A Good .22
 

I am looking at getting a .22 for my son. As with all my guns I want something that will last a "lifetime". Any recommendations? I am Remington fan and have a knights muzzleloader. I have heard CZ is good?

Marlin model 60, ruger 10-22, or the rem 597. I have all of these except the ruger which i will get some day. Both of the others work fine for me although i got the 597 in the VTR so its not really set up for accuracy. I really like my model 60 thou.. Got it for a steal with a SS barrel and wood stock for $150 at a local Gander a few years back. Haven't had any mis fires using CCI Mini mag's which are the standard by which all other 22LR ammo should be measured IMO.

Do you want a semi-auto, pump, lever, bolt or single shot? Or a pistol?

I currently have a Ruger 10-22 and a browning BLR (lever action). I've previously owned several Remington Nylon 66's and they were fun guns. I also own a few Browning Buckmark 22 pistols and enjoy them too.

It's hard to go wrong with practically any of the 22 rifles or pistols available. Figure out what your son will enjoy and that it fits him for now. If he outgrows it, he can always put it aside for his son or daughter and continue the family tradition. Good luck.

My dad just gave me a marlin model 25 that he bought in 1987, the same year i was born. It's a bolt gun and i think it holds 7 rds in a removable mag. the gun has been beat up and used a lot! but still looks, feels, and functions great. I'd recommend finding one of those or something similar.

Cz makes one of the best 22s on the market imo if you want a bolt gun thats what id get. If you want a semiauto its hard to beat a ruger 1022. I also like the remington 552, i cant count the critters ive slain with mine.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=henry...Si4HAAQ&zoom=1

i like the henry's

Had the same dilemma awhile back. "Last a lifetime" was a criteria as well. Here are my observations:

10/22 - EVERYONE seems to have one of these. Durable, dependable, but a dime a dozen. If I wanted an auto though, this would be my choice.

Marlin 60 - I've had one of these for years. Poor man's 10/22, but not as reliable I've found. In fact, rather "picky" about the ammunition you feed it, and very sensitive to fouling.

Henry - The "nicest gun I wouldn't buy". I couldn't believe the action on these, smooth, positive. Then i got to looking at how it was built. The "action" is a "cassette"-sort of arrangement with painted pot-metal or brass sides. The barrel band was plastic. But real walnut stock (?!). I know a lot of people who have and love theirs, but I didn't see this as something destined to be an heirloom.

CZ - Hands-down the only bolt-action .22 I'd consider. The newer model was supposed to allow barrel swaps as well (the 455?), but as I understand it, also swapped the stamped steel magazines for plastic.

Remington 5 - I wasn't able to find one to look at in person, but from what I've read, this is the competition for the CZ that Remington dropped from the lineup. I suspect that one might still find one new on gunbroker if you look. I couldn't buy one sight unseen, though.

Browning BLR - This one nearly had it for me until I noticed the little plastic piece in the bottom of the receiver. Really? Browning? Everything else was great about this rifle.

Marlin 39 - Adult-sized for sure. Action is stiff, but not a plastic part in the mix, save for the tubular magazine follower. Great wood. Design's been around since .... well, a long time. The only rifle, save the 10/22 and model 60, still being made that I found myself drooling over at 40-some odd years ago when I was 10. In my safe at the moment, waiting for the youngest to grow a bit more.

To be fair, any of these rifles would be the hit of any boy's Christmas. My parents bought me a low-end Savage bolt-action for Christmas that I still wouldn't trade for anything. You'll want it to last, but you'll also want them to use it.

All of the above-mentioned choices should suit just fine, as I've had personal experience with just about all of them, either owning or borrowing. I recently picked up an out-of-production Remington Model 541-S that I am extremely pleased with... It shoots really nice, and is a sweetheart to look at.. topped with a Leupy M8 6X, it really lays them in there..

+1 on the Marlin model 60. I have one (I've had it for years and years - decades... ). The model 60 is a great .22 but as mentioned before, it is finicky with ammo. If I remember, it seemed prefer CCI over anything else. DO NOT feed it that cheap junk from WalMart that's on sale. The model 60 will gag and puke on it after a dozen or so rounds.

The other thing about the model 60, besides it being finicky with ammo, is it's serious demand to be kept clean. Mine has been that way since I was a little kid. It's just the way it is... Model 60's have to be cleaned after probably 50 rounds, or they will start acting funny and will start gagging and puking on ammo.

if you can find one for the right price i would suggest getting a Winchester model 1890 .22 short. It has to be the most accurate .22 i've shot. Its group will cover a dime a 50 yards. Its a pump action and have a nice heavy octagon barrel. It balances and fits perfect for kids and adult.

You can't go wrong with a Ruger 10/22. I have been shooting the same 10/22 for 20 years and put it through heck and it's still spitting lead. I also like the savage 22lr. I got one for my wife last Christmas and so far it seems like a great gun for a real cheap price.

I would suggest the Ruger 10/22. It comes in many varieties with tons of available options. I've had mine for 16ish years and it is still in great shape. I also have the Remington 597 VTR that I really like if you are in to the tactical-style rifles.

I have two .22s I inherited from my dad that I highly recommend...

A Browning SA-22 Takedown, and a Thompson Center Arms Encore with a few barrel sets including the .22 which is super accurate.

I can plink 1/2" groups at 50 yards all day long with the TCA CCI MiniMags, and its Pentax scope.

The action and barrel sets are stainless, and the stock and forend are synthetic on this one, although nice wood ones are available.

The TCA Encore system has a great safety and a dual firing pin hammer that works for rim and center fire cartridges.

The neat thing about the system are the interchangeable barrels, which allow you to shoot all kinds of ammo and, keeps things on a decent budget and are extremely accurate.

The Browning SA-22 is a classic with an 11 round tube fed magazine a cassette type action that pulls out and takes down for easy servicing.

Mine seems to prefer any cartridge hotter than a short to faithfully cycle the action.

Whatever you get I am sure you two will have a lot of fun, and I am happy to see another father passing along such a great tradition.

Cz's are great they make the best bolt action 22's. savage makes "economy" bolt action .22's. which are great and will also last a life time. they just don't have the fancy blueing or the high gloss stocks like the cz's.

I have a savage Mark IIg, i highly recommend it.

When teaching a kid to shoot, semi autos are the worst. My second gun was a Ruger 10/22 and I wasted the first 3000 shots just seeing how fast I could empty a 25 round magazine. semi autos really aren't good for teaching marksmanship.

Marlin 60 all the way. Love the Ruger 10/22, but if someone ever said I could only have one 22lr rifle, it would be a marlin 60.

For a bolt gun, I favor the cz 455 (or old 452), but I'm also a big fan of the savage 93/mark II's.

Those are the 4 that I'd spend money on, maybe adding a marlin bolt action to that list at a distant 5th place. Marlin 60 is the highest selling firearm model of all time for a reason.

My .02 cents, go for the Marlin MODEL 39a. I first saw it in outdoor life over 30 years ago and was finally able to bring it home to my safe 3 years ago. It will someday go to my son, after we have scuffed it up adding memories to it.

I like the Marlin 39.

I like the Rem 513T I have 3 of them. All of them are over 50 years old and all of them shoot like a dream. Yeah they are heavy but they will grow some forearms on that boy. Don't be scared of a heavy gun be scared of those that can hold one. Just Kidding.

I'm partial to Remington in 22lr. I want to try out the newer model 547. The Ruger 10/22 is okay but some of them need triggers. Never have fired a CZ 22lr so no comment on that.

cal516,

You haven't been back since your orignal post in Nov.

What is your budget? And what type of action are you in the market for? Bolt, semi-auto....? Those points would help, though just about any avenue you're interested in has been covered here.

My pics for being on a budget ... used 10/22 for semi-auto, Marlin 25 for a bolt, don't think there is a budget lever .22.

My pics if money is no object, Winchester Model 63 take-down for semi-auto, CZ 455 for bolt (swap barrel model) and a Marlin 39 for alever gun lever

Hard to go wrong with a 10-22.

As Butch said, Decades Old and still working fine, I would take my Rem Model 60, any day. With all guns take proper care and cleaning.

Single Six

I ended up getting a Ruger 10/22

I haven't owned anything in 22 cal. other than my Savage MKIITR 22lr. So, I can comment on other rifles, but my Savage is accurate and it was affordable. I'm a fan of the AccuTrigger and I like the MKII TR stock.