22" and semi-auto. You make concessions for the semi auto. THE best .22's are bolt actions. And as said, the cz 452 is a great value among the great ones. If you could spend a day with one you would see that the semi autos are all rather toy like compared to the cz 452.
 
I agree to an extent, woof, and love 452s, but have you handled a T/C R55 or its predecessor, the semi-auto .22 (no model designation)? These are all-steel-receiver works of art. Good stuff, maynard. True that not as classic and not as accurate as a turnbolt like an Anschutz or Sako let's say, but as semi-autos go, the T/C is really nice. Not necessarily a contradiction - just *a* category of rifle - the "best semi-auto .22" is a valid question, I think. I'd reiterate the idea "forget it and get a CZ 452 or an Anschutz or Cooper" if he can be convinced, but at present, the man wants a semi-auto, and so man should get a semi-auto. :)

I think at 6'4", the main questions are:

1. What's the length of pull NOW, and

2. Is there gonna be any way to change the length of pull for the kiddos to shoot?

My take on that is this: If it was just for you only, at that height and arm's length, you'd want something in the 13.5"-14.0" range (LOP). BUT, since (a) you want the kiddos to be able to shoot it later, presumably starting at a fairly young age, and (b) since even having long arms, you ARE still able to shoot a .22 in a very short LOP config quite happily, due to there not being much recoil in a rimfire, so scope-eye is not an issue; or alternatively, if you shoot iron sights -- because of those two things, I'd lean heavily toward grabbing a SHORT LOP rifle, so that the kids can get after it at 10 or 11 instead of 13 or 14 years. That means I'd look for LOPs in the 12.0-12.5" range, or at the most 13.0". I do not know what LOP the T/C has - you'll want to research that and on other models, too.

Another thing - if you look at OLD semi-auto rimfires in the used markets - 1960s and older, or maybe up into the early 1970s even. Almost all of the old ones are very good rifles with STEEL receivers. Any number of old Remingtons, Mossbergs, Winchesters, Savages, and Stephens rifles. Some have dovetails for rings and some don't. There are a LOT of old semi-auto Mossberg models, which tend to be very good.
 
I love .22's. I've got a few guns, but the .22's get used the most. And the Model 60 is my favorite .22 rifle. For the money you can't beat it, and you will not be disappointed with the quality. The Marlin is accurate, inexpensive and well made.

The Browning is a terrific rifle, but for a man 6'4" it might be a bit small.


11 million sold since 1960.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlin_Model_60
 
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