What do people do with nice .22 LR Rifles?

[JustinNC]

WOW, what a rifle ^^^^^




I would ask the same thing about the AR/AK/SKS craze....I don't get it, but I respect it lol I know they have their applications beyond the obvious, but that's another topic.

 

[d2wing]

If you like to shoot why not. Cheaper and more challenging than a centerfire.

 

[SimplyChad]

I have a 10/22 I kill cats, tree rats, barn rats and the rare other pest. Wife also uses it for a HD rifle I might have picked it up once or twice.

 

[Smith357]

I shoot mine, I plink, hunt, and shoot targets for cash against guys with rifles that weigh twice as much.

 

[BCRider]

Chuck R, that is simply the nicest "lowly" .22 I have ever seen.

As you and the others say it is only expensive if it sits around and never gets shot. Considering that I spent $850 on my first handgun I should not balk at the idea of the same for a really nice .22 rifle. Especially since I really enjoy shooting .22 in both handguns and rifles.

While CZ's are the high end gun that most see most frequently one of the dealers up this way sells Cooper. This Oregon maker's guns go for around $2K and up here in Canada so I'd guess at around $1500 and up in the US. Looks like only the finest of everything is used in these near as I can tell.

This thread is convincing me that life is too short to shoot cheap guns if we can afford a truly nice option. I've got too many others I want as well as other demanding hobbys to justify a Cooper. But I can certainly afford something like a CZ Lux model set up with a nice set of target peep sights including the globe style front.

And I just may get moved to sell my Henry H001 "basic" lever gun, which has been GREAT fun, to my buddy who's looking for a good deal on a .22lever gun for practising his cowboy shooting more cheaply. That would clear the decks to get a Henry Golden Boy...

Yep, this thread has me thinking all right.

 

[Renigeid]

Chuck R, That's nice, nice and NICE!

 

[ACP]

Chuck R. -- what a work of art. Congratulations on that fine rifle!

I shoot my .22s at paper and steel, outdoors, from 25-100 yards. Just got a Metal Spinning Target reduced NRA Quad Spinner in the mail yesterday and plan on christening it tomorrow morning with my buddy, 28 degrees or no 28 degrees!

 

[dak0ta]

Now will a $1000 22lr outshoot a Marlin Model 60 out of the box? And is the more expensive Marlin 39a going to outshoot the cheaper Model 60?

 

[bhk]

I am also one of those willing to spend good money on guns that are used the most. Precision .22 rifles and handguns are worth every penny to me. Good tolerances, good walnut, fine triggers, and quality sights mean more to me on a .22 than they do on a rifle used to kill a large animal like a deer. In my experience they are much easier to hit than the tiny targets I shoot at with my .22s.

 

[P-32]

I picked a pre war Winny Mdl 61 at a good price. I wish I would have known about these rifles when I was a kid. I love shooting the thing and picked it up thinking it could be a nice rifle for shooting pig targets at 50 feet indoors. Out side it's a fun plinker. I still need to find some vermin to blood it.

 

[jpwilly]

I think to best answer your question: It just says you've arrived in so many ways...

Once you figure out the 22lr is just an excellent all around practice, plinking, target, hunting and cost effective round the proverbial light goes on and all of a sudden a high quality 22lr that is accurate beautiful and completely impractical makes total sense.

 

[Smith357]

Now will a $1000 22lr outshoot a Marlin Model 60 out of the box?

It depends on the $1000 rifle. An Anschutz, 40X, Walther, Winchester 52, Cooper, Kimber 82 yes very easily. A 100 year old collectable maybe, maybe not.

And is the more expensive Marlin 39a going to outshoot the cheaper Model 60?

The lever action repeater design has never been known as a target rifle, the 39 is more expensive than the 60 because it is a more complex design to produce.

 

[JohnBT]

"Now will a $1000 22lr outshoot a Marlin Model 60 out of the box? And is the more expensive Marlin 39a going to outshoot the cheaper Model 60? "

In my experience, yes and yes the vast majority of the time if you use ammo the gun likes.

I need a Ballard like that one. Hmm, I haven't purchased a gun yet this year.


Cooper's current list price on my Custom Classic is now $2495.

 

[dak0ta]

What makes the Marlin 39a shoot better than the Model 60? Don't they use the same Marlin barrels that are slightly heavy, have microgroove rifling? Both have magazine tubes under the barrel.

 

[Smoke&Flash96]

Love that single shot high wall The closest I have is a Savage Mark II with a Barska 4x scope. When the barrel is clean I can shoot thumb nail sized groups at 25m.

 

[Smoke&Flash96]

I am in envy of your Marlin.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Now will a $1000 22lr outshoot a Marlin Model 60 out of the box?

For the most part, a 500 buck CZ will shoot better groups than a Marlin 60. Is it worth over twice the price to shoot groups maybe half the size? It may not be to some, but is usually is for me.

 

[PastorAaron]

Not sure about spending 1000, but my cz 452 thumbhole has been my best friend, for just over 600 for the whole build I cannot complain. Things seen more action than any gun I own.

 

[dak0ta]

Do you guys laugh and spit at the Marlin bolt action rifles? I had a 925 which I enjoyed, but people at my gun range used to talk down on the poor rifle. I found it to be really accurate and built like an adult gun. It was a great gun for the price. I feel like marlins are underrated for what they really are.

 

[Pete D.]

Target shooting. Prone .22 matches. Practice at 50 and 100 yards.
A present to myself years ago (I couldn't afford it now at about $3K w/o sights)
Anschutz 1827 with a straight pull bolt. Meant for Biathlon competition but I use it for prone.
Four ounce trigger.

 

[redneck2]

Now will a $1000 22lr outshoot a Marlin Model 60 out of the box?

Yeah, pretty much. I just got a CZ Varminter with the set trigger. When set, it's maybe 8-10 ounces. First couple times out I'm doing sub 1" at 50 yards with a marginal scope. Got about 1 1/4" at 100 yards couple of times.

You get into the law of diminishing returns. Once you get to a certain point, each percentage of increase comes at a higher and higher price.

And, there's a actual accuracy versus perceived accuracy factor. Guys go out and blast away at something smallish at maybe 30 yards and catch it on the 6th shot. Then they think their rifle is accurate.

Get your $129 Wal-Mart rifle and one of those green/white targets shown on the first page of this thread. See what you can do 10 for 10.

Personally, I'm past the stage of wanting a hundred different guns. I've sold off my cheap stuff, stuff that I'm not using. I see no need to own a gun I haven't shot in five years. I sell off unused stuff and use the money to buy something good, that shoots well, and I like to use.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Ah, now Pete D has got me interested.

Right now I'm shooting a borrowed Winchester 52. It's a pre-A, but won't be a collectors piece; the stock has been inletted with a rail and handstop, the buttstock has been shortened and had aluminum spacers added. I haven't posts pics before, because that just seems odd for me to do with somebody else's rifle. But it does shoot well, here's a 5-shot prone target from the rimfire match a couple of months ago. That one at 12 o'clock was my fault, poor breath control.



I'm drooling after something like this rifle; maybe as a gift to myself when I meet my goals in Highpower. Base cost is about $3000 without sights in that stock.

 

[Tempest 455]

Shoot tracers since it's way cheaper than .223 tracers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdGDnwBExmM

 

[aka108]

Sort of like buying a nice Mercedes Benz instead of a Fiat 500 or sterling silver flatware over pressed out stainless steel stuff from China. They will both get you from point A to point B or put food in your mouth. It's simply nice to own really nice stuff. I know a BR shooter that when his next competition rifle is finally completed he will have 18K invested. Says it is what you pay to attempt to get 1/64 of a inch more accuracy.
My 22 rf run from 30 dollar packaged rifles to upwards of 1K each.

 

[Picher]

I shoot rimfire benchrest and have used: modified Win 52, Anchutz 1411, and a custom Rem 40X costing over $2,000 with scope. The 40X is a winner, having shot two consecutive (IR 50/50) 250s and a 249 at the same match. It will shoot 1/8" groups at 50 yards when atmospheric conditions permit, the ammo is right, and the nut behind the buttplate does his part.

Those being the most expensive, I have several .22s that vary in cost from $300 to $800, both rifles and handguns. My favorite non-target rifles are: Winchester 69A, modified Rem 504, modified Rem 581, modified Ruger 10-22 Deluxe, Marlin 39A.

Of the non-benchrest rifles, the two I shoot best are the Rem 504 and the 10-22. Both Rem 504 and 10-22 have shot numerous 5-shot groups under 3/8" at 50 yards, but the 504 has shot the best offhand groups indoors at 50 feet.

The 10-22 excels when plinking outdoors at metallic silhouette targets at 50 yards. The heavy barrel helps to hold it steady when firing rapidly at multiple targets offhand.

I ascribe to the philosophy: "Only accurate rifles are interesting."

I've shot crows, woodchucks, squirrels, raccoons, porquepines, skunks, rabbits, grouse, rats, mice, moles, snakes, and a bobcat with .22 rifles. I also have a bunch of .22 handguns that get exercised frequently.

NOTE ADDED: All my "non-match" rimfire rifles have been used for small game/varmint hunting, regardless of cost.

John