which .22 LR rifle

[FinnComm]

Thanks all for the responses. I'm really leaning toward the CZ 455 with a heavy .22 LR barrel

I have the 453 with heavy barrel. I love the rifle but if I was choosing again, I would go with a lighter barrel. Why? Well it makes the rifles a bit heavy, heavier than it needs to be. Also, whilst I can see the advatage of heavy barreled centrefire rifles, I seldom manage to get my rimfire warm, let along hot enough that I would worry about shifting the POI. But if you like a heavy rifle, then the bull barrel is the way to go

 

[Edventures]

I had a marlin bolt action ,model 25 ? that was a good shooter when I was a kid.
I traded that in on a marlin 39a that was a tack driver. I traded that for a transmission repair on a old ford ,back in 78 .
Savage's accu trigger is real nice on my 17hmr , I would look into a savage for value. Just my thoughts

 

[Cee Zee]

I don't see a lot of upgrades in the future. I'll put a scope on it and if it needs trigger work it will get it…beyond that I can't imagine I'd change anything.

If you want an out of the box rifle that shoots accurate and you want a semi-auto I'd suggest getting a Marlin 60. They are almost always more accurate out of the box than the 10/22's. Rugers are great if you want to upgrade them. You can make them into super accurate rifles for semi-autos but it takes some money. Most people looking to keep their rifle in stock form will think Marlin. Remington also makes some very accurate rimfires but their quality has been hit and miss over the last few years since they were bought out. Yes they own Marlin too but the new Marlins are made in Kentucky and they seem to be more solid than ever. I know the Marlin I have from that factory is a very solid rifle. It's an XT-22 which is a bolt action rifle. It's not super accurate but it's plenty accurate enough.

If you want the best accuracy though a bolt action is certainly the way to go. CZ is very hard to beat for the money because they are both accurate and very well made. Savage makes a cheaper rifle that is often even more accurate than CZ's but the build quality isn't as good. I have both. The Savage is slightly more accurate but the CZ build quality is considerably better.

The Marlin XT rifles are good. The Ruger American rifles are good. Mossberg makes some good rifles. All those are in the lower budget areas. If you want to spend more I'd seriously consider a CZ. I personally really like the 453 because it comes with an outstanding trigger but many like the 452's. They generally do some trigger work on those to make the triggers better but IMO they don't compare to the 453's trigger even with the common trigger fixes. Of course the 455 is the current production model anyway so your choices may be limited. You could probably still find a 453 if you wanted one.

You can get better rifles than CZ's too. Sako, Kimber and Anschutz all make better rifles IMO. The Sakos aren't a whole lot better and the quality of Anschutz depends on which model you get. The really good ones cost a good bit of money. If you don't want to spend that kind of money I'd get a CZ instead. They are nearly as good as the 64 series for a lot less money. The 54 series Anschutz rimfires are pretty much in a class of their own these days. But you're talking about $1500 at least for the cheapest models based on the 54 action.

 

[dugasgunner]

??? No love for ZASTAVA! Best value around IMHO.

 

[aka108]

On best bang for the buck I'd go with a CZ. Heirloom quality. Some of the newer domestic rifles have really lowl quality parts and feel cheap when handled much unlike the same models made 20 or more years ago.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

??? No love for ZASTAVA! Best value around IMHO.

Nope...Horrible trigger and not that great of a finish, IMO...The Remington Model 5 is the same gun with a better finish, but still has the not so great trigger. Too bad, too. They Model 5 is a pretty sharp looking rifle. This is a decent review and notes the poor trigger:

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/20...2r-remington-model-five-22-bolt-action-rifle/

My buddy bought a couple Model 5 rifles. I was jealous when I saw them, but glad I didn't own one after I tried the trigger. I will admit the rifles shot pretty darn good groups, though.

 

[chicharrones]

Nope...Horrible trigger and not that great of a finish, IMO...The Remington Model 5 is the same gun with a better finish, but still has the not so great trigger. Too bad, too. They Model 5 is a pretty sharp looking rifle. This is a decent review and notes the poor trigger:

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/20...2r-remington-model-five-22-bolt-action-rifle/

My buddy bought a couple Model 5 rifles. I was jealous when I saw them, but glad I didn't own one after I tried the trigger. I will admit the rifles shot pretty darn good groups, though.

All he had to do is adjust the trigger. A standard issue Zastava rimfire trigger can adjust for spring pressure and sear engagement as opposed to a standard issue CZ rimfire which only factory adjusts for spring pressure. I agree with you about a Zastava stock though, it does need to be finished.

The adjusted trigger on my Zastava is better than the trigger on my CZ, but neither detract from the accuracy. I also have a Remington Model 5 for my daughter, but I have left the trigger as is, so far.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

He did adjust the triggers. I still wasn't impressed.

 

[DM~]

I don't see how Ruger even sells the 77/22 given it's high price and poorer than average accuracy for a bolt gun.

I agree, 77's are very overrated!

I like my Anschutz much better than the CZ's i've held or fired, but it cost me double what a CZ would have. I knew i could never live with the azbackwards safery of the CZ's, so i paid more for the Anschutz knowing my chances were very good that i'd get a bit more accuracy for my money too.



Anyway, i'm glad i held out and bought the Anschutz!

DM

 

[Skylerbone]

I shimmed the sear and removed the nut on my CZ but left the spring intact. A bit of take-up aside, I've got a nice 3 lb. or so pull. Again, most any rifle can be improved if the owner is so inclined.

DM, can't fault you for preferring your Annie but more often than not guys are on a budget or (like me) cannot match your level of patience. Very nice.

Someone mentioned older rifles and the Savage "gill guns" by name as being nearly indestructible. I have a model 7 built in the '50s and while accurate is finicky to keep running. I've shot .2xx" groups at 25 yds with its irons but inevitably it fails to feed or extract then ruins the group. My 10/22 is reliable and accurate but nothing special. While I've got fewer than 100 round through the CZ thus far, I firmly believe it will outshoot any of my other rifles. Next closest would be the Marlin 25N but then I bought the CZ to shoot irons so ultimately I'll probably never know. I was never impressed with the accuracy of my 77/22, one of only two firearms I have ever traded off.

Savage:


Ruger:

 

[dugasgunner]

Ha ok. I was suprise with the wording "horrible". Between not impressed and horrible theres quite a margin and for 200$ bucks less than a CZ i can get over the muddy wood when you can refinish it so easily. Ho! And on my Z-5 in wmr the trigger is as good as any 5 CZ's i had. Good luck in you search.

 

[rswartsell]

I'll admit to owning a Ruger 77/22 and loving it with a Leupold rimfire for a good many years, when I didn't have to pay modern prices and compare it to much.

The CZ 452 opened my eyes. I lost the 77/22 and a few more good guns in a home burglary (shudder). Was forced at the time to see how proud of the 77/22 Ruger had become, and I must agree they became overrated and overpriced somewhere along the line. Did the same happen with the Kimber before the Ruger? Because of this I won't own another (77/22, never had or shot a Kimber). It was a very good little .22, but it was no CZ 452, and not worth the price they get now.

P.S. While I owned it I was exposed to a minor irritation or two with the rotary magazine. Not really significant over 11+ years of good use. The Kimber reference isn't because I don't think they are good, I just wonder what justifies the God-awful price. Anschutz on the other hand, the whole world knows you will pay through the nose for them.

 

[Cee Zee]

as opposed to a standard issue CZ rimfire which only factory adjusts for spring pressure.

Not true of the CZ 453 trigger.

 

[chicharrones]

Not true of the CZ 453 trigger.

Good call. Somehow that rifle always slips my mind.

 

[j1]

Sit down before you look at the price of the Ruger 77 22 ss synthetic. Great gun but not inexpensive.

 

[Skylerbone]

I got my 77/22 back in '85 IIRC and it was just shy of $400 in blued/walnut configuration. It's not that the price has climbed exponentially, it's that so many excellent rifles can be had for so much less. A $150 Savage in a $100 aftermarket stock is practically highway robbery compared to the Ruger. If the 77/22 was more accurate and refined I could understand the price but it's half way to an heirloom quality sporter without being halfway to the quality of an heirloom sporter, if you catch my drift.

 

[d2wing]

You inspired me guys. I bought a Remington 540 target rifle tonight. I have yet to shoot it but it should be an upgrade from my CZ's but time will tell.

 

[danez71]

I got my 77/22 back in '85 IIRC and it was just shy of $400 in blued/walnut configuration. It's not that the price has climbed exponentially, it's that so many excellent rifles can be had for so much less. A $150 Savage in a $100 aftermarket stock is practically highway robbery compared to the Ruger. If the 77/22 was more accurate and refined I could understand the price but it's half way to an heirloom quality sporter without being halfway to the quality of an heirloom sporter, if you catch my drift.

Agreed..... that's why I said that I think the Ruger American Rimfire is going to kill the 77/22.

It has sling studs, its bedded... has an adjustable trigger.... an integrated scope base.. and the stock is modular and compatible between the compact and regular which allow you to adjust the comb height and the LOP to 12.5" or 13.75".

And it uses the 10/22 mags (which means it should also be able to use the 77/22 mags)

All for $260ish!!

The 77/22 has got to be doomed at its current price of over 2x the price.

 

[Cee Zee]

the Ruger American Rimfire is going to kill the 77/22

Ruger had to know the 77/22 was doomed by the competition from Savage and CZ in particular. It is just priced too high compared to the quality that you get. The American is a much different story. It's built to compete directly with Savage in price and quality. I think it will be a big seller for a long time.

 

[CaliCoastie]

i might be a little late to the game but id go with marlin 39a! most of mine are under a quarter at 25yds with open sights. one will do a a dime with open sights at 25yds(the whole magazine). love those guns....

 

[I6turbo]

IMO, the 455 Lux sights are a huge disappointment compared to the tangents on the 452 models. Others must feel this way because rumor has it they will be put on 455 models later this year.

Looks like the rumor is true.
http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/CZ455TrainingRifle/

 

[wolf695]

A marlin or mossberg, is under 200, and they sell them at walmart.