Which .22 rifle?

[stickman483]

A buddy of mine owns the Walther G22. I love the little rifle. I will agree that it lacks the aftermarket accessories available to the 10/22 like I own, but don't look down on the Walther, unless price is your primary reason for disregarding it. The Walther is a well built little gun, accurate and compact. Both are a pain to thoroughly clean, but the Walther trumps the 10/22 in accuracy, in my opinion. It has a 20" barrel and is approximately the same size as the 10/22.

If you want a cheap semi auto plinker .22 get a 10/22 or Marlin. If you want a kick a$$ tack driving .22 that is already set up to take scopes and laser sights (and a sling, for that matter) then go with the Walther. Just my thoughts.

[BBunin]

Originally Posted by einheit 13

Oh, the Marlin 'Glenfield 60'........

Oh, PLEASE!
My Marlin Model 60 turned into a jam-o-matic after a measly 30-40,000 rounds or so. I doubt that I got more than 20 or 30 times the value I paid for it.

OTOH, I replaced it with a 10/22, which is still my favorite rifle.....

[Plinkomatic]

Originally Posted by chupacabrachus

Don't listen to them. While I'm a huge advocate of the .17HMR cartridge as well as the Savage 93r17 I highly suggest you get a Ruger 10/22 first. It is definitely a load of fun to shoot. Once you start to get bored with it (I havn't gotten bored with my 10/22 yet ) then pick up a 93r17 and enter the world of ACCURATE rimfires.

Yeah, he's probably right.
A brick of 500 rounds for $11 and a Butler Creek 10/22 magazine loader and you are in for big plinking fun.

[panther308]

Take a look at a CZ 452 Lux, not a run of the mill .22 quaility IMHO is hands down better the the Ruger

[Brickboy240]

Part of my collection is dedicated to early American made 22 rifles.

These are surprisingly inexpensive (until you get into the Winny 52s and a few others), made of the highest quality materials (not alot of plastic pr pot metal) and most are deadly accurate. Not to mention that many early 22s were made before the lawyers got ahold of the gunmakers and they have crisp triggers, unlike the newer made 22 rifles.

The sleeper of the 22 rifle market has got to be the Remington bolt guns made anywhere from right after WWI to about the late 60s/early 70s. Remington made single shot target versions, ones with tubular magazines and ones with detatchable single stack mags. Models like the 510, 511 and 512. They also made a great autoloader called the 550. These all had 24" thick barrels, real walnut stocks, case hardened bolts and overall qualiy you just don't see in newer 22 rifles. They're surprisingly accurate and utterly reliable. I own four Remington 22 boltguns and they're my favorites...bar none. I can pop Necco wafers and empty 12 gauge hulls off a fencepost from 50 paces with alarming regularity.

Best part about the early Remington bolt action 22s is their price. I bought all four of mine from pawnshops and all were under 100 dollars. One ran me 65 bucks. They don't look as sexy as the blacked out plastic stock 22s or the 10-22 with the banana clip, so they go for cheap. Best part is they will out-group any 10-22 I have ever shot with no smithing at all. They're that good. This is the way all guns used to be made...very well...not thrown together. You will not find anything this inexpensive that will shoot this good...I have tried.

I guarantee you that you will not find a better deal on a better made or more accurate rimfire rifle than the early Remingtons. I traded off my 10-22 years ago and have never looked back. Sure, letting loose 30 rounds at a time was fun, but so are dime sized groups at 50yds and a very nervous squirrel population!

- Brickboy240

PS: runners up that will cost a bit more, but are still great shooters are the Wincheter models 52, 62 and 63, the excellent Marlin 39 lever action and the Savage imported 22 bolt guns made by Anschultz.

[icemann]

If you are going with a .22 pistol I have heard good things about the Walther. The Ruger Mk series are also nice .22 pistols. The Ruger 10/22 is a good rifle and comes in a youth model for younger shooters. Also for younger shooters is the Davey Cricket (picture of Jiminey Cricket with a Davey Crocket hat on the box) that seems to be very popular esp. the pink stock version for young daughters.

[Plinkomatic]

Originally Posted by panther308

Take a look at a CZ 452 Lux, not a run of the mill .22 quaility IMHO is hands down better the the Ruger

I really like my 452 Lux as well, but it is very different.
Smooth bolt action, open sights, very long, excellent balance, 5 round magazine. Excellent training rifle, but totally different than 10/22.
Were I to do it again, in a CZ rimfire I would have gotten the 453 Varmint in 17 Mach 2 instead of 22LR as it is impossible to have the round count on a 452 that I can have on a 10/22 in a set amount of time, and the cost per session would be comparable with a profound increase in accuracy.
Bolt vs. semi...

[OrangeSkies]

I have four .22 rifles: a Ruger 10/22 (of course), a Marlin (bolt action), a Remington (pump action), and my absolute favorite, my Henry "Golden Boy" (lever action).

If you can afford it (~$300 range) take a look at the Henry. One of the finest 22's around IMO. The lever action is as smooth as a knife through butter...

http://www.henryrepeating.com/h004_goldenboy.cfm

[Son of Norway]

I have a Remington 511 and like Brickboy said, it's crazy accurate. It's the perfect gun for a newbie because even if you have never shot a rifle this thing makes you look good.

[Brickboy240]

Yes, the early Remington bolt action 22s are the sleepers of the rimfire world. They'll spoil you with dime sized groups at 50 yards. They also feel like big game rifles, not kiddie toys.

Best part is that I have never paid more than 100 bucks for one. I own four and would buy another tomorrow, if I see one in a pawn shop.

- Brickboy240