Most accurate budget bolt action 22.

Used Mark II's can be found for a very reasonable price and shoot great, what's not to love, if just messing around at the range on the 25 bench, once done shooting groups I can easily shoot out the staples using various reg priced ammo it likes.

Had my scope off so stopped by the range today on the way to shoot gophers and checked my zero, threw in the last 7-8 rounds of some real old blazer I found in the bottom of my .22 ammo case and shot this, now I wish I had more lol.


 
I have owned or currently own an NS522, CZ American and Savage MKII. The Savage is the most accurate of the three. The CZ and NS were legit 3/4 inch guns at 50 yards in Stock configuration with appropriate ammo. The Savage can shoot under 1/2 at times but not consistent enough to qualify for the challenge. Check the challenge and you will see examples of each of these guns. I think a lot comes down to luck of the draw.

The CZ has good fit and finish, nice action, great wood and a horrible stock trigger (I am a trigger snob). Picky about ammo but shot well with some cheap stuff. Don't like the dovetail mounting system but all and all it was a good gun. Would have been greatly improved by adding a trigger.

The NS has a cool action, not buttery smooth but pretty refined for the money. Hammer forged barrel was cool and seemed to not care all that much what I fed it. Stock was a disgrace, mags were adequate but impossible to find and trigger was garbage. With some money and time, this would be a great gun as we've seen. I'm just not one for tinkering with household items to correct some of the problems. Solid gun for the money (when they were cheap).

The Savage came with a flimsy plastic stock (FV version) but I bought it new for $200 so I can't complain. It was the cheapest gun in Stock form of the three. I added an apache trigger, sharp shooter supply stock and good quality canted scope rail. Accuracy didn't improve much but made the gun way more fun to shoot. Trigger was good out of the box but made better with the kit. Extremely light now and I don't mind the dummy blade on the accutrigger. Mags have worked flawless, easy to load and dirt cheap. I bought five for less than $100 new. People crap on these mags but I love them. The action is slick like butter. Good resistance when you close the bolt but the rest is like glass. Smoothed out a lot over time. It's a pinned barrel but seems to work just fine. Mine shoots better than some but not as well as some of the gems out there. I like the fact that it's made in Canada but it's no longer the smoking deal it once was.

All three are great guns. Accuracy is a bit of a gamble with each so trying to compare which is more accurate is difficult. CZ is built to last and will keep the pride of ownership going for a long time. NS is cool the mess around with in that poor man's 54 kind of way. Savage is good at what it is intended for with enough of an aftermarket to keep you busy and poor.

There are a lot of opinions on this forum. Buy one and form your own. Chances are you'll own one of each like the rest of us fools
 
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Travis Bickle said:
Optics Camp will ship them Sir.
NOT optics planet, they are dodgey on certain items.
I can't remember what it came to after shipping and conversion but it was right around $100 CAD
I only shoot irons. No time for expensive finicky glass on any of my rifles.
Huge improvement on accuracy and consistency with the Tech Sights on her
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Hey thanks for the tip Travis. Have Tech Sights on my SKS and always wanted to add then to my Savage mk2.
 
I can't believe nobdy has mentioned the Zastava mp22. Accurate and cheap too....someone said cz quality at savage prices . True gems of the rim fire world .
 
I've had a few .22s and the Mark II is a phenomenal value - no doubt about it. As with all of these posts you'll no doubt be advised that you "might as well buy a CZ or Anschutz." I think it really depends on what your endgame is; the Mark II is just accurate enough to leave you wanting that 1/2" challenge and in my opinion those who have completed it must have purchased exceptional rifles. My Mark II is a sub 1" rifle with just about any ammo and I've shot down to 0.3XX" with match ammo but have never been able to put 5 groups together. If you're looking for a fun, accurate rifle in the $200-$300 range, I don't think there is really any other option.

I also really like the Norinco but be prepared to do some work at home to get it shooting (entirely manageable stuff). I haven't looked recently but last I checked, people were still selling them for more than they're worth (IMO). Be advised that these exploded in popularity at $199.99 from Canada Ammo and many people bought them in multiples and are now looking to flip them. It's a separate issue and it is what it is - just FYI.
 
thenerdboy said:
I've had a few .22s and the Mark II is a phenomenal value - no doubt about it. As with all of these posts you'll no doubt be advised that you "might as well buy a CZ or Anschutz." I think it really depends on what your endgame is; the Mark II is just accurate enough to leave you wanting that 1/2" challenge and in my opinion those who have completed it must have purchased exceptional rifles. My Mark II is a sub 1" rifle with just about any ammo and I've shot down to 0.3XX" with match ammo but have never been able to put 5 groups together. If you're looking for a fun, accurate rifle in the $200-$300 range, I don't think there is really any other option.

I also really like the Norinco but be prepared to do some work at home to get it shooting (entirely manageable stuff). I haven't looked recently but last I checked, people were still selling them for more than they're worth (IMO). Be advised that these exploded in popularity at $199.99 from Canada Ammo and many people bought them in multiples and are now looking to flip them. It's a separate issue and it is what it is - just FYI.
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Well said
 
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