# 22 Cal.



## gibbsron (Oct 31, 2005)

What recommendations would you make for a 22 Cal. rifle? Chances are I will be doing more target stuff than actual hunting. But, if possible, an all in one rifle would be great. Some people have mentioned the CZ line to me, others the Ruger and Remington. I think I'd prefer the bolt style though I'm open on that aspect. Thanks for the help and advice. Incidentally, this is my second gun that I'll be purchasing in my lifetime and I'm a bit over 60. My first gun was a Benelli Sport shotgun, which I love.


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

Try a Marlin Bolt action .22


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## natemil373 (Dec 3, 2005)

I was looking at a ruger 77/22 at the gunstore today. This is a gun that seems to have found favor with many people and rightfully so. It is a very attractive gun with a bolt that seems to be built to handle much more potent cartidges than the .22lr, as they have versions of it that take .22WMR and .22 hornet. I have never owned one but have shot one on many occasions and is one of the few Rugers that I truly like. The main drawback to this rifle is its relatively steep price, but I look at all of my rifles as investments. I buy, buy, buy but rarely if ever sell, so if you buy cheap you don't usually have a high resale. If you buy something that is more expensive and take care of it, it will usually hold its original value if not increase.


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## Remington 7400 (Dec 14, 2005)

For .22 rifles there is really only one choice. RUGER, 10/22, 77/22, 96/22, you can't go wrong. Semi-auto, bolt, or lever take your pick!

:beer:


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## ND_RC (Jan 6, 2005)

Bore.224 said:


> Try a Marlin Bolt action .22


I second the Marlin.


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## Whelen35 (Mar 9, 2004)

Right now I would go with thte CZ and nevr lok back. The rughr 77/22 would be a great second. With a 22lr, I say spend as much as you can because it teaches you soo much.


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## Cleankill47 (Jan 19, 2006)

I just bought a Henry lever action .22 last week, and it'll do target, plinking, whatever you like. But, it did cost as much as a new deer rifle, although in exchange for that it can shoot any cartridge I put in it (Short, long, long rifle), and it'll cycle through them without jamming at all. But, if you're looking for a bolt-action, I would suggest a Savage Mark II. Go to savagearms.com and see for yourself. The MSRP on the mark II in camo is about $140 (You'll probably find it for about $100), and Savage has a gigantic lineup of rimfire rifles if the one I mentioned doesn't catch your eye. Also, if you're into making the investment deal on your .22, Henry Repeating (Henryrepeating.com) makes what they call the Acu-Bolt. It's a single-shot, but it's supposed to be ridiculously accurate.

Well, since I went ahead and put my 2 cents in, I'll go ahead and say that a Ruger Bolt-action leaves little to be desired. And for a lot of the models, you can buy all kinds of modifications. For the 10/22, I believe, there is a crank you can get for about $20 that makes your semi-auto an fast-as-you-can-crank-it rifle. Just an example.

Just pick what feels right, take some time to decide, and you'll have a good gun that will serve you for a good many years.


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## Dave_w (May 25, 2005)

CleanKill is right. So long as you're not looking for a specific capability or feature (real tackdriving accuracy, for example), it's all about what feels right.

That said, here's my song and dance.

I never much believed in bolt actions for hunting anything little and fast and numerous. Too long to get that second shot off, to kill another one of the buggers or to take a second shot on the first one. And it's kind of a hassle for plinking. You're never going to be able to just let 'em fly, which is one of the many things that makes .22 so much fun.

The Ruger 10/22 is pretty much the last word in .22 caliber semiautos. Sure, there are other good rifles out there, but none can beat the Ruger's combination of affordability, performance, and aftermarket support. Every part on the Ruger has a massive horde of companies with better, lighter, quicker, more-balanced, or precision-milled replacements. The choice of stocks alone will boggle the mind.

When it was time for my first rifle last spring, I picked up a 10/22-TALM, the factory race gun (limited production run, only 1500 guns). It's a $450-range gun with a lot of nice extras. They've since offered something like it, a US Olympic Shooting Team commemorative rifle. But it's not a hunting gun.

If you're going to hunt your varmint from a stationary position, I'd go with the target model 10/22, with a heavier (and better-looking) wide benchrest stock and hevy-guage fluted barrel. NcStar makes a very good 6.5-24x50mmAO scope that would work well with this gun and application, and it sells for $120 at cheaperthandirt.com (also check sportsmansguide.com). If you like to talk around, a base 10/22 is a better, lighter choice. I'd go a touch further and get a thumb-through stock (if they're legal in your state) that free-floats the barrel. This will save some weight. A simple scope in the 2.5x to 4x range will do the trick for that application.

I've bought two 10/22s since the TALM, both of which are being extensively modified.


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