single shot .22's

My daughter owns two of the Chipmunk .22 single shots which are virtually identical to the Crickett.
Very good fit and finish and suprisingly accurate, the only fault is the lack of an effective ejector.
Fired cases must be tipped out before reloading, no biggy.
The Chipmunks and the Cricketts come with walnut stocks or plastic stocks.
The Marlins I have seen come with hardwood stocks and the Henry rifles with plastic.

The Henry and Marlins are just as well made and as you eluded, the choice between them is strictly personal.

Savage also makes a SS 22. The stock is short for an adult but you can get a slip on recoil pad for about $8 and fix that without making any permenant changes.

I have the Henry SS Minibolt 22, and was surprised at its accuracy. SS and sybthetic stock makes it a good all weather gun. And manual cocking is a nice safety factor. Light and short enough for a young shooter.

Downside is, in my gun, at least- there is "no drop and load" feature= the cartridge has to be started in the barrel manually.

I will likely buy its counterpart in 22 Mag as well.

'Old' single shot 22's....?

Just out of curiosity, have you looked at the plethora of old walnut and steel single shot 22’s for sale in gun shops, pawns, and auction sites?

If you go to the auction sites and type in ‘single shot 22’ you can usually find a couple dozen ‘classics’ and several ‘new’ 22’s. About once a week I make the rounds to the local shops and regularly find several 60-80 year old 22’s that would be just right for a young shooter or smaller adult.

Yes the older rifles could use some work if you want them to look like new, but a lot of the time you will be hard pressed to find a modern rifle that will match the way they ‘feel’ or their accuracy. Many times they even have a ‘period’ scope already attached, may not match new scopes for brightness or clarity, but they work and they look right.

This one cost me $25 out the door at a local pawn because of the broken stock (nails were included in the $25) and they thought it had some parts missing. After cleaning 75 years of grunge, refinishing the stock and a quickie home re-crown, this rifle will put 5 rounds though the same hole at 25 yards with the 3x scope on.

Why don't you look at getting a CZ 452 and buying a single-shot adapter for the magazine?

I've had a Chipmunk (as stated similar to the Crickett) since I was a kid. It is surprisingly accurate, drilled and tapped for scope mounts, and just neat. Unlike the other post, mine does ejects the casing just fine. If you are not a little kid it's more of a novelty, although I always wanted a "holster" for it. One note, the cocking mechanism is a little stiff (on mine at least) for a small kid and care should be taken so it does not slip and fire prematurely.

I've only got one single shot 22, and its an old russian match rifle (Vostok CM-2). She's been abused her whole life but still can put 5 through the same hole with the factory peep sights, heck, she shot well enough to max out this months rimfire challenge.

I'd check into the pawn shop 22s. I see plenty around here that are in great shape for as old as they are. I have two myself that are 60+ years old and shooters.

My first .22 was a Remington 512 single shot.

http://www.savagearms.com/30g.htm


This is the gun I grew up shooting. My Dad had a Remington pump and a 10/22 also, but this was my favorite for carrying down to the woods and plinking. I don't know how accurate it is since I never shot it at targets much, but I remember doing some really good shooting at times and doing some squirrel hunting.

It is a bit longer with a heavier barrel than a lot of other small kid rifles, but it is big enough that they or you can still use it and have fun. I guess it is also not a scope friendly rifle, but for using irons, I think it is very good.

I grew up with a Marlin 15YN. I started shooting it when I was 8. It was hefty enough to last me into my teens (with a butt extension).

Another affordable youth single shot is the Rossi Matched Pair.

I love those Stevens Favorites. One of the guys at our range has an original one that he rebarreled and and gave some beautiful wood. It wears a Malcom scope and is one of the coolest little guns I've ever seen.