First .22

Which .22

  • 10/22

    Votes: 30 30.9%

  • Marlin 60

    Votes: 18 18.6%

  • Marlin 795

    Votes: 6 6.2%

  • Savage Mark II

    Votes: 15 15.5%

  • Other

    Votes: 28 28.9%
  • Total voters
    97
R

Rjeezie

New member
Decided to get my first .22 to start getting the mechanics of rifle shooting down. Read through tons of forums and so many opions out there. I will use this basically for plinking and target. Price is probably the most important factor (things are tight), accuracy and then aftermarket. Know there are a lot more choices, but this is pretty much what I've narrowed it down to (Unless somebody presents something else).
 
My 2cents, find a used bolt action, especially if money is tight. Around here you can find them from $80-$200 bucks. Most of the one's you mentioned can be found used. I say bolt because you can shoot .22 of all sizes including .22short cb's for cheap practice.
 
Had Ruger 10/.22 and two 795's. For the $$$ the 795 is hard to beat. Mine have never FTF or FTE. Gave to 10/.22 to a friend - it is a great gun and the rotery magazine is a genius design. I just like the "clips" in the 795. I wish they had the stainless models when I got mine. Its hard to go wrong with any of the guns under consideration - they are all great.
 
For what you stated, I'd go with the 10/22. The others are great choices too, but I think for what you want the 10/22 is the way to go. If you are going for out of the box accuracy the Savage Mark II would be the way to go. However, for me I like a semi auto for plinking. This leaves the 10/22 and Marlin 60 as great options. Another one to look at is the Marlin 795. Basically a magazine fed Marlin 60. If you want a semi auto, but want out of the box accuracy one of the two Marlins is the way to go. They are often more accurate out of the box than the 10/22's. However, you also said you wanted aftermarket support and this is where the 10/22 is the clear winner. There are tons and tons of aftermarket parts for the 10/22's and you can make them more accurate than the Marlins with some work. They just aren't out of the box. The 10/22 is plenty accurate in stock form for anything you need to do with a .22. Don't get me wrong.
 
Price, plinking and Marlin 60 are all words that belong together. Been shooting mine since 1964 and still having a ball with it in spite of owning 10 other 22's including (2) 10/22's
3795579_Gunsnet_50_yd_bench_rimfire_target.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Fired this 50 yard target day before yesterday with that same 36 year old gun, cheap Barska scope and bulk ammo after nephew shot it for a month without cleaning it. No sighters just pulled it off the rack and fired 10 shots rapid fire from a cold dirty rifle.

Now I will tighten up the scope mount, clean it and try again at 100 yards if it ever stops raining.
 
Dang Grump,,,

That's nice shooting,,,
And a great testimony to the Marlin.

I voted to recommend the Marlin because I've owned it as well as a 10/22,,,
I just felt the Marlin was all around a better gun.

Tube mags care a bit of a pain to load,,,
At least a pain compared to the Ruger cylinder mags,,,
But all in all I always thought the Marlin performed a lot better.

JMHO,,,

.
 
For just all-around reliability and maintainabilitiy, it's hard to beat a 10/22. Plus, you can get so many aftermarket goodies for them. Not that the Marlin isn't a good shooter, but once they wear out they are dead. Break a bolt buffer, and it's toast. Bend a feed lip and you're done. Break the ejector, it's all over. The Ruger, on the other hand, has no bolt buffer to break, the feed lips and ejector are part of the magazine, and $10 will fix it. It really is an ingenious design.
 
10/22. Not only are they very reliable but they have the best magazine in the business. Great when bone stock but if you choose it can become anything you want a rimfire to be and change as you change. What you want today may not be what you want tomorrow. No other 22 is such a chameleon.

LK
 
I voted for the 795. It's the most affordable of the bunch, and they're still running the $25 back rebate far as I know. Let us know what you pick and above all else, be safe and have fun.:)
 
Not that the Marlin isn't a good shooter, but once they wear out they are dead. Break a bolt buffer, and it's toast. Bend a feed lip and you're done. Break the ejector, it's all over.
Click to expand...

For the two of those things that you can do, you fix them by popping the e-clip off the pin and replacing the broken bit. For the other thing, I'm not sure how you'd damage the 1/4" high by 1/8" thick wings of the lifter assembly that are totally enclosed in the receiver without a hammer and a screwdriver.
 
If I ever break it I will let you know, right now all I have ever had to do is clean it. I'm not counting the one failure to feed, some (ahem, koff, koff), old dope who should have known better got distracted and slipped one round in backwards.
 
You can't go wrong with a Marlin 60. Be sure to clean it after the first and second firing with a good cleaner / lube and it will last you for years. I have one Marlin 60 that I bought 6 years ago that has close to 10k rounds down the tube. I shoot it all the time, and it still holds it's accuracy. I paid $90 for it New and on sale, and I've never regretted it. I prefer the tube fed to the magazine fed simply because I squirrel and rabbit hunt with a .22 . I bought a Spee-D-Loader from Cabelas and it allows me to reload with 14 rounds within a few seconds.
 
I'd definitely suggest a bolt-action as the best way to learn to shoot well. They're accurate, and they don't encourage you fling lead downrange the way a semi-automatic will. Also, if you think you might want to hunt with a larger caliber bolt-action down the road, a bolt-action .22 will always be your go-to gun for practice.

I voted "other," because I'm a big fan of CZ's. If you can find a used CZ 452 trainer, it shouldn't break the bank, and I think they're the best value going in bolt-action .22's.

Otherwise, I'd say go with the Savage.
 
The Savage Mark II is the best gun of those listed in the poll.Its ergonomics are right and its the most accurate of the bunch.
 
If you have the funds, the CZ Lux is an excellent bolt action.

When I was a kid my brother and I shared a Remington Fieldmaster. I remember it fondly.

One of the things I like to have in a .22 is a tube magazine. That's why I prefer the Marlin model 60 over the Ruger 10/22.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top