.22 on a budget

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cheechako

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Hello out there

I have been putting a lot of thought into purchasing my first .22 and the wish list goes something like

-Henry .22 with an octagon barrel
-CZ 455
-Ruger 10/22 (modified of course)

With all that being said I just recently became a father and am quickly realizing I am not going to have a lot of spare change to spend on a gun for the next long while. In the mean time I am looking for suggestions for a .22 that would be a little more....affordable. My main reason for wanting to buy one is for small game (already own a single shot 20 gauge) at a distance. So accuracy is a must. The Ruger is at the max of my idea of a budget, so I am not sure if I should purchase one of these. My only thought with that is a semi auto is sort of at the bottom of my list and the temptation of continuing to spend money on upgrades may be to tempting. Do you think I would be better off buying a used rifle, or a cheap new one?

One day I will purchase my dream .22 that will get passed down to my son. But for now I need something that just gets the job done I suppose...

Thanks for your time, any feedback is appreciated.
 
My wife and I both own the Henry H001 .22 and they are great rifles. Very accurate,light weight, very smooth action and a pleasure to shoot with.
The front sight can be upgraded if you wish but there is really no reason to do so, once properly dialed in and with practice it will serve you well.
 
There's always the chiappa little badger single shot 22... Accurate, packable, and I've seen them on sale for $175. I gotta say, I really like mine. Its a really fun little .22.
 
My thoughts since I own two of the three:

Cz 455 for bench rest shooting, sub sonic ammo, small game hunting, and probably more accurate that the others( I own it)

Henry .22 for general plinking in the woods but not really for bench rest because of the lever. You can still hunt with it and it would be a lot of fun to shoot. (I do not own it)

Ruger 10/22 has both plinking, hunting, and bench rest shooting, with options (take down models, ect). Plus I might add I have found a deterioration in Rugers quality (just my opinion though).

I must say though I really like the CZ 455.

In the end I feel that its what you plan on using it for.
 
Bought my kids the Savage MkII FV (heavy barrel) models this summer on sale for $279 each.

I dare say you'd be hard pressed to touch the accuracy for close to double the cost.

We've both shot a number of 5 shot 50M groups sub .5" with these lil guns, superb value.

If I was to up the budget, I believe the CZ455 would be a great option for sure.
 
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wouldn't overlook the Cooeys. Out of all my guns (cheap to expensive), my Cooey 600 is the most fun to shoot. I have stock open sights, that are dead-on at 25 yards, and very close at 50 yards, and a proper (no drill) scope mount with a 4-12x40 scope on it (major overkill, but it was an extra scope). The 10-round tube mag is flawless, and the trigger is extremely smooth - just a bit of pressure, maintained through the pull, and bang.

I do have a Ruger 10/22, but it's just not the same.
 
I was not shooting 22 rifles for the past number of years. In the last 6 months I have realized I was missing out on a lot of fun.
I started out with a CZ 452 Varmint, then I purchased a Ruger 10/22. They are both great rifles. I think you would do well to invest in either a CZ or Ruger. As for myself, I believe mine are both keepers.
 
Welcome to the rimfire obsession, where just like ruffles you can't just have one. For fun, cheap and reliable it hard to beat a Marlin 60 or 795. That being said any semi will up your ammo costs over a bolt/lever/pump rifle every range outing.
The CZ rimfire are very nice rifles, certainly meet your accuracy requirement, a tad on the pricey side if budget is a concern and additional mags are rather dear. The Savage Mark II are accurate, and slightly cheaper than the CZ and a good option.
Look at used CZ 452/455, Savage Mark I/II, Mossberg 46B, Cooey 60/600, CIL 310, Remington 410 Target Master. All are good quality, accurate bolt guns that can be had for reasonable prices. I may be a little optimistic including the 452 in the above list.
Levers are a lot of fun and Henry makes a good one at reasonable prices. Love my Remington 572 Fieldmaster Pump for a fun to shot rimfire.
Go get one, or more, and get started. Have fun!
Roy
 
The CZ455 American would be my first recommendation and these solid rifles have quality that would see it through your will!
Mine has been pillar bedded and a YoDave trigger kit added. It has produced groups under an inch at 100 yards. So has the Varmint but it is heavier.
The 10/22 might not achieve good accuracy without modifications. I swapped out the 5.5 pound factory trigger for a 3.0 Timney but that adds to cost. With the right ammo it will group 2" at 100 . . . with the wrong ammo 6"! To guarantee reliable extraction and ejection, ammo with 1200 fps is probably the solution. They can be a fun gun but sometimes the fun for firing a number of rounds fast can cost more that shooting for accuracy.
I have owned Marlin 39's which are quality rifles and found the 39M would group 1.5 at 100 with the right ammo. I have never fired a Henry.
Cheap is hard to define and the Anschutz 1416D would be hard to find at even $1000 used.
While some ammo will give good accuracy it is generally a matter of spending more money for better groups.
I have shot some Savage rifles and looked seriously at one but accuracy was lacking even at 50 yards.
I had a Ruger 77/22 . . . twice . . . but today they are expensive.
Don't rush. There are a number of options. It will be up to you to decide where to draw the line in respect to "cheap", rugged, accurate, reliable and appearance . . . some might be ugly and fun to shoot but you don't want to let your friends know you have one.
 
As horseman2 said, it all depends on your definition of cheap. With regard to the Anschutz mentioned, you can't beat the deal that Nordic Marksman has on right now for the 1416 D KL G-20
 
I have a savage mk11 btvs stainless. It is very accurate, well built, with a decent factory trigger. With decent ammo it is almost boring to shoot. Had a 10/22, it was a good gopher gun, but nothing special, lots of aftermarket parts for them though.
 
cheechako said:
Hello out there

I have been putting a lot of thought into purchasing my first .22 and the wish list goes something like

-Henry .22 with an octagon barrel
-CZ 455
-Ruger 10/22 (modified of course)

With all that being said I just recently became a father and am quickly realizing I am not going to have a lot of spare change to spend on a gun for the next long while. In the mean time I am looking for suggestions for a .22 that would be a little more....affordable. My main reason for wanting to buy one is for small game (already own a single shot 20 gauge) at a distance. So accuracy is a must. The Ruger is at the max of my idea of a budget, so I am not sure if I should purchase one of these. My only thought with that is a semi auto is sort of at the bottom of my list and the temptation of continuing to spend money on upgrades may be to tempting. Do you think I would be better off buying a used rifle, or a cheap new one?

One day I will purchase my dream .22 that will get passed down to my son. But for now I need something that just gets the job done I suppose...

Thanks for your time, any feedback is appreciated.
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First-off, congrats on becoming a dad! :) The best job a guy could have.

Re: a .22 "that just gets the job done"~the 3 rifles you've listed wouldn't be on my radar personally, and I've owned a 10/22 (bought new) as well as a Henry pump...I've shot a couple of Henry levers, and believe that the CZ452s (predecessors to the 455s) were better-built guns. However, opinions "are like a_ _ _ _ _ _ _" they say~everybody has one. :) Your money, your choice. All 3 have huge followings so my opinion is just that~an opinion.

As for what to get~clearly, the best value can be had if you're open to the idea of "used" of course. Try as I might, I personally can't warm-up to Cooeys that much...and I've owned at least 3 different models..maybe 4. I mean, simple..robust things, just not my cup of tea. As far as I'm concerned, their charm is about the most endearing thing about them. I'm also not a fan of semis for a host of reasons, and I've had a bunch of them. Down to just one, a Marlin 795 that only sees the light of day a few times a year.

Budget rifles~there are several options, but to many...Savage would be pretty hard to beat. Mark II series, available in heavy or standard weight barrels, blued or stainless steel. Spare magazines are affordable and readily available. The heavy-barrel versions would be a poor choice unless you shoot prone, or know you'll always have a rest (tree branch?) close by. Offhand shots with them would be an uphill battle. Marlin bolt guns are also tough to beat for the price and personally...I prefer them a bit over the Savages. Just a little less common to find too.

If your budget allowed for a CZ ($500-$600) then a 452 American would be awfully tough to beat. It's a standard-weight barrel, better for off hand shots/long hikes. The model is not equipped with iron sights, so scopes are a must. If you were set on using iron sights, then a 452 LUX (or BRNO 2E, it's predecessor) would be a superb pick. You could scope one of these down the road, but the shape of the stock is better-suited for use with it's iron sights.

If you have any buddies with 22s...see if they'll let you try them. Often times, it's impossible to explain why one is better than the other...but in trying them, you can sometimes get sense of what you're getting for the extra $. I don't know what the OPs sensibilities are...but some people are well-served by a $100 Cooey their hole lives and never want anything else. Other people have 20 or more 22s and are still trying to find the "perfect" gun. I think for hunting~a simple bolt-action repeater is the best combination of accuracy, ease of use, dependability, easy to clean, etc.
 
5 shot groups, a few well under .5" at 50M (54.7 Yards) from this past Monday

Savage MkII FV is $299 retail at Cabellas and there's a $50 mail in rebate, bringing gun down to $250.

My kids have 2 of them, they both shoot excellent:

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Since you probably will not buy another 22 for a long while, get a CZ 452 American or Varmint or whatever cz452 model you fancy...can’t go wrong with any cz452 or get a CZ455 in stainless. Prophet River may have them.
 
easyrider604 said:
Since you probably will not buy another 22 for a long while, get a CZ 452 American or Varmint or whatever cz452 model you fancy...can’t go wrong with any cz452 or get a CZ455 in stainless. Prophet River may have them.
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I'd probably do the same for myself, agreed. In the long term, probably a solid investment and always people wanting
to buy a used clean copy if you decided to change it up down the road.
 
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