22 Rifle options that won't break the bank

I suggest you check around the local shops for a good used .22 bolt action -- these are usually the best deals in my neck of the woods. Around here there are usually many good quality choices in the sub-$200 range.

You can certainly buy a new in box Ruger 10/22 and throw an inexpensive scope on it for $300.

I think you're on the right track. Might want to look at the offerings in a Savage bolt gun too. Not saying one is better than the other, just saying look and decide which you like best.

I have a marlin 60 and have handled the marlin XT. Marlin makes really accurate rifles for the money. Between the two of them I would pick the XT largely because the trigger is so much better and because I enjoy hunting with a bolt action 22. The savage Mark 2 is another nice reasonably priced option to look at in a bolt action 22.

My marlin 60 beats my Ruger 10/22 hands down and it is less expensive

I wouldn't be without my 10/22 that I've had for over 30 years but I have two XT22's in the house that were very accurate right out of the box.

New Marlin 60s run from $145(blue) to $189(SS) at the local WM here. So there's that option.

Savage Mark II. Accurate and doesn't feel like a pellet rifle.

Can't go wrong with a Marlin model 60. Awesome rifles and very accurate. Just bought my first 10/22 tonight. Haven't had a chance to shoot it. I'll see how it measures up to my model 60.

I will go on record.....one more time.....if you take 100 model 60's and 100 1022 the average on the Marlin will be better.

I am not a 1022 fan....but the other posters are correct, they are very cheap, as you save up you can turn it into a toilet plunger if you so desire.....not a bad use for it IMHO.....with the Marlin what you get is what you get...it does not have the aftermarket support that the ruger does.....and IMHO it does not need it to correct issues out of the box.

I believe the term is "can't go wrong".
Welcome to the forum.

I'll cast a vote for the Savage Mark II. My heavy barrel Mark II can shoot about .5 MOA w/ CCI Standard Velocity if I do my part (and I'm no great shooter), only thing I did was swap out the stock for a Boyd's Prairie Hunter. It's a little heavy but still perfectly usable for squirrel hunting.

Can't go wrong with a 10-22.

Don't be shooting up with a bullet. No telling where it will land. Use that 20g with lightest load you can get. Shot doesn't travel near as far. For that matter a good spring air pellet gun wil get them squirrels and fall way shorter than a 22.

The Marlin 60 is a good gun if you don't mind the tube loading. The Savage 64 F is usually pretty cheap and is magazine fed.

The go-to for most people is the Ruger 10/22 which is a great rifle but IMHO it's most appealing feature is aftermarket support allowing for limitless tinkering/modification. If you don't care about that and just want something to shoot/hunt with there are several cheaper options that will shoot just as well.

Don't buy a Marlin, they are garbage. I have the XT, it's a 4 MOA rifle. I have a Ruger Charger with brace, it's a 1 MOA rifl... I mean pistol

If you want an underrated .22 that's really cheap, the Mossberg 702 is great. I've had mine since I was a kid and even today I still enjoy it. The 10 round mags are so easy to carry and load. The receiver is Zamak tho, if that means anything to you and there's no aftermarket support for them, but really only Ruger has that. Also, the 25 rd mags are junk, just stick with the 10 rd mags.

Handle the model 60 before you buy. On The one I used, the comb was too high to get down behind the sights.

greyling22 said:

Handle the model 60 before you buy. On The one I used, the comb was too high to get down behind the sights.

Click to expand...

The exact same problem I had with mine. But man, scoped, it was a shooter.

Don't know much about some of these newer 22s. Don't play into fad stuff or wasted money branding. What I do know is what I have and how it works for me. First is the Marlin 39 micro groove break down. Versital, easy to handle. Will shoot shorts and up. Another is the Glenfield 550-1 older auto in rifle length. It too will shoot shorts and up, again versital. Plus parts are still available.
Saw an Ithica model 49, hopefully 49R I believe. Considering how much I really like my Featherlight 12 pump I'm leaning to believe the 22 lever action will be just as versital and pleasing. Draw back is top eject plus short manufacture time. Replaced by the 72. I haven't handled it because I'm highly concerned it will whisper to me. It's at a pawn shop and looks like brand new. Problem is going to be when they start dropping the price. It's at 225 right now.

Buying a cheap, new .22 rifle seems like a good deal, but when you walk out of the store, it's value has already diminished to about half it's cost.
A better investment of about the same amount, bought from a reputable gun dealer, is a good used older rifle, especially a bolt-action by Remington, Savage, Mossberg, etc., (provided that you can return it if it doesn't work properly). Some used .22LR rifles have surface rust, but I've almost never found one that had a rusty bore, especially if it hasn't been cleaned often. Rimfire .22LR rifle bores are protected by the wax on each round fired. I've worked on "barn rifles" that had terrible surface rust and flaked stocks, had broken parts, but the bores were PERFECT.

If you look around in gun shops, you might find a nice Remington 581 bolt action that's one of the best rimfires I've ever fired. You might have to pay about $200 for one, but it will be an investment that will keep it's value. Older Marlins are also pretty good.

I was lucky. Got my marlin 39 from a guy that just didn't understand it. Said it wouldn't eject. Looked in it and the eject rod was locked down to make running a cleaning rod easy. Sold it to me for 40.
The Glenfield a guy just shot the dog out of but didnt bother to keep it maintained. Got to shooting 2 jam on 3. He gave it to me. The loading paws were worked dry and marred. Little time on the fine diamond hone good cleaning and lube. Now it shoots great. Just as fast as you can pull the trigger.