Looking for a Good 22 Rifle

[okie john]

I took my son’s Remington 511 to the range yesterday. Big mistake. Now I need a 22 of my own.

I’ll hunt with it, so it will be out in the rain. Stainless/synthetic would be nice but are not mandatory.

It will get a scope, probably a 4x Leupold.

I’d like for it to be accurate out of the box. The 511 made a couple of sub 1” groups at 50 yards with a couple of loads, which was nice, but I won’t compete with it.

Either bolt or semi would be fine.

Widely available magazines would be ideal so the various Rugers catch my eye. Not a fan of tube magazines.

Top end is around $500 for the rifle but I’m a sucker for the $189 pawnshop special.

Should I just get a 511 like his?

Other thoughts?


Okie John

[OlongJohnson]

I sold several CZ 452s this year. Bought a T1x in .17 HMR. Will probably buy a T1x 16.5-in .22LR.

I still have a CZ 512 Carbine for semi-auto.

Can't recommend a Savage.

[littlejerry]

I prefer bolts or levers for hunting since I usually use Subsonic HPs.

If buying today I'd be looking at CZ(new 457 or used 455 or 452) or a Tikka T1x. Don't have any experience with the T1x but it seems to be well liked for good factory accuracy.

The new CZ457s are melonited so no worries on rust.

If I wanted a Ruger magazine I'd go 10/22 over their American Rimfire. The safety doesn't lock the bolt on the American Rimfire which drives me nuts in the woods.

[BobM]

I’m happy with my Ruger American Rimfire Compacts in 22lr and 22 mag. They have synthetic stocks, I don’t recall stainless being an option when I bought them. I don’t like the new Ruger mag release, l lost a mag from my 10/22 Takedown in the woods last year. I found some old style flush releases and changed them all.

[BobM]

That being said, I’ve been keeping my eye out for an older wood and blue rimfire bolt gun just because.

[SecondsCount]

I'm really happy with my CZ 455 Varmint and have heard good things about the new CZ 457 and T1X.

One friend has a Savage that shoots really well and another one that isn't happy with the performance of his.

[Welder]

It sounds like you're not averse to used rifles; if that 511 is the model I'm thinking of, it dates from the '50's or '60's most likely, and is in the same family as the 510, 512, 513T and 521T. The 521T was a great walking-around rifle, with a sporter weight barrel but a target stock. Set up for aperture sights and a lot of them by now have been D&T for scopes although I don't think they came with any scope mounting options. 513T was accurate but heavy; an intermediate-weight target rifle. The 5xx rifles from this time period used a steel magazine. The 37 and then the 40X were the heavy target rifles of the time.

Moving ahead a couple decades in Remingtons, you probably won't find a 541T for your price, but you will find the 581 and 581S rifles, which were the same action with a less expensive stock and barrel. People poo-poo the plastic mags for these rifles, but I've put untold numbers of bricks through mine and the original 5-rd mag is fine. These also are grooved for scope mounts unlike the earlier models. My first rifle was a 581S, made in 1990, and it was good enough to put me in 7th out of 23 competitors in the regional Junior Olympic 3-position smallbore trials when I was in 8th grade. It was just a hunting rifle with Williams rear and Lyman front sights. 6 of the 7 people ahead of me were using Anschutz 54-actioned position rifles and the guy in 6th place was my 3rd cousin using a $60 pawn shop Marlin. I guess all our poof-bird hunting had paid off. :D

I'm just partial to the Remingtons, but if I were in the market for a new rifle, I'd be looking at a Tikka T1x as mentioned above. The older Marlins were also good rifles (new ones may be too, but no personal experience)...homely IMO but accurate. If you luck out and find an old Savage 54 in your price range, you've actually bought an Anschutz 54 sporter and you've done very well.

I personally prefer a bolt rifle for hunting; I've never needed a semi for that and a bolt gun feels more sporting and proper in the woods to me. Just a personal thing.

[peterb]

The older Marlins were also good rifles (new ones may be too, but no personal experience)...homely IMO but accurate.

I've got one of the wood-stock XT-22s. Very accurate with its favorite load(CCI standard velocity), less so with others I've tried. Looks and feels cheap but ok for under $200 new.

If I was buying now I'd be looking at CZ.

[okie john]

Thanks for all of the replies.


It sounds like you're not averse to used rifles...SNIP

Not in the least. I killed a boatload of small game with a 513 when I was a kid, so I'm inclined to find another one or a 511 and call it good.


I've got one of the wood-stock XT-22s. Very accurate with its favorite load(CCI standard velocity), less so with others I've tried. Looks and feels cheap but ok for under $200 new.

If I was buying now I'd be looking at CZ.

How accurate is your XT-22 with that load at 50 yards?


Okie John

[farscott]

If a magazine tube is a deal breaker, it it hard to beat the 10/22 magazine. I have 10/22 (actually Tactical Solutions) rifles set up for small game (Leupold M8-4X on one rifle and M8-8X on the other) as well as an American Rimfire bolt action. I prefer the lighter 10/22-pattern rifles in the field, but they come in above the $500 limit. I added a Winchester 75 Sporting with a Lyman receiver sight just over the $500 limit. If you like older rifles, it is hard to beat the old Winchester and Remington bolt actions.

[mrozowjj]

If a magazine tube is a deal breaker, it it hard to beat the 10/22 magazine. I have 10/22 (actually Tactical Solutions) rifles set up for small game (Leupold M8-4X on one rifle and M8-8X on the other) as well as an American Rimfire bolt action. I prefer the lighter 10/22-pattern rifles in the field, but they come in above the $500 limit. I added a Winchester 75 Sporting with a Lyman receiver sight just over the $500 limit. If you like older rifles, it is hard to beat the old Winchester and Remington bolt actions.

This. There is a reason the 10/22 has 12 sub-forums on rimfirecentral.com; they are reliable, accurate and endlessly configurable. The standard 10 round magazine is flushfit which makes for a very compact package if you want to hunt with it. You can swap every single part on there with something else if you don't like what comes from the factory. If you want to go used there are 50+ years of examples on the market. I know some people complain about the accuracy with the 10/22 but the 2 I have are using factory barrels and have impressive accuracy once I found the match grade ammo the rifle really liked but if you don't like how your factory barrel performs you can go after market.

[momano]

Okie John, it might be worth your while to cruise the rimfire forum on snipers hide. CZ, Bergara, Tikka, Ruger 10/22 proshop, are all discussed. I love my 10/22 and my TC clone- the TC has an integral peep sight and is very light. An amazing amount of good choices now. Thanks for all the good stuff you post.

[JRB]

I thought owning a 10/22 was a requirement to move out of your parent's house in this country. There are people who own guns that don't own a 10/22?
2020 keeps getting weirder and weirder.

[oregon45]

I don't currently have one, but my previous .22 rifle that I used for practice and informal target competition was a Savage/Anschutz M54, which was an Anschutz M54 sporter imported by Savage in the 1960s. They're out there, and not particularly expensive. Mine spoiled me on any American rimfire other than original Winchester M52's.

[okie john]

Thanks to everyone for all of the great information.


This. There is a reason the 10/22 has 12 sub-forums on rimfirecentral.com; they are reliable, accurate and endlessly configurable. The standard 10 round magazine is flushfit which makes for a very compact package if you want to hunt with it. You can swap every single part on there with something else if you don't like what comes from the factory. If you want to go used there are 50+ years of examples on the market. I know some people complain about the accuracy with the 10/22 but the 2 I have are using factory barrels and have impressive accuracy once I found the match grade ammo the rifle really liked but if you don't like how your factory barrel performs you can go after market.
I agree that there’s a lot to like about the 10/22. I may have to reconsider my aversion(s) to them.



Okie John, it might be worth your while to cruise the rimfire forum on snipers hide. CZ, Bergara, Tikka, Ruger 10/22 proshop, are all discussed. I love my 10/22 and my TC clone- the TC has an integral peep sight and is very light. An amazing amount of good choices now. Thanks for all the good stuff you post.
Thanks for the kind words. I need to beware the financial rabbit hole that regular visits to RimfireCentral could become—it’s got the potential to be even worse than here.



I thought owning a 10/22 was a requirement to move out of your parent's house in this country. There are people who own guns that don't own a 10/22?
2020 keeps getting weirder and weirder.
I’ve let a few slip away over the years. I could rectify that but I’m the kind of guy who will wake up one morning and realize that I’ve invested the price of a Tikka in making one group well.



I don't currently have one, but my previous .22 rifle that I used for practice and informal target competition was a Savage/Anschutz M54, which was an Anschutz M54 sporter imported by Savage in the 1960s. They're out there, and not particularly expensive. Mine spoiled me on any American rimfire other than original Winchester M52's.
Definitely keeping an eye peeled for one of these.

Thanks again,


Okie John

[Irelander]

I highly recommend CZ. I have had 2 of their 452 .22LR rifles and both were more accurate than myself. I still have one and it is the most enjoyable gun I have.

[Borderland]

CZ.

You might spent a little more than $500 though. Not sure where they are on prices these days as mine (455) is about 6 years old.

I used to shoot jack rabbits for a farmer when I was a kid. I wish I had a CZ with a good scope back in those days. I could have made a lot more money.

Three jackrabbits could eat as much as a cow, or so I was told.

[JimLob65]

I just paid $475 for my CZ 457 American. It has a fully adjustable trigger which was outstanding right out of the box, a beautiful stock and is extremely accurate. I don't think you would be disappointed.

[gkieser92]

I am a RSO with my son's Boy Scout troop, and we are chartered through my shooting range, so we shoot a lot. On range days, especially at summer camp, our rifles can easily see 2-3k rounds a day, being used by everyone from an overenthusiastic 11 year old who has never shot before to highly experienced dads vying for competitive shooting awards. When we used Marlins, we had all kinds of problems. When we got new Ruger American Rimfires, not only did all the mechanical issues go away, all of the kids scores went up. We had kids getting hits on 10" gongs at 130 yards pretty regularly, and that was with cheap Remington golden bullets. For a general-purpose, hard-use .22 bolt gun, they are holding up very well.

[peterb]

How accurate is your XT-22 with that load at 50 yards?

It’s been a long time since I shot at 50. I was at 25 yards recently and 5-round groups were all shots touching. Cheap 4x Simmons scope.

[okie john]

It’s been a long time since I shot at 50. I was at 25 yards recently and 5-round groups were all shots touching. Cheap 4x Simmons scope.

Good to know.

thanks,


Okie John

[Shoresy]

If sex appeal isn't a requirement, then another vote for the 10/22. They're not ugly, they just don't have the panache of a nice 22 bolt gun. They DO have functionality all day long, out of the box acceptable accuracy, and are just about infinitely upgradable with a solid body of knowledge as to what mods/parts/etc work well. At about $200 for the base rifle, you've still got $300 in the budget to upgrade if you feel the need.

If you go that route, definitely replace the bolt release (https://volquartsen.com/products/158-automatic-bolt-release).

[momano]

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/forums/sniper-s-hide-rimfire-section/
Okie John, lots of informed discussion here; $500 buys some mighty fine accurate, hunting rifles

[mrozowjj]

I am a RSO with my son's Boy Scout troop, and we are chartered through my shooting range, so we shoot a lot. On range days, especially at summer camp, our rifles can easily see 2-3k rounds a day, being used by everyone from an overenthusiastic 11 year old who has never shot before to highly experienced dads vying for competitive shooting awards. When we used Marlins, we had all kinds of problems. When we got new Ruger American Rimfires, not only did all the mechanical issues go away, all of the kids scores went up. We had kids getting hits on 10" gongs at 130 yards pretty regularly, and that was with cheap Remington golden bullets. For a general-purpose, hard-use .22 bolt gun, they are holding up very well.

That's a really impressive durability test. Ruger has perfected making inexpensive 22s.

[Suvorov]

Another vote for the 10/22. They just work and if you don't like something about them, someone out there sells a part to do what you want it to.

[RAM Engineer]

How are the takedown 10/22 rifles? The link below checks all my boxes for what I'm looking for, but I have no experience with the takedown guns.

https://www.ruger.com/products/1022Takedown/specSheets/21133.html

or this one:

https://www.ruger.com/products/1022Takedown/specSheets/21182.html

[CDH]

Savage fv-sr. bolt gun. EXTREMELY affordable.plastic stock. fluted and threaded barrel. scope ready. Absolutely boringly accurate. My daughter can shoot pecans at 50yds all day. 4x Nikon rimfire scope. Kills squirrels like crazy. Gun can (could prior to panic buying) be had for less than $200. Only negative for me is the magazine. It is straight and I prefer the compactness of the rotary design.

chris

[BobM]

How are the takedown 10/22 rifles? The link below checks all my boxes for what I'm looking for, but I have no experience with the takedown guns.

https://www.ruger.com/products/1022Takedown/specSheets/21133.html

or this one:

https://www.ruger.com/products/1022Takedown/specSheets/21182.html
I really like mine. I have the Magpul Backpacker version.

[41magfan]

Check out the Tikka T1x.

[LtDave]

10/22 is probably the best generic choice for a .22. It’s like recommending a Glock 19 for CCW. My favorite model of 10/22 is the mannlicher stocked International version. Pretty sure there are stainless ones nowadays.

Another excellent semi auto .22 is the Weatherby Mk XXII. Wonderfully accurate, made by several different manufacturers. The earliest ones were made by Beretta. Magazine and tube fed examples available. Will not make the $500 cutoff.

Anschutz bolt actions are great. Remington 121 is a very nice pump gun. Marlin 39 if you want a lever gun.

[boing]

I’ve been idly looking at .22 bolt guns, with Ruger, CZ, and Tikka as the main contenders. From reading rimfire central, it seems that when there are problems, ejection failures are a common theme. Even makers like Anschutz aren’t immune. Here’s a PF thread with recent discussion on the T1X:

http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?29272-Tikka-T1x-RIMFIRE

Is it really that hard to get reliable ejection from a .22 bolt rifle?

[SecondsCount]

I’ve been idly looking at .22 bolt guns, with Ruger, CZ, and Tikka as the main contenders. From reading rimfire central, it seems that when there are problems, ejection failures are a common theme. Even makers like Anschutz aren’t immune. Here’s a PF thread with recent discussion on the T1X:

http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?29272-Tikka-T1x-RIMFIRE

Is it really that hard to get reliable ejection from a .22 bolt rifle?

I run CCI SV, SK Standard, and Fed Automatch most of the time in my CZ 455. I also have a Ruger American, and rarely have ejection issues in either of them. It's typically because I am being lazy when running the bolt when it happens.

Like a lot of things on the internet, things can be way overblown.

[oregon45]

Ejection problems with bolt action .22's, in my experience, are caused mainly from a lack of cleaning and the soft brass and dirty ignition of .22lr ammunition. Keep the extractor clean and free of debris, and work the bolt handle like you mean it, and you likely will have very few ejection issues in quality bolt action .22's. Also, rim diameter of .22 ammunition varies, as do the dimensions of .22 extractors, so finding a brand of ammunition that feeds and ejects well in your rifle can be a useful exercise.