Looking at my options.

H

Huggyd

New member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Looking to buy my 1st .22 and there seems to be a whole lot of options out there.
From what I'm reading here and all over the net people seem to like the .22 Ruger 10/22 semi-auto for a number of different reasons but the most common that keeps showing up is all the after market add-on stuff that is available for it, yes it seem to be reliable from what people say and I have gone to the store and shouldered it, feels and fits good, but seem a little on the small side, little your playing with a BB gun. Now I'm not one for tinkering with after market stuff, I'm more into pulling something out of box add a scope and shoot away beside when I started looking up parts for the 10/22 yeah there are a lot out there but by the time your done adding stuff on you just spent a good $$ when you could have got a new calibur of gun. f:P:2:
So while the Ruger 10/22 is still an option on the list I'm looking for other possible ideas and Info on pros and cons of different actions.
Most people tell me that a .22 is a plinking gun (small game, target shooting) so go with a semi-auto reason is small game is generally fast game so getting that second shot off fast is needed, your not moving the gun from the target to chamber a new round. Con's the semi-autos are picky for what ammunition to use; seem to be pron to jam-up (yes even the Ruger) and someone was telling me that you have to replace seals in them?? :confused:
With Bolt or Lever action the cons only seem to be speed of that second shot. they are not as picky on ammunition and seem to be a lot easier to maintain.

So what’s the real deal?? Am I getting my info right? I do realize that the action does really come down to a person preference but any info helps and options on gun models help.

P.S. I have looked at the Ruger SR-22 and no thanks, not the gun for me, the fit of it with the regular stock didn't feel right and plus the price tag for a .22 is a bit high. Price does madder to a point I am willing to go high for a good gun but it has to be reliable and appeal to me.


Thanks for any insight. :bangHead:
 
Honest advice: The Ruger 10/22 is about as reliable as you are going to get, and is certainly one of the more "modable" with all the after-market stuff.

No firearm is going to be perfect, and in a small caliber like 22 you get more "difficulty" handling the ammo because of the smaller scale of the parts. The Ruger action is very durable, reliable, and only very rarely jams. What jams I have seen are typically because people buy truly *cheap* ammo. Inexpensive is one thing, but junk ammo is going to lead to piss poor performance.
 
For my money, there is no other choice for a .22 semi-auto. The Ruger 10/22 is inexpensive, boringly reliable, plenty accurate, fun to shoot, and very easy to maintain. Mine sees the odd trip to the range, and is a ready and available grouse gun when I'm out moose/deer/bear/whatever hunting.
 
For your first .22 I think you can get a much nicer gun than a 10/22.
If you just want to empty a lot of mags, then a semi is ok for that.

I would suggest a Savage bolt-action with heavy barrel and accu-trigger with a nice scope.

or perhaps a Henry lever which can be had for less than $350 new.

or if you have a little more cash, a Browning BL22 lever which makes a nice scoped plinker.

or the Winchester Wildcat can be had quite cheaply new and is also a nice plinker.

If you just want to try the semi, pick up a cheap wood-stocked Cooey off the EE for around $125 and it will work as well as the 10/22.
 
Holy crap......and the 10/22 lemmings .....er....."fan club" come out in full force.

There are a TON of superior choices to the ruger, in fact....I can't think of a worse choice for someone who doesn't want to spend 2x the cost of the original rifle in parts to try and make it shoot.

Look at the Thompson Centers (benchmark is very nice), the browning buckmark carbine, there's tons to choose from.

And for the record; I am a HUGE ruger fan and collector. I own every ruger semi ever made.....but I will NOT ever own a 10/22 (other than my mint condition 10/22 Magnum.....but that's a different gun all together. ;) )

your first rimfire should be a quality gun, something to pass on to your kids..... Not a throw- away

Buy a gun for what it is, not what it could be.... Maybe ..... With enough work....and enough money.
 
I agree with everyone who has posted. A 10/22 is nice a reliable, but a semi auto is not the way to go for your 1st .22

you're worried about that "second shot" better idea.. 1 shot 1 kill.

I've shot many a skunk with my marlin single shot open sights at 60ish yards and brought them down with one shot. I also have a savage mark 2 and i love it as well a nice 4x bushnell scope and a few 10 round mags and i'm set for some seriouse hunting.

When hunting a semi auto isn't important. It is there for fun and rattling off rounds quickly not accurately. It is acurate but not if you go too fast.

basically i'm saying get good then get fast. go with a bolt action or a nice lever. I love my bolt action my dad has a beautiful lever action browning.

i tend to ramble but i'll sum up by saying again. get good then get fast. a cheaper bolt action will serve you very well in this endevour.



with all that being said i do have a sr-22 on order fron wholesale and can't wait till it comes in..
 
Bolts are super reliable, easy to keep clean and available in a broad range of costs. I have had a bunch of different rimfire acions and brands and have finally settled on a Remington Model 5. It's a great gun and looks and feels like a full sized big game rifle.
 
Change the seals on a 10/22? Never heard of such a thing. You do not have to spend any extra money if you buy a 10/22. It will shoot just fine out of the box. No fancy mods or add ons are needed to kill gophers or any other small game. you do not have to shoot fast or get a quick second shot just because you have a semi, but if you want to dump a bunch of rounds down range in a hurry, just for fun you can't beat a 10/22.
 
Wrong Way said:
Holy crap......and the 10/22 lemmings .....er....."fan club" come out in full force.

There are a TON of superior choices to the ruger, in fact....I can't think of a worse choice for someone who doesn't want to spend 2x the cost of the original rifle in parts to try and make it shoot.
Click to expand...

Bonehead comment from an otherwise VERY reliable and wise CGNer... Stranger things have happened.

The Ruger 10/22 is not the only quality semi, nor the only reliable option. HOWEVER, as I clearly said, it is hard to beat, and will take a beating.

Good luck with whatever you choose. Either way, hopefully we'll be welcoming you to the 22 plinkers club! *smiles*
 
I have shot many .22 rimfires. The only one I have ever kept has been the 452 Varmint .22

talk about a tack driver. add a scope and a bipod, and be ready to kill some serious amounts of gophers.

Heavy Barrel, Hammer Forged, machined action.... it all adds up to a damn fine gun. Once you sight it in with a certain ammo, be sure to keep buying that brand, and she will not lose her accuracy.

The best part about the CZ is the match chamber. When you close the bolt, open it again. Look at the shoulder of the bullet. See how nice the rifling grooves have engaged the bullet? All concentric? That is what helps the accuracy.

The Varmint, or Sihlouette for that matter with the heavy contour barrel gives you all day shooting without worry about overheating the barrel, and losing accuracy.
 
Got Juice? said:
Heavy Barrel, Hammer Forged, machined action....
Click to expand...

I admit the 452 is an excellent rifle. That said, bragging about a hammer forged barrel (other than for longevity) when talking about a rifle being a nail driver is a bit funny...
 
Last edited:
civeng said:
I admit the 452 is an excellent rifle. That said, bragging about a hammer forged barrel (other than for longevity) when talking about a rifle being a nail driver is a bit funny...
Click to expand...

*L* I knew someone would mention that.

Actually, that new 10/22 from ruger looks promising. The HB one with the hammer forged barrel. Anyone care to comment on how they shoot?
 
If price is a concern, then Ruger 10/22 is your best bet Value vs Quality. If you have the extra $ to burn and you want the cool AR looking 22, then Ruger SR-22 (built on 10/22)is your gun. Bottom line is: you can't go wrong with a Ruger 10/22.
 
Semi Auto reliability best going is a 10-22 in one of its many forms.
Bolt rifle you can not go wrong with a CZ , good value for the money accurate and eats most ammo with no complaints, My Sako Fin Fire is better IMO , but it is no longer in production and runs over a grand for a nice one.
Anschutz are pricey and like expensive ammo, Wby Mrk XXII are expensive and look similar to a mini. Mrk V but they are built by Anschutz, so again they will like expensive ammo.
Buy a 10-22 and you are good to go, till you get bored of how well it shoots, then sell it and buy something else and go crazy trying to figure out why you sold the first one to try something different.
Rob
 
Its funny people like the Ruger 10/22 or hate it.... the one thing that seems to bug me a little is the whole mod aspect of the 10/22. Like I said in the #1 post I am not one to screw around moding stuff I have never seen the point of it. I like something you can pick up and shoot out of the box. While a lot of people seems to refer to the 10/22 as something you buy and mod just to get it to shot right???
 
you don't need to modify a 10.22 1 touch in order to enjoy the gun. some people just like having a gun that is one of a kind so that they can tell their buddies all teh expensive things they did to their gun lol. basically it's up to you what you want to get for your 1st gun but as i said before you don't need a semi auto, just hit it with the 1st shot! also i reccommend a bolt action for it's simplicity. i have a savage mkII i've had for years and still love it dearly.
 
My ruger 10/22 is exactly how it was in the box.... No scope, no rail, factory wood stock. No changes...

And 6 to 8" groups at 100 to 150 are good enough accuracy for me! All I'm looking to do is whack a few groundhogs and poke holes in paper. You can get much better accuracy with it as well; Scope and heavier stock aren't exatly big "mods", but like I said, happy as a clam straight out of the box.

Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
I just bought my dad a 10/22 about a month or 2 ago and we really seem to enjoy it. We had a bunch of old beater 22s in the basement that we never used anymore so he traded them in and got himself a nice little 410 too. I think they'll both come in handy. Myself i've got an ancient Sureshot. Bolt action with a tube magazine. It's had literally 10's of thousands of rounds through her and she still hits the pie plate at 100 yards. Only cost me 75$ too. I'm like you, i tend not to modify my stuff so the old girl is perfect for me.

What i'm looking into over the next few years to replace it is a 77/22 in 22 mag with iron sights, see-thru rings and a good scope. It's gonna be a pricy little set up though so it'll be a while before i can get my hands on that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom