.22 rifle recommendations

The .22? .22's are good for learning how to shoot on the less expensive, but not so much for long range. That being measured in hundreds of yards.
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The 22 will provide excellent practice for long range shooting. The long range for 22 is shorter than its center fire counterpart's, but is no less challenging. The OP will learn much from shooting a 22 at long range as the trajectory and wind drift will be just as difficult as it is with bigger calibers at longer ranges.

If you doubt me on this, take your best 22 out to 200 yards and prove me wrong.;). Don't forget to take pictures to prove it.:D
 
I like the Ruger 10/22 just fine but have never been impressed with their accuracy, not even the target version of the 10/22.

You can get a *lot* of good rifle practice shooting a .22LR at 50 feet on an indoor range. You can learn the positions, trigger control, breath control and sight alignment and IMhO it transfers over to shooting the big guns outdoors.

If you're really serious about becoming a good shot then I'd go with all the suggestions already made for a CZ. I've heard excellent things about their accuracy. They are not (really) target .22's but some folk say they are in the same ballpark with them.

If you want a semi-auto because of the fun factor then the Ruger might do it for you or maybe take a look at the Remington 597. Both come in all flavors from light weight wood stocks, to 'tactical', to heavy barrel target versions.

Ruger 10/22's:
http://www.ruger.com/products/1022/index.html

Remington 597's
http://www.remington.com/product-families/firearms/rimfire-families/autoloading-model-597.aspx
 
I have a Ruger 10/22 Deluxe . It has a very nice looking wood stock . The 10/22 is easy to find parts for and easy to work on . I have shot a .548 three shot group @ 50 yards with it .

What I don't like about it is the flat and thick feeling forend of the stock . It also feels like a kids gun to me . You will want to replace the trigger or hammer for a lighter trigger pull and it is easy to do .

My Marlin 60 feels better in my hands than the Ruger , it is slimmer and feels better balanced . I have shot a .348 three shot group @ 50 yards with it . I use it more for squirrel hunting , the wood is not so nice like my Ruger Deluxe .

What I don't like about it is , it's harder to work on and harder to find parts . The trigger is not much better than the Ruger , but harder to lighten or replace with aftermarket parts .

I also have a CZ 452 American . It has a beautiful wood stock and feels like a full size rifle . CZ replaced the 452 with the 455 a few years ago , but from what I hear they still make a short run of 452's now and then and they go fast .

I have not shot it yet so it's hard to say what I don't like about it . It does seem like it is hard to mount a scope low on it because of the bolt hitting the scope if mounted low . I am still trying to figure out what I am going to use it for , then I will decide what scope and rings to try .
 
I toss my opinion in. I have three 22 rifles. A 10/22, a marlin model 795 and annold Remington 510 target mdel.

Lets start with the 10/22. Obviously this is the top dog when it come to accessories and aftermarket information. I really prefer the walnut stocks that come on 10/22s, they feel like a real rifle. The triggers need a little help. I did a trigger job with a knife stone and it turned out awesome. Made it much more pleasant to shoot as well as more accurate. The inner workings of the 10/22 are easy to work on and are faorly intuitive. For a 22 its a tad on the heavy side with a scope as compared to the marlin.

The marlind 795:has attributes that I enjoy but they are different from the ruger. The 795 with its synthetic stock and stamped parts internals makes it very lite.
The triggers suck. Plastic-y feeling, vague and heavy. I did an Mcarbo trigger spring kit ($40!!) Which lightened the trigger pull but did nothing to make the trigger feel better. The inner workings are small stamped parts, I havent had a failure yet but I could see it becoming an issue given this. They mag release and bolt hpld back also feel chinsie (sp?). The micro grove barrel does seem to be just a tiiiny bit more accurate out of the box. In my opinion the only advantage of the marlin is the barrel but not by enough margin to surpass the ruger.

The remington 510 target model is the bomb for a single shot, old school gun
It is DEAD N**S accurate. They can be had for $100 all day long at your LGS. Though probably not gonna be on your list.
 
I agree with Chainsaw about the stock trigger on the 795, it needs help. I sent mine off and had the KAT trigger/action upgrades done to it and now with 1-1/2# of trigger pull its a real shooter. I still have less than $300 in a very accurate rifle. My 795 will soon be my LTR as soon as I get my Tech Sights in the mail.
 
Consider the bolt action Ruger 77/22 with walnut or synthetic stock and a stainless or blued receiver and barrel - not cheap but very nice with a quality .22 scope.:)
 
Ya know, I will admit that the Ruger 77/22 has something going for it that the CZs don't - a mag that will stay in come hell or high water (the 10/22 mags). For that reason, it's a good choice. Plus it's a quality rig and pretty too, of course.
 
Like a few others have said, the Browning sa .22 is hard to beat. I also have the a Marlin 60 and a 10/22, but really like the Browning better. But they are pricy, especially the Belgium ones.
 
If you do get a semi-auto, get a Marlin 60 - the best value going for many decades now - more accurate than a 10/22 typically.
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Marlin 60 has a Zamak feed throat assembly which wears out fairly quickly. The problem is that Marlin has made engineering changes over the years and, when feed throats wore out on older models, it was necessary to purchase a new bolt since the older bolts did not work with the newer feed throats.

It was always frustrating for my customers to hear that their $49.00 rifles that they got at Woolco, K-Mart et. al. was going to require $40.00 worth of new parts, plus labor, to fix.

Other than one of the fine CZs, or a vintage Winchester or Remington bolt gun, your absolute best bet is the Ruger 10/22.

I purchased mine exactly 50 years ago and it is still going strong, even though all the anodizing has worn off the receiver. Also, there are many accessories available for it.
 
You may have to look around a bit or have one ordered, but this has quickly become my favorite.

http://ruger.com/products/1022DE/specSheets/1237.html

It comes with a 20" medium weight barrel, a much improved stock compared to the standard 10-22, and the same trigger that comes in the target gun. The weight is still manageable and it out shoots my CZ bolt gun. Costs less too.

 
Marlin 60 has a Zamak feed throat assembly which wears out fairly quickly. The problem is that Marlin has made engineering changes over the years and, when feed throats wore out on older models, it was necessary to purchase a new bolt since the older bolts did not work with the newer feed throats.
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Learned something today; thank you.
 
It seems rather obvious that you can't go threw life with but one .22 so start you collection ASAP and enjoy it
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So true! I'm at 20 or so and rising :D

I just got my first 10/22 to build as a backup LTR to my Marlin 795 LTR. I still need a lever action .22LR, I had a Henry in my hands the other day but sat it back in the rack.......
 
Why did you set the Henry back?

I have several (3) Henry's and find them very decent .22's, but still a bit of a step below my 30-40 year old Browning BL22, Marlin 39, Winchester 94-22 and so forth. But for a "today" made gun, they're not bad. For "out and out" fun, I like my 10-22's and they're a blast for altering (one I do, the other remains stock).
 
I wanted a full size accurate .22 and I picked up a new bolt action CZ-452 American a few years ago and I couldn't be happier.

Whittakers in Owensboro, Ky. has some new 452's now and expect to get more in shortly......$369.99
 
Why did you set the Henry back?

I have several (3) Henry's and find them very decent .22's, but still a bit of a step below my 30-40 year old Browning BL22, Marlin 39, Winchester 94-22 and so forth. But for a "today" made gun, they're not bad. For "out and out" fun, I like my 10-22's and they're a blast for altering (one I do, the other remains stock).
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I really like the Henry, its the model that has the big loop lever. They want $300 so thats why I sat it back. Not enough money right now :(
 
gyvel said:
Marlin 60 has a Zamak feed throat assembly which wears out fairly quickly.
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Yeah, that's why there's such a shortage of working old Model 60's in the pawn shops. It's really hard to find an old Model 60 that'll still feed ammo. Those M60s are probably the reason Marlin went bankrupt and had to sell out to Freedom Group. Good thing Remington was there to bring the quality level up.
 
Ruger American rimfire is a pretty good entry level .22 bolt gun. Got my son one for Christmas last year, reasonably priced and pretty accurate.
 
The map is too large for just one. Get several. :D

I'd go to a range/gunstore and see what you can try, feel, etc...with no CC and no cash. Pick out 3 or 4 and do some research. For every person who likes something, someone else won't like it.

For years, I too avoided the 10/22 due to accuracy potential. We now have three based on that platform and I am building a fourth. Our most accurate one shoots match ammo into an inch at 100 yards and bulk ammo to between 1 and 2 inches, and they are far from heavy benchrest type builds. There are LOTS of things you can do to accurize them. But much like enhancing an AR15, you are better off building one from the start if that is the goal. My wife's does not have a single part made by Ruger...VQ receiver and Trigger, some TacSol parts, match barrel, enhanced bolt etc. You can always just drop the big coin and get one built, but I enjoy the process as much as shooting them.

We also have match grade dedicated AR22 uppers, Marlins and a few MOR .22 rifles.

The little Brownings, I have wanted one for years and someday...
 
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