Ruger mags make choosing other brands hard

kykamo

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So i wanna buy a bolt action 22lr because they should be more accurate than a semi.

I want something compact, so i narrowed it down to a savage mark ii fv-sr and the ruger american rimfire compact. looking at reviews i chose the ruger. it seems to have better build quality, be similar in accuracy (but perhaps worse) and has a modular stock....and oh ya, the magazines! those flush mounting 10 rounds are clearly the best!

So i go out looking for one to buy....i thought this is something that everyone would carry. Apparently not. and in murica the savage and ruger only have a 50ish dollar price difference. Here it's more than a hundred; go figure.

Now im questioning which to get. the biggest factor are the mags. Are the savage mags that bad? will they make the rifle uncomfortable to sling? are they at all reliable? the Savage has the "cool" factor for me, may be more accurate, but the stock sucks butt (ruger stock only sucks a little)
and those magazines....what would you do?
 
I only use 5 round mags in my Savages. The 10 rounders stick out just where I want to grip the stock. I have found the guns themselves very accurate and well made but the mags are definitely low quality or else poorly designed. 3 of the 8 Savage mags I have owned have failed (cartridges would spring out on their own or the last one would stick straight up.) Savage will replace them free if you call, but this gets old.

If you need a 10 round mag and are able to go up market have a look at the Browning T-bolt. Their rotary mag is a thing of beauty, even slicker than Ruger's.

For a really compact rifle consider the Norinco JW-15 with 13" barrel. It's cheap, solidly made and surprisingly accurate. It comes with a 5 round flush fitting mag but will take a CZ 10 rounder (but it wii stick out like the Savage.)
 
I really enjoy my Savage. Never had any issues out of 5 mags (3x 5rounds, 2x10rounds). Sell most other. 22s... Not a ruger fan.. I've been eyeing the CZ for a while now..
 
I'm a savage fan. I have 2 FV mark 2 guns. One in 22 Lr the other in 17 mach 2. I have a bunch of ten round mags and have never had an issue. My mags will even feed shorts and cb longs reliably

Both are extremely accurate especially the 17 even with a cheap scope
 
I own both, a Savage mk II and Ruger American Compact rimfire, both .22lr, both are very accurate and nice bolt action rifles. My Savage is a LH bolt, so I use it because it feels more natural as I'm left handed, and because the Ruger is a compact it's for my kids and wife, but were they both LH, that's a tough one to answer... I've had the Savage for just under a year now and just got the Ruger so maybe in a bit more time I'll come to a decision.

By just looking at them, they both are decent quality, but as expected by the price tag, the Ruger seems a little more sturdy. Either way, you'll like the rifle you choose out of those two options.
 
I have a Savage mk2 FV and absolutly love it.

Shot toonie sizer groups with Remington Yellow Jacket ammo at 100m. Stayed under 2" with most brand. Bipod/no rear bag.
Perfect for gophers
 
I will second the comments on the Norinco BRNO clone JW15.I don't know about ALL of the Norinco's but this one is excellent value for the money,I have both the 22 and the 22magnum.
 
I have a Savage Mk II G and Mark II FV. No functional problems at all with the magazines in the 5+ years I've owned them.

My only complaint about the magazines is that they can't be disassembled for cleaning (as far as I know).
 
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I have a Mark II that has thousands of rounds through it. I have five 10 round mags and they work flawlessly. Cheap, metal and made in Canada magazines are a selling point for me.

I have a TacSol that takes ruger mags and those are flawless also. Harder to load but fit flush.
 
I purchased the Ruger Compact and found a full length stock mawdewl.
Mounted a Leupold awn'er and every time I git a hanker'n tuh sell'er,
well I take it out and shewt sum rounds down the bawrell.
Nuff tuh kawnvince moi tuh keep'er.
Triggers arr funjustable too.
 
I purchased the Ruger Compact and found a full length stock mawdewl.
Mounted a Leupold awn'er and every time I git a hanker'n tuh sell'er,
well I take it out and shewt sum rounds down the bawrell.
Nuff tuh kawnvince moi tuh keep'er.
Triggers arr funjustable too.

AAWwwwweee man,
I'm having trouble reading yer posts now that you are so far from the 'loops.
Yup, light gun and a kewl lil scope make it a dream to carry and manouver through the bushes chasin chickens.
Rob
 
Man u guys are making it so hard to decide. I still think it will be between the savage fv-sr and rar.

Well~here is what I think.. Nothing wrong with the Savage and 5-round mags, but, the FV-SR I had wasn't that accurate a gun. I've been put off by Savage rimfires in the last few years. In fact, I've owned 5 of them in the last decade and only one remains, a Savage Rascal. Only reason I even have that is that the kids won't let me sell it, even though they've actually outgrown the thing. True, the FV-SR is a very cool gun (in my opinion) but they're just chunky enough that offhand shooting starts feeling like work. lol I'm 6'1", 280lbs. for reference. I've had Mark II mags that didn't run perfectly, but most I've owned have worked just fine. Savage rimfires are decent enough guns if the prices better-reflected what you were getting. Instead, prices keep creeping up, quality does not. I am a fan of their centerfire guns, but that's a different discussion.

So, buried in kamlooky's phonetically-spelled/southern-drawl post is a pretty decent idea if you're a fairly tall person. Get the RAR Compact, a full-length stock module..and you'll be set. In fact, if you can hold/try an RAR compact, you may find you don't need the full-sized module. Of the two guns, I'd personally pick the RAR Compact and while I'm not a huge Ruger 10/22 fan, the mags both rifles share (10 round rotary) are about the best 10 round mags ever made.

If compact+quality+accuracy are all top priorities, you owe it to yourself to investigate the CZ 452 Scout as well.

Good luck, let us know what you pick!
 
AAWwwwweee man,
I'm having trouble reading yer posts now that you are so far from the 'loops.
Yup, light gun and a kewl lil scope make it a dream to carry and manouver through the bushes chasin chickens.
Rob

Maybee thet fresh air cleered yer nawtrils?
Oar wuzz the ride awn the Afrikan Kritter rattl'n yer nawgg'in?

The RAR's are a good investment and they are plumb akkyerate too.
Triggers can be fiddled with.
Gartzs mine set at 'round 16oz's oar a pound iff'n yer speshawl.
 
Well~here is what I think.. Nothing wrong with the Savage and 5-round mags, but, the FV-SR I had wasn't that accurate a gun. I've been put off by Savage rimfires in the last few years. In fact, I've owned 5 of them in the last decade and only one remains, a Savage Rascal. Only reason I even have that is that the kids won't let me sell it, even though they've actually outgrown the thing. True, the FV-SR is a very cool gun (in my opinion) but they're just chunky enough that offhand shooting starts feeling like work. lol I'm 6'1", 280lbs. for reference. I've had Mark II mags that didn't run perfectly, but most I've owned have worked just fine. Savage rimfires are decent enough guns if the prices better-reflected what you were getting. Instead, prices keep creeping up, quality does not. I am a fan of their centerfire guns, but that's a different discussion.

So, buried in kamlooky's phonetically-spelled/southern-drawl post is a pretty decent idea if you're a fairly tall person. Get the RAR Compact, a full-length stock module..and you'll be set. In fact, if you can hold/try an RAR compact, you may find you don't need the full-sized module. Of the two guns, I'd personally pick the RAR Compact and while I'm not a huge Ruger 10/22 fan, the mags both rifles share (10 round rotary) are about the best 10 round mags ever made.

If compact+quality+accuracy are all top priorities, you owe it to yourself to investigate the CZ 452 Scout as well.

Good luck, let us know what you pick!

You make a fantastic point. Why are the Savage rimfires so expensive these days? These are a budget minded rifle that shoots well enough to be a good deal but not at the current prices. I bought my FV for $200 on the nose 4 years ago. I outshoot the thing as does my CZ but not by enough to make me care. I have five mags for my Savage and unlike everyone else I love those mags. They load easy, feed well and through thousands of rounds I've had no issues.

If I were in the market today? I'd but a CZ, RAR or tube fed XT 22. It would be a Roger landslide if they used 10/22 barrels
 
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