Looking for a starter .22LR

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ctstannard

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Hi all,

So you may have seen my posts about the 03a3 I inherited but as I am quickly discovering ammunition for said rifle is not the cheapest and since I literally am brand new to this sport I figured it might not be a bad idea to invest in something a little cheaper to fire, at least until I am a decent shot. So can anyone recommend a decent starter .22LR? I wouldn't mind finding a semi-automatic to practice with. The key here though is cheap since I just finished University and owe my soul to the government in the form of student loans haha.

Thanks for the recommendations!
 
Semis will cost you more in ammunition, get a Cooey bolt action or if you want something new get a Savage. The Cooey will be around $100 and the plain Savage will be $200. Both are Canadian made and both cheaper to shoot than a 303. You will also develop your shooting skills better with a 22.
 
I would suggest the bolt action as well. If you learn on a semi auto, you'll possibly learn spray and pray; if you learn on a bolt gun, your more likely to learn to make each shot count.
Ivor
 
If you go semi definitely the 10 22 you cant go wrong there. But an inexpensive bolt action go with the cooey I love mine its a tack driver.
 
Found said:
Semis will cost you more in ammunition, get a Cooey bolt action or if you want something new get a Savage. The Cooey will be around $100 and the plain Savage will be $200. Both are Canadian made and both cheaper to shoot than a 303. You will also develop your shooting skills better with a 22.
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I like the look of both the Cooey and the Savage, thanks for the suggestions. Hmm now I have to decide which one first haha.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions! This forum really is the best place to get great information.
 
What are you planning on doing with it? Hunting or target shooting? What's your budget? A 10/22 runs a bit over $300. Nice rifle and reasonably good for either hunting or target shooting. Not formal .22 target shooting though.
"...ammunition for said rifle is not..." Reloading can help with that. Far less expensive than factory ammo. Even with match bullets. Lot of us wouldn't be shooting at all if we didn't reload.
 
sunray said:
What are you planning on doing with it? Hunting or target shooting? What's your budget? A 10/22 runs a bit over $300. Nice rifle and reasonably good for either hunting or target shooting. Not formal .22 target shooting though.
"...ammunition for said rifle is not..." Reloading can help with that. Far less expensive than factory ammo. Even with match bullets. Lot of us wouldn't be shooting at all if we didn't reload.
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Target shooting is what I would be doing with it but it doesn't need to be 'formal .22 target shooting' basically I am still relatively new to this whole thing so I would like something that I can practice with. In other words if I can take it to a range, aim at a target and something other than water or nerf darts comes out of the end when I squeeze the trigger we're making good progress.

$300 is about the upper limit of my funds. I am not looking to do this right away in fact I would probably be waiting until the new year so I can save a bit if I find the right .22 to start with.

One day I might look into reloading for sure but for now I live in an apartment building so I really don't have the space to get into reloading so for now I will stick with the .22 and occasionally spoil myself with a box for the 30-06.

Thanks again for the suggestions.
 
for bolt actions i love savages for overall value. great shooters right out of the box and i love the trigger. for something a bit less expensive take a look at the marlins (even for inexpensive semi-auto). if you want to spend a little more and want to have something you will never tire of, 10/22 all the way. endless customization's. when you get bored, change it. going a bit more expensive but a lot better accuracy there are the cz 455 or 452's. pretty much have right out of the box 1MOA accuracy.
 
Too many .22's, and sooooooo little time! As you've seen, many folks have many opinions.

If you're looking for something to emulate your 03a3, find yourself a bolt action. There are lots of 'em out there, and even a budget shooter can get their hands on a decent one, and still afford ammo. Try and hold a few different models, and pick your fav. from there. Noting wrong (and lots right) with older bolt action .22's. Something to be found for any sized shooter, and most budgets. Cooeys used to be very affordable, but there seems to be a spreading cooey-fever driving up their prices. Good guns for what they were designed for (affordable, and utilitarian), but don't overlook any of the gems from that era.

I usually have a float of about a dozen functional .22's, and a few more on the project pile (kitchen table). I won't tolerate a 10/22 on the premises!
 
Just a suggestion, if you can go shoot a semi and a bolt action and see which you prefer first. I picked up a savage 64 fxvp combo as one of my first rifles, after a few months I realized I prefer a bolt action grabbed a savage MKII.

Keep and eye out for used rifles and you could probably find a old tube fed cooey for 100-150.
 
woobie said:
Just a suggestion, if you can go shoot a semi and a bolt action and see which you prefer first. I picked up a savage 64 fxvp combo as one of my first rifles, after a few months I realized I prefer a bolt action grabbed a savage MKII.

Keep and eye out for used rifles and you could probably find a old tube fed cooey for 100-150.
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I have shot both at one point or another and enjoyed both for different reasons. I have a feeling I will end up owning both a bolt-action and a semi .22 at some point haha.

Thanks again for all the recommendations. After reading all the answers I am attracted to the Cooey and the Savage so I think I will have to do some more research on those rifles.
 
Has not been mentioned but if you're not interested in modifying the gun at all I suggest you check out the Remington 597. They (arguably) shoot better out-of-the-box than a 10/22, for a little cheaper (about $170). Once broken in on about 100 rounds of CCI stingers it shoot 525 bulk Federal ($22/box) with very few problems. I may get one stove-pipe every 3-4 mags, easily cleared.

Don't bother with the scoped rifle package. The scope is garbage, and it doesn't come with iron sights. I made that mistake.
 
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