Best AMERICAN MADE .22LR Bolt Action Rifle?

D

DeltaCypher0

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I'm looking to get an American made .22LR bolt action rifle. I need this to be very accurate for small game hunting. I've read that CZs are very good, but I really want to invest in something made in America. How are Marlins? I want a really good rifle, so I'm willing to spend good money on it. I have a Ruger 10/22 and it is not all that great, and even after putting TechSights on it, it still doesn't perform where I'd like it to. I blame user error along with the semi-auto system being inferior to a bolt action's accuracy. I want it to be a wooden stock, bolt action, and have good iron sights on it. I'm looking to purchase a new rifle too, so all the older models are not an option for me. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
 
i have a marlin mod 25, .22 cal i bought new in 1969 and it still shoots sub moa at 100 yds. i bought a marlin 25m, 22 mag about 15 years ago that alos shoots sub moa at 100 yds, both guns a re stock. these would be my go to guns.

i also ave a henry 22 lever that impresses the hell out of me but i have never had it to the range.

i have 2 ruger 10/22's that have served me well for 40 years and have always shot minute of rabbit with no problems.

i suppose there are more accurate, more expensive .22 rifles out there but i have never felt the need for one and have never bee disappointed in what i have.
 
Savage MK II , they will even shoot with the CZ's. Just not as pretty.

Made in Canada though.
 
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I was going to suggest the savage Mk. II also even though it is canadian.

If you want to go semi since you mentioned the 10/22s, marlin's M60 is a good bet.
 
no question

Can't believe nobody advised Ruger 77/22, yet anyhow.

My Savage MkII TR may outshoot it, but the Ruger with a sporting weight barrel and standard trigger (and right ammo) is right there w/ it. The Ruger feeds everytme from its 10 rd rotary box, the Savage is a pain with any mag.

The price makes the Ruger less popular I believe, but its an adult rifle that will last a couple of life times and a tremendous value.
 
If your focus is squirrel, and accuracy, I can say high velocity 22 ammo may not be as accurate as you want. Standard velocity can be very precise with repeatable pinpoint accuracy in many cases. I began using a Marlin 22 bolt action for my silhouette shooting because that rifle was a "one hole wonder" at perhaps 40 and 60 meters. But it fell apart at 77 and 100 meters. If you get a Marlin bolt action 22 and spend some time testing about 20 ammo brands or so at the distance of your interest, I would think you'd come up with a winning combo. The most accurate bolt action I had was a very expensive Kimber, It would shoot 16 different ammo brands with superb results averaging .375" for five shots. I sold that in favor of keeping my Charles Daly Zastava import which shoots fewer ammo brands but with similar results. In fact the Charles Daly Zastava import became the Remington model 5- but I had no use for that one that I tried. My present 22 rifle will make a single hole at two distances, and the farther shots are still well within the hit zone.
 
One of the nicer .22 LR rifles today is a "Weatherby" bolt action. It's actually an Anchutz action in a Weatherby stock, but they're really pretty and shoot very well.

Coopers are the Cadillac of the domestic market, costing around $2,300, but if you're willing to pay for quality, they're fantastic.

Savage MKII deluxe model is a very good rifle and quite accurate. Magazines aren't great, as someone has already mentioned.

Remington still makes a good bolt action, the 547, which is a higher-grade 504 but it's a Custom Shop exclusive and cost/value may be better with Cooper.
 
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Ruger 77/22

Marlin bolt guns are great, but the 77/22 puts Marlins to shame.
(I own both. ;))

I, personally, dislike the Savage rimfire bolt actions. But, most of that is based on ergonomics and appearance. They're decent rifles, but you get just as much with a Marlin.
 
I don't know about the new Remingtons but my old 512x will shoot the nuts off a gnat. Those old 500 series rifles were fantastic shooters.
 
There are several choices if you want to look at older models. Otherwise, the Ruger 77/22 gets my vote(actually 3 votes since that's how many of them I have).
 
Vote count so far:
5 - Ruger 77/22
3 - Marlin 900 series
2 - Savage Mk II
1 - Weatherby (imported)
1/2 - Cooper
1/2 - Kimber
1/2 - Remington (some models imported)

*Secondary suggestions only included for the half-votes.
 
I was tempted to be a wag and suggest that you buy the CZ "American" and pretend it's American made.

In all seriousness, though, the American, while a nice rifle, has no iron sights. When I was in the market for a quality .22 bolt rifle I also wanted iron sights so I am with you on that.

If I were buying an American made .22 bolt rifle I'd take a hard look at the 77/22. The rotary magazine makes the stock a little wide right at the "balance point" but, hey, my CZ has a magazine sticking out of it there so nothing is perfect.

A friend of mine has a 77/22 with a Volquartsen threaded barrel. It's a pretty nice setup with nice lines.
 
I'm most likely going to go with the Ruger 77/22. It's a bit pricier than I expected, but I guess I'm buying what I asked for. Anything close to quality in the $500 range? American of course.
 
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