suggestions for a benchrest .22LR?

that's not Anschutz. budget...$500 +/- $100 to start. I'm not against used, but I do prefer new. :)

Look for a CZ 452 Varmint or a CZ 455 Varmint. Both rifles make good starters for shooting from the bench. They have a little more weight than many sporters because of their heavy barrel and a little wider fore arm that will ride the front bag or rest a little better than a narrow fore arm. Look for a used rifle to stay within your budget. Scope is extra.

Another good choice would be to keep your eyes open for a used CIL Anschutz Model 180 or Model 190. They can be found within your price range and they have all the Anschutz fit, finish, and quality. Scope is extra.
 
Look for a CZ 452 Varmint or a CZ 455 Varmint. Both rifles make good starters for shooting from the bench. They have a little more weight than many sporters because of their heavy barrel and a little wider fore arm that will ride the front bag or rest a little better than a narrow fore arm. Look for a used rifle to stay within your budget. Scope is extra.

djdilliodon said:
It is very rare to find one with a factory barrel capable of shooting in the .3's or better with any kind of consistency. Ive seen enough now to say the most accurate factory barrels from CZ come on the ultra lux's and Training rifles. I've been straying from going all in on factory barrel setups as it's impossible to guarantee accuracy. I'd rather start with a match grade blank from shilen, benchmark, or Lilja and know once all is done, it's gonna shoot! For them to say these poorly cut chambers are acceptable is nonsense to be honest. With such a huge following it is foolish to try and dodge such a problem as your reputation and business as a whole should be a lot more important. With the power of the Internet all its takes is enough negative activity and what once use to be a success, can quickly turn into a fail. I'll always be a fan of the 455 action as nothing can match it in terms of price to performance ratio when they are tweaked with a match barrel.

If going the CZ route you must know they are having quality issues and not standing behind their product when you get a defective one. Your mindset will have to be "I'll give the factory barrel a fair chance to perform but I'll probably have to replace it with a custom barrel to get the accuracy I'm looking for" Then you are into Anschütz 64 money to custom build a 455.

I have a Savage MKII BTVS that performs great and is in your price range, for others it is just an average rifle in the accuracy range of 0.5"-1" at 50 yards. I haven't heard any crazy stories about terrible Savages like I've experienced with my CZ. http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=709441 I'm not alone in getting defective barrels from CZ and them not replacing it, this guy's burrs where way worse than mine! Not that any kind of burr is a good thing...
 
that's not Anschutz. budget...$500 +/- $100 to start. I'm not against used, but I do prefer new. :)

there is a guy selling an CIL 125 on EE for $350... good bench rifle but still an Anshultz's action. My first choice would be a Marlin 2000. It's a target rifle designed specifically for target and biathlon. On the bench, I punched 15 rounds into a single hole from 50 meters with Winchester 333s bulk ammo. I couldn't even see the target through the Lyman aptitude sight but I concentrated on shooting fundamentals. People's jaws dropped at the club. The rifle made me look better than what I was capable of. Do a bit of research and you will realize that this is Marlin's best rifle and it was the only rifle that put the fear of god in Anshultz. There was a guy selling one on EE not to long ago for around $450. Mine came with a hard case, a Lyman sight, 3 X 5 round mags and a 10 round mag for around $450 also.
 
there is a guy selling an CIL 125 on EE for $350... good bench rifle but still an Anshultz's action. My first choice would be a Marlin 2000. It's a target rifle designed specifically for target and biathlon. On the bench, I punched 15 rounds into a single hole from 50 meters with Winchester 333s bulk ammo. I couldn't even see the target through the Lyman aptitude sight but I concentrated on shooting fundamentals. People's jaws dropped at the club. The rifle made me look better than what I was capable of. Do a bit of research and you will realize that this is Marlin's best rifle and it was the only rifle that put the fear of god in Anshultz. There was a guy selling one on EE not to long ago for around $450. Mine came with a hard case, a Lyman sight, 3 X 5 round mags and a 10 round mag for around $450 also.

im gonna have to call you on that one.
had you said some decent ammo i would have given you the benefit of the doubt but Winchester 333?

picture or it didnt happen my friend.
better yet video.
you put a video with yourself putting 15 Winchester 333..... hell under 0.5" and ill put a video of myself doing the Cabin Fever Challenge Naked!
(thank got its summer!) ((and oh boy my wife is gonna laugh if i loose this bet!!!)
 
im gonna have to call you on that one.
had you said some decent ammo i would have given you the benefit of the doubt but Winchester 333?

picture or it didnt happen my friend.
better yet video.
you put a video with yourself putting 15 Winchester 333..... hell under 0.5" and ill put a video of myself doing the Cabin Fever Challenge Naked!
(thank got its summer!) ((and oh boy my wife is gonna laugh if i loose this bet!!!)

deal wayupnorth. I would have made the same bet before I shot the 2000. lol. Next time I am at the club. 3 x 5 round mag at 50 in the same hole with bulk ammo. Will your video be like one of those car crashes where you don't want to but can't look away. lol
 
deal wayupnorth. I would have made the same bet before I shot the 2000. lol. Next time I am at the club. 3 x 5 round mag at 50 in the same hole with bulk ammo. Will your video be like one of those car crashes where you don't want to but can't look away. lol

I'll take 20 bucks on this action.
 
im gonna have to call you on that one.
had you said some decent ammo i would have given you the benefit of the doubt but Winchester 333?

picture or it didnt happen my friend.
better yet video.
you put a video with yourself putting 15 Winchester 333..... hell under 0.5" and ill put a video of myself doing the Cabin Fever Challenge Naked!
(thank got its summer!) ((and oh boy my wife is gonna laugh if i loose this bet!!!)

Perhaps there was a nine inch hole in the target that all the shots went through. ;)

I loved the comment about the Marlin rifle putting the fear of God into Anschutz. Marlin discontinued that rifle some years ago.

The BS on this site is quite amusing.
 
deal wayupnorth. I would have made the same bet before I shot the 2000. lol. Next time I am at the club. 3 x 5 round mag at 50 in the same hole with bulk ammo. Will your video be like one of those car crashes where you don't want to but can't look away. lol

i can honestly tell you that its gonna be a train wreck, so you better not win!

i had honestly never heard of the Marlin 2000 so i went and looked it up last night after i posted.
very interesting gun.
sounds like it was a neat gun throwing punches way outside its weight class, successfully too by the sounds of it.
i was reading a article where they where testing different ammo through the gun and giving the measurements of them all, very neat.
but i didnt see any Winchester 333 in that write up it was all Eley Tennex and Midas Gold and Federal Gold Match and such and they where not even one holing that stuff at 50.

regardless ill go shave my back just in case.....
 
I vote Norinco NS522! that's the most accurate .22 I've owned next to my Anschutz 64 Match Silhouette.

I've had a Savage FV-SR and a CZ 455, shot them all side-by-side and the Norinco outshot them both with a bunch of cheap and expensive ammo. I had a cheap Chinese made scope on it too, that really pisses off the 'elitists' and 'Norc-haters' LOL

OR what about 1x of those Shultz and Larson M70 .22's from Tradex and turn it into a bench gun...
 
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There is no such thing as a under $500 .22 bench rest rifle, not even under $1000. It is just going to frustrate you to no end. All these rifles like the CZ are plinking guns.

True, but I take it the OP is looking for something like an entry level "training rifle" not a laser beam custom rig. Accurate enough to tell him when it's his fault for a flier can be had for the price range, triggers can be tuned to a decent pull weight and he can get into the sport without dropping 7G. I'd also recommend a used CIL I trained with one as a junior at the range and you'll appreciate the refinements of the action and trigger vs anything new for the same price.
 
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