Which 22 Mag (wmr) rifle should I buy?

N

Northslope Nimrod

New member
I'm looking for a rifle to shoot fox in my backyard. I want to keep the rifle's report to a minimum but I need to be able to shoot out to 120 yards. I have several .22's but I need a little more distance and lethality. I'm leaning toward the .22 mag. I don't want to buy some fancy rifle but I want something that is accurate and well made. I'm thinking bolt action.
Is there any reason to pay more than I would for a Savage? What do you recommend? (be model specific if possible). Thanks.
 
I have a Savage 93 and had a Marlin 25MN, I actually liked the Marlin a little better. Seems silly to sell the rifle you liked better, but I sank way too much money in the 93 to make it the way I liked it to sell. The only reason I sold the Marlin was I needed to downsize some because of a household move.

The Marlin and a more adult sized stock that just fit me better. It was also lighter than my 93 heavy barrel making it easier to pack around on a hike. I replaced the stock, had it pillar and glass bedded, as well as having a gunsmith tune the trigger since it was a non-accutrigger model.

That and I pretty much quit using the WMR in favor of the .223 Rem, but I don't have to worry about noise. Though if I did have to worry about the noise, I reload and can make a subsonic load if I need to that'll work better than any rimfire. Even the .22 WMR will be pretty loud if you use any of the loads that are 1300+ fps as you'll not only get muzzle blast, but a supersonic crack of the bullet as well. I'd try the CCI 60 grain segmented hollow point subsonic .22 LR before I went to the WMR, that is a if you can find it.
 
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i have several .22 mag rifles, but my to go .22 mag is a marlin 882L with a good scope(having AO helps me) on it and with CCI maxi mags from a rest it will shoot bug holes at 50 yrds and 1-1.5" at 100yrs from a rest. i regularly shot chipmonks off a wood pile at about 100yrs from my back porch. eastbank.
 
I've got one 22mag and its a 96/22. I only bought because I've never seen one up close and found it at a show. No regrets on it. Now that rifle is expensive. I will recommend a Savage MKII in .22mag. I had MKII in .22lr and mag and both were amazingly accurate. I'm actually considering a Ruger American Rimfire in .22mag. They are reasonably priced and somewhat modular for LOP and check height fitting.
 
22 mag ammo is inexplicably hard to find in stores right now. In contrast 17 HMR is everywhere.

I haven't seen a 22 mag accurate enough for a fox shot at 120 yards.
 
not only will my marlin 882L hit a fox at 120yrds, but you will be able to head shoot it if you are up to holding the rifle still. as i posted i shoot chipmonks at about 100yrds from my back porch with two small lead filled bags for rests.and i have killed many ground hogs at 100-130yrds and i think they are harder to kill than fox. the CCI maxi mags are scary accurtt. eastbank
 
I'll toss a vote in for Marlin, as well.
They're cheap, dirt-simple, and ugly. But that simplicity makes them reliable and simple to fix (should you have a problem).

In the used racks, you'll find basically the same rifles under a series of model numbers 782, 882, 982, and now the XT-22M.



Mine is a ~1999 Marlin 882SS (stainless/synthetic) that I bought new. It's accurate enough with even cheap ammo, that I have taken it on a few prairie dog trips. (For quieter shooting than the centerfires - using the .22 WMR either for the opening shots, or for a little 'quiet time' while the sod poodles settle down.)

For rabbits, squirrels, and coyotes, 100+ yards is not a problem. I actually ran the rifle with iron sights for about a year, before it got the scope that's been on it ever since. It racked up more 75-150 yard iron-sight rabbit kills in that first year, than it has total kills since being scoped.

If you do buy the Marlin, and might ever find yourself carrying it with a sling, buy at least one of the 4-round magazines for it. They fit closer to flush and won't stab you in the back.
 
"...haven't seen a 22 mag accurate enough..." More that 120 is close to the outside edge of the .22 Mag's capability.
Had a Savage Model 65M about 40 years ago. Shot ok, but .22 Mag ammo is expensive stuff and was then too. Like any other rimfire you have to try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo your rifle shoots best. The cost of ammo(starts at about $10 per 50 at Midway) makes doing that a pricey thing to do.
 
I'm actually considering a Ruger American Rimfire in .22mag. They are reasonably priced and somewhat modular for LOP and check height fitting.
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I forgot about the Ruger American Rimfire. It would be a good choice, as well.
 
I have a Marlin 983 and it's pretty accurate.

As for ammo the availability is low because the average person doesn't have a 22mag. The last time I saw it in quantities was only 2 weeks ago at Scheels in Eau Claire Wisconsin. They had a 6 foot long shelf 1 foot wide by 1 foot deep full for $15 a box. And that's Hornady and CCI.
 
Another vote for the Ruger American. Although I never can shoot mine, no ammo available around here. The RARR .17HMR gets used a lot.
 
Not really sure how available or what they're going for now, but if you can find one, I'd suggest a Mossberg 640 aka the "chuckster". I bought one 6 or 7 years ago for $85, swapped out the fixed power for a variable scope, and have been happy with it ever since. Everything I've read and heard about em has been good. Plus the gun shoots better than me, in the right hands it's a tack driver. Just thought I'd add my .02, good luck!
 
CZ 455 American is the way to here. You'll get a beautiful wood stock and no plastic parts like other brands. You also get the benefit of the interchangeable barrel system so you can take your 22 mag and swap the barrel for 22lr or 17hmr also. Not to mention the aftermarket Yo Dave trigger kit which will bring your pull weight down to under 1lb if you wanted.

I've owned Savage, Browning, Ruger, and CZ rimfires and the CZ is the hands down winner for me. Ruger is a close second, but almost twice the cost as the CZ.
 
CZ 455 American is the way to here. You'll get a beautiful wood stock and no plastic parts like other brands. You also get the benefit of the interchangeable barrel system so you can take your 22 mag and swap the barrel for 22lr or 17hmr also. Not to mention the aftermarket Yo Dave trigger kit which will bring your pull weight down to under 1lb if you wanted.
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For my money, I'd rather have the Ruger 77/22 Mag. Sure, it's more more expensive, it's more utilitarian, the wood won't be as good, and it's possible that the barrel might be a slightly lower performer than the CZ (but still plenty good). But... you get a solid action; proper safety; a higher capacity, dead-reliable, flush-fitting magazine; scope rings; a threaded and torqued barrel (not set screws holding it in); and the best repair service in the business.

To me, the CZ is just a slightly better finished and machined 'tube gun' (like the Savages, Marlins, Stevens, etc.). ...But with all profit going overseas.
 
Like eastbank and FrankenMauser, I too own a Marlin Model 882 (mine is the stainless steel SS model with the synthetic stock) and like it for what it is: an accurate, reliable, handy and affordable (I paid $188.72, plus tax for mine from Wal Mart a few years ago) rifle. I mounted a Simmons 2 1/2X scope on it and use it mostly as a "walking around" varmint rifle.

I will say that the new Ruger American sounds like a good deal too. If money is not a great concern, the Ruger 77/22 Mag would be my first choice.
 
FrankenMauser said:
For my money, I'd rather have the Ruger 77/22 Mag. Sure, it's more more expensive, it's more utilitarian, the wood won't be as good, and it's possible that the barrel might be a slightly lower performer than the CZ (but still plenty good). But... you get a solid action; proper safety; a higher capacity, dead-reliable, flush-fitting magazine; scope rings; a threaded and torqued barrel (not set screws holding it in); and the best repair service in the business.

To me, the CZ is just a slightly better finished and machined 'tube gun' (like the Savages, Marlins, Stevens, etc.). ...But with all profit going overseas.
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So you're paying about double for the Ruger to get a higher capacity, flush mag, and scope rings? All the other things you listed semantics? Proper safety? As opposed to an improper safety on the CZ? Threaded barrel? CZ 452s had that and there is no evidence to show a threaeded barrel is any more accurate than the 455 system. Lots have tried to prove or disprove that.

It's your money, so I'm certainly not in a position to tell you how to spend it. But a beautiful Turkish walnut stock on a gun with amazing accuracy for half the price is a no-brainer for me. I've never needed to use the CZ warranty and never had a malfunction with the safety. Trigger is easily modified to be better than the Ruger can be and again for less money. My opinion is you're overpaying for the Ruger name, a rotary mag, and a set of $30 scope rings.
 
QUOTE: Proper safety? As opposed to an improper safety on the CZ?

I think he's referring to the arse-backwards safety CZ uses in terms of which direction is "safe" and which is "fire", as compared to most other rifles.
 
Oh. I guess safety lever direction is a factor in purchase decisions for some people. Another semantic if you ask me and not something I care to pay extra for. I don't even pay attention to direct. Red means fire and that's what I look for on a safety.
 
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