What kind of .22LR range rifle.

[Bravo11]

I'm looking for a .22LR bolt action rifle for range duty. Any suggestions.
Price is a consideration. Any comments on CZ or Rugers which are two of
the ones I'm looking at would be appreciated.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Any comments on CZ or Rugers which are two of
the ones I'm looking at would be appreciated.

Both rifles are quality firearms, The CZ is cheaper, the Ruger is available in stainless. The CZ is probably gonna be the most accurate of the two. And the CZ has EXCELLENT sights.

I think the ruger makes for a better hunting rifle and the CZ makes for a better range toy. There's nothing more fun than putting .22lr bullets to steel 200 meters away using a tangent sight.


Ruger 77-22 on top

CZ452 American in 17 HMR on top and a ZKM452 "Super Exclusive" on bottom

 

[ArmedBear]

Don't forget the Savage.

It doesn't have the beefy centerfire-style bolt of the CZ or Ruger (both of which I like) but it does provide an excellent trigger for a great price.

 

[bratch]

I'm quite happy with my Savage but have been eyeballing the CZs as well.

 

[Bravo11]

I'm leaning towards the CZ 453 Varmint with the single set trigger.

 

[ArmedBear]

Can't argue with that choice. I don't think you can touch it for the money.

Of course, one can spend a few thousand dollars on a .22 bolt action for the range. Be careful, or one will follow you home.

Or come join the 39 Club!

 

[KaiserBen]

Get the CZ 452 Lux and an Eric Brooks trigger kit. That's what I bought (on reccomendation of a member here, who even installed the kit for me), and it's been a blast since. I put a BSA Sweet 22 on mine, and it's quite the fun rifle now. The trigger is wonderful, the scope works well, and the rifle is very accurate. I shoot mine in CMP rimfire sporter matches and usually do quite well. From a rest, I've gotten <MOA groups from mine, without any mods other than the trigger.

 

[toivo]

Unless you really want stainless, I'd say CZ. It's more rifle for less money.

 

[aka108]

If you are not firm on buying a new rifle you may want to check out some of the Remington, Winchester and old Mossberg rifles from the late 40's, 50's and 1960's. Some great quality in these if you find a good one and the factory triggers were generally excellent and non lawyerized as most are today.

 

[Bravo11]

Thanks for the replies. Now for part 2 of the question. The standard barrel or the varmint(bull) barrel?

 

[R.W.Dale]

There's no benefit to using a bull barrel on a rimfire other than weight.

 

[rangerruck]

ruger is too much money for a rifle , that may or may not be worth a damn out of the box, especially in the accuracy area.
dont forget any marlin mod 81 series, first came out in 1935, and are still making them, now called 981T. they shoot short, long, and long rifle, and are stupidly accurate, and all for 150 dollars. I have a 1937 model, that is sick accurate!!!!
I have 4 cz's, and all are beautiful, accurate as heck, and they are life long keepers, to be proudly handed down to the next generation.

the primary reason for a bull bbl, is to enhance accuracy, less whip to the bbl. Especially if you are firing fast and furious, as the fat bbl tends ot heat up slower.
Also, it is better for offhand shooting as it will vibrate less as well, while you are holding it up , freehand, to get your shot off, and possibly swinging it through to a moving target as well.
otherwise, it is not necessary.

 

[Radagast]

I have the CZ542 in .22lr & .22 magnum & the CZ452 American in .17hmr. I passed on the heavy barrel because I felt the extra length was more useful due to the added velocity. If I had know it had a set trigger I might have gone that way for the .17HMR.

You will need high rings if you want a scope to clear the irons on the standard CZ, and medium rings to clear the bolt handle on any model.

As to which is better, the Ruger or the CZ, I had a 10-22, it is long gone. I've owned my .22 magnum for 10 years & I'll probably have it buried with me if I don't have truly worthy descendant.

 

[Old Coach]

I have both the Ruger 77 and the CZ's American and the varmit.
The Ruger is one of the first produced and is very accurate but the trigger had to be "worked".
The CZ varmit is a great range gun, trigger is adjustable, but too heavy for hunting.
The CZ American 452 is my new squirrel rifle, it will but 5 Wolf MT into 1/2 inch at 40 yds, that is out of the box. Very nice wood too.
My favorite is the 452 American.

 

[quicktime]

Quote:"There's no benefit to using a bull barrel on a rimfire other than weight"
Actually there is a huge difference. Rimfires are notoriously harmonic finicky. Olympic small bore rifles are "tuned" with a movable weight. That is where Browning got there BOSS idea from. So with a bull barrel harmonics are dampened. If you are ever bored find a weight that fits over the end of your barrel put your gun on some bags and fire a group move the weight a very small amount forward or backward and try another group. You might find some very interesting results and if not you got to make everyone else at the range wonder if you are all there or not.