.22 Magnum rifle

[xsubsailor]

 Trying to scratch an itch here. Looking for opinions/recommendations on .22 mag bolt actions. It's going to be a "shoot for fun" gun so not looking for a high dollar one.

[Hozzie]

My go to value/cost rifles are CZ's.  Usually excellent accuracy and fit and finish are better than anything else in the price range.  Savages will shoot well and be cheap, but they just don't do anything for me from a looks standpoint.  I like wood and blue.

 

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/62354/cz-usa+cz455+american+22wmr

Edited June 6, 2019 by Hozzie

[MacGyver]

CZ455.  Full stop. 

There’s not a better production gun out there today. 

I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a Savage bolt gun in .22 mag.

Cooper rifles are gorgeous - and are great shooters - but you could by 5 CZ’s for the cost of a Cooper. 

[DaveTN]

I don’t have anything to offer, but have a question. Why .22 mag?

Not disagreeing with your choice, just wondering if I need one and why? 

[mikegideon]

7 hours ago, DaveTN said:

I don’t have anything to offer, but have a question. Why .22 mag?

Not disagreeing with your choice, just wondering if I need one and why? 

Duh. A 22 LR will kill a squirrel, but a 22 Magnum will kill him dead.

[WFM]

I had considered a .22 mag. for a while, so last Dec. I saw CDNN had the Ruger American .22 mag. compact package deal for $279.00, which included the rifle, sling, an additional stock insert, a Bushnell A17 3.5-10x36mm rimfire scope and mounts. I have been shocked at how accurate this rifle is, check out the reviews on line for this gun. I have had a ball shooting it, and at this price nobody can touch it. Plus .22 mag. ammo is plentiful right now, so I have stocked up. I couldn't be happier with it.

[xsubsailor]

9 hours ago, DaveTN said:

I don’t have anything to offer, but have a question. Why .22 mag?

Not disagreeing with your choice, just wondering if I need one and why? 

I just like the round. 

[Jimbo100]

I like .22 mag as well and last year I got a Marlin XT-22M.  Mine has a wood stock and it came with a 4 round magazine and a 7 round magazine.  It's inexpensive, accurate and I enjoy it.  

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/marlin-xt-22m-22-wmr-bolt-action-rifle-with-detachable-magazine

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2019 by Jimbo100

[gregintenn]

I have a Savage 93G. It is a sporter weight, wood stocked rifle, and will repeatedly shoot sub 1", 100 yard groups from a bench with standard Winchester ammunition. You can buy a prettier rifle, (Kimber, Cooper, CZ, etc.) but it would be hard to find a lightweight 22 mag that will out shoot the Savage by much.

 

I find it perfect for varmint control in my garden.

I do not care for the price nor the spotty availability of the 22 magnum ammunition.

Edited June 7, 2019 by gregintenn

[WFM]

2 hours ago, gregintenn said:

I have a Savage 93G. It is a sporter weight, wood stocked rifle, and will repeatedly shoot sub 1", 100 yard groups from a bench with standard Winchester ammunition. You can buy a prettier rifle, (Kimber, Cooper, CZ, etc.) but it would be hard to find a lightweight 22 mag that will out shoot the Savage by much.

 

I find it perfect for varmint control in my garden.

I do not care for the price nor the spotty availability of the 22 magnum ammunition.

I haven't found any problems with availability, but I do agree about the price. I have found the price is different everywhere, Winchester from $10.50 to $16.50 depending on where you buy. Online prices are better.

[xsubsailor]

6 hours ago, gregintenn said:

 

I do not care for the price nor the spotty availability of the 22 magnum ammunition.

 I ordered some CCI Maxi-Mags a couple of weeks ago from SGAmmo and what I paid, including shipping, was $.17 a round. 

[xsubsailor]

20 hours ago, mikegideon said:

Duh. A 22 LR will kill a squirrel, but a 22 Magnum will kill him dead.

 Plus, you never know when you might run into this guy 

[mikegideon]

24 minutes ago, xsubsailor said:

 Plus, you never know when you might run into this guy 

No problem...

 

[gregintenn]

5 hours ago, WFM said:

I haven't found any problems with availability, but I do agree about the price. I have found the price is different everywhere, Winchester from $10.50 to $16.50 depending on where you buy. Online prices are better.

It isn’t as bad now, but a while back, the Winchester stuff was simply unavailable.  I’ve tried about every load I could get my hands on, but in my rifle, this is the only load that shoots this well.

[WFM]

I shoot Winchester and CCI,  but I do get better results from Winchester.

[xtriggerman]

 The 22 WMR is clearly one of the greatest calibers ever. It can do just about everything common circumstances will demand. everything from head shot small game to deer and HD in a pinch.  My all time favorite in the mag is the Marlin 57M. I have one and sold several back when I was wheeling & dealing. My 57M has out shot my brothers New Henry lever in side by side bench. If you have never handled the Marlin "Levermatic" as it was advertised, its like no other lever ever designed. It has the shortest lever thro of anything ever devised that spits bullets. While operating the action, you never move the web of your hand from shooting grip position to work the action. You simply move your fingers down and back up and you have ejected and reloaded in the absolutely fastest lever movement ever.  When I was at work once we got to shoot bullet proof plexy type glass that had just been newly installed in the control room. While 45 ACP and 38spl's were bouncing off, the 22 mag was imbedding just like the 357M rounds. I once had an old timer bring me his 57M with a broken firing pin. He bragged about how many hundreds of deer he did one shot kills on with that gun and swore he would never use anything else. I was more than skeptical of his claims especially after he said he did chest shots! I had asked if he was hitting them in the head (that I could believe) but he said just shoot where you would with any gun.  Well, one thing for sure, the gun had seem ALOT of firing due to the hammer to bolt hit contact peening that eventually crystalized the pin into submission.  He was sure happy to get his Marlin back. Weeks latter I run into a guy that knew the old man and he assured me what he said was true. The old guy would eat venison all year long jacking the meat regularly ever since he knew the old guy since he was a young boy. Putting a jacket around that small frontal area bullet and driving it at the 22m of "just right speeds" does everything humans want out of a old fashion bullet projectile. It wont be my deer gun of choice any time soon but its nice to know it can do that if need be in a SHTF situation. The only down of the 57M is it normally runs with a heavy trigger but it can be cleaned up and I put a shoe on my trigger and got it at a nice no creep pull.  GB usually has one or 2 floating by to folks in the know of these great old guns. I'm shocked at how the values of these 57M's have shot up. Back in the 80's & 90's they were 275-325 guns maybe pushing 400 if like unfired mint. And now?  Check GB for your self.... Heres a action all the way open shot.  You can keep your bolt guns in this cal..... I'll keep my 57M until the great beyond!

 PS, Oh, don't confuse this with the Marlin 57 22LR. They use the same lever design but the LR has an aluminum receiver and they are prone to cracking in half at the recoil shoulder. The 57M's have a strong steel receiver that locks up the bolt nearly identicaly to the Savage 99 actions.

Edited June 8, 2019 by xtriggerman

[krunchnik]

I also am a fan of wood on a rifle-my 93fv savage came with a poly black stock that reminded me of one off a cap gun-so I did the Boyds and a steel trigger guard.

 

[MacGyver]

1 hour ago, krunchnik said:

I also am a fan of wood on a rifle-my 93fv savage came with a poly black stock that reminded me of one off a cap gun-so I did the Boyds and a steel trigger guard.

 

I really like some of Savage’s laminate stocks.  The wood on my .17HMR is like your Boyd’s stock.  

[xsubsailor]

I was happy to see that each one  I was considering was mentioned in this thread.  Every one of them has positive reviews but I think I've narrowed it down to a couple.

The CZ 455 was discontinued in 2018 and replaced with the CZ 457 and it was a little more than I wanted to pay for a toy.  A little info on it is here:

https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-457-american/

I am a huge Ruger fan but absolutely hate the stocks on the Americans. I haven't figured out yet what it is but something about them just doesn't feel right to me. I know they're available with wooden stocks but those are up there in the CZ price range.

 That leaves me with the Marlin XT 22M and the Savage 93 F.  I can get the Marlin with a wooden stock or the Savage with synthetic  stock for the same price. I've also found the Marlin with a synthetic stock for about $30 less than the wooden one but am willing to pay the difference for the wood. The synthetic stock on them feels really cheap compared to the one on the Savage.

 Thanks for all the imputs 

[krunchnik]

One thing I did forget to mention-the Savage has an adjustable trigger-mine is very light-in fact I think I should probably put my trigger gauge on it and find out just how light.

[Garufa]

7 hours ago, xsubsailor said:

i  am a huge Ruger fan but absolutely hate the stocks on the Americans. I haven't figured out yet what it is but something about them just doesn't feel right to me.

Maybe it’s because they’re plastic.

[DWARREN123]

Most modern brand name rimfires are good to go.

Mine is a older CZ American and it is a fine rimfire rifle.

Now days I would go for a .17 HMR rifle, more accurate in my opinion.