best 22 bolt under 500 whats you opinion/experince ?

dugasgunner said:
Mmmm... I've only had excellent experiences with Zastava's. Had tree of them! One in each caliber.
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Do you still have them? Did it function with all sorts of ammo?
Makes sense that they would make a few that work properly.... now if Zastava could figure out why some have problems extracting and somehow communicate that information to my buddy...... he'd be stoked!
 
Can-down said:
Do you still have them? Did it function with all sorts of ammo?
Makes sense that they would make a few that work properly.... now if Zastava could figure out why some have problems extracting and somehow communicate that information to my buddy...... he'd be stoked!
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My buddy has one in 22 mag and it works flawlessly..
 
That's what I'm thinking hometownhero.... some work well with everything (maybe) and some work well with the ammo the owner happens to prefer.
 
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The Kurgan said:
BTVS with Boyd's laminate thumbhole stock. Hard to beat at any price range.
Mine eats and spits out everything. 100% reliable.
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"Beat" is subjective. I had that exact model in .17HMR and while fairly accurate....I hated the stock. Felt good in the store, OK on the bench, absolutely crummy for hunting. I'll never buy another.

If the OP is considering ^this model....make sure the heavy barrel is a good choice for your needs, and, that the stock works in the way you plan to shoot it. I hunted with mine prone~very uncomfortable.
 
Have you made the pick yet? Lots of advice. Just one thing to remember, you will shoot this gun thousands of times. Way more than any non compitition guns (well for most of us), don't cheap out. Get something you will be proud to give to your grandchild.
 
XT 22 Microgroove barrel..accurate out of the box
add a boyds if synthetic stock not your thing
still under budget and will out shoot rigs twice the price
 
.22LRGUY said:
"Beat" is subjective. I had that exact model in .17HMR and while fairly accurate....I hated the stock. Felt good in the store, OK on the bench, absolutely crummy for hunting. I'll never buy another.

If the OP is considering ^this model....make sure the heavy barrel is a good choice for your needs, and, that the stock works in the way you plan to shoot it. I hunted with mine prone~very uncomfortable.
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I can second that, had a 17hmr with the boyds thumbhole... Was terrible to hunt with.

a j cave said:
Have you made the pick yet? Lots of advice. Just one thing to remember, you will shoot this gun thousands of times. Way more than any non compitition guns (well for most of us), don't cheap out. Get something you will be proud to give to your grandchild.
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No I have been lurking the EE, site sponsors and LGS.

Starting to think I may need to up my budget LOL
 
I'm also having a custom built on a Boyd's featherweight thumbhole stock. Exceedingly comfortable for me, bench, prone and hunting. I don't need laser fast follow-up shots. I absolutely love my BTVS. Even with the 20" bull barrel, it's a real lightweight. The only complaint was the wafer thin "bottom metal" Easily remedied by a heavy duty stainless replacement for $20 by a nutter here.

OP, handle a few rimfires and decide for yourself.
 
Yes, sound advice to try to shoot as many as possible. I have had probably over a dozen .22's, none of the higher end ones, but the usual run of Marlins, Cooeys, Lakefields, 10/22's and savages. I can say with my limited knowledge that the trigger on the Ruger American I just got is the best trigger I've ever had. Reviews pan the sights, and I was worried about them, as I had to drift the rear site quite a distance, but it ended up being pretty darn accurate, and they work very well for fast target acquisition.
 
.22LRGUY said:
Any modern gun should be able to stand-up to a fair amount of use/abuse...but keep in mind there is a pretty wide variety of guns being bounced around in this thread and I have a hunch not every one would suit every shooter. I think you should specify whether you want heavy or standard weight barrel...iron sights or scope only, etc. Reason I say that~lugging around a heavy-barrel gun...or taking offhand shots with it~not going to be all that much fun. If you want a gun that can stand-up to the elements too..then stainless/synthetic should be a consideration. More info might help us narrow-down a good choice for you.

Having said all of that~you'd be hard-pressed to beat a Ruger American for value, and for the gun being a handy size with a flush-fit...reliable 10rd. magazine, etc. It's available in a standard, or compact version. I'd suggest the standard length if you're planning on using iron sights mostly...but either gun would be good for scope use. Second choice would probably me a Marlin XT-series, however, for sling carry...I far prefer flush-fitting magazines. So, the Ruger American would get the nod.

If there is any chance Santa will be bringing you any $ this Christmas...$500 isn't THAT far away from a CZ452 American. (standard-weight barrel/no iron sights) It would be a tricky gun to track down new mind you, and you rarely even see used copies come up for sale. If you plan on using iron sights mostly, you could look at the LUX models as well.
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.22LRGUY, echoes my sentiments exactly if you are buying new! Occasionally Cabelas has the Marlin XT with the maple laminate stock on sale for $219. Micro grove rifling, heavier barrel, adjustable trigger and although it comes with only a 7 round magazine, 10 round OEM are available. When Cabelas throws in the free shipping it is a very, very difficult rifle to beat. I have one and I much prefer it to my Savages, Rugers or Cooeys when you factor in the cost.

If you are like me and prefer the used market, look around for the gems in the rough. Example, my last two purchases last week was an Anschultz 163 for $50 and a TOZ-17 (perhaps one of the most underrated .22s) for $65. Both from local dealers, hidden in the back under a pile of dust. They both shoot like they just came out of the factory and much better than my newer stuff. You will be surprized what's dealers have tucked away if you just ask.
 
My post from another thread - I really don't think you will be disappointed with a Mark II if you're looking to buy something on a budget. Ammo quality seems to have a huge impact on group size/accuracy at and past the price point of a (pretty basic) Mark II FV. Also, I don't know where people are finding all the used CZ varmint barrels...they're practically unobtanium around here (unless you want to pay almost BNIB pricing).

I bought a Savage Mark II FV (heavy barrel, synthetic stock) from another member on the EE. You will not be disappointed with the rifle, for the money. It will cloverleaf at 50yds with premium ammo (Eley) out of the box with no modifications. 22s are very sensitive when it comes to ammo and you will need to test several brands to see which one shoots best in your rifle. Using bulk Winchester Dynapoint ammo (~0.06 per round), average group size is around 1.0" or 2MOA. With CCI Standard Velocity (~0.15 per round), my tested average group size was 0.72" or 1.44MOA. Shooting Eley Team (~0.30 per round) my average group size was 0.59" or 1.18MOA. The rifle was not cleaned between brands (mine will shoot terribly until the barrel is fouled again, 20-50rds) and 4 groups of 5 shots were fired with each brand (at 50yds) off a bipod and no rear rest. The first group was always larger and throws the averages a bit (Eley 0.528" average omitting first group, 1.06MOA). I'm sure you could shrink these numbers with different ammo (I have not tested other premium brands such as RWS or SK) and lots of practice.

If you end up getting a synthetic model, you might as well order a TacPro Adjustable Cheek Rest for Narrow Stocks at the same time. The drop in comb on the synthetic stock is pretty uncomfortable when shooting with a scope. You get more of a chin-weld than a cheek-weld and I'm sure this is affecting my groups as well. There is lots of aftermarket support for the Mark II so you will be able to find all sorts of upgrades to improve the looks and performance.

I have not owned a Marlin or any of the other modern .22 bolt offerings but my Mark II shoots much better than either of the two Cooeys I have owned; different animal altogether.
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Why buy new? That amount of money will get you a really nice older .22 rifle. Lots of variety. Something like a Winchester 69, or the Remington equivalent. Mossberg, Marlin, H&R all made dandies.
 
dont' think you can wrong with savage, marlin, ruger, cz, they all make good rifles and it just comes down to personal preference, everybody has a different opinion on that

zastava has been mentioned a few times in this thread, it's possibly my favourite rimfire, the only one I take hunting lately, accurate and I like how it handles, very nice bluing, trigger is nice and easily adjustable....only possible issues are extraction and magazines, the mags are easy to tweak and performed flawlessly after a quick adjustment...it is fussy about ammo and doesn't like win or rem bulk ammo for me....fed blue box, American eagle, most cci and eley all shoot well and extract just fine....(doesn't like cci standard, there is a visible layer of lube on them, they jam up in a few other guns too)....but considering how much I like the rest of the gun, I can easily live with fussy taste for ammo

my next rimfire will be the ruger American with wood stock....deciding which gun to buy, always a nice problem to have!!
 
What I have noticed in almost all firearms are that the stock comb is too low. Minus the Savage thumbhole stocks. I REALLY dislike them in the bush though, ok on a bench and laying down are good but not good enough for me to shake how un natural and clumsy I felt with it hunting.

The Savage BRJ is on sale at cabalas right now for a good price. I like the stocks shape, high cheek comb. I Like the bull barrel. I dislike the spiral fluting and the stock colour.

I may have to go with a savage bull barrel model and then put the boyds rim fire hunter stock on it. If I really wanted to be cost effective just the base model savage then the stock.

I orderd a 223. from Cabelas over a week ago, confirmed order. Still haven't charged, shipped or anything. Also haven't responded too 2 emails asking for a time line of when this will all happen... ( I know tis the season but still, over a week?!)
 
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