best .22lr rifle

V

vince weng

New member
I am looking for a .22lr rifle for plinking and y2k backup. I targeted two rifles, ruger 10/22 and remington 597. If you have experienced any rifle better than these two, please tell me about it. your opinions are very welcome.
 
Vince,

I have a Remington 597 an am very satisfied with the rifle. The bad thing, other than the trigger, about these rifles is that there is yet to be a large variety of after-market accessories and replacement parts for this rifle. It is fun, though!
 
If you can find a Nylon 66, they kick butt.. They last forever and are a joy to shoot.. Major Drawback: Tube Fed.

From the two guns you listed, the 10/22 gets my vote. From plinking to supreme level precision target stuff, the 10/22 is flexible, reliable and fun.

Also, with the 10/22 you'll have thousands of accerories to play around with, if you like.. and are assured to be able to find a gunsmith familiar with the weapon to help you with any problems....

(I have three, two regular and one .22 Magnum.)
 
I'd go with the 10/22 also. Too many money-depleting accesories when you get an itch.

The Remington is alright, but not as fun.

I did get a 22LR version of an M1carbine recently, and I think this gun is even better than the 10/22. But for the money stick with Ruger.
 
You know, I've heard so many good things about the 10/22 and I'm sure they're true. But, and please don't beat me up over this, I just don't like the feel of the factory stocks;the Remington fels just right to me.

I get what I consider to be more than acceptable accuracy for me as with my 597 I can routinely hit soda cans at 40 - 50 yds with open sights. Put some scope rings and pulled the 4x Tasco off the '94 last week and have yet to sight in, but I expect to do better at hitting those cans.
 
The standard stock of the 10/22 leaves soemthing to be desired.. assueredly.

I have fajen stocks on my two 22lrs and I am looking for a good stock for the magnum.

I REALLY like the Hogue soft rubber stock that I have felt on a number of 22lr versions.. I am hoping that they will make the stock for the .22 magnum version soon...
 
I love my Remington 597: it's amazingly accurate for an autoloader (out of the box it was more accurate than any unmodified 10/22 I've fired), it was inexpensive ($129 on sale at K-Mart), and it has a grown-up sized stock. It doesn't need to be cleaned very often, either. I agree with HM3 about the main downside being the (as-yet) lack of availability of aftermarket parts. And there are no goofy 50-round drums or 30-round sticks available for the Remington (and there never will be).

You'll be happy with either the 10/22 or the 597. I think you get a little more for your money with the stock 597.

cheers!
erich
 
I don't believe the Remington is more accurate than the 10/22 - I just think the 10/22 standard sights suck.
The nice thing about the 10/22 is that there are so many accessories available. Brownells offers an apperture sight that mounts to the holes in the receiver that give you a longer sight plane and will flat amaze you with the increased accuracy.

Its called the Zepher apperture sight, the order number is #287-102-001 and its listed at $35. You'll be knocking over shotgun shells at 75 yards with these sights installed.


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Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan
 
A non-option because of the magazine problem is the Remington Nylon 77. It used a 10-round box magazine.

But they put too much faith in Nylon, and made the mags out of it. I tried about four different types of glue to keep their sides together, and eventually gave up, wishing for a sturdy metal mag like they used on the 513T. Otherwise, the rifle was plenty accurate (2 MOA or better, depending on ammo) and tough as nails.

Unless you just can't stand the stock, go with the 10/22 and its clunky, boxy, durable, droppable magazines (and the now-overpriced option of high-caps too!).

But da ni-lon 77, it shore wuz neet to go chasin' wiley 'wabbits wif dat skinny spare mag in yo' shirt pokkit!

Cheapo
Reminiscing on that first PERSONAL rifle, bought at age 18.

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Let us never forget that the only legitimate source of government power is the citizens. If WE cannot exercise a certain power, we cannot grant it to the state.


[This message has been edited by Cheapo (edited May 04, 1999).]
 
My vote goes for an old timer. The Winchester semi-auto, Model 63 is my favorite (date of manufacture - 1937). What a sweet shooter and all around plinker. Using either iron sights or scope, this one is the best I have found...

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To own firearms is to affirm that freedom and liberty are not gifts from the state.
 
10/22....just an all around bundle of fun. Can do anything you want it to.

I have 2 of them
 
I agree with everyone on the 10/22, you can add as little or as much as you want to the basic gun.

But, I have to put in my $.02 for the Marlin Model 39 lever action. This gun is very solid and accurate. The design is alive and well after over 70 years. I have added a Williams sight to mine which is a big improvement over the standard sight. I also like the high capacity (19 LR, 26 shorts) and the fact that is takes all sizes of 22 rimfire. I dare say an experienced shooter can use the 39 and place 19 hits in the same time a 10/22 can place 10 because you won't have to change magazines. The same can be said for the Winchester 9422, but, to me the Marlin has a better feel.
 
I can already see the lynch mob forming in front of my house for this post but........Have you thought about the lowly, cheap Marlin model 60? I've had several .22's over the years and yet to find one that is more accurate. They aren't glamorous but get the job done and are dirt cheap.
Gunslinger
 
No lynching from this guy. I'm a 10/22 guy myself, but I've owned Nylon 66's and a Marlin 60 that my brother still has. It's a solid reliable gun that shoots pretty darn well. Aftermarkets usually spring up around after a period of product longevity, but I think the 60's tube magazine left the Marlin out in the cold when it came to growing an extensive aftermarket like the Ruger's. If it had a detachable, the .22 rifle aftermarket might have been a real two-horse race.

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arms reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.
 
I have about 10 10/22 rifles that I have customized in about every configuration that you can think of. tried every after market stock out there even the no longer available folding ones. I have three more parts guns to decide what I would like to make next. The present .22 I am working on is a 77/22 ss. I have a TASCO 16x Unertle copy scope to go on it for my 50yd mosquito rifle. Aside from the plethora of accessories that are available for the 10/22 is the qulaity of the magazines.

The other rifle that I would highly reccomend is the Browning takedown .22. It is convenient, good looking and classy. The downside is the cost and it is tube fed.

Good hunting,

ts
 
Since you're buying for Y2K or any other survival-based contingencies, might as well go with the "AR-15 of Rimfires", the Ruger 10/22. Why did I call it that? Simply because of it's unmatched reliability and versatility. As stated before, there is an absolutely enormous supply of aftermarket parts for the 10/22, something that would be very important in adverse conditions. Additionally, it's simplicity means that most users can maintain it with a little practice. I have completely disassembled mine sevral times, something I don't feel too comfortable doing with other guns. Lastly, though I like to keep 'em clean, I personally know of one that was shot literally for sevral years without cleaning! They work! -Jay
 
I am also looking at .22 rifles. Does anyone have an opinion on any of the bolt action .22LR's available? I have been looking at the Savage line. Thanks
 
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