Jackal
Member
If you want a rugged, accurate, tough .22, look no farther than the Remington 500 series, such as 510, 511, 514, etc. Headshots on squirrels and 20 yards with open sights with my old 510 targetmaster.
What do you think the most reliable/rugged .22lr is
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jason41987
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my vote goes for lever actions... tube magazines were designed around rimmed ammunition and cycle them very reliably... box magazines are the leading cause of jams in .22 semis.... id go with the lever if i had to get a .22
bamajoey
Member
Mr Trooper, I doubt very seriously your striker is worn out. If it were mine I would take the bolt apart and clean it. If you want to be sure of good strikes get one of the J&P striker springs.
https://www.jnpgunsprings.com/
https://www.jnpgunsprings.com/
R.W.Dale
Member
The most rugged are by far and away the shotgun based break actions.
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Gun Master
Member
I got a new Nylon 66 in the 1970's, and liked it until it fired 2 or 3 round, fully automatic bursts. Guess it was a worn sear. Recently, I researched for the best .22 semi-auto rifle, for the price. I settled for a used Marlin Model 6o(Glenfield), in good shape, at a reputable pawnshop, for $75. I'm looking forward to shooting it.
Captcurt
Member
Gun Master
Member
I bought the Nylon 66 because it was supposed to be "the greatest". Others might have been better, but mine was not. Wonder why they don't still make the 66's ?
Without any doubt whatsoever the most durable, reliable and rugged .22's are the single shot, bolt action rifles made in the 50's and 60's with some going back to the 40's. They have about 4 moving parts on them. They have a pull cocking device and a trigger that releases the firing pin. You could rebuild one with a spring you got from a baby carriage and a rusty nail for a firing pin. You could use another nail for a trigger. Those guns will be alive and well in several hundred years. There's nothing to go wrong on them.
BTW I have a CZ. It's a great gun but no way is it as durable as my old Stevens 15-A. There's no feed mechanism and while there is an eject mechanism but you don't really need it. You could pull the empty cartridges out by hand or use a knife to pull them out.
Those rifles are generally very accurate too. Mine is. A single shot action has a lot less flex to it and that means better accuracy. If there's a good barrel to go with that single shot action then you will have a very accurate rifle. They're light. They usually shoot shorts, longs and LR's. They were made with good steel that didn't rust easily. and the action was rock solid. They used to sell for under $50. Now they're usually over $150. it's amazing how those old firearms are gaining value these days.
There's just no way to build a rifle more durable and relable than those rifles. It's the simplest design there ever could be. And simple means reliable and durable.
BTW I have a CZ. It's a great gun but no way is it as durable as my old Stevens 15-A. There's no feed mechanism and while there is an eject mechanism but you don't really need it. You could pull the empty cartridges out by hand or use a knife to pull them out.
Those rifles are generally very accurate too. Mine is. A single shot action has a lot less flex to it and that means better accuracy. If there's a good barrel to go with that single shot action then you will have a very accurate rifle. They're light. They usually shoot shorts, longs and LR's. They were made with good steel that didn't rust easily. and the action was rock solid. They used to sell for under $50. Now they're usually over $150. it's amazing how those old firearms are gaining value these days.
There's just no way to build a rifle more durable and relable than those rifles. It's the simplest design there ever could be. And simple means reliable and durable.
stubbicatt
Member
This question and the other responses really got me thinking. So many excellent 22 long rifles, I wonder why they seem so durable and reliable when some centerfires are lacking in that way?
tactikel
Member
IMHO the only think that breaks on a .22 is the firing pin, and springs. Magazines can get dropped,feed lips bent, a rifle with milled parts and a tubular magazine is most reliable. A parts kit of firing pin and springs is prudent.
My Rem. Mod. 121 Fieldmaster pump is 62 years old, has 10K+ rounds thru her and still shoots 1.5" at 50 yards. I replaced the firing pin back in 1967.
My Rem. Mod. 121 Fieldmaster pump is 62 years old, has 10K+ rounds thru her and still shoots 1.5" at 50 yards. I replaced the firing pin back in 1967.
BCRider
Member
This is such a wide open question that there simply isn't any single or even small number of correct answers. Besides, there is no single or even pair that would be a "perfect" solution.
You want examples of reliability? Then consider the case of my Remington 12c pump action. I recently learned from the serial number that it is an honest 100 years old. Yet it's still solid and shoots stupidly tight groups. And from the patina I'd say it was used a lot but treated well. So it wasn't a safe queen by any stretch.
So older guns such as my Remington or the Marlin 39A mentioned a few posts back could well be the best way to go. Anything along that line that tickles your fancy?
But then again ANYTHING mechanical can break. So the best way to stop that is to consider the simplest of the simple with the fewest parts. And that seems to suggest some form of single shot rifle. It could be either a bolt action or one of the old hinging or pivoting block boy's rifles such as the Stevens Favourite. Which, incidentally, Savage has been making for a few years now for those of us with a taste for the old classics or that feel the need to relive our childhood. And for a single shot bolt action target rifle the sky is pretty much the limit once you start considering some of the options like Anschutz, Cooper and other high end stuff. And even then there are a number of older classics you can get. For example I recently picked up a 1928'ish vintage BSA Martini action single shot .22 target rifle that came with really nice stock Parker Hale peep sights. It shoots as well as it sounds and looks like it's been well taken care of. Which it likely was since they were expensive back then and still are now.
Somewhere in between are the options suggested already.
You want examples of reliability? Then consider the case of my Remington 12c pump action. I recently learned from the serial number that it is an honest 100 years old. Yet it's still solid and shoots stupidly tight groups. And from the patina I'd say it was used a lot but treated well. So it wasn't a safe queen by any stretch.
So older guns such as my Remington or the Marlin 39A mentioned a few posts back could well be the best way to go. Anything along that line that tickles your fancy?
But then again ANYTHING mechanical can break. So the best way to stop that is to consider the simplest of the simple with the fewest parts. And that seems to suggest some form of single shot rifle. It could be either a bolt action or one of the old hinging or pivoting block boy's rifles such as the Stevens Favourite. Which, incidentally, Savage has been making for a few years now for those of us with a taste for the old classics or that feel the need to relive our childhood. And for a single shot bolt action target rifle the sky is pretty much the limit once you start considering some of the options like Anschutz, Cooper and other high end stuff. And even then there are a number of older classics you can get. For example I recently picked up a 1928'ish vintage BSA Martini action single shot .22 target rifle that came with really nice stock Parker Hale peep sights. It shoots as well as it sounds and looks like it's been well taken care of. Which it likely was since they were expensive back then and still are now.
Somewhere in between are the options suggested already.
Skylerbone
Member
A small dent in the tube or bend in the rod and a tube fed rifle quits. Try single feeding into a lever action some time. Any magazine fed rifle with the 2 exceptions I can think of- the 10/22 & 77/22 leave the magazine body exposed below the action and stock to be damaged. Auto loaders...no, no and no. Bolt action? Pour a few ounces of water on the bolt in sub-zero temps and get back to me, or snap the bolt handle off on a tree then reload.
I've never dropped, run over, set ablaze or buried my Marlin bolt action and it has always fired for the 20 some years I've owned it (bought new). First FTF ever was a month ago compliments of a damaged magazine. Reliable yes, most reliable no. Still say T/C Encore or similar.
I've never dropped, run over, set ablaze or buried my Marlin bolt action and it has always fired for the 20 some years I've owned it (bought new). First FTF ever was a month ago compliments of a damaged magazine. Reliable yes, most reliable no. Still say T/C Encore or similar.
788Ham
Member
My Remington pump Fieldmaster, best, most accurate .22 rifle I've ever had. I bought that thing about 25 - 30 years ago, still as accurate as the day I bought it.
Sorry guys but pumps, levers, and semi-autos don't stand a chance in being as reliable and rugged as a bolt action. You might make a case for a break down rifle but I've seen those that have problems with the hinge that allows them to break down. If they get loose they won't align properly and that means the rifle doesn't work. And any and all rifles are subject to being frozen if you pour water in them and stick them in your freezer.
There simply is no argument here. A good strong single shot, bolt action rifle with the most simple action you can find is the ultimate design for reliability and ruggedness. It's really not even close. There are several brands of rifles that built a model like that. The pull cock models are clearly the best too. You don't have to count on the bolt cocking the rifle. You do it yourself. It can't get any more simple than that and simple means reliable because there are fewer things to go wrong.
That doesn't mean there are no reliable rifles of other designs. There clearly are. But over the course of a few centuries I'd bet a dollar to a biscuit that the pull to cock, bolt action rifles will still be working long after the others have quit.
There simply is no argument here. A good strong single shot, bolt action rifle with the most simple action you can find is the ultimate design for reliability and ruggedness. It's really not even close. There are several brands of rifles that built a model like that. The pull cock models are clearly the best too. You don't have to count on the bolt cocking the rifle. You do it yourself. It can't get any more simple than that and simple means reliable because there are fewer things to go wrong.
That doesn't mean there are no reliable rifles of other designs. There clearly are. But over the course of a few centuries I'd bet a dollar to a biscuit that the pull to cock, bolt action rifles will still be working long after the others have quit.
Skylerbone
Member
Even bending the bolt handle will prevent it from returning to battery due to contacting the stock or keep it trapped in its recess.
In muzzleloader form, a Knight Rifle can, and has been thrown in to a lake, left for an extended period then retrieved and reliably fired. No exposed springs or raceways to collect dirt or contribute to hydraulic overload and preventing reliable ignition. While a similarly designed .22 would not be sealed at the muzzle, the breech and action still is.
In muzzleloader form, a Knight Rifle can, and has been thrown in to a lake, left for an extended period then retrieved and reliably fired. No exposed springs or raceways to collect dirt or contribute to hydraulic overload and preventing reliable ignition. While a similarly designed .22 would not be sealed at the muzzle, the breech and action still is.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Really, how many have you dented or bent???
There's a lot of argument here and most of it seems to be based in opinion. How many .22 rifles have the folks here had that were NOT "rugged and reliable", whatever that means??? I can say that I have worn out a Marlin 60 but that's about it. I can also say that I have never had an issue with boltguns, pumps, leverguns or Ruger 10/22's. Although I must temper that with the fact that I have never abused my guns, intentionally or otherwise. I have never run over one with a truck, dropped one in the river for a few weeks or dropped one off a mountain. Bottom line is that a firearm is a mechanical device and any mechanical device can malfunction or become damaged to the point of being inoperable. Virtually any good quality .22 rifle, with sensible maintenance and care, will last at least lifetime of use. If not several.
d2wing
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my last choice would be a lever tube feed. both my older tube feed guns have had issue with feeding requireing repair. lever action are conplicated, subject to wear and malfunction and more difficult to repair. Yes any gun if well kept will last a long timeand thousands of rounds.
RPRNY
Member
The certainty of your assertion requires that you be corrected. An opinion, you may have. That it may not be argued is false.
As several posts above have noted, using your logic, a break action single shot is more reliable. Hammer strikes firing pin strikes bullet. No bolt. No magazine. An extractor that can be manually operated if broken. The hinge is a steel barrel lug on a steel pivot.
I have a 1906 Marlin 94 .22lr that works rather well. I have had to replace the hammer spring though.
Skylerbone
Member
None. I also haven't rammed a Kia head-on into a tractor trailer but I can certainly tell you which will be more likely to drive away. The OP didn't ask if most any .22 rifle would outlast he and his grandchildren. He asked which would survive the head-on.
Swampman
Old Fart
I thought that this discussion was just that, a discussion, I never expected a truly definitive answer until I saw this:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by CeeZee:
Without any doubt whatsoever the most durable, reliable and rugged .22's are the single shot, bolt action rifles made in the 50's and 60's...[/QUOTE]
That's it boys, thread over, question answered, the master has spoken!
Or is it?
You never can tell with CeeZee, sometimes what's true today isn't true tomorrow.
Like in this thread, where he claims one day that he's never owned an AR-15 and the next day posted that he did, in fact, have one.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=679068&page=5 (see posts #121 and 122)
When another poster asked him if he actually owned one, his answer was to disappear from the thread.
In any case, making a definitive statement that a particular weapon is "the most durable, reliable and rugged" and then following that up with a paragraph about repairing them with rusty nails and parts from old baby carriages doesn't really do much to bolster your statement.
A weapon that is durable, reliable and rugged really shouldn't require you to push a baby carriage loaded with rusty nails everywhere you go in order to keep said weapon functional...
At least I finally know who did the "gunsmithing" on some of the more spectacularly "Bubba'd" guns that I've seen in pawn shops!
[QUOTE]Originally posted by CeeZee:
Without any doubt whatsoever the most durable, reliable and rugged .22's are the single shot, bolt action rifles made in the 50's and 60's...[/QUOTE]
That's it boys, thread over, question answered, the master has spoken!
Or is it?
You never can tell with CeeZee, sometimes what's true today isn't true tomorrow.
Like in this thread, where he claims one day that he's never owned an AR-15 and the next day posted that he did, in fact, have one.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=679068&page=5 (see posts #121 and 122)
When another poster asked him if he actually owned one, his answer was to disappear from the thread.
In any case, making a definitive statement that a particular weapon is "the most durable, reliable and rugged" and then following that up with a paragraph about repairing them with rusty nails and parts from old baby carriages doesn't really do much to bolster your statement.
A weapon that is durable, reliable and rugged really shouldn't require you to push a baby carriage loaded with rusty nails everywhere you go in order to keep said weapon functional...
At least I finally know who did the "gunsmithing" on some of the more spectacularly "Bubba'd" guns that I've seen in pawn shops!
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