22 Rifle options that won't break the bank

I have found doing some shopping that it's possible to find guns that have little or no use. The Savage that I shoot came from a pawn shop. There was no indication that rifle has seen any abuse or much use. Likewise my CZ452 came used and is an excellent rifle. Do some shopping and looking around.

A few years back I had a Marlin XT with the bull barrel- I liked it. Was less fiddly than a Savage Mk in 17 I had- though to be fair, the savage shot well enough I dealt with the fiddlyness of it.

What is fiddly? That's out of my dialect.I stopped shooting my Savage 93R17 because the ammo is two expensive. Same for the 22WSM. I did find the Savage 22RF Mark II to be very accurate without any problems. The 93R is reserved for driving the Yotes from my yard when they cycle this way again.

The magazines for the Savage weren't the greatest. Would have trouble feeding at times.

Kookla said:

The magazines for the Savage weren't the greatest. Would have trouble feeding at times.

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That is probably my biggest qualm with Savage. My Mark II mags will occasionally suddenly empty themselves when locked into the rifle. Not a big deal in the grand scheme with how rarely it happens and how well the gun shoots, but I'd pay a few more dollars for a better quality mag.

JMHO, decide whether you prefer a tube fed mag, or a box mag, then either get the Marlin 60, or a Ruger 10-22.

Buy new, or you may be dealing with other people's problems, like a crumbled buffer, or a receiver full of soot.

Ain't nothing wrong with used guns unless you foolishly pay new money for them

ColtPythonElite said:

Ain't nothing wrong with used guns unless you foolishly pay new money for them

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I always pay for used guns with used and never new money. I also have never bought a used gun sight unseen, I just like to handle any gun before I pop the money for it. Then too I know plenty of shooters who have purchased used guns online solely based on pictures and things went fine.

Ron

I bought a Marlin XT22 for a kid. It was accurate enough with a scope. The iron sights were canted though. The 60 is ok. I don't care for tube feed and accuracy is ok for the price. We had a prove it thread awhile back. I had one and have seen several at the range. I have an old Ruger 10/22 that is easily better but from what I see the new ones are about equal. I think the XT 22 would be more accurate but the 60 would be plenty good for squirrel hunting at typical ranges. Lots of guys are happy with them and you have to start somewhere.

You would be doing yourself a favor by taking a look a the CZ bolt action rimfires. A 452, 455, or even the new 457. You will get much more rifle than what the price suggest. CZ are a huge upgrade over the very low end guns.

OP clearly said he didn't want to go over $300, plain as day.

I think that would take CZ out of the running - as nice as they may be.

I paid $329 for a new CZ 455 American synthetic about a month ago----not much more than $300.

Another vote for an older bolt gun!

PegTheLeg said:

Hey everyone! I'm just getting into small game hunting, and hunting in general in fact. I have a 20 gauge that I am good with, but I would also like to get a 22 rifle to use for things like squirrels so I don't have to worry about picking out pellets and so on.

I don't have a ton of money, so I'd rather not go for a $300+ gun. Right now, it's between the Marlin 60 and the Marlin XT, with the latter being more likely.
Opinions on these two guns? Any others I should maybe give consideration?
Thanks!

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Hey Peg....Welcome to the hunter's tribe! Lots of good suggestions here. This being your first .22 and if your interest is strong, it certainly won't be your last. Another thought....I've usually purchased rifles for value and possible resale. While I still pay attention to that issue, I now buy what I want and if it doesn't work out, I sell it. I have never "lost money" since it is well worth it to me to buy a gun, use it for awhile, then sell it for what I can get. My focus is on having fun. Enjoy whatever you buy.

Saw Henry lever acrion as low as 290 at academy

Marlin 39A is a good option and shouldn't loose any value.

PegTheLeg said:

Ultimately, I went with a Ruger 10/22 stainless steel! Found it used from a gun store I trust was 200$ with a scope.
Forgive the messy counter haha
This model runs 279.99 at cabelas~ Scope and case came with it~
View attachment 857547

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You "done good". Looks like a winner! If there's anything you don't like about it, there are many options that you can get in the future.

Cocked & Locked said:

Marlin 39A is a good option and shouldn't loose any value.

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That's a beauty!!! I installed a receiver sight on mine and it worked very well; extremely accurate! Unfortunately, it was probably built on a Monday morning, so had some irritating problems, including off-center iron sights, extractor problem (corrected) misaligned scope mount holes, and a crooked receiver top. Other than that, it was very nice (said with teeth gritted).

PegTheLeg said:

Ultimately, I went with a Ruger 10/22 stainless steel! Found it used from a gun store I trust was 200$ with a scope.
Forgive the messy counter haha
This model runs 279.99 at cabelas~ Scope and case came with it~
View attachment 857547

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Hard to go wrong there! In truth, all the choices presented, when well maintained are fine. I dislike Marlin Model 60's for several reasons, but I've owned them in the past, and probably will again, I pick them up when I can get them cheap-sometimes they need a bit of rehabilitation. I then hand them off to a deserving kid or new shooter.

I want a Savage 64.

PegTheLeg said:

Ultimately, I went with a Ruger 10/22 stainless steel! Found it used from a gun store I trust was 200$ with a scope.
Forgive the messy counter haha
This model runs 279.99 at cabelas~ Scope and case came with it~
View attachment 857547

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That is a nice rifle. For now and for as long as .22 LR ammunition is made. Which is basically from now on. I really like a SS rifle with scope and irons for backup and Ruger synthetic stock. Mine is a 77/22 WMR all weather.

Do sight in the irons at some point, for peace of mind if nothing else. Good find, enjoy it in good health.

PegTheLeg said:

Ultimately, I went with a Ruger 10/22 stainless steel! Found it used from a gun store I trust was 200$ with a scope.
Forgive the messy counter haha
This model runs 279.99 at cabelas~ Scope and case came with it~
View attachment 857547

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You will be happy....there is something about the SS with the silver scopes....been wanting to do the 77/357 for a while.....but my gun buying is on hold for a bit....I was a bad boy.