Time for a semiauto 22lr.

[chicharrones]

I grew up with the Marlin 60 back in the '70s. Feed, fire, and eject problems don't exist with this particular rifle and it is still with my dad to this day.

I owned a Ruger 10/22 in the early '90s and sold it because it gave me feed jam headaches. If my basic smithing skills were up to par back then, I could have probably figured out the problem.

I admit, I like the flush 10-round magazine of the Ruger better than most tube mag .22s on a semi-auto. Then again, a .22 LR tube magazine holds more rounds before it needs refilling. Which really isn't a big deal if you carry more Ruger mags.

To muddy up my opinion on box stock Ruger 10/22s, one of my shootin' buddies bought one the summer of 2009. I've fired it with him every occasion he has taken it out. Only one feed jam, and that was with a .22 LR bullet so crusty it looked like it was covered with 60 grit sandpaper. My shootin' buddy even showed the cartridge to me before loading it and asked if I thought it would jam. We laughed, because we were certain it would. Even with the heavy trigger pull, that Ruger shoots 50 yard huntin' accuracy with little effort.

For me the Marlin 60 and 795 are tied with the base Ruger 10/22 as far as economical entry level auto-loaders. Both can be outfitted with Techsights for the aperture sight loving crowd, too.

Too bad Ruger hasn't come up with a solution to the last shot bolt hold open like Marlin has, though.

 

[Red Cent]

They make an aftermarket 'last shot bolt hold".

Here is a thirty round(s) mag(s) that will work.

 

[recurry]

I have to agree with BrowningGuy on this one - have had a 10/22 for about 15 years, have treated it horribly by failing to maintain it, taking it out in the rain and heat and then leaving it in the gun cabinet for months, etc. It shoots beautifully when I do drag it out, and the most amazing thing is the bluing has held up wonderfully - no rust, nothing.

I agree with others that the 10/22 can jam, etc. but this is, at least in my experience, usually a function of the ammunition and not the gun. Mine hates some brands, and loves others - of course, the fun part is I don't use it often, so by the time I do go bring it out again I've forgotten which brands it likes

 

[dom1104]

10/22 ~ 100 used
Kidd barrel = 200 bucks


$300 dollar rifle that shoots pretty darn well.

 

[EdLaver]

Sig 522. The most fun you can have with a .22lr in my opinion. mine has been 100% so far with winchester bulk, federal match and cci minimags.

+1, agreed!

 

[akolleth]

Marlin 60 all the way--

Paid $50 out the door at a gunshow for mine. For less than $100 you can get a used one and it will shoot as well as a $300 upgraded 10/22 thats brand new.

You can do the math yourself on that one.

 

[JoeMal]

I just bought a new Marlin 60 and it shoot way better than I can. It also shoots just about every type of ammo (I have shot CCI MiniMags, Federal bulk, Federal Lightning, Remington bulk, Remington Thunderbots, Remington Target/Standard, Blazer). The price is right and it's definitely a fun tube gun. If you aren't looking for something to dump $1,000 in extras into, get a Marlin.

I specifically chose the 60 because the mags for the 795 seem cheap to me, and it's an extra expense to have more than 1 magazine. And you never have to worry about losing/bending them either

Good luck with your choice and enjoy. Be sure to post back with what you choose

 

[MTMilitiaman]

I'm throwing my hat in for the 10/22. People modify these rifles because they can and it's fun. I've been bitten and succumbed to the urge, and at one time had my 10/22 in a Boyd's laminate with a 20 inch bull barrel and a monster Nikon scope. I run it pretty much stock right now. The only modification I've made to that rifle out of necessity was the addition of the Power Custom Competition Hammer. That was a $35 part that took 1/2 an hour to install in a basement. And my Ruger's trigger now smokes any trigger on any Marlin I've ever fired.

My otherwise completely stock Ruger 10/22 now wears a 2.5-7 Weaver rimfire scope. I find this combination nearly perfect. It is fast, light, compact, and responsive. The rifle springs quickly to the shoulder allowing me to get on quick moving critters and at 2.5x, the Weaver has a generous field of view and good eye relief, allowing me to track and shoot with both eyes open. Yet it's accurate enough to reach and touch to the usefulness of the cartridge. Bouncing spent shotgun hulls at 50+ yards is easy. At 7x, the Weaver allows me to see through those shooting lanes and zero in on the slightest tail twitch between the branches. I've never felt like this rifle wasn't every bit as accurate as I needed it to be, and taking out 100+ yards on ground squirrels, I've never been left wanting anything but steadier nerves. Reliability with factory 10 round mags as been very good. I get some FTF or FTE with the cheaper bulk stuff, but I expect these, and failures with CCI Mini Mags or Velocitors are nearly unheard of.

I have no complaints regarding my 10/22, and in fact, it is one of the most perfect rifles for its role that I've ever had the pleasure of using.

 

[zoom6zoom]

Another vote for the Sig522. Several reviews have stated that they've been unable to get it to not function no matter what cheap .22 ammo they throw at it. Milled aluminum receiver. Feels like a real rifle, not a plastic toy. Large, rubber covered charging handle. Non-proprietary mags - yes, I use the same Black Dog Machine mags that work with my CMMG conversion kit for my AR. Widely available for well under MSRP; have seen them several places lately for $399, and Top Gun Supply had a sale (sold out fast!) at $299.

 

[zargo]

im really partial to the "GEVARM E1 CARBINE" semi auto in .22lr ,19"barrel , open sights ,, u can turn the inertia pin around and use sub sonics to make it full auto, it will fire all hyper velocity .22's with out a hitch as there is minimum moving parts , the bolt face has a titanium strip as a firing ping and operates on recoil

 

[brotus2]

If you can live without black plastic, go find a Remington 550-1 and scope it out.

 

[MIgunguy]

Sig 522.

 

[DNS]

Marlin 60.
The most accurate rifle I own.
I've had one FTF in Lord knows how many rounds.
When it all comes together it'll shoot half inch groups at 50 yards with cheap Fed bulk.


Mike

 

[Hizzie]

I had a Ruger 10/22 years ago but sold it because it was boring. I recently bought a S&W M&P 15-22 and absolutely love it. And I'm a AK guy all the way. The 15-22 is just so much fun and pretty accurate.

 

[ForumSurfer]

Both are awesome...stock for stock I like marlin

Summary so you don't have to read my junk: If you are leaving it stock and not buying a crapload of magazines...stick with a reliable tube fed Marlin...accurate, fun and affordable.

I'd love to have a tricked out, full tilt custom ruger 10/22. Awesome, incredibly accurate guns.

My girlfriend just had her first experience shooting iron sights on a rifle. My AR, my buddy's 10/22 (box stock, literally...he brought it over and the box was still stapled from the factory) and my early 80's vintage marlin model 60 (18 in the tube).

She shot them all positively wonderfully, but we were all more accurate with the marlin than with the ruger. Does that make the marlin better? No, but we were all more accurate with it. At 40-50 yards, she shot clay pigeons...and then the 2"x 2" posts they were standing on. Not bad for her first time with rifles. Seems I started a new hobby with her. She fell in love with bouncing a tin can or golf ball around. She pretty much confiscated the Marlin 60 for the duration. Loved the AR, but she said "this one puts holes where I aim better."

Box stock, I like the tube fed marlin better. I can load 18 rounds in a tube faster than he can load a 15 round magazine. And with a 22, I'm usually shooting at least 500 rounds at a time, so that would take a whole slew of magazines pre-loaded to keep up with the marlin. The marlin is also dirt cheap and eats any crap I put in it. I've cleaned it maybe 4 times since the 80's and it is very reliable even when the action is so cruddy that the "bolt hold open" feature fails to work. It's also way easier to lay prone with a marlin than with a 10/22 and a huge magazine hanging out underneath.

If I had to choose between my marlin 60 and my buddy's custom 10/22 with 100's invested in trigger group, custom barrel and leupold scope...I'd be a fool not to take the 10/22. But box stock, I vote Marlin all day if you plan on leaving it alone. You really can't go wrong either way.

I'll keep my accurate, fun, stock 22 and throw my money at my AR instead. My girlfriend founds out she loves shooting rifles with irons and wants to look into competition. If she does that...I'll be building that custom 10/22 for "her." I've got to look and see what's available for her to compete in my area, first.

 

[winchester '97]

If your going to modify the hell out of it or build on it get the Ruger, if your going to leave it stock the 60 will do inch groups at 100 yards all day. and if you like clip fed rifles once again the Marlin is worlds better as a stock gun.