whats the best .22 plinking gun?

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ericwitt

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Hey everyone... kinda new to the forums here. My dad recently started handing down his collection that he has acquired over the years. I have really gone into plinking with the .22LR. He gave me a HK 270. Its a great plinking gun with no scope, just sights along the barrel.
Now Ive started to notice some inconsistency with the way the bullets are shot. I was wondering if there is a good inexpensive .22LR rifle i can shoot that will be a little more accurate than what ive got?

Thanks
Eric W.
 
I would go with used first. for a boltie, anything savage, marlin, springfield, mossberg will be fine. for a semiauto, a savage or a marlin mod 60 will both be cheap, accurate, and reliable. After you have gone through some used models, some you may decide to keep, some you may decide to sell and upgrade to other more expensive, new stuff. that is the thing about 22's, that is what we all do.... We get one in our mind that we just HAVE TO HAVE, and so we get rid of some old stuff for the new, and being they are 22's, the majority of the stuff we get will be under 200 bucks anyway...
 
Oh yeah, since you are new to rifle shooting, there may be nothing wrong with your 22, it may be darn accurate, you just may not have the techniques for shooting well, down good yet, or your rifle may need some tweaking; tightenting here and there, adjusting tension tightness on the takedown bolt, making sure the bbl is free floated, that kinda thing...
 
1 more thing; different ammo, try lots and lots of diff ammo, 22's have serious pickiness for the ammo that they like, try to stay away from bulk remington, or CCi Blazer stuff. Also, when was the last time the bore was cleaned?
 
Glenfield model 60 rifles can be found on Gunbroker.com for under $100. Most of the Sellers are licensed shops and a guarantee of serviceability is often part of the deal. This is a fine way to buy a used firearm with minimal risk.

Glenfield & Marlin are well built to last and last with just routine maintenance.

TR

Glenfield60.jpg
 
without a doubt, marlin 60 is inexpensive and pretty darn reliable. I just cleaned one that a buddy gave me a few years ago, had at least 1000 rds without cleaning...action all gummed up and nasty. i took it apart, cleaned it up real good and its like new again!

also a savage bolt action is a good cheap way to have fun. i picked one up at walmart a few years ago for just over $100
 
I picked up a Ruger 10/22 from a buddy that needed some car parts. The thing shoots wonderful. Plenty of aftermarket support in mags, barrells, stocks, trigger, and action parts. When it comes to a plinker that you can easly replace or upgrade any and every part with minimal skill and money. You cannot beat the Ruger 10/22. And I really don't care what Ruger said or why you will never own a ruger. These rifles are king of the .22 world
 
Has the accuracy gone awry since you started shooting? How often do you clean it, and are the rifle sights still zeroed in?
 
I have a glenfield/marlin that is older than me and shoots great. I think its only been cleaned once too.
 
If you think that the gun you are shooting with is inconsistent, the first thing that you need to do is shoot off a rest. It doesn't need to be fancy, you just need to get it steady at a fairly close range say..50 ft.. If your bullet holes are grouped together but off the bulls-eye, then you know to adjust your sights. If the rifle is till shooting poorly i.e.. shots are not grouped together, change ammo. Seems like every .22 firearm has a favorite make and style of ammo that it will feed and shoot well. My favorite cheap plinking ammo is anything Federal makes. As for cheap and accurate .22 rifles, mine is a Marlin 60 bought used for $160 (charity auction).
 
If you really just want to plink, then IMHO the Marlin 60 is the best gun for the money straight out of the box they tend to be quite accurate and in my experience they are less ammo sensitive than many of the more expensive guns. Around here you can find them in the $75 range a pawn shops and again they are a great bang for the buck.
 
I don't know a thing about a H&K 270, but I suspect if it's "inconsistent" all of a sudden, the problem isn't something you're going to fix with another rifle. Most any 22 will shoot better than the guy (or gal) holding it.

Clean the gun. Get a few different types of ammo. Shoot it off a rest and get the sights and the gun looking in the same direction.

Then it's just a matter of practice, practice, practice......

Now. If you just WANT another 22, that's a different question.....
 
Is there a "best"? I have five and love 'em all for plinking. I like my Rem 597 magnum for 100 yard practice, field positions, what not. It's accurate. Normally I get 1.5" groups at 100 out of it, but the other day, no wind, I shot a 1/2" 100 yard group. Shocking accuracy, but that's what makes it fun. If I don't hit the target, it was absolutely my fault. LOL I just shoot my centerfires enough off the bench to know they run and are sighted in for game at whatever range I'm lookin' at. My .22s are my plinkers. The magnum shoots flat enough that off hand plinking at 3-6" swinging plates at 100 yards is WAY fun and good practice. This is the sole use I've found for it, but it's a good and a fun use, after all. For iron sighted plinking, I have my 10/22, handly little gun and plenty accurate enough as is. I have an old Remington bolt gun for uber accuracy. I have a couple of others I don't shoot much, old Mossberg 152 and an AR7 which I bought for it's portability on the bike, but is quite fun. Many bash the 10/22, and the AR7, but they have spots in my collection.
 
I would check the sights on the rifle you have, if they are adjustable (I'm not familiar with that particual .22) As others have pointed out, try different ammo, some guns can shoot the cheap stuff all day while others perfer the better a little more expensive ammo. Again, as it has already been pointed out...make sure the rifle is good and clean. This can make a world of difference in the rifle performance.

If you are looking for another rifle, I would recommend the Ruger 10/22. It is relieable, accurate, and there are many optional upgrades you can do to this rifle. The 10/22 comes in a carbine and rifle version. I have the carbine and I love it. I also have a Remington 597, which is also another fine .22 rifle, but I feel the Ruger is a much better choice.

(On a side note, .22 pistols are great fun for plinking too)!

Hope you get things sorted out, Happy Shooting!
 
10/22

you can customize them to your hearts content.

it's not very hard to make one a tack driver.

but a 9x scope on there and throw a chunk of rotten meat infront of your target. shooting flies and bees is great fun.
 
The Rem 597 is more accurate out of the box however it can have feeding /magazine issues!
Rem597_blu_5.jpg
The 1022 is a better choice in terms of a plinker and as mentioned can be modified to be a tack driver.
Ruger10221.jpg

CRITGIT
 
I only paid $160 or $170 for my 597 at Dicks with a 3-9 scope on it. Don't get me wrong, the Marlin's a great rifle, I'd have gotten one of those and been just as happy. And I hear the accuracy is just as good as the Remington. But the Ruger's accuracy out of the box isn't as good as either the Remington or the Marlin. Sure, you can get it there, but you gotta dump money into it that you'll never get back on resale.
 
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