First time adult buyer - which .22 LR rifle?

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Melo255

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I used to shoot back when I was a kid in Boy Scouts but that was some time ago. I want to buy a .22 LR rifle because A) Ammo is so cheap B) I can shoot it at any of the indoor ranges in my location and C) Little recoil. I plan on using it for target practice at the range and small game hunting.

The rifle I used to shoot with was a single shot bolt action I believe. While I don't want a single shot I do prefer bolt action. Also I've narrowed down my preferences to a clip magazine instead of a tube loader.

I had briefly considered the Ruger 10/22 but it seems a lot of what makes it so loved is that it is so customizable - something I don't much care about. I want a gun $200 or less that comes out of the box reliable, accurate and fun to use.

So these are the two rifles that I've essentially been able to find that fit all of my needs. Which of these would those of you who know much much more than I do recommend? If there is another rifle that you would recommend instead of these please let me know. I'm very much open to any suggestions and appreciate any and all advice.

Savage Mark II-F Rimfire
http://www.savagearms.com/markiif.htm

Marlin Model 925
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/BoltAction22/925.aspx
 
Sounds like you have this pretty well thought out. I think you will be happy with either gun. I never had one of the Savage's, but I have had one of the Marlins and they are good guns.
 
I'm not familiar with the Savage, but you can't go wrong with the Marlin, and it's an American made quality product.
 
Go to gunbroker.com and search for Marlin 925. I agree it is your best choice unless you want to spend over 300.
 
I bought a Marlin 925 a few years ago. It is a decent rifle for the price. I ended up replacing the stock with a two tone brown laminate which dramatically improved the appearance. The trigger is too heavy for my liking but that should not be difficult to "fix". The stock comb seems better suited to shooting with a scope installed , which I use. Mine really likes PMC Scoremaster ammo shooting it with surprising accuracy.
 
Personally, I'd go with the Marlin 918T if I could find a version with a wooden stock. But I prefer tubular magazines on my .22LR (it allows the gun to cycle .22 shorts and longs as well as long rifles). Out of the two you've chosen, I'd probably go with the Marlin 925 over the Savage.
 
Have you checked out the Tula TOZ- 78-01?

Right now Centerfire has them for $100 with 2 10 round mags and 2 5 round mags, although they call them the "whisper".
Toz 78-01

Its Russian goodness with a free floated barrel, adjustable trigger, and damn good accuracy. Most people agree this is one HELL of a deal right now. Only real dissapointment people have with them so far is the finish is rough.

Check out this forum on Rimfirecentral for info--
Rimfire central Russian forum
 
I own a Savage Mark II-FS. It has been great so far. For a "low-end" gun I like the trigger and with a cheapo scope it shoots great. Put your hands on both and see which one fits best. Gander Mountain will probably have both in stock if you have one near you.
 
Another vote for the CZ-452. This is one of the best made 22 bolts you can buy - accurate, all steel with fairly decent wood.
 
Most of the .22 shooters here - our club holds CMP Rimfire Sporter matches - lean towards CZs. They have several models, some pretty close to the $200 mark and there are getting to be a lot of tweaks and gadgets for them. Mostly trigger work, the barrels are good.

There are also some Marlins out there doing very well, you need not feel limited by one of them.
I do not know the current price or source of the Baikal Biathalon Basic straight pull rifle, but that ugly little gun is very accurate with a fine trigger.

The 10-22s are kind of fading from interest here. I know one guy with a T/C .22 auto that does great but it took him a lot of effort, including a replacement gun from T/C to get there.
 
Melo;

I've owned an older Savage MKII LHB. I'll most likely own another. You get an excellent value for the money with the Savage, you can certainly do worse. I bought mine in about 2002 I think, before the acu-trigger in any case.

I enjoy tinkering with my guns. I found the Savage to be easy to work on, & it amply rewarded my efforts. I removed the barreled action from the stock & cleaned all the left over 'hair' out. I then free-floated the forend, very easy to do, so the wood only touched the barrel about 2.5" in front of the mount screw. I used a staining wax to enhance the finish of the stock & sealed the barrel channel as well. Finally, adjusted the trigger (instructions on Rimfire Central), and pillared the mount screw.

The gun then was 100% gopher accurate to about 75 yards.

However, I sold the gun to a friend whose son was also a left handed shooter, for the kid's first gun. I bought a CZ452 LHB.

If the budget is hard, get the Savage, you'll get a very solid gun. If the budget can stretch, get the CZ. The CZ452 America is about like buying a Winchester model 70 - in .22lr.

900F

P.S. No fella's, I didn't say Winchester model 70's were made in rimfire, I compared the quality of build of the CZ to the Winchester.

F
 
Jim Watson

Thanks for mentioning the Biathlon. I always forget to mentionit, and it is one of the most accurate 22LR I have ever owned, and groups right up there with my Anshutz 1413, believe it or not. Once ytou get past the 'Russian Tractor factory' finish, it really performs and the trigger is absolutely brilliant. I paid $325 for mine.

bb.jpg


bb-action.jpg


The wood was so plain, I decided to paint the stock.

bb-cammo.jpg
 
I like the Marlin and the 10/22 but the tube mag on the Marlin gets tiring to load over and over at the range. There are also lots of toy out there for the 10/22. I like the Marlin for fit and feel, and the 10/22 for function and upgradeableness.
 
For slightly more than your $200 threshold, I am going to go ahead and recommend the CZ-452-2E ZKM "Trainer" model. Made in the Czech Republic with very high quality hammer forged steel barrel, very heavy duty action, excellent iron sights and the option to use a 5 or 10 shot detachable magazine. Has a grooved reciever for easy scope mounting. The stocks are beech (IIRC), and the checkering on the pistol grip was done by hand! These things look classy and shoot great.
 
You have so many choices. I personally wouldn't own a 22lr in a bolt action The extra little bit of accuracy isn't worth it IMO. Clip fed rifles are more appealing to me as well. Most semi auto 22lr rifles are accurate enough at the ranges required for a 22lr anyway. The way I see it the Mossberg Plinkster 702, Marlin 795, Savage 64F, or Ruger 10/22 would be the way to go but I would get a 10/22 because of the aftermarket custom parts.
 
First of all, welcome, and congratulations on getting back into shooting. I'd left it behind myself for years (well, except for a CO2 pistol we had for snakes) and in the last few years have had a lot of fun getting back into it.

There are several .22's that we own; two that my boys have (one a Savage, one a Marlin) but I have one of the Ruger 10/22.

I don't care much about sporterizing it, or doing trigger jobs on it, either. I do want to get a scope for it. It has a rail already, and I need to find the right scope, but that's all I'm going to do to it.

But it's a good shooter. I got mine used, so the trigger has been "broken in" a bit, and that may add to my appreciation of the rifle as is, but I really like shooting it. Just because lots of other people dress theirs up doesn't mean you *have* to :D

Happy shopping, happy shooting.

Springmom
 
Get yourself a Ruger 10/22. They can be accessorized to no end and are priced under $200 at WalMart. They aren't the most accurate out of the box, but for the money they are a good semi auto rifle.
 
The Savage is an excellent choice. They now come with their "AccuTrigger," so you should have a good trigger pull right out of the box.

I own two Savage rimfire bolt actions, a Mark IIGL and a 93GL (.22 Magnum). I'm very pleased with both.
 
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