How did you pick your bolt-action .22?

[DeathByDoubleDip]

So I'm still kicking myself for letting a Henry H001 lever-action on the private sales slip for $250 to another seller.

Oh well. How to get over that funk? Buy another .22 rifle instead, clearly

I'm wondering if anyone else had to choose between the Savage MkII, CZ452/455, and the Marlin 925, and what ended up being the deciding factor for your choice. I already have a 10/22 (picked it up at Turner's last September), but as much as I hate to admit it, I'm not too crazy about it after finding out about how much nicer the metal-receiver ones are/were, so I may sell it at some point and try finding a used one later down the line.

[ExtremeX]

My personal pick which I still have not purchased due to local stores not carrying it... is the Savage Mark II FSS.

The triggger was nice, and seems like a solid overall build. Other range reports said it to be very accurate too... I also like the black stock with the SS action and barrel.

BTW, what do you mean about metal-receivers on the 10/22? The black vs stainless? I was thinking of getting the 10/22 on sale as turners right now... They dont have the stainless version so I might just cheap out since I want a .22LR plinker.

[sofbak]

what ended up being the deciding factor for your choice.

A little over a year ago, my son and I decided to get into rimfire. For me the choice came down to "out of the box accuracy" vs. cost (since I was buying two rifles). I did some research over on rimfire central, and decided on a pair of Savage MKII FV rifles. They have proven to be very accurate for our level of marksmanship.

The MKII line does have its "warts" or minor issues. Mine had problems with feeding and infrequent failure to extract. My son's rifle has never given a hint of problem-which was a curiosity to me as these were consecutive numbered units.

But I was able to find solutions to the issues with mine on the savage page at RFC, and now all is well.

We mounted Mueller 8.5 -25 x 44 AO Tactical scopes on them, and replaced the awful synthetic stocks with boyds classic laminates. Now we can do this at 75 yds. all day long with winchester bulk .22lr from walmart:

[IMG][/IMG]
and once we get warmed up, we do this to shotgun shells at the same distance:
[IMG][/IMG]

The CZ is a good unit with a great reputation, but it's more expensive. I do have other CZ firearms, and their quality is very good. But back to the cost vs. accuracy criteria, I decided on the MK II.

hth

sofbak

[shinbone]

yeah, if its a newer model 10/22 the receiver is basically an aluminum box. Try to freefloat a bullbarrel off the receiver only, and youre looking at alot of flex.. The trigger group is plastic..

The savages are nice, and Ive heard the CZ is great too.. but if the marlin 925 is anything like my glenfield/marlin 25, the trigger feels like a rusty door latch with no overtravel stop.. But its a fun plinker and more accurate than my stock 10/22 that I traded it for.

[ExtremeX]

Geez.... I was just about to drive to turners, was thinking of getting that 10/22 on sale... but I might have to just stick to my orignial plan, and get my Mark II FSS

I really dont want to go mod happy, I have my AR for that...

[Izzy43]

So I'm still kicking myself for letting a Henry H001 lever-action on the private sales slip for $250 to another seller.

Oh well. How to get over that funk? Buy another .22 rifle instead, clearly

I'm wondering if anyone else had to choose between the Savage MkII, CZ452/455, and the Marlin 925, and what ended up being the deciding factor for your choice. I already have a 10/22 (picked it up at Turner's last September), but as much as I hate to admit it, I'm not too crazy about it after finding out about how much nicer the metal-receiver ones are/were, so I may sell it at some point and try finding a used one later down the line.

Savage MKII BTVS
CZ-452 UltraLux
Marlin 925M (22WMR)

I have all three and all are nice accurate rifles. The Savage is picky about ammo, shoots all bulk ammo in a shot gun pattern. Wolf MT, Federal 711B are sub MOA @50yds.

CZ is a hair more accurate than the Savage but built like a tank. Shoots a variety of ammo well but likes Wolf MT and Federal 711b the best and they shoot to the same POI.

The Marlin took some work on the trigger to get it to shoot well but now shoots MOA @ 100yds when I do my part. Also changed out the stock which improved the accuracy.

As far as cost I think they are about equal, that is after I did mods to the Marlin. It was the least expensive but I put another $200 into the trigger and stock.

I would say that if you want an accurate scoped rifle, go with the Savage or CZ American.

If you want an accurate scoped and iron sight rifle go with the CZ LUX or Ultralux.

If you want an accurate 22 Magnum, go with the Marlin.

[sofbak]

I would suggest you aim a bit higher (price wise) than the FSS for two reasons:

1. The F series is the synthetic stock. And most shooters have found that they leave a lot to be desired-too flexible, don't hold action screw torque very well, and so on.

2. This one has the tapered barrel, and most shooters have found that the "V" or varmint series bull barrels are significantly more accurate and more consistent.

If you have to have stainless, then you are somewhat limited to the BTVSS.

You can't really go mod happy with the MK II, as there are not a lot of aftermarket replacement parts available for it.

[ExtremeX]

I would suggest you aim a bit higher (price wise) than the FSS for two reasons:

1. The F series is the synthetic stock. And most shooters have found that they leave a lot to be desired-too flexible, don't hold action screw torque very well, and so on.

2. This one has the tapered barrel, and most shooters have found that the "V" or varmint series bull barrels are significantly more accurate and more consistent.

If you have to have stainless, then you are somewhat limited to the BTVSS.

You can't really go mod happy with the MK II, as there are not a lot of aftermarket replacement parts available for it.

Thanks for the input! Its much appreciated.

I didn't have a problem with the stock, looks/feel wise, but I didn't consider the degrade in performance. I'm looking for somewhat of a beater rifle, but still wanted something half decent. I was hoping the keep the entire package somewhat light since I plan on standing and shooting with it too. Its for these reason I keep considering a 10/22 but would really like a high level of accuracy for when I am at a bench target shooting.


With that said, do you still think I should aim for a high end model with at least a bull barrel?

[sofbak]

Again, if you have to have stainless, then you are limited to the BTVS model, which has a boyds thumbhole stockor the BSEV. However, if you want lightweight, high end stainless, I am 200% confident that you can get a synthetic stock from another savage shooter that has replaced his and put that on your BTVS or BSEV. There seem to be many of these syn stocks collecting dust, from the posts I have read here and on RFC. I'm sure a lot of people would make you a good deal on one they have replaced.

If you don't have to have stainless, all the "B" models have the bull barrel and a boyds stock of some sort-check the savage arms website to compare them.

If you really want a syn stock for weight reduction, you can go with either an FV, which is the varmint bull barrel and the synthetic stock, or the FVT which adds iron target sights. Then as your familiarity grows with the rifle, you can start looking for an aftermarket wood stock.

This is what we did. I kept the syn stocks just in case we ever get the chance to go afoot in the field with them. But for bench shooting, I put them in wood. We had good results with the syn stocks, but ours would not hold torque on the action screws, so I was continuosly re-torqing them on the line about every 100 to 150 rounds. The syn stock seemed too light too me, and switching to wood definitely improved the groupings as well. I also added 2 lbs. of lead shot in the butt of the boyds wood stocks.

Lot's of choices for sure-check the savage site to see them all, and then add that to your plan. There is definitely a base model in their list that will fit your plan.

IIRC here is the savage "model code"

F=synthetic stock
B=Boyds stock, BT=boyds thumbhole stock
V=varmint barrel
T=target sights
S=stainless


hth

sofbak

[sekatoa]

I chose the CZ 452 based on the Gun Tests review of it, and in person comparison.

[sofbak]

CZ builds a quality product-no debate there. But I had two "issues" with their rimfire rifles:

1. Across the board they seemed to be about $140 more than the savage line. That's almost the cost of a quality scope.
2. Their optics mount is an 11mm dovetail, which I didn't care for.

If I was stuck between the two, I would dig through the two sections over on RFC to see what the owners of each have to say about theirs.

[CSACANNONEER]

I walk into a couple gun shops and look at their used guns. You'ld be surprised what you can run across in the way of old .22 bolt actions that shoot better than most new guns can.

I've picked up a Remington 521J for $67, a Mossberg 42A for $75, a Mossberg 44US for $125, etc.

[sofbak]

I walk into a couple gun shops and look at their used guns. You'ld be surprised what you can run across in the way of old .22 bolt actions that shoot better than most new guns can.

Poosibly, but used rifles at a GS are a crapshoot if you are not thoroughly skilled at inspection/evaluation, and even then there could be a problem. I doubt that local GS would provide the warranty/customer support/parts normally associated with a new purchase from a manufacturer.

But I remind you of the OP's question:

I'm wondering if anyone else had to choose between the Savage MkII, CZ452/455, and the Marlin 925, and what ended up being the deciding factor for your choice.

So, 15 yd. penalty for thread jack...........

[Eat Dirt]

I walk into a couple gun shops

I've picked up a Remington 521J for $67, a Mossberg 42A for $75, a Mossberg 44US for $125, etc.

A 44 U S Mossberg for $ 125 .............Where ,When ,,,, I'am there

I just got one here on the forum and I paid a little more than double !!!
It's now my favorite .22 !!!!!!!!!!

[luckygunner]

I picked up a CZ 455 because I had really good luck with my CZ-75. I wanted something a bit different and read really good reviews. I didn't get the chance to shoot one before I got it but no complaints.

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22 LR ammunition