THE BEST .22 Rifle Ever

[Cron]

Remington 552

I just gotta put in a vote for this rifle. I disagree that it ain't purty. It's reliable, it has a good trigger and it can hit a bottle cap all day long at 50 yards.

 

[MachIVshooter]

For a rifle that will last generation after generation and not break the bank too bad, there are a few excellent choices.

Marlin model 39, probably one of the best .22 rifles ever made. Has been in continuous production for over a century with only minor changes anda couple of model redesignations.

Browning BL-22, another very high quality .22 levergun

Remington 552 Speedmaster, one of the finest .22 Auto's available, and the only one I'm aware of that can handle shorts, longs and long rifles.

Browning Auto .22, nice, sleek rifle that is reminiscent of the classic Remington model 41/241.

Remington 572 Fieldmaster, a top-tier, pump-action .22 that handles short, long and long rifle.

Remington model 5, Solid Bolt action repeater with classic lines and nice wood, still priced competitively

Ruger 77/22, they're just nice

CZ, giving other bolt action rimfires a serious run for the money

Now, if you want to get fancy, there are the Kimber Super America, the Cooper 57-M and the Remington 547, all of which are well over the 4 figure mark.

 

[GeezerwithGuns]

I have three and I like them all:

Remington model 12C (1926) pump: Been in my family since new. Shoots beautifully. Classic octagonal barrel with Lyman peep sights. A great classic gun. Still amazingly accurate.

Remington model 241 Speedmaster (1935) auto: John Browning design. Less known than the "real" Browning, but a wonderful shooter nonetheless. I think a gun that is overlooked by collectors.

Ruger 10/22: What can you say? It's my "go to" .22 rifle. Inexpensive, accurate and with a little work has a trigger almost as good as my classic guns.

 

[evil_brother]

IMHO, you cant go wrong with the model 60. Now I am a huge Marlin fan and I am a huge Ruger fan but im going to betray ruger and say that I wouldn't buy a 10/22 like everyone would probably say. Ive had nothing but trouble with the different ones ive shot. For starters, the magazines never cycle properly for me (stock ones) and add that too the constant stove pipes I get even after cleaning the thing, they left a bad taste in my mouth. Tahts my .02, even though I love my MKIII I have to side with marlin on this one. Either that or a 39a for lever action fun.

 

[Vacek]

My first and best 22 was a Mossberg Palamino. I bought it for $60 back in 64 when I was 12.

Shot shorts, longs, long-rifle in any combination, came to point extremely quick and was deadly accurate. Lost it to the ex-wife. Still looking for another...Palamino that is.

 

[1/4MOA]

get you a ruger 10/22 and a browning buckmark pistol .22. I have both and no complaints for either.

 

[Scratchy]

My Dad gave me a 10/22 when I was about 11 or so. I will give my kid a 10/22.

 

[tuck2]

I have two Marlin semi-autos and have had a TC semi- auto 22 and a Ruger 10-22T rifle. When shooting off a bench rest I get the smallest groups from the Ruger Mdl 10-22 T rifle. One can tune up the trigger pull on the Ruger .There are a lot of after market parts for the Ruger rifle. see www.rimfirecenteral.com For me the 22s other than the Ruger was a wast of money.

 

[Timthinker]

If you seek a classic .22 semi-auto rifle with legendary reliability, then purchase a Ruger 10/22. I once owned one that never jammed to the best of my memory. One additional benefit to owning the Ruger is the vast amount of accessories made for them. Quite literally, several businesses exist just to produce after market items for the 10/22s. These products can allow a person to replace many of the factory parts from barrels to stocks. This is perhaps one reason why the Ruger predominates the .22 rifle market.


Timthinker

 

[ArmedBear]

Actually, while both have sold millions of units, Marlin has sold more than Ruger. The Ruger dominates the aftermarket.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I don't understand all the recommendations for a 10/22 as something to be passed down from generation to generation. Yes, they are solid, reliable and affordable little rifles that are great for kids and new shooters, or just to plink with and accessorize. But they are hardly heirloom material. They're just a run-of-the-mill, pug-ugly little autoloader with so-so ergonomics. They are solidly in the knock-around category of rimfires, right along with the Remington 597 and every other deuce-deuce you can find at Wal-Mart.

 

[spiroxlii]

I agree... I have a 10/22. It was my father's, and now it's mine. They are rugged and reliable, and they're fun to shoot... and they CAN be passed down through generations, but they're not exactly the finest .22 on the market.

It wouldn't be my first choice in accuracy (unless you plan to modify it) or my first choice to purchase as an heirloom, though. My Glenfield/Marlin 60 was better in terms of accuracy the day I bought it used off the shelf than my 10/22 was when it was new. It's no fancy heirloom rifle either, and it's in the same cheap price range as the 10/22, but it'll probably hit squirrels with no modification a lot easier than a 10/22 will.

 

[Timthinker]

MachIV, I would not consider the Ruger an heirloom, but its reliability is one reason why many people consider it one of the best .22 rifles manufactured. Indeed, the virtues of the Ruger which you mentioned are reasons why many call it a classic. If you factor in the many accessories available for "tricking out" this design, then its popularity becomes understandable. I hope this explanation helps clearify the matter.

To be fair, I believe the Marlin Model 60 possesses better accuracy out of the box. But if someone wants to build a "tack driver", the 10/22 can be modified to this end at a cost. Indeed, there may be more accessories available for the Ruger 10/22 than any other rifle design. At least, this it how it seems to me.


Timthinker

 

[ArmedBear]

its reliability is one reason why many people consider it one of the best .22 rifles manufactured

The reputed reliability of the 10/22 is why I bought it. The actual reliability of my 10/22 is why I sold it.

Now you take that design and build a handmade $1000 rifle with it like Volquartsen, and it works great. But that'd be true about damn near anything.

OTOH I've found my Marlin 60 to work fine out of the box, and it was cheap.

 

[rcmodel]

It's kind of like Ford's, Chevy's, and Lexus.

The Ruger 10/22 and Marlin 60 are the Ford & Chevy of the gun world.

The Browning 22-Auto is the Lexus.

Any of the three will get you where you want to go every time, without breaking down.

But the pride, ride, handling & paint job is much better on the Lexus!

rcmodel

 

[alaskanativeson]

I don't understand all the recommendations for a 10/22 as something to be passed down from generation to generation. Yes, they are solid, reliable and affordable little rifles that are great for kids and new shooters, or just to plink with and accessorize.

MachIV, your first two sentences contradict each other to me (although I do understand the idea.) If it's solid and reliable there's no reason not to pass it down from one generation to the next. No, it's not a Pre-64 Winchester Model 70 Super Grade but a 10/22 is reliable and well made. For some that's enough.

I'd have to say go for the Browning though. I just like them better.

 

[Timthinker]

ArmedBear, sorry you got a clunker. In my experience, the 10/22 seemed to possess the legendary reliability of the AK-47. This has been the experience of almost everyone else I know who has purchased one. Perhaps I am lucky because I know how to sweet talk my guns.

Now if I wanted to sink a fortune into a 10/22, I would want to improve its accuracy. I think many 10/22 owners would agree with me on this point. Otherwise, I have found it a good plinker.

The Marlin Model 60 is a good gun also, although I tend to prefer a clip to a tube design in a .22, but that is personal preference. Your Marlin should last a long time with proper care. I would like to hear some stories about the Marlins on either this thread or another. Once again, good luck with your Marlin.


Timthinker

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I don't understand all the recommendations for a 10/22 as something to be passed down from generation to generation. Yes, they are solid, reliable and affordable little rifles that are great for kids and new shooters, or just to plink with and accessorize. But they are hardly heirloom material. They're just a run-of-the-mill, pug-ugly little autoloader with so-so ergonomics.

ThisiswhatI'msayin!

Anyone come up with a semi-auto better than a T/C or the Browning SA-22? What have we missed here? Any Anschutz, Walther, Pardini, Steyr, Sako, or the like ever come in semi-auto rifle? How good is the CZ semi-auto which is sometimes shown on their website and sometimes not?

The Volquartsens are real nice, but are basically a factory-customized 10/22 - not necessarily a "classic" factory rifle:

www.volquartsen.com

 

[ArmedBear]

Tim, either way, a cheap semiauto is just a plinkertoy. I'd rather get the one that works well and shoots straight right from the box.

As far as favorites, though, this is one of my favorites:


Note that it is not a semiauto. I really think they should bring back the straight grip and tapered octagon barrel, like they have with the centerfire "cowboy" series. They only made the 39 like that for one year, though. I can't help thinking that it would sell well now.

I'm having fun with the .22 AR, too, but it's not exactly a classic.

 

[JohnBT]

"Indeed, there may be more accessories available for the Ruger 10/22 than any other rifle design."

Very true. OTOH, maybe the other guns don't need improving.

Okay, I'll admit it again, I've never liked the 10/22. What's it been, 44 years since they introduced it? It felt clunky back then and it wasn't accurate compared to the competition. I suppose that's why the market for replacement parts started and flourished.

Here's an old joke... What's the easiest way to improve a 10/22? Grab the scope, remove the rifle, and insert a different rifle under your scope.

I like bolt guns, and my Mountie, so what do I know.

To each their own.

John

 

[TCB in TN]

For the money the marlin 60 is the best rifle out there. I have shot better .22s but the price tag certainly reflected the difference. A model 60 will shoot with much more expensive guns and just keep going.

 

[Atla]

Ruger 10/22.

Or a Tarus Model 63... which is a remake of the original Winchester 63 that Henry Bowman used in Unintended Consequences.

I'd have one of 'em, but the goons stopped making them in .22 mag!

And I don't need another .22 lr

 

[Savage Shooter]

I have a model 60 one of the oldest made and it still performs flawlessly and it's not cheap it's inexpensive BIG difference its accurate well made and reliable. It is famous for shooting almost any ammo accurately i have not found one yet that it won't shoot. Mine is not some show queen either that sees vey little use it is my coon gun and it gets beat up but still performs uder any conditions.

 

[dewidmt]

Remington Nylon 66...hands down. I used to have myself a small cottage industry going to pawn shops, picking up 66's that had been traded in because they "jammed". Well, it turns out that most folks never clean a .22 and after about 10,000 rounds these fine weapons started jamming. Guess what? Take about an hour and a little bit of elbow grease with some dental picks and a toothbrush, and that rifle is good for another 10,000 rounds! No metal to metal parts, bolt rides on nylon, virtually impervious stock and decently accurate. Super light, carry it all day. That little cutout in the ejection port? That's so you can load one round at a time as a training rifle for the kiddies. I can 't believe they stopped making this rifle! I have owned probably 20 of the guns, sold them all off for profit over the years, kept 2 nice ones for myself. Only problem nowadays is finding one for under $200. Stay away from the clip-fed models and stick with the stock tube feed 66. Durability? Show me a 10-22 that can match the record of over 100,000 wooden blocks shot and hit in the air over 3 days!

 

[Blue Line]

Marlin 39

Today I'd go with the Marlin 39 / 39A because its a true tack driving classic 22. Its got size dimensions for a man sized shooter which makes it very comfortable for a tall person to shoot. It shoots shorts, longs, and long rifle shells.

But most of all I'd buy the Marlin because Marllin was just sold to Remington which surprised the @$#% out of me. Buy one you won't regret it and it will be a collectors item to shoot and hand down to your kids someday.