Need a new (to me) 22 rifle

[JustJim]

After 40 years of telling myself "someday", I think I'm going to break down and get a new .22 as an understudy for my centerfire bolt-action rifles.

My fallback (in the event nothing more-suitable can be found, I'll go this route) is a Ruger 7722. I've had a couple and shot a couple more, and they check off all the boxes except for "accuracy". (When a rifle costs that much, it should shoot better at 50 yards than the Clayco BRNO-knockoff I gave $75 for.) I do like the balance and fit though.

I've tried the various offerings from CZ, didn't like any of them enough that the ones I bought stuck around. They just feel more like the Marlin-Glenfields we shot as kids than an adult rifle.

Any suggestions within the following criteria?
-adult-sized non-synthetic stock
-bolt action repeater, preferable detachable box magazine
-weight 7#-10#
-potential for decent usable accuracy (sub-2" at 50 yards, to start)
-capable of mounting a scope

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Snakeoil]

Tikka
Kimber
Rem 541S or T
Win 52C
Rem 40X
Anschutz

 

[BudHyett]

CZ -Heavy barrel. They're very competitive in 50-yard benchrest and available.

 

[Jeff H]

Not sure what you tried from CZ that felt like a Marlin-Glenfield, but I've had several 452s (discontinued in deference to cheaper-to-make models) and they were pretty much a class act through and through. Can't speak for anything newer than the 452s.

The "Trainer" was a full-sized rifle, but wasn't 7#. Maybe 6#, barely. It had marvelous irons on it, the rear being a milled replica of the old military tangent sights on the Mausers. Off-hand shooting was its forte, letting me hit bunny-sized steel silhouettes at eighty yards (every shot) with cheap, Federal "Value-Pack" ammo.

In the other extreme, I also had the "Scout," which was a 16"-barreled kiddie model and installed a set of Tech-Sights on it. From a rest, it would put that same cheap Federal bulk ammo into .40" at fifty yards, but my eyes' limit was three shots doing the irons, all scrunched up with the kiddie stock.

Either would print cheap ammo under a half inch at fifty yards with cheap ammo and a 2-7x32 scope.

Don't stick any ol' generic cleaning rod through one of these. The bores are TIGHT. a 17 cal rod is the way to go on the 452s. Again, can't speak for the newer ones, whatever they call them now.

EDIT: Had a 77/22Mag and a 77/357. Both felt great and fit well, handled very nicely. As you mentioned, accuracy was definitely NOT either's strong point and either was expensive. The 77/357 was the most I'd ever paid for a new gun and it was also the biggest disappointment. The 77/22 would shoot almost as well as I could do with a handgun at the same distance.

 

[Matt]

The Ruger long range target American rimfire meets your requirements. Finding one might be an issue. I have a Ruger precision rimfire that shoots 1/2” at 50 yards with a couple of different CCI loads; MiniMags and Standard Velocity. Federal Auto “Match” barely stays under an inch. Problem with this rifle is that it is “stocked” in plastic and aluminum and ugly as sin. But it has a great trigger and is very accurate. My 77/22 Target shoots almost as well and the trigger is pretty good. My sons 77/22 standard shoots about and inch at 50, but it’s a lot of work because the trigger is so poor.

Buying a vintage .22 is always a crap shoot. The first M52 Winchester I ever bought never shot well. Found the barrel was bulged 10 inches forward of the chamber. Luckily the seller took it back. A 40x rimfire shot very well but was always iffy on extraction, never could get it right. Every Anshutz I’ve ever owned (sporter or target) shot great regardless of ammunition. Some ammunition was better than others but they weren’t that picky. Kimbers were always hit and miss. If not too light the Remington 581 with the detacheable magazine is generally accurate.

Searching for a “new to you” .22 is a lot of fun. The internet makes it easy to find what you want,
once you decide what that is.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I have had a few of the mini 77 series and not one of them shot to my standards. They look and feel awesome!! I SO WANTED them to shoot! One 22M I went a lil crazy trying to make it shoot but it never did. Trigger bedding stock pruning and crowning barrel. Multiple different optics, Every brand of ammo available. I even sent the barrel for cryogenically freezing!!!! Never shot near as good as my 12# trigger Mossberg Chuckster.
Same for the 44mag, Hornet, 22 mag and even 50cal BLK powder!!!!

But the Americans FLAT SHOOT!!

 

[L Ross]

After 40 years of telling myself "someday", I think I'm going to break down and get a new .22 as an understudy for my centerfire bolt-action rifles.

My fallback (in the event nothing more-suitable can be found, I'll go this route) is a Ruger 7722. I've had a couple and shot a couple more, and they check off all the boxes except for "accuracy". (When a rifle costs that much, it should shoot better at 50 yards than the Clayco BRNO-knockoff I gave $75 for.) I do like the balance and fit though.

I've tried the various offerings from CZ, didn't like any of them enough that the ones I bought stuck around. They just feel more like the Marlin-Glenfields we shot as kids than an adult rifle.

Any suggestions within the following criteria?
-adult-sized non-synthetic stock
-bolt action repeater, preferable detachable box magazine
-weight 7#-10#
-potential for decent usable accuracy (sub-2" at 50 yards, to start)
-capable of mounting a scope

Thanks,
Jim

Jim, you say as an understudy for your centerfire bolt guns. What centerfire bolt guns? That may provide more fodder for the discussion.

 

[MW65]

...
But the Americans FLAT SHOOT!!

My Ruger American in 17hmr is a tackdriver... it's a shorter barrel, and threaded for a can. The 22s are purty darned good!

Orig post was... 'understudy' for big bore...

Maybe look at same make, and hopefully the action is similar enough... or just whip up guard loads or powder puff loads to get a bunch of rounds down on the platform...

 

[Jeff H]

Some time in the late eighties, I ended up with a like-new Remington bolt-action 22, which was nearly "full-sized," but not "full-weight" and it shot exceptionally well - again, with cheap ammo, which is probably my personal main point regarding 22 rimfires. Given the ammo situation for the past fourteen years, I consider that even MORE important. I THINK that Remington was a 581, but am not certain. I got it in trade for a near-new push-mower I didn't want to pack up and drag along when I moved back to Ohio. I only had it long enough to be impressed it how it shot, for what it cost me. This was a single-shot and I am not familiar with Remington model numbers, so it may have been something else, but it WAS a Remington and it DID shoot very well.

The standard of less that two inches isn't going to be hard to beat. My daughter has my old 10-22 from 1978, and it has always been able to spit out 1 1/2" groups at 50 yards using cheap ammo and with no particular effort and no modifications since it came out of the box. She has a kiddie-sized, single-shot Marlin bolt-action, which will shoot into almost 1/2" at 50 yards - with cheap ammo.

Not to sound like a broken record on the CZ 452, but those shot better than any 22 I've ever owned, hands down, and they were "cheap" for the quality and class which came standard. I'd still own both of those mentioned, but I just don't have a need for a 22 and the ammo thing is a turn-off.

After saying that, I'm in the same boat, as are we all, with PRIMERS, so don't take my logic regarding a 22 LR as being anything terribly valid.

 

[JustJim]

Jim, you say as an understudy for your centerfire bolt guns. What centerfire bolt guns? That may provide more fodder for the discussion.

Good point! I tend toward Mauser-actioned sporters in classic (wood) stocks. My lightest rifle is probably 8-8.5# all up.

Synthetic stocks are a no-go for me: vibrations through the stock trigger some massive headaches, a relic of a TBI some time back. (Yeah, there are lots of tricks to get around this, and a 22LR can't be that bad...I've tried them all, they don't work, and yes they are that bad. After wasting >$2k trying all the tricks, I gave it up as a waste of time and money.)

Jeff H.--CZ 452 American. It was too light, and over-all felt like a boy's rifle .

 

[Jeff H]

Good point! I tend toward Mauser-actioned sporters in classic (wood) stocks. My lightest rifle is probably 8-8.5# all up.

Synthetic stocks are a no-go for me: vibrations through the stock trigger some massive headaches, a relic of a TBI some time back. (Yeah, there are lots of tricks to get around this, and a 22LR can't be that bad...I've tried them all, they don't work, and yes they are that bad. After wasting >$2k trying all the tricks, I gave it up as a waste of time and money.)

Jeff H.--CZ 452 American. It was too light, and over-all felt like a boy's rifle .

I get it. Not the TBI specifically, but herniated cervical discs, which makes finding the "right" combination an expensive trial and error ordeal. SOme people think it's my imagination (maybe it is), but the higher-pressure rounds seem to have a recoil impulse which drills right into my nervous system and induces pain and hyper-sensitivity other than just the kinetic punch.

I go the other way on weight (sometimes to the extreme), but one thing which always foiled me, which might be a boon for you, is the availability of heavy aftermarket target stocks for many of the more popular 22s. Not my thing, not only because of weight, but they are kind of ugly too, but they do get the mass up. Not sure if the laminates mitigate the waves which cause you trouble either.

 

[Snakeoil]

Good point! I tend toward Mauser-actioned sporters in classic (wood) stocks. My lightest rifle is probably 8-8.5# all up.

Synthetic stocks are a no-go for me: vibrations through the stock trigger some massive headaches, a relic of a TBI some time back. (Yeah, there are lots of tricks to get around this, and a 22LR can't be that bad...I've tried them all, they don't work, and yes they are that bad. After wasting >$2k trying all the tricks, I gave it up as a waste of time and money.)

Jeff H.--CZ 452 American. It was too light, and over-all felt like a boy's rifle .

Then make it a quest and find yourself a nice 52C. Most will have a heavy barrel and the C and D models have a great adjustable trigger. You can drive tacks with them all day long with good ammo. They normally are drilled for Unertl scope blocks as well as Redfield Olympic iron sights. The rifle should have Olympics on it when you buy it. There is a guy on Rimfire Central that 3D prints single shot adapters for them that work perfectly.

The most common barrel is the heavy barrel, followed by the standard barrel. There was a bull barrel, but they are rare and costly.
I bought mine last year from a friend who is a collector and parted with one for me. Someone had put a rail in the stock and that was missing so I filled it with a contrasting piece of curly maple. Then, I refinished the stock and it looks great. It is vibro-pencil engraved US PROPERTY so it shot on probably a military team at some point. It is also acid etched on top of the barrel Totem Rifle Shooters Club, Anchorage, AK. From that I gather that it was a club rifle, probably used in a youth league. So, it's more than likely had plenty of ammo put thru it. It is extremely accurate with good ammo. If you check my .22 ammo test thread, you'll see it even shot superbly with cheapo Rem HP bulk ammo.

Stock comb on these is very straight, as it should be (per Harry Pope), and fit and finish of the metal is top notch like you'd expect from a gun back in the day.

Not sure where you are located, but I know a shop in MA that has about 10 in their rack as he bought an entire collection. He also has BSA (Martini) target rifles if you get a jones for a single shot .22. Of course the on-line gun auction/sale sites normally have several 52's listed. You can often get one with a Unertl or Lyman included and in those cases, the combined price is a deal. I've seen some where I thought the scope was actually included for free.

 

[BBerguson]

Kimber, if you can find one. I have their HS model and it is still my favorite rifle after 19 years. Best gun purchase I ever made.

 

[waco]

I have a Kimber 22 Hunter. Great accurate rifle.

 

[RBHarter]

A friend bought a Savage and has been quite happy with it . I don't remember the model now it was kind of am impulse buy , lefty rifles aren't as common as their counterparts .

The only 22 bolt guns I've spent any time with ......22 rifles at all are the Win 67 and 67A and a prewar Rem slide that was rebarreled with a Marlin barrel . There's a Mossberg there also but it and the 67s are singles modeled after the 1903 Springfield for shape and function and with a split rear bridge so those require a side mount .

The Marlin 217 fits your description almost to a fault other than being a 17 HMR .

Pop cans as far as I can see the hold over aren't a big deal with any of these .

 

[Mitty38]

Check out the Keystone Adult rifles. They have a very accurate competition rifle. I believe the 744 match grade, brags 1 moa with the right ammo.

 

[Michael]

Browning T-Bolt is my suggestion. Quickly become my favorite 22.

T-Bolt - Rimfire Bolt-Action Rifles - Browning

The straight "T" bolt design lets you load and eject with a simple pull back and push forward. This system is unequaled among rimfires for raw bolt action speed — nearly as fast as a semi-auto 22. But you retain all the accuracy advantages of a bolt action design.

www.browning.com

 

[Bret4207]

Check out the Keystone Adult rifles. They have a very accurate competition rifle. I believe the 744 match grade, brags 1 moa with the right ammo.

Huh! Didn't know they made them! Sweet!

 

[Petrol & Powder]

This thread is about a week old but here goes:

Given the OP's criteria, here are my suggestions

I know he doesn't like the CZ but for the money, the CZ is hard to beat. It fits what he wants - adult size, easy scope mounting , excellent accuracy, wooden stock, bolt action/repeater.

My second selection would be an older Remingting 541T. I've owned two of these (traded the first one off like a damn fool). The standard barrel model shot as well as the heavy barrel model and they were both extremely accurate rifles.

IF you can find an old Winchester 52 AND it hasn't been abused or worn out, That's a good choice but they are nearly impossible to find in good condition.

 

[JonB]

I shot a Ruger 77/22 in rifle league for a few years and loved it. I bought it new. The trigger was greatly improved with the addition of only a target sear. and luckily mine was a tack driver out of the box, but I've heard most of them need to have the 2 piece bolt shimmed to get accuracy that, that rifle should have.