Lady New to Rifles Looking for Some Rifles 101 Information

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first off, I would drop the thumbhole stock, they are impracticle for almost anything but bench shooting, and you can bet they are allways heavy.
Right now, very few 22's are made with sites, and the ones that are have basic drift sites. The remmy 597 is about the only one made right now, with fully adjustable for height and windage, rear site. It will be about 150 bucks. But for a truly great rifle, around 300 bucks, you should look at a cz , with a single set trigger, their accuracy, beauty, and trigger make them truly a lifetime rifle.
Even so, they will still be tough to find with a great rear site setup.
check this page for some good looking rifles.
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I'll second the Remington 597 suggestion, as it comes in several variations that all fall into your price window.

I would also add that you might want to look at the Remington Model Five in the youth version:

"The new downsized Model Five Youth is specially engineered for young shooters with a shortened stock (1"), plus a trimmed fore-end for optimum balance. It’s also equipped with a world-class hammer-forged barrel shortened to 16 1/2" for easy pointing, along with fully adjustable rifle sights."

...and comes with both the single shot adapter, and the 5 round magazine.
 
If you have a decent sized gun shop in your area you should be able to pick up used .22s pretty cheap; insist on a trial period of a couple days to make sure they function OK. If you don't like one style you won't have much in it and can trade it on something else. Find a style you like then go pricey for a new of the same style or just wear out the used one and get another. Other than my grandfather's old Western Field single shot I don't have any attachment in the .22's; they are 'for fun guns'. I still haven't figured out what got into me a couple of months ago to get the Henry - moment of weakness and too much cash on hand, but it is a lot of fun.
 
In my very casual and uninformed gun handling I liked the thumbhole stock because it gave me a feeling of stability and control. Are there any drawbacks to that style of stock?
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Most thumbhole stocks are contoured for right handed shooters. If there will be any lefty shooters, a standard stock would be better.
They are also heavy, as mentioned above.
 
How tall are you and how long of arms do you have? Because the Length of pull on a CZ 452 Scout recommended above may be TOO short for you. But if you have short arms, it would work well.
 
One more vote for the 10/22. Light, reliable and infinitely customizable. I've shot my brother's and several friend's rifles, and plan on adding one to my battery soon. I'm planing on setting it up as a "Liberty Training Rifle" or "LTR" as described by Project Appleseed. I also highly recommend attending an Appleseed shoot to tune up your rifle shooting skills.

www.appleseedinfo.org
 
I've had a 10/22 since 1972 and it's a great rifle. New versions have a plastic trigger guard, so find an older model if this is an issue for you.

For a center fire rifle, I'd highly recommend a CZ in 7.62x39. Tack driver to be sure and well made. The 7.62x39 is a wonderful cartridge, capable of taking most any game in the lower 48 at ranges under 200 yards. Bullet selection is critical here, but once a good load is found, you're golden. Limited recoil.
 
@PremiumSauces,
I have very short arms. So much so that I shot one of our club's matches that was done offhand with my 8yo's Crickett because holding DH's Marlin up for more than a few shots is torture. For a normally-built person, imagine the discomfort of holding a rifle in the position required if you were to wedge a soup can between the butt and your shoulder. The stock on that Crickett is only slightly too short. LOL

The only rifle in the house that fits comfortably is my late FIL's souvenier of the WWII Pacific War -- a Japanese military rifle. We have a handful of round for it, but we do not shoot that one. Its too heavy for me, the the length of the stock is just right.
 
Lots of opinions and great advice floating around here. I'll add my .02:

  • A thumbhole stock is mostly for serious target shooting. It gives stability but at the expense of easy handling and carrying. Standard stocks are better for all-around use.
  • Lever guns tend to be easy for small-statured people to handle, being slimmer. They also can be cycled faster than bolt guns. The problem of spitzer bullets with lever guns is not an issue with .22LR, which is not a "pointy" round. Henry makes a youth model lever .22 that might suit you. Their regular model lever .22 isn't that big either--you might do OK with that. The Marlin lever .22 (39A) is closer to a full-sized rifle, and probably wouldn't work as well for you. I'm not sure about the size of the Browning BL-22. The Henry rimfires are more of a budget gun than the Marlin or Browning, but by all accounts they work very well.
  • Bolt guns tend to be more accurate overall than levers or semi-autos. The CZ Scout would be an excellent choice. It has a 12" length-of-pull (the functional measurement of stock length). (The LOP on your Crickett is either 11.5" or 11.75" depending on who you ask.) If that's too small, the CZ Lux or Trainer might do. Marlin and Savage make some nice, inexpensive bolt guns, too, but to me the CZ's are a notch or two above in quality. Ruger's bolt guns are too expensive for what they are, IMHO.
  • Pump guns (slide action) are another possibility, but there are very few being made right now. Remington and Henry might be the only ones left. Taurus made some nice ones a few years back--Model 62, which I believe had the option of a youth-sized stock. You might find some of these on the used market.
  • The main advantage in semi-autos is fast follow-up shots without having to break your concentration on your sight picture. There are a lot of semi-autos out there, and they all have their fans. I think the Marlin 795 is a good gun for a smaller person, being very light and compact. The Ruger 10/22 is probably the most popular .22 rifle in America or maybe the world, partly due to the vast number of modification parts you can get for it. Customizing a 10/22 is a whole hobby and industry of its own. In general, though, I'm not a fan of semi-autos for a first or only rimfire gun. My main reasons are that they require more maintenance, the maintenance tends to be more complicated, and they are more finicky about ammo.

Good luck! Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. If you don't, then dump it and try something else!
 
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3Bs - in that case, with short arms, then the Scout (CZ 452) would be an excellent choice for you.

Really though, have you decided whether you want:

-Pump
-Lever
-Turnbolt, or
-Semi-auto

?? There's so many good choices in each of those categories, that I think you'll have to decide action type first, to start to narrow it down.

For shorter, lighter guns: In a pump, I'd recommend a Henry H003 pump. In a levergun, I'd recommend a Browning BL-22. In a turnbolt, a CZ 452 Scout. In a semi-auto, a Marlin 60 or Remington 597. But you'll have to go used on the BL-22 or 597 to get within your price range. What you really need to do is study the LOPs adverstised for each gun, and compare it to the Crickett you have. PM me if you don't know how to measure length of pull. Sounds to me like you want a LOP in the 12 or 12.5" range; maybe 13" tops.

The LOP on the adult Taurus 62s is quite long, around 14", so I don't think you'll want that. BUT, if you find a youth-stocked 62, that'd be a good choice, as toivo mentioned. Everything toivo said is right on.
 
I don't know what you all are talking about with Ruger 10/22s being finicky with ammo. I've had mine for a couple of years and mostly fed it Remington Thunderbolt and a little bit of cheap Federal ammo, not a single hiccup. Of course, I guess I don't shoot a whole lot.

As for the OP's question, not much to add, really, only that the manual actions (bolt, lever, pump) let you use other .22 rounds such as .22 short. If you try that in a semi-auto chambered in .22LR, it won't have enough oomph to cycle the action, and your semi will turn into a bolt action.
 
Ohio Rifleman, I said that semi-autos in general are more finicky with ammo. Among semi-autos, the 10/22 is one of the less finicky ones, but as you said, semi-autos depend on the power of the round for cycling the action, so a weak round (whether by spec or through poor quality control) can cause FTE and jamming.
 
I'll second the Savage Mark II.
Caveat, I have not shot one, yet Outdoor Life magazine has rated it the most accurate, AND best value, first time that has ever happened.
It is available as a package with a scope.
 
again, I am going to recommend the remmy 597 for a semi, they come in diff colors and sizes, but again, they have a fully adjustable rear site, whereas most others do not. I also saw for a boltie, the recommend of a remmy model 5, those are also a great idea!!!!! a beauty of a gun, that is quite small, with also a fully adjustable rear site. and finally , if you can find a cz, with a hogback stock, in bolt or semiauto, i would get that. I think there is a used semiauto over on rimfirecentral.com right now, which would well worth anybody getting!!!
 
Rent some and shoot them

My suggestion would be to go to every range within what you consider driving distance of your home and rent every .22 rifle they have (one at a time of course) and put 100 rounds down range with each rifle. .22 ammo is very cheap and most ranges will even let you bring your own .22 ammo. Even the indoor ranges around here allow you to bring your own rimfire ammo instead of buying theirs. :rolleyes:

Make a short list of the guns you liked and go shoot them again. By then you should pretty much know what you want and what you are comfortable with. ;)

I haven't been to a range yet that doesn't have a rack of .22 rifles hanging on the wall that are for rent fairly cheap. :scrutiny:

Shoot'em is the only way to know'em is my philosophy. Good luck. Have fun.

Molon Labe,
Joe
:D
 
My recommendation is go with a .22. Sure, a centerfire rifle can do more, but if you're starting with a rifle of your own, get a .22. Ammo is cheap. Guns are cheap. Parts are (relatively) cheap. Higher-quality optics for them are also cheap, due to the recoil. You can shoot them at indoor and outdoor ranges, even if the range only allows handguns. You won't be sore or broke after shooting one for an entire day. They are also quite talented for a firearm... they can be used for just about anything that doesn't have armor on it, provided you can put enough rounds into it in a short amount of time with good shot placement.

A 10/22 would be a good choice of rifle. I know a lot of people say that they're more of a Chevy instead of a Cadillac, but they do get you used to what rifles are really like: choosy on ammo, requiring periodic cleaning, and adjustment to get it to where you like it. And if you can't find a part for the 10/22 that you want to put on it, that part doesn't exist.
 
Stocks can be shortened. No big deal. I sold John Shirley one of my father's Springfield sporters, but had to shorten the stock by almost two inches before it was usable for him.

IOW, find something you like, and then find somebody who does a good bit of woodwork and has a fine-toothed bandsaw. Careful use of a belt sander will make the butt plate fit just right. Deepen the original screw holes; use masking tape...Again, no big deal.

Find somebody who's knowlegeable about weight regimens. Do some simple lifting of relatively light weights maybe three times a week. A few weeks will seriously help your body without getting anywhere near "bulgy". :)
 
OK,

Lots of good advise has been posted. I will suggest that you try a few
and pick the one that is most comfortable to hold and use. I would pick
based on action, handling (does it swing well? Like you are aiming at a
moving target), sights are easy to line up and you can see them well in
a variety of lighting conditions. Length Of Pull (LOP) can be adjusted
longer or shorter on any wood stock by cutting or adding.

One thing not addressed has been your issue of "control" wherein you
thought the thumbhole stock seemed the best. A good answer for this
is to properly use a sling (I prefer the old target/military style). The front
half forms a loop around your upper arm and helps steady the rifle for
offhand shooting.
 
While it's a bit expensive, you should at least pick up a Browning SA-22 and see how that fits.

This is a very light, takedown semi-auto .22 rifle. Works fine with iron sights (for younger eyes), and there are scope mounts available.

Tubular magazine is a bit unusual in that it loads through a port on the R side of the stock, after withdrawing the follower tube from the buttplate. Capacity is 10 and it is very easy to load, even for children. (No spring tension to fight, just drop the bullet end in first...)

Bottom eject makes it ambidextrous. Safety button is on trigger guard.

Relatively easy to strip for cleaning. Semi-autos generally require occasionally cleaning the action, due to burnt powder from blow-back action.

These used to be made in Belgium, but are now Japanese manufacture. Excellent fit and finish, and worth the price IMO.
 
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