Starting the hunt

[A.J. Holst]

The next firearm I'll most likely buy will be a .22LR

 

I just don't know which one to get.

 

Looked at numerous:

 

1022s, from practical to tactical (Tuffus just posted a video on the 50th anniversary model which looks pretty cool)

 

Other semis

 

Lever guns

 

bolt action

 

AR-style

 

M1 Carbine style

 

It'll be for target / plinking and "survival" should the EOTW come a-knockin'

 

Suggestions, recommendations and opinions needed!

 

 

 

 

 

[UncleJak]

I love the Henry rifles. Sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[gregintenn]

I sure like a model 39A Marlin, but you haven't named a bad option.

Edited July 13, 2014 by gregintenn

[Guest tangojuliet]

 i say 10/22  cause you can do alot with em in eventually gonna turn mine to a tack driver well more so than it is now 

[Ugly]

The 10/22 is a must have I think, I turned mine in to a tack driver with a Kidd barrel and tac sol stock, in house trigger work. It is unbelievable. I also recommend the Henry, you cannot go wrong with a Henry! A 22lr is a must have for the collection, now ammo availability right now is a different story.

[up2snuff]

Ugly nailed it! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mike243]

Marlin 795,short lite takes mags so no having to work the lever to unload. no need to buy barrels as most will shoot less than 1" at 50y. it all depends on how much $ you want to spend for accuracy & reliability

[runco]

If this is is your 1st 22LR rifle, then to me the decision is simple either the 10/22 or a lever action 22.  I am partial to lever actions myself!  Loads of fun!  Agreed any top 10 home arsenal is not complete w/o a 10/22.

 

However, I also love all of those older bolt action rifles, winchesters, remingtons, and mossbergs.  Pawn shops, flea markets, and some lgs have tons of these.  These are great rifles, and are very fun too, full of history and nostalgia.   Just like a pet at the local animal shelter, these older guns just want a good home!

[Ugly]

Runco Has a good point, an old bolt action is worth it's weight in ammo. I came across an old Revelation, made by savage for Western Auto in the 70's. It has a heavy barrel and is more accurate than any newer thin barrel I've shot. The beauty of lever and bolts are the fact you can also shoot shorts and longs in addition to long rifle. Pawn shops can have quite the treasure. Happy shopping!

[Guest whamonkey]

+1 on the 10/22. No American should be without one....does everything well and they can be customized to no end.

[TrickyNicky]

Go look at a few in person and buy what you like most. We're talking rimfire here so the odds it will be your only one are slim.

I have and enjoy a 10/22, a Remington 597, a Henry youth lever gun, a Romanian M69 trainer, 2 conversion kits for my ARs (which if you have an AR is the way I'd go). You can't go wrong on any of those.

[Sidinman]

I had two 10/22's, but my son & daughter have them now.

Still have a Henry, and two bolt actions, a Marlin 25N, and a Romanian M69.

No one mentioned the Marlin 60, these are usually pretty accurate, which may be my next semi-auto. If and when 22 ammo is available.

[Slappy]

Any respectable gun collection needs to have a 10/22...at least in my opinion!   :cool:

 

But when you get a 10/22, you will want a lever action, then when you get a lever action you'll want the 15/22, then when you get the 15/22, youll want a good bolt action....so just take your pick, you'll get the rest later on.  haha

[graycrait]

Remember they are all just a variation of a pipe and nail.

 

Semis

Simplest = 10/22 which also has more aftermarket than any other

Most fun out of the box  = S&W 15-22

Shoots the widest variety of ammo, including shorts, longs, long rifles, hyper sonic, subsonic, etc: = Remington 552

Out of production Mossbergs can be pretty darn accurate. 

Stay away from Mossberg Plinkster or the AR style 715T

Marlin 60s are iconic, almost twice as many produced over the 10/22 but the 10/22 is a bit more versatile.

Marlin 795s are OK and offer the same thing as the 60 except uses mags. 

 

Levers:  Stick with Marlin or Henry (should shoot S,L, LR).  Others: Taurus, Winchester, Ruger. 

 

Pumps:  Shoots S, L, LR.  Remingtion 572 or Henry, both  in current production.  Good luck finding the Henry.  What I didn't like about the pumps is that the forend is a little wobbly due to the pump action, therefore they are a little "iffy" in accuracy vs some of the others.  Minute of squirrel head is likely good enough though.  I've had others like Savage (out of prod), Winchester and Taurus.

 

Bolt guns:  

 

Lots of good ones out there: Savage always comes to mind when discussing current production value

mass market guns that shoot well.  I'm goofing around with another Ruger American Compact though.  I think the best for the least would be the CZ 452 and 455.  Lots of good out of production models floating around too.  Best value in old bolt .22s IMO is Mossberg.  Maybe the best out of production value shooters are the old Remingtons.  Lots of foreign ones in this category.  Of course that includes Anschutz, always the Anschutz.  

 

If you could only have two and money is an issue then 10/22 semi and a CZ bolt.   

 

I've had a pile of .22 rifles, including, many of the above, many in multiple copies, but have pared my .22 rifles down to 3 10/22s, 1 Ruger American and a 1954 Savage .22/.410. 

[dcloudy777]

If you like to "tinker" and add stuff, the 10/22 has no peer.  I actually have one with zero Ruger parts... you can build the whole thing from parts now days.

[Guest tangojuliet]

If you like to "tinker" and add stuff, the 10/22 has no peer.  I actually have one with zero Ruger parts... you can build the whole thing from parts now days.

O.o you can build a 10/22 like an ar now ....

[Jonnin]

I really like a lever gun, but on a .22, its very annoying to operate the lever from a bench rest, and .22s are a lot of fun to shoot bench rested (no recoil... ). 

 

Bolt actions are ok but tend to have a low capacity; the majority are 5 - 7 shots.   However they deliver accuracy and reliability along with the ability to fire shorts and any ammo you can find without complaint (the lever can as well, but semis can't).

 

semis, regardless of the flavor, have high capacity but can be rather ammo picky (some more than others) -- no shorts and even some "standard" velocity won't cycle all of them, and some target ammo is also a bit too weak for the actions.  If the ammo is hot enough, they are reliable and accurate for the most part. 

 

I find the semi's the most fun for plinking / bench resting / etc.  Reload infrequently, no annoying motions to ready the next round.  If I could only have 1 for the end of days, though, it would be a bolt or lever, so it would work on whatever ammo, for small game hunting.  

 

I am useless for newer guns... my newest 22 rifle, not counting a 10-22, is probably pre 1980.   My go-to range 22 is a browning BAR-22, a tube fed semi. 

[dcloudy777]

O.o you can build a 10/22 like an ar now ....

 

0% Ruger parts...

 

[BigK]

I absolutely love my S&W M&P 15-22. It's tons of fun and quite accurate.

The $400 price tag isn't easy to swallow for your first .22LR plinker, though. 

However, you'll be WAY past that price tag with a 10/22 once you start adding what some call the "necessarry" upgrades, LOL.

[jon29253]

+1 to a 10/22 that can be easily tricked out with a custom trigger, stock and barrel to whatever you like. I also recommend putting a threaded barrel on whatever you choose. A suppressor on a 22 is the cats meow. Too much fun. For a bolt action, Browning makes at bolt that is suppressor ready and it's pretty much ready to go with adjustable trigger, but it's not any more fun than the 10/22.

[1gewehr]

If the TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it) is a serious concern, then a manually-operated .22 is the logical choice.  No worrying about whether it will fit or feed.  And I would recommend a high-quality .22.

 

Actually, I can't think of many reasons not to recommend that all firearms purchases be of a quality that you can pass down to grandchildren or further.  Don't pass up used rifles if you have the ability to reassure yourself of it's condition.  Older Marlins, Winchesters, and Remingtons are some of the finest examples of American gunmaking.

[A.J. Holst]

Thanks for all the replies! Now to make a decision :o