Looking for a nice 22lr rifle for under $400

[GeoRick]

Hey people,

So I'm finally poised to get myself a decent 22lr rifle. My very first 22lr rifle. I was thinking of joining the 10/22 club, but then I heard about the Marlin club.. I know they are differently priced guns and (probably) quality, but I wanted to read some opinions from the members of both clubs, to see which one I want to join

So here's your chance to rant about why the benefits over at the Marlin clubhouse are better than the Ruger clubhouse, or vice-versa. Any other rifle manufacturers I should check out? Again, I'm a newbie regarding 22lr rifles, and these two are the most common I have heard of and been exposed to - if there are some other good ones, please educate me!

Key Points For Me:
-Priced under 400
-Accuracy (I know they are all accurate, but I DO like those longer barrels for some reason)
-Aesthetics (Its gotta look pretty right??)
-Used for target shooting (I would love to get a nice long range scope for it eventually)
-I want to be able to most kinds of 22lr ammo - varying velocities

I'm kinda on the fence about whether I want a semi-auto or a bolt action. I'm assuming the bolt action is more accurate and quiet..? I seriously want both.. but if I had to choose one for now, what would be your pick and why? Sorry if this thread has already been started by another OP.. Thanks All

[Jet Setter]

I like the Marlin XT-22 tube fed. They seem to shoot well and accurate. Those are under $290 OTD.

[Chaos47]

Accuracy out of the box semiauto sub 400 I would go with the Marlin unless you want to upgrade the 10/22's barrel to compete with Marlins MicroGrooved Barrel.

Lets break it down:

Ruger 10/22
APX 275 after DROS and Tax
100 for Bull Barrel
Puts you 25 bucks under 400.. not much money for a scope

Marlin 795
APX 205 after DROS and Tax
100 for a Boyds Laminate stock (or 65 for a DIP trigger/guard)
Leaves you with 95 (or 130) bucks for a scope

Pretty clear which one gives you more bang for the buck, hah..

If you have not already then take a moment to check out the Marlin 795 MEGATHREAD Part Duece.

If you lean towards bolt then Marlin makes the XT-22 but you should also check out CZ (but they would be at the top of your budget).

[riflehobbyist]

why not savage 64? all savages ive shot were always accurate

big 5 has the tactical model on sale for 179 and regular model with scope for 199

[Chaos47]

why not savage 64? all savages ive shot were always accurate

big 5 has the tactical model on sale for 179 and regular model with scope for 199

No aftermarket support?

What does it have over Marlin or Ruger? While I am sure they are fine guns they don't really bring anything to the table in comparison.

[AragornElessar86]

Marlin 795 or Ruger 10/22. Great guns.

[samrob77]

Ruger 10/22 and you won't look back..and neither will your wallet with all the aftermarket parts you WILL put on it.
Turners has them on sale right now for $219 with the synthetic stock and $329 for a takedown.

[sd_shooter]

S&W 15-22 either used or on sale.

And they look fully e-vil, so you might as well get one before they are banned in KA.

[OldShooter32]

I own both a Marlin and a 10-22. I prefer the 10-22 since it seems to feed anything better. It has a scope on it, so that might bias me. 10-22 can be reloaded quicker (extra mags vs tube feed) and with a 10-22 mag loader you can keep shooting all day. The Marlin is solid and a good shooter, but I just like the 10-22 better.

[tmh1]

What is the general feeling on the Remington 597?

Palmetto has these in stock for $170: http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...20-barrel.html, and Nutnfancy seems to like them pretty well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCWmXqzloIM. And magazines for these are even in stock at Cabela's:http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/produ...oductId=733691.

Either these are pretty generally unknown or they have some serious issues I haven't heard about?

Thanks.

[Jack L]

Under $400....also try a Henry H001. I did, I bought it right away. The iron sights, right out of the box worked great. I would like to find one of those tube fed Marlins but as soon as they get in stock, they are gone in seconds. The Henry H001 is a sleeper. The only reason it is not on the list I think is because few think lever action these days. The action is so smooth on these rifles it feels like they have been customized. I'm not just BSing either.

I think a person, if possible, should own a number of .22's as each can have a different purpose. Especially paper target shooting versus varmint shooting, or cool looking (AR) versus old school look (lever).

[Occams Rasor]

All the above choices good. But, if you like playing with your rifle as in making modifications, ruger 1022 is the choice. You can buy a plain 1022, bull barrel,
boyd stock for just over $400. What you end up with is a rife build by you for you.

[GreggieBoy]

I own the Remington 597 and like it a lot. Bought the rifle in October. It shot great out of the box, but I had a lot of fun making minor changes. I installed the Volquartsen hammer and extractor (about $50 total), replaced the synthetic stock with a wood laminate ($70 including shipping from WTP in Canada), then replaced the scope with a CenterPoint Illuminated 4-16x40mm Scope ($70 from Walmart). Owned the 10/22 and liked it, shot the Marlin and liked it too, the 597 runs great and is a real pleasure to shoot.

[Furncliff]

Bolt......... CZ 452 or 455. (NOS 452's are still out there the new model is the 455 and features switch barrel, .22 .22 mag and .17hmr). All you need to do is hold one and compare it to any other .22 in the same price range. At 50 yards mine will shoot .5 and better in 5 shot groups, using target ammo like SK. These are really sweet and they come in a variety of configurations. Cheap trigger mods make the CZ's excellent target guns for not much money.

Semi auto...... Rugar 10-22 if you see yourself going down the mod road. Marlin 60 otherwise, 11 million sold. I have two, the stainless in a nice thumbhole stock is sweet.

Lever.... I have a Marlin 39, but I think the Henry is a better buy right now. The action is really smooth and CS seems to be first rate.




A word about triggers. Triggers on 150-400$ rimfire rifles can be O.K. to really poor out of the box. Rimfirecentral.com is an excellent source for info on massaging .22 rifle triggers.

Accuracy... plan to spend some time experimenting with a variety of ammo to find the one your rifle likes best. Standard velocity ammo is usually the most accurate, but some semi's don't cycle well with these..

Good luck.

[sholling]

If $400 is your limit then invest in a CZ455 and save up for a good scope. CZs are amazingly accurate right out of the box and will chamber any 22LR ammo. You can also order additional barrels in .17HMR and .22WMR if you want.

I love 10/22s but the CZ is far more accurate right out of the box, and you'll have to put a couple of hundred or so into a 10/22 to meet or exceed the accuracy of a CZ455.