RE: first .22 opinions
 

I have a few Marlins. 2 in 22 Mag and 1 in 17 HMR. They are great rifles. Tubes are easier to load then the Mags but you can buy 4 or 5 mags and have them loaded when your in the woods and you dont have to worry about dropping ammo whyle loading the tube. Or i seen a tube speed loader it was kinda cool looking. I think it would help you out greatly with the nerve damage and all.

RE: first .22 opinions
 

I would go witht he Ruger 10/22 I got one for christmas and love it. Also its easy to load becasue it takes a magazine & the mag is easy to load as well.

RE: first .22 opinions
 

Does Savage make a .22 mag bolt action? If so, that is what I would get.

RE: first .22 opinions
 

thanks for the replys, i believe the best thing i can do is shoot em and see which one iseem to havethe best luck with, ill definately give the marlin and savage a try if i can.

RE: first .22 opinions
 

If you are looking for a gun that is ver accurate and doesn't require alot of mantenance. I would try to get your hands on a Remington Nylon 66. I have one, and it is the best .22 i own. It's a semi-auto and loads from the butt-stock, so there is no magazine. All you do is drop them in. I have put about 5000rds through mine in the past 2yrs and it hasn't jambed once. Oh. and mine was made in 1962.

Here's one:
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=91322442

RE: first .22 opinions
 

I have a Marlin model 60, it has a 14 tube magazine and is semi-auto. Very reliable gun and shoots very accurately. I have no problems hitting squirrels with it, it shoots CCI ammo very accurately, but also shoots bulk federal ammo with no problems, not quite as accurately, but I have shot many a squirrel using bulk ammo so its plenty accurate enough for the job. Rabbits will be no problem.

Ruger 10/22s are also very good but you can pickup a marlin for less money. only issue I had with my Marlin was the rear site would fall after shooting, I sighted it in and put lock tite on it, no more problems, if you put a scope on it though you don't have to worry about that, I actually removed the iron sights when i added the scope.

RE: first .22 opinions
 

The Ruger 10/22 is definitely a classic and it's still, without a doubt, the most popular .22 rifle out today. They may not be the most accurate out there but they'll definitely make a squirrel second guess sticking his head out of a hole. For the money they simply can't be beat. Besides, there's more aftermarket add-on's for the 10/22 than you'll probably care to have.

RE: first .22 opinions
 

I don't have much to add here, but I'll second the opinions on the marlin 60, remington nylon 66, and ruger 10/22. I've owned a ruger for many years and they're great.

I just bought a Mossberg Plinkster bolt action at Dix brand new for $120. I had them put on the cheapest 1" scope in the store, and walked out with a brand new scoped rifle for $182. Haven't shot it yet, but looking forward to it. I wanted a scoped bolt to match my deer hunting rig, didn't want to sell my 10/22.