Which .22 rifle?

[drifter2be]

I am looking for the not so tacticool replacement for my 15-22 I sold today. I have narrowed my options down to the the Marlin 795, the Remington 597 and the Savage 64FXP. Before someone jumps in and says I am doing it wrong and need a 10/22, I have an AR15 that I already dump money into, so I don't feel the need to waste money trying to make a 10/22 accurate.

I see the Savage on sale at big5 with a 4x15 scope for $160, my favorite nearby FFl has the Marlin on the wall for $160 and Bass Pro has the Remington listed on their website for $180. I'm not worried about which has the best stocks available for it or anything like that. My two questions are magazine availability, scope mounting, and accuracy, as my plans are a decent 4x scope and a bipod as this will be my 50 yard range plinking rifle and nothing more. I know the marlin has a built in rail on the receiver, but I have heard that it isn't that good, I don't know much about the savage and I know that you can buy a bolt on rail for the receiver of the 597. I understand they are all reasonably accurate out of the box so that point is moot since they will all probably shoot better than me at this point.

Anyone with experience with these rifles I would appreciate your input.

[Merc1138]

Scope mounting on the marlin sucks. Pretty much the only good choices are the UTG mount(yeah... I know, UTG, but it does actually work) and a couple others(that cost quite a bit more, can't remember the names) that have a long enough clamp that it doesn't just walk off.

Now that doesn't mean the marlin is inaccurate, and the magazines aren't particularly hard to find(cdnn has them cheap sometimes), it's just that the limited availability of scope mounts that actually wortk worth a crap kinda sucks.

[call-in]

795 for me and a friend, he has the UTG mount and it works well with his Simmons ProSport (4-12x40), I use the Sun Optics mount that has windage and elevation adjustments, designed for airguns but it holds my Simmons .22 MAG (3-9x32) perfectly.

[ExtremeX]

Ive used the Marlin 795 and my friend has the Savage, and my pick still goes to the 10/22.

The after market support had ZERO bearing on my decision when I was looking for a .22 plinker, I bought a 10/22 with the intent of keeping it 100% factory. You don't need to spend anything to make the 10/22 accurate because its accurate out of the box. Its a great modding platform due to its after market, but its not like it needs it.

The only thing I added to my purchase was more magazines and a primary arms micro RDS. Couldn't be happier considering I can shoot inside a 1" circle at 25 yards with CCI Blazer bulk ammo...

[jbush]

Out of the box, i think the Marlin or Savage will out shoot the 10/22. The only Marlin I ever mounted a scope on was my 17 HMR and I used a Game Reeper mount that screwed direct to the receiver. It was pricey but works good.

[Ogre8472]

Im gonna thorw one in for the Savage 64fxp! I pick mine uo this week from big5. With the reputation ive been reading about here and on other forums i wanted to give it a try. I didnt want the tacitcool either and it doesnt hurt that i love my 93fvss either.

[tnavressdog]

I love my Marlin 795. So much so I bought a second one! Both are completely stock and run all ammo flawlessly. I have the UTG mount with a 3-9x40 scope on one of them and can consistently get 5 shot groups at 50 yds with CCI Blazer under 0.80". I'll be practicing more to see if I can get more accuracy. The second one has a red dot sight on it for fast target acquisition.

[JackRydden224]

I still intend to sell my Marlin 795. I got tech sights installed, 2 extra mags, a scope, a sling and a speed loader. PM me if you are interested.

[Chaos47]

Pretty much the same question asked the other day:

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=547730

Lots of good info in there.
In short get the 795

[drifter2be]

Thanks everyone. I am down to the savage and the marlin. Both priced locally at $160, the savage has the + of having a scope already, although I am not sure of the quality/whether I would keep or replace it. Last thing to do is go hold both rifles and make my final decision based on that.

[Ogre8472]

Thanks everyone. I am down to the savage and the marlin. Both priced locally at $160, the savage has the + of having a scope already, although I am not sure of the quality/whether I would keep or replace it. Last thing to do is go hold both rifles and make my final decision based on that.

Lol. That sounds like how i picked the Savage. I held and looked over both for fit and finish. Im 6'5 so a small rifles wouldnt do to well. I liked them and asked several shops in my area about any complaints on either one. The Savage had the fewest.
The savage came on top. The scope is a Tasco 4x15. Its cheap starter scope but its a start. I have other Tasco scopes and the higher ones are much better. Best of luck with your choice.

[HappyG]

Savage or Ruger would be my 2 choices...it comes down to preference as price points are just about equal. I'd still side with a 10/22, but that's just me.

[darqhelmet]

I love my marlin. That being said the rifle is tiny so length of pull is goofy, stock trigger is pretty bad, and mounting a scope can be a pain.

[MarcM]

I like both my 10/22 and my Marlin 880SQ. The 10/22 is stock and reliable as long as I use a factory mag and not the POS Ramline clip I have. The Marlin is a different animal. It has a bull barrel, a bi-pod and scope. I have put a few thousand rounds through it, and the bolt action is pretty smooth. Both are a little short for me.

[KandyRedCoi]

Ive used the Marlin 795 and my friend has the Savage, and my pick still goes to the 10/22.

The after market support had ZERO bearing on my decision when I was looking for a .22 plinker, I bought a 10/22 with the intent of keeping it 100% factory. You don't need to spend anything to make the 10/22 accurate because its accurate out of the box. Its a great modding platform due to its after market, but its not like it needs it.

The only thing I added to my purchase was more magazines and a primary arms micro RDS. Couldn't be happier considering I can shoot inside a 1" circle at 25 yards with CCI Blazer bulk ammo...

Savage or Ruger would be my 2 choices...it comes down to preference as price points are just about equal. I'd still side with a 10/22, but that's just me.

^this

10/22 all day...i dont see how much accuracy u can gain on a more accurate gun unless your an awesome shot and/or planning to shoot on a rest/bipod all day...how fun is that? right now u may feel that u do NOT need to change and/or do anything to the rifle, but that time will come and u will want more...the 10/22 offers that and more...almost every lgs u go to will know and have parts for it and the darn thing is pretty reliable and build options are endless
price difference is like $40 from the Savage to the 10/22 Ammo Bros has the synth/blue on sale for $199 .... get some!!!