A friend of mine is entertaining the thought of purchasing a 22 mag semiautomatic rifle and wanted me to recommend one.
I have owned 22 mag rifles but not semiautomatics.
What do the members of CGN recommend he should be looking at?
There aren't very many options when it comes to semiauto 22 mag rifles, my understanding is that .22 mag is a tricky caliber in a semi-auto configuration, and not a lot of manufacturers bother to spend the time to solve the issues.
Having said that, I did some research at one time as I was interested in .22 mag myself. Two of the commonly recommended options are the CZ 512 and the Savage A22 both of which are offered in a .22 magnum version.
From what I gleaned:
CZ 512 PROS: easy takedown, better quality feel, cycled more varieties of ammo, has a simple single stack magazine available in 5 and 10 round (maybe other options?), accurate, and reliable, comes with iron sights CONS: trigger pull heavier than the Savage, more expensive than the Savage, might be a con for some, action can't be cycled with safety on
Savage A22 PROS: lighter, 10 round flush fit rotary style magazine (other mag options?), accurate, adjustable trigger, less expensive CONS: Trickier takedown, a little pickier with cycling some ammo, does not come with iron sights.
Keep in mind I don't own either one, this was just what I gathered from reviews, and doing my own research, there were probably other things that I just can't remember. I was leaning toward the CZ at the time, but everyone should do their own research, and handle both firearms first if possible.
EDIT: I went and checked, and it looks like some CZ 512's do not have the iron sights either, if that's important to you, then it is something to verify beforehand.
Cheers!