Help me pick a .22 rifle
 

I'm thinking seriously about one.


Guns that attract me:


Marlin 60


Savage 64


Savage Mark-II (This bolt action would be an "understudy rifle." I use Savage big game rifles).


I'm open to other ideas. I consider the Ruger 10/22 more of a dark horse in this race because at the price, I'd be more inclined to go with the Savage Mark II.

Before plinking down any money on a 22 rim fire rifle look at how easy ammo is to get in your area at a reasonable price.


I suggest you buy a 22 center fire like a 22 hornet and down load it to 22lr and 22 mag speeds.


When you can find 22 rim fire ammo here it is from 7 to 11 cents a round.
I reload 22 hornet at 8 cents a round and don't have to spend the time searching for an ammo source.




But if I just had to have a 22 rim fire it would be the Marlin 60 to start or the savage.


10 22's are to expensive for those not rich.




:D Al

My wife and I were Nordic skiing recently and went through a biathlon range. There was a guy there shooting the most elaborate .22LR I've ever seen. He said it was made by Kalashnikov. I didn't ask how much it cost but it sure was a far, far from the old bolt action Springfield I I inherited from my grandaddy.

So, point is - what do you want to do with it? If it's just for plinking, I wouldn't get too elaborate. I'm not a .22 conesuer, to me one is very much like another.

I like lever action .22s just sold a marlin 39A about a year ago

Small game hunting. (sorry, forgot to mention that). I wouldn't be too inclined to add anything to it other than a scope.

I'm a big fan of pump 22s. My favorite is an old Rem Model 572 Fieldmaster that my grandfather gave me. Really accurate and fun to shoot. It is in the photo below with a limit of blue grouse from my native CO:



If I was looking for a 22 I'd try to find one of these on something like gunbroker or gunsamerica.

Love my Ruger 10-22. When I got it 40 years ago it wasn't as expensive. :)

Oddly enough, I just purchased (another) a Marlin 60SB and (another) a Savage Mark II FSS, both for my son, Lil' NM. I knew I wanted to get a stainless Marlin 60 for him for a lifetime rifle, but also wanted to get him a bolt action to make him meter is rate of fire.

You'll see a thread on these soon, cutting them both down to 16" in the front and 8.5" LOP in the back - since nobody makes a rifle suited for a 3.5yr old kid frame.

So that's probably not any help - I couldn't decide between the two, so I bought him both.

I'm curious how you're going to have the willpower to stop at just one 22. I've never been able to do that.

I'm more partial to the manual actions for .22LR. Like Mercy, I like to meter the shots. It's just too easy to get carried away with a little .22 "just cuzz" if ya know what I mean. And not just the little ones are guilty of it :D Us big kids like to play too :D If I were to pick from your list, I would go for the Mark II. Accurate little rifles and fairly cheap as well. One you didn't mention but kiddoggy did was the Marlin 39A but them puppies are expensive for a little .22. Even used. I love both mine and wouldn't part with them either. Many squirrelies and waskily wabbits have fallen to both those puppies from me as well as all my kids.