It would appear that any thread here, that seems to be garnering a good opinion of a gun, will be beset by those who wish to proclaim their own personal opinion about why it "isn't true"
That is, in part, the point of a discussion board
Really? Here and I thought it was to discuss what the OP asked about. Silly me. After all, he wanted to know why the 10/22 was so popular. He never uttered a word about Savage, Anschutz, CZ, Marlin, or Browning. So, what, exactly, is the purpose of grinding on about them?
FYI, I own several 10/22 rifles, a Marlin Model 60, a Savage/Stevens Model 987, a Savage Model 6, Remingtons 552 and 572, and a 597. I also have Marlin 99M1, several Marlin 75s, a Marlin 795, and some Glenfield/Marlins. There a CZ 452 here, as well.
However, when it comes time to shoot, or teach a new shooter, a 10/22 comes out. Spare mags make it nice to teach with, as the gun stays in action longer than a tube-feed. The most out-of-the-box accurate? A Remington Nylon 66.
The 10/22 needs no modifications for the average hunter/plinker/shooter. It works just fine as is. In fact, I would venture to say that it's more inherently accurate than 95% of the people shooting them.