withoutink
Member
Im buying a CZ 452 American today, maybe also a CZ 452 FS in .22lr in a month or two
Beautiful, well made, accurate, reliable rifles.
Beautiful, well made, accurate, reliable rifles.
Which .22 rifle?
- Thread starter rajb123
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BrocLuno
Member
The way the original question was framed leads me to think the the OP does not have a great deal of exposure to either 22LR or 22WMR (mag)? If that's so, there are some considerations to take into account. The deal on effective range is not about bullet weight or inherent accuracy, it's about flight characteristics. The 22LR standard velocity round is slightly supersonic and drops below the speed of sound out at about 65 yds. When it does that, it becomes unstable and accuracy drops away quickly. The 22WMR stay super-sonic much further out so it has better accurate range. They both mostly launch a 40 grain bullet (yeah, there are many variations - mostly lighter) and can kill a rabbit or a rat with ease. So, to a very great extent - it's about effective range desired?
The 22LR has been around for 125+ years, it's not going anywhere. It's the most popular caliber by sales worldwide - by far. Good rifles are available from most makers. Marlin, CZ, Savage - the list goes on, nearly for ever. Also, there are great 22LR rifles out there in the used market.
If you are going to carry it afield a lot like desert rabbit hunting or something, you'll want a standard weight rifle. The ultra-lite "survival" style 22's are not all that accurate. All 22 rifles have a very large preference for the ammunition they like. In some ways 22LR rifles may be pickier than centerfire? You'll have to buy boxes of all the brands available in our local area and try them. Any rifle you get (new or used) will soon tell you which ammo it prefers. Once you have that dialed in, you will be pretty amazed at how accurate a normal looking old rifle can be
The 22LR has been around for 125+ years, it's not going anywhere. It's the most popular caliber by sales worldwide - by far. Good rifles are available from most makers. Marlin, CZ, Savage - the list goes on, nearly for ever. Also, there are great 22LR rifles out there in the used market.
If you are going to carry it afield a lot like desert rabbit hunting or something, you'll want a standard weight rifle. The ultra-lite "survival" style 22's are not all that accurate. All 22 rifles have a very large preference for the ammunition they like. In some ways 22LR rifles may be pickier than centerfire? You'll have to buy boxes of all the brands available in our local area and try them. Any rifle you get (new or used) will soon tell you which ammo it prefers. Once you have that dialed in, you will be pretty amazed at how accurate a normal looking old rifle can be
scythefwd
Member
How much are you looking to spend on the rifle.
The savages shoot well. I don't see them in the olympics taking gold... I do see anschutz there. The annie will cost 4-5x the cost of the cost of the savage. How accurate do you want to get?
The win52D is a very good rifle. My grandfather had one with a 2 oz trigger that was fun to shoot. I will never be good enough to see how accurate I could get with it. He bought an anschutz and shot with that exclusively instead of the winchester 52D, so that should give you a hint about those rifles. The winchesters are running 1k+, the annies can be had for 900+.
Used guns are a very good way to get a good working and shooting rifle. If you are looking for tack driving (and I mean actually hitting the head of a thumbtack at 60y) then you are probably going to spend some real money on it. If you can find a mossberg 44 under 300 now a days, they are a good start. The mossy 144lsb is a better gun and will be slightly more expensive. A kimber 82 can be had from the CMP for about 450 if I remember right for a "rusty" gun. Never seen one that was bad, just a little surface rust.
Do you want optics or iron sights? A good set will run you about the same. I am preferential to redfield olympic or palma sights. For a target .22lr, you are going to spend 300+ for peep sights. You can get a perfectly adequate scope for that.
If you aren't looking to spend that much, the savage is a good place to start. Another is the CZ 452(I think). Old marlins have a lot of potential and so do the old glenfields. Yes, you can get a 10/22 as accurate or close to as accurate as an anschutz... but your going to spend just as much (new trigger, barrel, stock, sight, etc.).
BrocLuno - accuracy isn't that big of an issue at 100y. If you are having issues with the shift from supersonic to subsonic at 100y, start with a subsonic ammo. I have seen some awesome groups (1 - 1.5 inch 10 shot groups) using subsonic ammo at 100y. They still pack plenty to handle anything smaller than a racoon. I don't like the .22lr for coons anyways. I prefer the mag for those guys... their tough.
The savages shoot well. I don't see them in the olympics taking gold... I do see anschutz there. The annie will cost 4-5x the cost of the cost of the savage. How accurate do you want to get?
The win52D is a very good rifle. My grandfather had one with a 2 oz trigger that was fun to shoot. I will never be good enough to see how accurate I could get with it. He bought an anschutz and shot with that exclusively instead of the winchester 52D, so that should give you a hint about those rifles. The winchesters are running 1k+, the annies can be had for 900+.
Used guns are a very good way to get a good working and shooting rifle. If you are looking for tack driving (and I mean actually hitting the head of a thumbtack at 60y) then you are probably going to spend some real money on it. If you can find a mossberg 44 under 300 now a days, they are a good start. The mossy 144lsb is a better gun and will be slightly more expensive. A kimber 82 can be had from the CMP for about 450 if I remember right for a "rusty" gun. Never seen one that was bad, just a little surface rust.
Do you want optics or iron sights? A good set will run you about the same. I am preferential to redfield olympic or palma sights. For a target .22lr, you are going to spend 300+ for peep sights. You can get a perfectly adequate scope for that.
If you aren't looking to spend that much, the savage is a good place to start. Another is the CZ 452(I think). Old marlins have a lot of potential and so do the old glenfields. Yes, you can get a 10/22 as accurate or close to as accurate as an anschutz... but your going to spend just as much (new trigger, barrel, stock, sight, etc.).
BrocLuno - accuracy isn't that big of an issue at 100y. If you are having issues with the shift from supersonic to subsonic at 100y, start with a subsonic ammo. I have seen some awesome groups (1 - 1.5 inch 10 shot groups) using subsonic ammo at 100y. They still pack plenty to handle anything smaller than a racoon. I don't like the .22lr for coons anyways. I prefer the mag for those guys... their tough.
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BrocLuno
Member
I'm with you on coons. I was just pointing out the flight dynamics. I should say that scy... is right 1 1/2" groups are not terribly hard with standard 22LR at 100 yds. Same rifle and ammo may group 3/4" at 60 yds. That's the order of magnitude for change in group size for the trans-sonic region as far as I've experienced. It's not like they are going from 1/2" to 4".
stevereno1
Member
i have an old model 60 with a 4x32 scope that makes me weep tears of joy when i shoot it.
Isn't it amazing how much we all love .22LR? It makes me smile, realizing how NOT dead it is...
I have a 10/22 target model. Love it. I have a Smith and Wesson 15/22. Love it. I have a Glenfield (Marlin) Model 25. Love it. I have a Browning Buckmark. Love it. Id love to get a CZ 452 and love it too!
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I have a 10/22 target model. Love it. I have a Smith and Wesson 15/22. Love it. I have a Glenfield (Marlin) Model 25. Love it. I have a Browning Buckmark. Love it. Id love to get a CZ 452 and love it too!
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