Which semi-auto 22lr rifle?

[pseudonymity]

Demos, for the .22LR upper, I guess that depends on what you call accurate. The Tactical Solutions seems to group ~2MOA with most ammo. Not great, but I guess that I just do not think about .22LR autoloaders as the best choice for accuracy, I prefer bolts for that.

Any reason you want just one rifle? Even at 100 yards max, both centerfire and rimfire can be entertaining. $1200 can buy both a decent .22LR and a bargain centerfire. If cost is an issue, feeding a rimfire match grade ammo can get expensive really quick. An accurate rimfire is generally really only very accurate with match grade ammo, and even then it may only like one brand.

I just have a hard time imagining having just one rifle - one shotgun with multiple barrels maybe, but one rifle or pistol is a hard choice. My centerfires are like a suit - I only have a couple, but at least one is decent quality. My rimfires are like shoes - some are beaters, some get treated with much more respect.

 

[TonyAngel]

Perhaps you should check out the for sale ads at rimfirecentral.com. There's some good used equipment over there.

Anyway, I rattled off a little bit about the Kidd in my last post, but how much accuracy are you looking for? I've been shooting rimfire competitively for a little while now and have run a lot of different rifles and ammunition through the wringer. Just to say that you want an accurate .22 is a bit vague to me.

Are you looking for match grade accuracy/consistency or practical accuracy?

I will say this, though. I believe that I own at least a dozen or so .22s, one of which is an AR/22. I didn't get it to use as a trainer to mimic a "real" AR. I got it because I like .22s and as it turned out, it's the one that I use the least. It's just plain heavier, bigger and bulkier than a .22 needs to be.

I have three .22 rifles that are my go to's. I have a tube fed Marlin, which I like because all I need is the rifle and a pouch of ammo. I have a little Nikon 4X on top of this rifle. No mags to worry about and it is trim. My second rifle is a Henry lever action that I use to take on hikes in the woods. It goes well with my wheel gun and again, no mags to worry about with very little chance of failure. My third is the 10/22 with all Kidd parts. This is my prone rifle and I run it with a Vortex PST 6-24X scope. I use this to shoot at very small things that are pretty far away. I've shot this one out to 200 yards so far and it does pretty well.

For competitive shooting, both 50 yard bench rest and 100 yard prone, I shoot a Remington 40X with a Shilen barrel and Jewel trigger in a McMillan stock. This is by far my most accurate and consistent rimfire rifle, but it weighs something around 14lbs, is long and not very practical.

For what it's worth, my 10/22 will hit a golf ball at 100 yards 7 or 8 out of ten times with Wolf Match Target ammunition in field conditions, provided that I have some method available to me to read the wind.

 

[hardluk1]

Some people don't realize that good.22lr in a 10/22 custom or cz or savage mkII can shot inside 1" with quality ammo and good shooter and enought scope.

 

[smittey]

I personally love my smith and wesson m&p 15-22 it has a quad rail system and you can even buy a 100 round drum for it i got mine for around $500 giving you 700 to tac the hell out of your gun it is accurate as hell staight out of the box.

 

[Demos]

Tony, I want it to be able to be able to do a 1/2 inch 5 shot group at 50 yards every time. I know its easier to find that in a bolt gun, but I don't find them as fun.

 

[okiewita40]

Since nobody else has said it I will throw in a classic. Marlin 60. Just a suggestion.

 

[moxie]

okiewita40,
I suggested the Model 60 back in post #8.

 

[dubya450]

I really like the Browning sa-22 and would top it off with a nice 1.5-5 powered Leupold scope.

 

[TonyAngel]

Demos, I really didn't want to open this can of worms, but you said what you want, so....

I don't care what anyone says about their CZ, Savage, Marlin, whatever, you're not going to get a production gun to shoot 1/2" at 50 yards most of the time, much less every time. I have found precision rimfire shooting to be the most challenging shooting sport that I've ever encountered. What sets rimfire aside from centerfire is that in rimfire the equipment truly makes a big difference, and what that means is that what you are asking for costs money.

In order to be able to even think about what you want, you're going to need to be shooting the best ammunition that you can get out of some flavor of single shot bolt action rifle. Remington 40X, Anschutz 54 action, Turbo, Hall or something of that nature is what you're going to need to get into. Once you have the equipment, you're going to need to spend LOTS of time learning to read the wind at your shooting spot, because a little 10 mph gust of wind can cause 1" of wind drift at 50 yards with a .22.

Believe me, I wish that what you are asking for was easier to attain. Now, if you can live with, say, 1" groups at 50 yards most of the time, your options open up and things get cheaper. Heck, my 10/22 will hold 1" at 50 most of the time, provided that I'm doing my job.

If a semi auto is just what you want, I say go for it. I know that I won't let mine go. Take a good long look at the Kidd rifle. Once you get it, go out and buy yourself maybe 20 10/22 magazines and ten different types of high end ammo and get to the range. What I did was shoot groups with each type of ammo using one magazine and recording the results. Over time, you'll find that some ammo performs better than others and that some magazines perform better than others. Of the 20 magazines, odds are that you'll find two or three that do what you want. Either keep the others for plinking or sell them.

Like I said, it wish it was easier, but it is what it is. There's a reason why you don't go to ARA type matches and see serious competitors lined up with CZs, Savages and Marlins.

 

[mgkdrgn]

Don't forget the nice little Marlin 60. Big advantage ... tube fed, no mag to lose.

And for $1200 you could buy a case of 'em.

 

[mberoose]

I have a 795. Nice gun, accurate as all heck. Got a $50 Bushnell scope on it and it drives nails. But the shortage of OEM mags, lack of reliable hi-cap mags, and limited aftermarket may be discouraging to some. The 60 is essentially the same thing, and a great rifle...I almost wish I bought one of those instead of the 795. 10/22s are great too, but...I like the Marlin 60s myself. Can't be the price, anyways.

 

[moxie]

Guys!
If you want to get into a thread that's been going on for 5 or 6 days, take the time to go back and read all the posts, especially the first one. It's not helpful to make comments, however well intended, that have already been made several times before.

 

[Milamber]

Talking classic's I have a '41 Remington 510 that is a joy to shoot. The bolt action just makes it more fun. Cant wait for it to come back from the 'smith. I spent double its value on it to have it spuced up. Money well spent in my opinion. Only draw back is no scope mounts.

My other .22LR Rifle is a '82 (I think) Marlin Glenfield 60. I have a cheap BSA scope on it and it works great once I zero'd it in. I also shoot my AR .223 at my local WMA range, the range is only a 100yds but hey shootings fun no matter the range. Its personal challenge to get that pesky bulls eye no matter the range no matter the caliber.

But .22LR is cheap! And both of these rifles can be had for less than $300 in tip top condition.