Savage vs remington

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jon_devos

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I made it out to the local gun store today and had a look at 22s. I think I've narrowed it down to the savage b22 (either fvsr or fux) or a Remington 597 heavy barrel. Mostly now I'm trying to decide between bolt or semi. I thought I was set on a bolt but the remington 597 has a nice feel to it and is cheaper. Also you can get 30 round magazines for it. Prices are as follows

B22 FV SR $419.99
B22 FUX with scope $459.99
597 heavy barrel $299.99

All prices are in canadian. Any recommendations between the savage or remington? Is the accutrigger worth the extra $120 for plinking and the odd rabbit?

I also see savage has an A22 model. I haven't physically looked at one yet but reviews are good.
 
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I personally like a bolt over a semi. Savage quality is higher than that of Remington. Accutrigger is very nice, although not personally $120 better. Less to go wrong with bolt in the way of stovepipes and such. Lastly, Savage bolt actions are still manufactured in Canada as far as I still know!
 
I'm eyeing up one of the heavy barreled B22's right now. I've got a Ruger 10/22 with a trigger job, and it's accurate enough for field work, but I need a bolt to shoot CCI quiets without constant feeding issues. I've you want to spend a little less but are still thinking bolt, check out the Savage MKii series. I had a MKii G (sporter barrel, wood stock) and it was pretty accurate. Check the EE as well, lots of Savage MKii's in there for good prices.
 
I'm a Remington fan, especially their 700 rifles. That being said, for 22LR I went with a CZ 455 Supermatch. Couldn't be happier. I know the 455 isn't on your list, you should at least take a quick look at them.
 
I've always found it fascinating that remington hasn't marketed a bolt action 22 in ages, and the last was a zastava rebadge wasn't it ?

They literally have 75 variations of the model 700 but not one 22 bolt gun, unless you count the 40x but do they still sell them either ?
 
FWIW I have the savage b22 and love that little gun. It’s fun to shoot and comfortable to hold.
Under 100 yards it’s pretty good at staying MOA or below. I’ve found it opens up a bit at 100+ (around 1.5”) but hey it’s a 22.
Ton of fun hitting spinners out at 100 and beyond.
It’s nice with the iron sites and had some peek through rings on it for a bit which was a nice feature but ended up pulling the back site and going with lower rings.
 
I used to have a Rem 597 jam-o-matic, sold it to a co-worker, he seems happy with it, also had a Savage 93 in 17HMR, nice gun, didn't need the expense of .17HMR for punching holes in paper. Settle on a CZ455 for a bolt .22 and a Browning BL22 for lever version. The BL22 is by far the best of the lot.

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If you like the 597 go to rimfire central forum in the states there’s a few threads on the accuracy and DIYs. The last thread was on the heavy barrel version. Buy a used CZ 452 if you have the bucks it’s the best option. I’ve got 14 CZs and no Savages, I wonder why?
 
IMHO, the best .22 rimfires available are CZs, the 452 is the one I know, and the 512 semi-auto. Norinco makes a rimfire 98 Mauser looking rimfire that has a copy of a CZ452 action. I was rather impressed with the quality of the materials and workmanship, but I didn't shoot it or want to buy it, since I already have most of the rimfires I want. If you think you can out shoot a CZ, you can always buy a match rimfire barrel from Ted Gaillard.
 
45CAT said:
Buy a used CZ 452 if you have the bucks it’s the best option. I’ve got 14 CZs and no Savages, I wonder why?
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Boomer said:
IMHO, the best .22 rimfires available are CZs, the 452 is the one I know, an
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Hey Jon~I'd have to agree with the above^ statements. CZs are PROBABLY what you'll end-up with anyway, so there is merit in the old saying; "buy once, cry once". CZ's 452 model is discontinued, but still out there if you look. New/used~you'd have a gun with a much higher build-quality than Savage/Remington. I'm not a "hater" on either of those brands btw, I have a Savage bolt action rifle in .223, and have had lots of Remington shotguns come/go over the years. With that said, I've never felt a single urge to own a Remington 597. Between the weird malfunctions they had early-on and how lumpy they look (to my eye)..it just isn't going to happen for me personally. I do think you'd be well-served by a new Savage B-Series rifle (no need to look back at the old Mark II series, and their inferior stocks) at about 2/3 the price of a CZ. I've heard very decent things about them. If you're looking at long carries (hunting rabbits) don't get a heavy barrel/varmint model. BTW, I'm making assumptions about your budget based on the models you asked about. If you're not constrained by budget, take a look at Anschutz. (Nordic Marksman is a sponsor of this site, and carries them)

You'll notice I'm pushing bolt-actions, not semis. More accurate, almost always better triggers, easier to clean, easier to strip, etc. etc.

I'm not a fan of semis, but were I looking today..I'd lean towards Marlin for best accuracy/value out of the box. If I had a little time, I'd maybe hold-out to see how the new Thompson/Center T/CR22s are reviewed. I still think the bolt gun is better...just thinking about your second, or third 22. :)
 
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The 597 I had didn't group, it patterned, like a shotgun. Will never own one again. Sold it and bought a Savage 64. And their 30 round mags sucked as well, I had to sand down the sides in order for them to fit in the mag well and they constantly jammed up, in the mag. More than a few times I had to disassemble them to clear the jams.
 
Have a Savage MK II G that's been excellent so far. I'd get the B22 if I were buying today.

For semi-auto, I still think the Marlin 795 is by far the best overall value, though not aesthetically the most pleasing and the trigger is a bit on the heavy/notchy side.
 
597 i have shoots well and funtions well, I did have to do a little tinkering to get it to be reliable. The 30 round mags for it dont work well when you stick em in full
 
The Remington 597 heavy barrel is a great semi. It's advisable to do a bit of work on it, and it will better some of the other semi's out there in that price range. I stay with the 10 shot mags and have several and that equals a 30 round mag. Sometimes it's about ammo, and the standard Ruger 1022 comes very close to my 597 in accuracy. I don't find accuracy as good in the Savage 64 - but it is acceptable. For bolt action the CZ 452 delivers the best accuracy in it's price range. I would expect the CZ 455 should be up there in accuracy as well. Many times I've found that a rim fire will improve in accuracy after the barrel has had a couple of hundred rounds through it.
 
Well the A22 ended up going on sale at cabelas for 299.99 with 10 round and 25 round mag plus a scope. I have ordered one. Reviews are good on it. Looks much easier to field strip and clean than the remington 597. I really wanted to try out the accu trigger as well so hard to beat $300 for a whole package.
 
jon_devos said:
I made it out to the local gun store today and had a look at 22s. I think I've narrowed it down to the savage b22 (either fvsr or fux) or a Remington 597 heavy barrel. Mostly now I'm trying to decide between bolt or semi. I thought I was set on a bolt but the remington 597 has a nice feel to it and is cheaper. Also you can get 30 round magazines for it. Prices are as follows

B22 FV SR $419.99
B22 FUX with scope $459.99
597 heavy barrel $299.99

All prices are in canadian. Any recommendations between the savage or remington? Is the accutrigger worth the extra $120 for plinking and the odd rabbit?

I also see savage has an A22 model. I haven't physically looked at one yet but reviews are good.
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The B22 is a successor to the Savage Mk.II but the latter is still around and recent production has the Accutrigger. They can be found for about the same price as that Remington semi-auto you are considering. (I'm thinking of buying one, don't need another .22 but might like to have a bolt action for a while. The Mk.II's price is as high as I'd go, knowing it's more than good enough, I won't pay more for the B22 though it should be even better.)

I use a semi-auto, the Marlin 795. I quite like it and recommend them but the current production looks like the stock has been made more cheaply and it's under Remington management so I wouldn't buy a new one if I had to replace mine, I'd look for a used one of the same era.

I bought a Savage A22 at a very good price from Wholesale Sports' liquidation. I didn't intend to keep two semi-auto .22 rifles, I put it and my 795 up for sale at the same time to the let the market decide which I would keep. I'm tall and the A22's stock seemed a better fit for me than my 795's, for which I think I should add a spacer on the butt. But I didn't fire the A22 because that would devalue it, and someone bought it so I can't say any more for it.

I
 
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Me, I'd take a 10/22 for a semi.

For a bolt, I'd go with the Savage in a heavy barrel.

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