Perfect, inexpensive .22LR Semi - Probably not

[wbwanzer]

I thought I had wanted a bolt action .22 because I didn't have one. But the Ruger American in 17HMR that I bought last week cured that. It has FO front sight and no scope. I was terrible with it. The bolt was not working too smoothly so my sight picture was completely disturbed with each turn of the bolt. About 25% of the shots did not fire. Not sure if it was light strikes or bad ammo (Winchester Varmint). So I'm no longer in need of a Bolt .22.

I already have a scoped 10/22 that has been worked on. It has a bedded Hogue stock with a Volquartsen trigger group that breaks very cleanly at 2.5 lbs. I'm thinking it may not get much better than this for an inexpensive .22. (I did not do the work myself). I fired up the 10/22 after finishing with the RAR 17 and it was so much more fun. Acquire a sight picture and just keep pulling the trigger with minimal disturbance. No failures of any kind. I realize that the purists among us will prefer a bolt action. And I thought I might too. But apparently not. So it's Semis for me.

I've been looking at Savage 64, Marlin 795 and Remington 597 as a second .22. But they all have their advantages and problems. From reading the various forums it seems as though none of those has a decent trigger out of the box. The Savage 64 does not come with the AccuTrigger which seems to be very well liked. Some have kits or spring sets that could be added. I'm not much of a gunsmith so replacing the trigger group would most likely mean having a gunsmith do it. Not the end of the world, but just more added expense.

The Rem 597 has a hold open bolt on last shot which I would like. But then I keep reading about the bolt guides being a problem if too tight or loose. How often do you need to come in contact with the bolt guides on a 597? Are the bolt guides involved every time you clean the gun?

So I'm kind of stumped for what to get that won't need a gunsmith, or cost an arm and a leg. My 'worked on' 10/22 may be as good as it gets for me in this category.

If you have any suggestions, let me know. Thanks.

 

[Captcurt]

For a bolt gun I would take a good look at a CZ 455. I have had four of the 452's and they all shot very well. Hard to beat a 10/22 for the money though. They have zillions of models and accessories galore.

 

[frankenstein406]

Marlin 795 with floppy disk spring mod is great. Brings lots of squirrels home.

Savage 64 is alright but leaves a lot to be desired. Still has brought home squirrels.

 

[benEzra]

The Rem 597 has a hold open bolt on last shot which I would like. But then I keep reading about the bolt guides being a problem if too tight or loose. How often do you need to come in contact with the bolt guides on a 597? Are the bolt guides involved every time you clean the gun?

Any time you remove the bolt, yes. The 597 is a little odd to field strip. Having said that, getting the tension right isn't rocket science; in my experience, you tighten both screws snug, then back each off a half turn to one turn and call it good. As long as they aren't so loose that the screws are sticking out, they're fine; they can't back out when the rifle is assembled because the stock is in the way. As long as they are loose, the rifle will work, but too tight can cause them to put pressure on the bolt and slow cycling enough to cause short-stroking.

Diagram

 

[Cee Zee]

It's hard to beat a Marlin 60 right out of the box. I have 2 and have had others and they have all worked great. I also have a 795 which is a great rifle for hunting because of the weight IMO but I like the 60 considerably better as a plinking rifle. It's more accurate and more robust. I have had so few problems with my old 1989 model 60 that I could count them on one hand and they were pretty much all caused by me mainly bending the ejector wire when cleaning the action. My 2008 model has to be cleaned more but it still works very consistently. And it is very accurate. If you don't want to built another 10/22 (which it seems you have already done) then get a 60. If you don't like it there's always a market for used 60's. I had so many people ask to buy my last one I sold I couldn't believe it but they all wanted to beat me out of a whole $5 and I figured with so many asking about it at the flea market that I could surely get my extra $5 and I did. I bet at least 20 people asked me what I wanted for it before I sold it. They were mostly flea market people looking to turn a buck on it so they wanted to beat me down on the price but I found someone who just wanted to shoot it.

Anyway it's hard to go wrong on them. That 1989 model will probably sell now for more than I paid for it back then. But my guess is you'll like what you see and keep it around just for plinking and varmints. They have decent iron sights on them too if you get the right model. I have about 150,000 rounds through my old one if that tells you anything. It was my main rimfire rifle for about 17 years or so. I finally bought another one mainly because I liked the looks of the 60SS. But I had one with the squirrel on the stock etc.. I learned to shoot on one too for that matter. They have all worked well for me.

 

[wbwanzer]

Thanks Ben.

 

[wbwanzer]

Thanks Cee Zee . I need to look at the 60.

 

[oneounceload]

Another vote for the Marlin 60, less cost than a 10/22 and you don't need to replace everything to have a good shooting gun

 

[ColtPythonElite]

For what you want, the Marlin 60 is tough to beat.

 

[Skylerbone]

I'd add the Model 60 as one with a trigger not nearly suitable for human consumption out of the box. I'm confident someone will post that theirs was 4 lbs. after a few hundred rounds but figure 8-10 lbs. being a real world expectation.

As that brings us back to a more level playing field, you'll simply need to pick a budget and the rifle that fits. If you plan on open sights shooting and really want to try a bolt gun, the CZ 452s are where it's at in my book. For a semi-auto action, figure on trigger work and new sights for any of them if you want an accurate shooter. Whether you can perform such mods on the model you choose will determine how much of the budget might be spent at the smith's shop.

My vote, a T/C R55 (discontinued) for a need nothing rifle or another Ruger with a new set of sights and a few easily swapped at home parts.

 

[Furncliff]

I have two Marlin 60's. On the stainless I sent my action away to have the trigger worked on, it's very nice. The other rifle just didn't need any fiddling. In recent years a lot of attention has been paid to the triggers on Marlin rimfires and as a result there are three or more options that require you to buy parts and several DIY options with instructions over at Rimfire Central. If you decide you need a trigger job there are options. The folks over at RFC provide a lot of insight and support.

 

[Frostbite]

My main .22 LR is a Browning Buckmark Sporter. It is a joy to shoot and a pain to clean. Happily, it requires a real good in depth cleaning only after five hundred rounds or so, which is good enough for my shooting sessions' usual duration. One could even wait a little more, but function will soon suffer from such a delay. I do use a dry bore snake when at the range after every thirty shots. The first shot fired after the bore snake went through is worth absolutely nothing. My rifle is accurate. The trigger is good, no more or less. I tried a scope on it yesterday for the first time because the sights on it are quite big and fifty yards shooting is kind of approximate with those unless you like to adjust your sights so that you have to aim over the front post. The results of the scoped shooting session, if better, are not by much. I will have to work on this as I thought the scope would magically improve my results greatly at fifty yards. Yesterday was a windy day... After cleaning, I saw that the scope rings could be thightened a little, which they were. All in all, I like that rifle. It handles superbly. I like to believe I just need more practice! Good luck with your choice, whichever might it be.

 

[kdunn]

I bought a new Marlin 795 on a whim a couple years ago because it was on sale for $100. Now they can be had for $129 brand new at academy. Never had a problem with it. Accurate gun, will eat up any kind of ammo you put through it. I recommend it over the other two you have mentioned. Also I believe Marlin has a better warranty on it as well. The Marlin has a 5 year warranty, the Remington has a 2 year, and my brother's Savage 22 only had a 1 year warranty, so I would assume this one would be the same.

kdunn

 

[d2wing]

I have nothing to add on semi-autos. But the RAR may have a defective bolt. Call Ruger and have them look at it. Mine had the bolt replaced and now it works great. Most guys that have RARs like them but some have had issues. But Ruger is good about taking care of them.

 

[mgmorden]

I'll add another recommendation for the Marlin Model 60. I've got a Ruger 10/22 and the Marlin 60SBB and I far prefer to shoot the Marlin. Reloading is a bit slower but I don't need to speed reload a .22.

My only complaint would be that the Marlin only includes that thin little .22 groove for scope mounts, compared to the 10/22 being able to have a proper Weaver rail attached. Not the end of the world, but I do like the more sturdy feel of full Weaver mount.

 

[maxxhavoc]

I'll be the odd man out here. I like the Marlin 795 more than the model 60. I find it easier to load magazines than the tube, and I am looking to use it to go to an Appleseed. Magazine-fed is pretty much a requirement.

As far as triggers go, the 795 is OK for what it is. If you want a great trigger, buy another 10/22 and slap a Volquartsen in it and be done with it. It really is not going to get any better than that for a reasonable price. Comparing a stock trigger to one of those is not fair.

I say practice with an off-the shelf bolt 22 or 17 until you get used to the bolt and the trigger, then decide if you want to move on. Accuracy and speed can be greatly improved on both with practice.

I started on the 10/22 for accuracy shooting, and started using bolt guns. I just enjoy them more now. So much that I have a match bull barrel and Choate stock in the parts bin, and have put the 10/22 back to stock lightweight carbine form with peep sights. But I kept the trigger group. VQ can make a darn good trigger.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Consider a Mossberg 702 Plinkster.

As to your Ruger bolt rifle,,,
You might have given up too soon,,,
Contact Ruger and see what they have to say.

Now as to semi-auto's,,,
There is no perfect model out there.
Unless you can spend $480.00 on a CZ-512 semi-auto.



Five years ago I bought a Mossberg 702 Plinkster,,,
Mainly because I had a bit of windfall money,,,
And the rifle was only 109.95 at Wal Mart,,,
It's an impulse buy I've never regretted.

The Plinkster is an import from South America,,,
Argentina I believe but I could be wrong,,,
It has a very nice polymer stock,,,
My only gripe about it is,,,
No sling mounts.

I was able to mount some swivels,,,
I just had to get a bit creative with the front end.

The Plinkster has the nicest iron sights of any budget rifle I've ever seen,,,
The hooded front sight has a round tip like a golf ball on a tee,,,
The rear sight is screw adjustable both directions.

I have several .22 rifles,,,
CZ-452, Savage Mark II, H&R Sportster,,,
Beretta NEOS Carbine, and a Henry Acu-Bolt single shot.

Of them all the sights on the Plinkster are the best out of the box,,,
In fact they are very reminiscent of old style buckhorns,,,
Very fast target acquisition and easy to adjust.

Walmart had spare magazines for $12.00 apiece,,,
They are 10 round and a true bargain,,,
I bought 4 spares just because.

But no rifle is good just based on the features,,,
Mine is absolutely reliable performer.

Back in January I loaned the Plinkster to a friend,,,
We attended an Appleseed Event together,,,
It was very windy and dusty that day.

He fired well over 500 rounds out there,,,
Guess how many malfunctions he experienced?

None, Nada, Zip, Zero, & Zilch!

And that was shooting mil-surp Remington LRN.

Look, I'm not saying it's the best rifle out there,,,
But my friends with tricked-out 10/22's can't outshoot me,,,
In fact none of my friends rifles are more accurate than my Plinkster.

The only rifle I have that is measurably more accurate,,,
Is my CZ-452 Military Trainer with a 24.8" barrel,,,
You just can't beat that long sight radius,,,
It also cost over three times as much.

I could go on and on but I won't,,,
I'll just say that if you still want a budget rimfire shooter,,,
You should at least go to a Wal Mart and handle one of these rifles.

Maybe I got a fluke gun,,,
But I know two other Plinkster owners,,,
They all get the same fine performance as I do with mine.

Aarond

.

 

[Cee Zee]

There are trigger upgrades for the 60. I put a DIP trigger on mine. They have since come out with a new target trigger upgrade that allows you to adjust all the pre-travel out of the trigger. I haven't tried one so I don't know how well it works but the DIP I put in worked pretty well.

http://www.diproductsinc.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=123516&CAT=3603

http://www.diproductsinc.com/Products.aspx?CAT=3603

The trigger doesn't stop my 60SS from being pretty accurate. This target was shot from 90 yards away with my 60SS before the trigger upgrade. I circled the 3 groups I shot on the target. The other holes were made by my friend's 10/22.