My new Marlin Xt-22

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red_rock

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G'day CGN'ers,

I am a fairly new CGN member and new to the world of firearms and hunting/shooting sports in general. I just wanted to share my story as a "newbie" looking to purchase my first firearm for anyone who may be in a similar situation as I.

I didn't grow up with firearms around me... neither my father or either of my grandfathers, or really any of my other close friends or relatives were into hunting or shooting sports. So let me tell you, entering this world later in life looking to make informed decisions on purchases, platform, etc. is EXTREMELY overwhelming! In a sense, I guess it's good to not have any pre-existing biases as to what brand or platform is best, and so on, and it's great that there is so much information available to people nowadays, but it can also be a detriment.

I essentially wanted a firearm that I could learn the basics of shooting with, wasn't going to break the bank, but also could grow with me somewhat as I progressed and that I wasn't going to tire of after only a few months or so. I was sold on a bolt-action rifle due to their relative ease of use, care, cleaning, etc. I didn't want to get into the slightly more complicated nature of the semi-auto (I know they are not really that complicated, but just wanted to remove as many variables as I reasonably could to start). I was really tempted to get a 22-250 (the largest rifle calibre we can legally hunt with in my area) incase I decided to get into hunting some small game and coyotes, but I read a lot of advice for beginners suggesting a .22 cal for learning on for various reasons, not least of all for economy of ammo so that you are less prohibited from putting practice time in at the range.

Anyhow, long story short, after much research and deliberation and reading recommendations made to others on great sites like CGN, I ordered a Marlin XT-22 (bolt action .22 cal) from my local dealer. I had went back and forth between the Marlin XT-22 and the Savage Mark II quite a bit and in the end I just told my dealer to get me whatever he could most quickly and easily get his hands on. Luck of the draw got me the Marlin and my buddy the Savage. I finally had it out to the range the other day and had a great time with it! It is a tidy, smooth little rifle. Not as buttery-smooth as my buddy's $800 browning, but for the price it's not $600 less-smooth either! This rifle definitely shoots more accurately than I can weald it at the moment, but from the bench (using my arm, no bi-pod), it definitely was hitting what I was aiming at more often than not. And after a few magazines, my confidence was up and before I left that day I was taking out clays and cans at 25 yards like nobody's business! (I know, not extremely impressive, but I was happy with that for my 3rd time out shooting and first time with that rifle!). I ended up going through about 300 rounds that afternoon and did not want to leave, but I ran out of ammo!

I know I would have been quite happy with the Savage as well at this point, but in my opinion (as inexperienced and subjective as it is at this point) I do like my Marlin better. The bolt does seem just that much smoother, and the stock iron sights are just that much better than what came on the Savage. The Savage stock open sights would definitely make me not want to shoot the rifle until I changed them out to better sights... they were just too blocky and very hard to get on target with. I wanted to learn on the open sights before I go to a scope or peep or something, so I was very glad that I was able to get on with the Marlin sights without having to invest more money in open sights. Also, (and this is just for me obviously), I find the Marlin just fits my shoulder better and the magazine doesn't run into my hand as much when I'm gripping the fore end.

Anyways, sorry for being so long winded, but I just wanted to throw my 2-cents out there for any other beginners who may be on the fence about what to get as their first rifle. I am extremely happy with my Marlin and can't wait to get back out to the range and shoot it some more. And I guess in the end, that is one of the most important things, because I will have no problem putting in practice time with this little gem!
 
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Well, you did it RIGHT. You decided what type of action you wanted, after making some thoughts on that. Then you researched and narrowed down your choices of which rifle was acceptable for your needs, and went from there.

Too many people "over buy" for their first rifles and spend a lot more money than they need at first. A moderate priced rifle leaves money available for ammunition, and ammunition is one of those things that make you a good shot if you practice.

Congratulations.
 
^agreed. You may be new to the shooting sports, but you're bringing a heap of common sense with you! Well done. Every shooter I know has at least 1 .22cal. bolt action rifle, and many of us have more than we care to mention. If/when you decide to add a scope, there is a ton of information here to tap into. as well. Be sure to ask around. On a side note, I started with a .22lr bolt action, added a lever, a couple of semis. Now, the lever is gone, all but one of the semis is too (a Marlin 795 stays).....but the bolt gun sees all the action.
 
^ Also agree. My first rifle was a Lakefield Mark 2. I must have killed 100 ground hogs with that thing the first year I had it. I look back now and I probably carried that 22 more than everything else I've owned since.Cheap entertainment at it's best. Also, a friend of mine just got into shooting this year and started with an SKS. After a few chat sessions he decided to get a 22 to slow down the spending on ammo. Now he wishes he had started with the 22 because he said he gets more enjoyment out of it than the SKS. I had over 50 22's at one point and now I'm down to less than 10 (mostly Mossbergs) but enjoy them immensely.
Scott...
 
^Also, also agree.

I went through a ton of different .22's, and likewise in the end got sucked into the mossberg hole. Currently the only .22 i own is a 146-b and i won't ever part with it. Im now looking to expand the mossberg collection. But i also started out with a Marlin 925, the predecessor to the XT series and it was a really accurate and smooth rifle too.
 
Another agree. Good on you for researching and not going overboard. The xt 22 is a great rifle. What one did you get? And for the above posters, I am happily enjoying the 5 old mossburgs I own now, and very glad every time I go out and play with them.
 
Thanks everyone for the support and encouragement, great community here!

aaron v said:
Another agree. Good on you for researching and not going overboard. The xt 22 is a great rifle. What one did you get? And for the above posters, I am happily enjoying the 5 old mossburgs I own now, and very glad every time I go out and play with them.
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I just got the "plain jane' XT-22R (synthetic stock, open sights). I originally was hoping for the wood stock just because I liked the look of it better, but the dealer I went through wasn't able to get his hands on one. I know that some retailers had them in stock (like Cabela's) and I could have ordered one online, but I just rather give my support to the local dealer. He's a great guy and extremely helpful with advice on my purchase. He also runs the range I joined and is great for helping out new shooters with pointers (for those who want them!).

The synthetic stock is better than I expected as well. Nothing fancy, but I definitely don't really worry about scratching or dinging it up so much.

It's also funny so many of you mention the Mossbergs as well. A buddy of mine also just starting out, purchased an older Mossberg. I'm not sure of the model, but it is a bolt action with a tube magazine and a dinged up wood stock (just added character, right?). It's also got this really odd front sight on it, which is basically just a small metal ring and the only adjustment is to set it fully to the right or the left-hand side (it's on a pivot, kind of like and upside-down pendulum, but it doesn't have a middle position). It's hard to explain, maybe I'll try to post a pic of it next time I'm out, but the rifle shoots very accurate and my buddy is actually quite fond of the sight now.
 
red_rock said:
Thanks everyone for the support and encouragement, great community here!



I just got the "plain jane' XT-22R (synthetic stock, open sights). I originally was hoping for the wood stock just because I liked the look of it better, but the dealer I went through wasn't able to get his hands on one. I know that some retailers had them in stock (like Cabela's) and I could have ordered one online, but I just rather give my support to the local dealer. He's a great guy and extremely helpful with advice on my purchase. He also runs the range I joined and is great for helping out new shooters with pointers (for those who want them!).

The synthetic stock is better than I expected as well. Nothing fancy, but I definitely don't really worry about scratching or dinging it up so much.

It's also funny so many of you mention the Mossbergs as well. A buddy of mine also just starting out, purchased an older Mossberg. I'm not sure of the model, but it is a bolt action with a tube magazine and a dinged up wood stock (just added character, right?). It's also got this really odd front sight on it, which is basically just a small metal ring and the only adjustment is to set it fully to the right or the left-hand side (it's on a pivot, kind of like and upside-down pendulum, but it doesn't have a middle position). It's hard to explain, maybe I'll try to post a pic of it next time I'm out, but the rifle shoots very accurate and my buddy is actually quite fond of the sight now.
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sounds like either a 46b or 146-b or b-a, with a broken front sight. The aperture sight on the front is meant to swing to the side, and originally it had wide and thin blade sights, and even a bead sight too that you could interchange built right in. You could choose which type of front sight you wanted and swing it up to the middle where it is supposed to lock into place. it also has a hood. Here is my 146-b, i highly recommend down the road, should you ever see an older mossberg pop up for sale, buy it if its in good condition. they are a far cry in quality from the new mossbergs.

 
Cool! I have the same one. Shoots pretty good too. I also bought the stainless tube mag xt22 for the really snowy days. Don't forget to try different types of ammo to see what it works and shoots best with. Mine both seem to like the American Eagle 38 gr for plinking. I have been having all sorts of issues with the latest batches of win 333s and 555s not feeding well or extracting well with them.
 
mikeystew said:
sounds like either a 46b or 146-b or b-a, with a broken front sight. The aperture sight on the front is meant to swing to the side, and originally it had wide and thin blade sights, and even a bead sight too that you could interchange built right in. You could choose which type of front sight you wanted and swing it up to the middle where it is supposed to lock into place. it also has a hood. Here is my 146-b, i highly recommend down the road, should you ever see an older mossberg pop up for sale, buy it if its in good condition. they are a far cry in quality from the new mossbergs.

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mikeystew that is really nice! Is yours CZ smooth too? I was getting right into the marlin 81s until I saw how great the mossburg 46b looked. Now I have 2 46Bs ( one nice and one shooter), a 46m, a 42m, 51m, and a 340. They are all great.
 
aaron v said:
Cool! I have the same one. Shoots pretty good too. I also bought the stainless tube mag xt22 for the really snowy days. Don't forget to try different types of ammo to see what it works and shoots best with. Mine both seem to like the American Eagle 38 gr for plinking. I have been having all sorts of issues with the latest batches of win 333s and 555s not feeding well or extracting well with them.
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I didn't put this in my original post, just because I thought it was long enough, but I was torn between the detachable mag and the tube mag. As I said before, I just went with availability in the end. For now, the 7 round mag is doing the trick. I like taking a short break every 5-7 rounds anyways just to re-focus on my form, etc. I'm a total newb, so still practising bringing the rifle up to my shoulder and hitting the sweet spot where it's comfortable and shooting right. I did go ahead and order a spare 10-round mag already as I figured I would want it down the road and I like having a backup.

Funny, I have also had issues with the Winchester 333s not feeding or extracting properly as well (maybe 1 or 2 rounds in every 7). I gave up on them altogether when, not only did a round not feed, the bullet was bent near clean off the casing (it didn't actually come out and no power leaked, but close enough that I wasn't comfortable with them any more!). And it wasn't like I was slamming the rounds in or anything. I was also able to put some on paper and they are not overly accurate in my rifle either, so I figured I'd just give them to a buddy of mine who seems to like them.

For an extra few bucks per bulk box, the Federal bulk target grade worked flawlessly for me. Little better group on paper (again, not reading into that too much yet as I'm sure it could just as easily be the shooter that's causing the variance at this point). I also was able to test a few rounds of the Remington bulk golden bullet. Wasn't able to put any on paper but didn't seem to have any issues with them. Only thing was the Golden Bullets seemed to be a heck of a lot dirtier than the others. I've been picking up a few small boxes of other types to try out and hoping the next trip out to the range I can put them all on paper and get a better idea of what it likes best.

I haven't tried the AE's yet, my local Crappy Tire is pretty low on inventory right now, especially as they are clearing out to move to a newer location, so selection isn't great. Just need to have a look around at some dealers and see if I can put a decent group of ammo together to test.
 
mikeystew said:
sounds like either a 46b or 146-b or b-a, with a broken front sight. The aperture sight on the front is meant to swing to the side, and originally it had wide and thin blade sights, and even a bead sight too that you could interchange built right in. You could choose which type of front sight you wanted and swing it up to the middle where it is supposed to lock into place. it also has a hood. Here is my 146-b, i highly recommend down the road, should you ever see an older mossberg pop up for sale, buy it if its in good condition. they are a far cry in quality from the new mossbergs.

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That is a beauty! I will certainly keep my eye out. We'll have to take a closer look at the sight... maybe we are missing something or maybe it can be repaired? I wouldn't be surprised if it's broken, the rifle has definitely seen some wear on the stock and such. But the barrel is in good shape and the bolt is very smooth. We were also surprised how well it shot, even with the wonky sight!
 
aaron v said:
mikeystew that is really nice! Is yours CZ smooth too? I was getting right into the marlin 81s until I saw how great the mossburg 46b looked. Now I have 2 46Bs ( one nice and one shooter), a 46m, a 42m, 51m, and a 340. They are all great.
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Nice collection! To be honest I've had a few CZ's and none of them were nearly as smooth or as accurate as the 146-b. It's in an old world class of its own. And the mag capacity is ridiculous.

red_rock said:
That is a beauty! I will certainly keep my eye out. We'll have to take a closer look at the sight... maybe we are missing something or maybe it can be repaired? I wouldn't be surprised if it's broken, the rifle has definitely seen some wear on the stock and such. But the barrel is in good shape and the bolt is very smooth. We were also surprised how well it shot, even with the wonky sight!
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Thanks! I can guarantee you if I'd won't stand up in the middle, but goes to both sides it's broken and/or missing pieces. It's probably a mossberg s-106 front sight, and you/your friend can likely find a replacement easy enough in the EE or online somewhere.

If It looks like this



It should look like this;



Sorry about the hijack. Let us know how the trip to the range with the new marlin goes.
 
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