Would the Ruger Precision Rimfire be a good first rifle?

[Areoflyer09]

I’m quite fond of my RAR, action is almost as smooth as my T-Bolt and way better than the action in my wife’s MKII. Our MKII doesn’t have the acutrigger but with patience/practice it can shoot just as accurately as the RAR for us. I can’t comment on the quality between the Ruger and the Savage, as my RAR is the Talo edition and our Savage is the most basic rifle they make. Not a fair comparison.

Given that you wanted to be able to teach with it, I think the ability to run the shorter stock is a huge benefit.

For what it’s worth, my RAR has a medium weight barrel, I guess. It’s not as thin as my T-Bolt barrel, but it’s not as thick as RAR target barrel either. The T-Bolt is more accurate. Barrel weight hasn’t been the deciding factor for accuracy in my experience.

 

[agtman]

Is there a "known-good" bolt-action 22lr that's "the best" in terms of accuracy out of the box? Or is this a matter of choosing what fits me, and knowing I'll need to make upgrades along the way if I ever want to do more with it?

I have several models of the CZ .22s, (the older 452s), and they were all accurate out of the box. The 455s are supposed to be just as good.

This is first and foremost a learning tool for me, and then my kids as they grow.

IMO, the *best* boys' .22 starter rifle that a growing kid can shoot thru adolescence well into young adulthood is the CZ 455 Scout.

Unlike most of "youth" .22 rifles with waay too short LOPs which the kid outgrows in a couple of years, the Scout's LOP is just right. Heck, I love mine and I'm 6'3.

Good luck.

 

[johnwilliamson062]

Decent open sights, rear notch and fiber optic front

I've yet to shoot notch sights on a rifle and be satisfied. There are probably aftermarket rearsight upgrades available, but tey will likely put you very close to the more expensive Savage.
I think the only rifles I own with stock sights are military surplus and they pretty much all have peep sights to begin with.