Hello all, I work for a security company and I have been tasked with researching a large purchase of commercially available rifles chambered in .22lr. I know a bit about guns in general but very little about this cartridge other than the occasional Ruger Mark II from the army days. So lately I, and my colleagues have been shooting a LOT of rifles of various makes and models. What I would like to do is ask you shooters/gun owners what .22 rifle has worked best for you.
Here is some quick criteria:
-Rugged enough to withstand the elements and neglect of new shooters.
-Must be available in synthetic/stainless. They will be used in jungle areas.
-Be within the >$300 USD range.
-Something other than the Ruger 10/22 (Already have 150 of them).
-Looking for a semi-auto alternative (to the 10/22).
-Looking for a bolt-action model.
-Preferably "American Made" (Bidding points).
These will be used by predominantly non-gun types (yes, they will all take basic gun safety/marksman training). So dependability with a minimum of cleaning is important as they will probably go months without a visit to the armorer. They will be used for clearing off small game from trap areas, so no, a larger caliber is NOT needed.
The models I am most interested in hearing about are the Marlin 60-CF and the Savage Mark II FSS. The Marlin 795 had feeding issues with our test guns, as did the Savage Model 64, however opinions on these rifles are welcome as well.
Thank you all in advance for your replies/help. I wouldn't normally do my research this way but a buddy of mine mentioned that you guys (and gals!) at TFL were very professional and knowledgeable. I like to give my clients the very best and figured I could cover my bases better by asking those of you who have fired thousands of rounds through these rifles as opposed to the few hundred I use for testing. If you can think of any better rifles than the ones I listed in this post, feel free to mention them and I will check them out.
Here is some quick criteria:
-Rugged enough to withstand the elements and neglect of new shooters.
-Must be available in synthetic/stainless. They will be used in jungle areas.
-Be within the >$300 USD range.
-Something other than the Ruger 10/22 (Already have 150 of them).
-Looking for a semi-auto alternative (to the 10/22).
-Looking for a bolt-action model.
-Preferably "American Made" (Bidding points).
These will be used by predominantly non-gun types (yes, they will all take basic gun safety/marksman training). So dependability with a minimum of cleaning is important as they will probably go months without a visit to the armorer. They will be used for clearing off small game from trap areas, so no, a larger caliber is NOT needed.
The models I am most interested in hearing about are the Marlin 60-CF and the Savage Mark II FSS. The Marlin 795 had feeding issues with our test guns, as did the Savage Model 64, however opinions on these rifles are welcome as well.
Thank you all in advance for your replies/help. I wouldn't normally do my research this way but a buddy of mine mentioned that you guys (and gals!) at TFL were very professional and knowledgeable. I like to give my clients the very best and figured I could cover my bases better by asking those of you who have fired thousands of rounds through these rifles as opposed to the few hundred I use for testing. If you can think of any better rifles than the ones I listed in this post, feel free to mention them and I will check them out.
