UPDATED: Range Results for: Best "value" in a .22 rifle?

[C-dub]

You might also try Basspro or Cabelas. My wife bought my Henry for me from Basspro several years ago. I just checked Cabelas and they had a .22 magnum that was listed as sold for $400. This is $75 below the manufacturer's suggested retail. They may have or can get an H001 model that Oldgringo suggested, which Henry suggests for $325 at or below $275.

[Ropin]

I picked up a Marlin 795 from Cabelas the weekend after Christmas. It's extremely accurate, fun to shoot, magazine fed and is regularly priced under $150. I paid under$110.

While you may lack all the fancy bells and whistles for mods like you have with the Ruger, you do still have options, and a gun that is probably more accurate out of the box.

[karder]

I will cast my vote for the Marlin 60. My brother got one when he was 10 and he still has it. Exceptionally accurate and just a really nice, simple rifle. If you want another option, check out the remington 552 speedmaster. I have had one of those for almost 30 years. After thousands of rounds of the cheapest ammunition I can get my hands on, it is still a champ. I don't think its accuracy is quite as dead on as the Marlins, but it is very good, highly reliable, and will strike fear in the heart of any varmit you encounter. Good luck with your search.

[TLE2]

When I was much younger (much, much younger) I had a Remington .22LR. Don't remember the model, but it was cheap and would shoot the wings off of flies, if they stood still long enough.

For me, a 22 is better than no 22....


Wait, I don't currently have a 22! Time to start looking...

[C-dub]

I think my dad still has the Remington pump .22 he used to let me shoot as a young lad. Last time he talked about it said he was afraid to shoot it because it might come apart and couldn't find anyone to check it out and work on it. I don't really think he looked very hard. It was a fun little rifle.

[The Annoyed Man]

I don't own a 10/22, but I've shot a few of them over the years, and I only have one complaint. I really can't get used to the rotary magazine. But that's just me.

I think the Marlin 60 is a pretty neat rifle.

[UpTheIrons]

I've decided that, this time, it's going to be a Marlin 60.

I like the idea of the 795 and the box magazine being easier to swap out, but the thought of those sharp edges digging in my back when I have it on a sling is a turn-off. Besides, the Spee-D-Loader would alleviate any problems with slow reloads (thanks for the heads up, flb_78!).

I almost ran to Academy this afternoon, because they have the birch-stocked model on hand for $150, but I think I'll go with the synthetic stock (Bud's has it for $158 with a cheap scope, $148 without). Maybe my LGS can order one for something close to that and I can avoid a transfer fee. It has the sling swivels already installed, and I've seen a post or two (on other fora) from people who were concerned about the thinness of the stock up front and installing a mount through it.

Thanks for all the help while I was thinking out loud. As usual, y'all are a stand-up, helpful bunch!

[kalipsocs]

Well I only have two to go from, but between me and dad we have 3 .22s. We have a 3 or 4 year old Marlin Model 60, an early 90s model 10/22, and a brand new 10/22. Now personally, for the money spent, I think the Marlin wins. Having said that I like the 10/22 for the amount of available accessories and parts, but i wouldn't have mine if dad hadnt given it to me. I haven't heard many good things about the Mossberg 702s but have no first hand experience.

I can mos def say you will NOT be disappointed with the Model 60. Very fun to shoot!

[mymojo]

I'm just biding my time until my yearly bonus arrives.Then I'm in the market for a SIG 522.

[Rex B]

I have most of those listed above. None point better than the Marlin 60 I bought 30 years ago.
Now I think I need one of those new stainless 60s, if I can find the one with the long barrel.
Most of those in the stores now have a shorter barrel.

[UpTheIrons]

I think I need one of those new stainless 60s, if I can find the one with the long barrel.
Most of those in the stores now have a shorter barrel.

What do you mean by "long" barrel? The only ones I see (on Marlin's website, Bud's and Gallery of Guns) are 19". The 795 is 18", but I've not seen any with a longer barrel than 19". Should have asked when I called Marlin yesterday. Cabela's in Buda has the stainless 60 with the laminated stock (both blue and pink) for $270, which is way above my budget right now. Maybe later.

As soon as I hear back from my FFL, I'll have a Model 60 on the way! Range report to follow.

[frazzled]

I picked up a Marlin 795 from Cabelas the weekend after Christmas. It's extremely accurate, fun to shoot, magazine fed and is regularly priced under $150. I paid under$110.

While you may lack all the fancy bells and whistles for mods like you have with the Ruger, you do still have options, and a gun that is probably more accurate out of the box.

The joke is that 10/22s have the aftermarket stuff, because you have to completey rebuild the rifle to compare to a stock Marlin.

A cheap Marlin auto is excellent in terms of value and accuracy. Remingtons make good .22s as well, as do Brownings. A Henry lever action is interesting, specially if you like the old style lever action itself.

I don't know but if I am paying more than $250-including scope- for a .22 rifle for general work, you've spent too much.

[Rex B]

I think I need one of those new stainless 60s, if I can find the one with the long barrel.
Most of those in the stores now have a shorter barrel.

What do you mean by "long" barrel? The only ones I see (on Marlin's website, Bud's and Gallery of Guns) are 19". The 795 is 18", but I've not seen any with a longer barrel than 19".

The older 60s had about a 22" barrel IIRC. My 1980 model is almost as long as my Marlin 39a
I recently went to Cabela's specifically to pick up a wood/stainless 60 on sale for $189.95.
When i picked up the display, it just did not feel right. It finally dawned on me that the barrel was much shorter.
I do not think they make the long barrel any longer, though they did make a 22" stainless in recent years.

Not a big deal as far as accuracy, but I'm a big guy with long arms, and I like long guns.
My 18" 10/22 feels like a youth gun to me. The old 60 feels right.

So I'm shopping the used market for a SS/laminated 60.

[Oldgringo]

As sorta' indicated earlier in this thread, I'd ike a nice quality .22 LR rifle.

Can anyone on this forum speak to the various CZ USA 452 bolt action .22 rifles vis-avis cost, accuracy, reliability, scopeability, etc., etc?

[frazzled]

As sorta' indicated earlier in this thread, I'd ike a nice quality .22 LR rifle.

Can anyone on this forum speak to the various CZ USA 452 bolt action .22 rifles vis-avis cost, accuracy, reliability, scopeability, etc., etc?

I don't have personal experience but:
Gun Tests (kind og a Consumer Reports for Guns) absolutely loved them and compared them to Anshutz. This is for the hornet but you get the idea:

CZ Model 527 Lux, $566
We liked this rifle’s European styling. The rifle, with a street price of $500, had decent walnut, excellent bluing, and useful iron sights. It also had a nifty and very useful single set trigger. The rifle had pleasant balance and a light feel that really called for either a lightweight, unobtrusive scope or perhaps an aperture rear sight for greatest handiness. The serious hunter of tiny game would most likely prefer a scope to get the most out of the rifle. Our sample came with extra-cost CZ bases/rings, which easily let us attach our Leupold 36X target scope.

Click here to view the CZ Model 527 Lux features guide .

Numerous markings were deeply and somewhat tastelessly stamped into the left side of the action. These included the importer, model designation, serial number, and “Made in Czech Republic.” By contrast, the caliber designation was tastefully put onto the top of the barrel just in front of the action.

The barrel had an integral “band” with an enlarged top portion that held the drifted-in rear sight. The hammer-forged, 23.5-inch barrel was free-floated all the way back to the action. Drifting was the only way to change windage. It, however, was right on the money, as was elevation. We tried a few shots with the iron sights, and got a few inside of 2 inches at 100 yards, and they were pretty close to where we aimed. The rear notch was U-shaped, with a flat top. The front was an easily seen bead mounted on a ramp. The front sight was dovetailed in from the front and could be changed, if desired, by pressing a button and driving the blade forward. There was a large protective cover or shade over the front sight, and it had its top portion cut away.

The stock was “Turkish” walnut with very little figure, finished with a soft material that left the wood pores not well filled. There was a checkered, hard-rubber butt plate, and sling swivels. The checkering was well done, if small, and serviceable. The stock also had a cheekpiece. Either you like the “Bavarian” shape of the stock or you don’t. If you are clever with wood tools, you could easily change the profile of the rear-most portion of the butt stock to be more angular, which some shooters prefer. All of our shooters liked the shape just fine. CZ offers several variants of the Hornet, one in traditional American styling for the same price, with scope rings and no iron sights. There is also a full-length-stocked Mannlicher version for a hundred dollars more.

The CZ had a detachable magazine, which came out readily by depressing a tab on the right side of the rifle adjacent to the magazine. The magazine was easily disassembled for cleaning via a button on its bottom. One complaint we’ve heard is that some shooters don’t like the protruding magazine. Some of our test crew didn’t like it, and others didn’t notice it or complain. The mag was easily grasped and removed, and we felt it was easier to get out than Ruger’s flush-mounted rotary magazine. It went back into place easily and stayed put.

The CZ fed perfectly from its five-shot magazine, but was reluctant to chamber a loose round dropped into the feedway. The chamber was far enough forward to defy attempts at inserting a loose round part way into it, making one-round shooting problematic.

The action was a miniature controlled-feed Mauser type with full-length extractor. Like the Mauser 98, ejection depended on how hard you worked the bolt. The bolt came out of the rifle just like a Mauser 98, by pulling outward on a lever (which also held the ejector, just like on the 98) mounted on the left rear of the action. There was a safety at the right rear corner of the action. Forward was on, and a pull rearward revealed a red dot, indicating the firing position.

The metalwork, except for the bolt body, was all finished in a rich-looking matte blue. The bolt body and the trigger were white. Inletting, metal polish, and overall workmanship were excellent. We could find no parts on this rifle that were not steel. The trigger guard machining was a delight.

The trigger was a single set, and the adjustment for the set letoff was in the form of a small screw just in front of the trigger. Setting was accomplished by pressing forward on the trigger, and it gave a solid click as it set.

We really liked the single-set trigger of the CZ. The normal trigger was a bit creepy and not as light as we’d have liked (4.4 pounds), but was thoroughly serviceable. But when we pressed forward on the trigger to set it, the trigger became magical. A very slight touch fired the rifle. It may have been set too light for some, but we were very careful to not touch the trigger until we were fully ready to fire. All who tried it liked it as it was.

Accuracy of the CZ was pretty good, averaging a little over an inch with all rounds fired. With the Winchester 34-grain JHP, two shots of most groups were almost touching, with the third an inch away. That ammo averaged 0.9-inch groups.

On rimfire they are respected as well. http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/[abbreviated profanity deleted] ... y.php?f=18" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;