Looking for a 22 LR rifle or carbine for small varmints.

Why don't you just scope your rifle? It ejects to the side and it should have grooves or a rail so you can add one. It would be cheaper and your already familiar with the rifle. Or if your looking for an exscuse to buy another rifle I get that.

By an illuminated scope, do you mean to attach a spotlight to the rifle or scope?

The Ruger American rifles are good guns that won’t break the bank. I easily scoped my WMR version, and it takes common Ruger rotary mags that are nearly bulletproof-reliable. If $$ isn’t an issue the CZ .22 Lr is a really, really nice gun for the money as well.

Just 2cents worth...Stay safe.

Scooter22 said:

Or if your looking for an excuse to buy another rifle I get that.

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Well, yeah...

I like my Remington 597. The trigger is better than a Ruger. If semi-auto is what you're looking for that is...

I really like my Ruger 77/22. I have replacement triggers on both the 77 and the 10/22. They were not that expensive, and they were worth it.
I have heard many good things about the Ruger American. You should also look at Savage bolt action 22s. I hear they are very accurate.
BTW the 77/22 comes with scope rings, mine has no iron sights.

The Ruger BX trigger is a pretty decent upgrade for the Ruger 10/22 trigger and can be found for around $50.

I've got a Ruger American bolt and it's a very accurate firearm. Mine has a 4x12 scope on it.

Balrog said:

9422's are hard to find. A scope messes up the classic style of the gun, and I have seen many 9422s marred by attaching a scope.

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Well if yours is pristine and you don't want to scratch the finish on the grooves ok. I'd get a used Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 795 or other model and set it up.

I wouldn't mess up the lines of the lever gun. How about a used .22 bolt gun off the rack of your local LGS or Pawn Shop? You could get either a single shot or a repeater that would be easy to scope and serve your purpose well without breaking the bank.

My recent acquisition of a Tikka T1x ws a good thing. Trigger is the same as the high power rifles and it shoots every bit as well as my Sako Finfire II for half the money.

The illuminated scope part has me thinking your shooting in low or no light.

I rigged up this 572 for my Father years ago when he was trying to eradicate the rabbits eating Mothers flowers.



Cheap 1-4x scope, laser and light is good enough for the intended purpose. The long barrel makes it pretty quiet with the right ammunition, even without a suppressor. The pump action allows quick follow up shots if needed. I have it back now and used it to dispatch armadillos tearing up the yard before I got chickens that eat the things the Texas speed bumps were after.

I have a Ruger American, it doesn’t feel as well refined as my 77-22 but I think it’s a better choice. I use a couple old Remington 510’s, model 60 marlin, Remington 597 and a 10/22 as my available firearms for light varmint work that are kept handy at different locations around the house and farm at night the one to grab is the one with the light though.

I don't think I've run into a .22 yet that didn't shoot at least as well as I did. I am saying that to say that I believe almost anything will work here.

Lots of good used rifles out there. Maybe not quite as many as during the recent ammo shortage, but I'm sure you can still find some gems.


I actually picked up a Henry recently to retire my main .22 levergun. I have been pretty happy with it. I think just about all of their models are grooved for a scope. One of those might fit your needs. But again - I think just about any well-functioning .22 rifle would work. Hard to go wrong!

Nothing wrong with a Marlin Model 60, 11 million purchasers can't be wrong.

I would suggest looking a the CZ bolt action rimfires. I ordered a CZ 455 American on clearance awhile back. I thought at the time, I may be getting something a little better than a Marlin. When I got it, I was really surprised. It was a beautiful little rifle and shoots like a dream. The trigger guard is steel but a little cheesy looking. I bought a milled trigger guard from Coal creek something out of Oklahoma and it is a very nice addition. I also put a Timmey trigger on it, the factory trigger was ok, just a little cheep. Dip products has many nice aftermarket parts also. You will be surprised at what they are compared to the price you pay. With a just a few parts added, it is my opinion they are on par with Kimbers and the likes. You can also swap barrels on the CZs to different calibers. Give them a look.

I don't know if there's a .22 out there that won't work for your needs. For 50-75 yards and under you don't really need the precision of a target bolt action, so if it were me I'd go for a semi-auto for varmints. A Marlin 60 is cheap, more accurate than a basic 10/22 and typically has a better trigger in stock form.

Riomouse911 said:

The Ruger American rifles are good guns that won’t break the bank. I easily scoped my WMR version, and it takes common Ruger rotary mags that are nearly bulletproof-reliable. If $$ isn’t an issue the CZ .22 Lr is a really, really nice gun for the money as well.

Just 2cents worth...Stay safe.

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Yep, they are nice.

Have a few RAR Compact .22 LR's w/ TechSights aperture sights, and they are pretty good at cleanin' tomato paste cans, end on, at 75 yards.




GR

Savage Mark-II with a scope.

Just put a scope on your 9422. You are already familiar with it & you would be hard pressed to find a rifle made today nearly as good unless you spend a small fortune.

I'd scope the 9422 unless you want to keep it irons only.

If you want a gun to get scratched up I'd flip a coin between a Savage and a Ruger American.

If you want something "nicer" I'd grab a CZ.

Personally, my small game rifle is a Savage 24 22WMR/20GA. It's a bit more flexible.

Riomouse911 said:

The Ruger American rifles are good guns that won’t break the bank. I easily scoped my WMR version, and it takes common Ruger rotary mags that are nearly bulletproof-reliable. If $$ isn’t an issue the CZ .22 Lr is a really, really nice gun for the money as well.

Just 2cents worth...Stay safe.

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I have a Ruger American 22 and a CZ455. The Ruger is a nice rifle for the money and the CZ is priced higher for a reason. Everything about the CZ is a little nicer.

I love the CZ rifles, especially their Mannlicher rimfires. They sport a ton of eye candy European panache’ and are very well made to boot.

I’d snap up a 22 LR American if it came with the 18.5” barrel and Rugers International stock in a hot minute... Lipsey’s, are you listening? .

Stay safe.

I’ll

tubeshooter said:

I don't think I've run into a .22 yet that didn't shoot at least as well as I did. I am saying that to say that I believe almost anything will work here.

Lots of good used rifles out there. Maybe not quite as many as during the recent ammo shortage, but I'm sure you can still find some gems.


I actually picked up a Henry recently to retire my main .22 levergun. I have been pretty happy with it. I think just about all of their models are grooved for a scope. One of those might fit your needs. But again - I think just about any well-functioning .22 rifle would work. Hard to go wrong!

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I gave three Henry's in the safe; a WMR, a .22 and the kid size .22 that is my son’s rifle. I love lever guns and these three are all nice tools that didn’t break my bank to buy .

Stay safe.