Finding the perfect bolt action 22 cal.

[kansas45]

I shot my new MKII TR R alongside my buddies CZ last Sunday morning. Both are very good rifles & shot the same group's.

 

[kweidner]

WOW what a loaded question. That is almost like asking what your favorite color is. I have many .22s from the marlin 39A to Benchrest rigs. I shot BR a little and have a sporter and 10.5# gun built on the Sako action. Both have Lilja bbl and Stith stocks. I have a 17m2 Lilja as well. I LOVE the fact I can change the bbls out as I see fit. I can turn my sporter BR rig into one nasty squirrel gun with the HM2 barrel. I just change out the stock and barrel and off to the woods we go. There are MANY manufacturers that make an incredible .22. check out rimfirecentral.com as well as benchrest.com. I bought my first BR rig used and would never look back. Tim Mcwhorter built it when he was doing rimfire guns. Although I don't have the money for the matches anymore, it sure is fun to shoot. I have made many a person a believer in the inherent accuracy of the .22. We regularly shoot live flies off of the backer board at the range with those lilja bbls. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used gun particularly with one you can change the barrels out at will. If you are really planning on shooting over and out to 100 yds I would consider one of the upper lines. All will shoot but the Suhl, Sako, and Anchutz will probably out the rest in the accuracy dept. Remember at 100 yds with a rimfire the wind reading plays a large factor in your ability to take that target. No you do not have to have the super expensive rigs but had I started with the Sako, I would only own 2 .22s and not about a dozen

 

[threejones]

Good buy on the mkII, you'll love it. My Dad shots the same gun and loves it. I bought a CZ 452 Military trainer last summer (my ruger couldn't keep up with the MkII even with a target barrel) Now my Dad is looking at CZs. They shoot the same at 50-100 but the CZ stays tighter at 150-200. The nice thing about the CZ is that it will keep up with the Anchutz at any range and seems to be way less picky about ammo. As far as bang for the buck, you've definately got a winner.

 

[Vulture]

I love my Anschutz, it is an extremely competitive rifle. The stock is very adjustable, and as anyone who has shot a supermatch, the trigger is like nothing else. Walther is another name I haven't seen mentioned that makes phenominal .22 rimfire rifles. At a much lower cost, CMP sells unused military surplus Kimber's that look very nice for $600. All of these would make great options for shooting long range with a rimfire. They are not lightweight squirrel guns though. My Anschutz weighs about 15lbs without scope. Knowing what you are looking to accomplish might help guide you better. I have no firsthand experience, but have heard great things about the savages which have already been mentioned, but that is a much lighter weapon.Heavy is steady. Another lightweight that I just came accross that had a heavier barrel on it is the Browning Tbolt. My local Gander Mounatain had one used for around $400 and it was a gorgeous rifle with a very unique action. Hope this helps.

 

[thunderstick1]

CZ, period. Shoots great right out of the box. If you want to tinker and spend money needlessly for accessories and aftermarket barrels, triggers etc. then by all means buy a Ruger 10/22 . I don't think I can give my honest opinion here on the 10/22 without breaking forum rules, if you get my drift. Take a trip to rimfirecentral.com. More info for the rimfire enthusiast there than any other internet site.

 

[akshooting]

Ok, somebody's got to do it! Not only are there several companies that make them, but there are several companies that MADE them as well. Accuracy out to 100 is a thing of beauty from a rimfire, some are lucky enough to have a doorstop that will do it all day with whatever it is fed, and just as likley to have a bench queen that insists on a steady diet of Gold Medal whatever to shoot just a bit better than average. Allthough nothing is certain, it is hard to go wrong with the bolt guns that are already classics, and at the risk of competing with a new bidder in the future, because i don't have enough of them already, I would say that a few of the classics would satisfy most users if they put em to use. The Winchester 69 is a grand rifle, clip fed, 5 or 10 round, the 72A is a thing of beauty with a tube magazine, and in the Remington's you have the 511 with the clip, and 512 with the tube. Truley classic rifles and any of them should do all that can be expected from a rimfire, especially if the majority of shooting will be with whatever ammo was available, and from an unsupported shooting position, these fine classics will make believers of most. Just my two cents though. Hoep you find what you are looking for.

 

[liltank]

I like tube feed rifle's. They load easier, feed well, and hold 14 to 17 rounds. I had a Marlin and an old Mossberg. Accurate little boogers.

Tank

 

[FAL Shot]

First, being a Ruger 10/22 owner, I can tell you to stay away from a Ruger 10/22 if accuracy is your goal. It takes more money to get them up to out-of-the-box CZ 452 accuracy than a CZ 452 will cost you. I use mine with 30-round magazines to machine gun prairie dogs uising cheap ammo when they are bunched up; otherwise, it's a fairly worthless rifle to me.

I never could stand the Savage style of bolt. CZ 452 is closer to Mauser style. CZ 452 is almost same size, balance, style and weight as CZ 527, so it's a good trainer for the more expensive centerfire. I chose a CZ452 in .22LR and a CZ 527 in .223 Rem. Good 2-rifle combo at dogtown. CZ 452 takes out the close PD's, with Stingers or Velocitors, both very accurate in a CZ 452.

The other possibility is the Ruger 77/22 and M77 combination. My brother-in-law went that route, with a M77 MkII in .22-250 to match his 77/22 in .22LR. Handling is very similar to one another, just like in the CZ's mentioned above.

If you have deep pockets, a Sako Quad rimfire and Sako 85 centerfire combo would be hard to beat at any price. If I could afford it, that is probably what I would own.

Another good combo would be a Kimber rimfire and a Kimber centerfire rifle.

I believe your rimfire should be similar in handling to your centerfire, if you want to use the rimfire to be a training tool to keep you in handling practice for the centerfire. CZ rimfires are available with the single set trigger option. Maybe other combos are better than the CZ, but none I have found for the same price.

Too bad Remington and Winchester have decided not to compete against CZ, Sako, Ruger and Savage and have dropped their bolt action rimfires. A CZ 452 or Ruger 77/22 would go well with any Mauser type of centerfire, and both are well worth their price and available everywhere.

The CZ 455 and Sako Quad are especially versatile rifles with quick change barrels, if your needs change at different times of the year.

For 2011, CZ has dropped the price on the CZ 455 to $395 MSRP. They are an even better buy than in the past.

The more you shoot a CZ, the better it gets. I've put about 2000 rounds through my CZ 452 this summer at dogtown, and it just keeps working slicker and shooting straighter. Same goes for my CZ 527.

 

[topbrass]

CZ 452! I own three of them and they are the best accuracy and quality for the buck. Anies may be more accurate, but if you are not shooting benchrest, you wont know the difference.

 

[2018commo]

I have a Mossberg 44a which was a Boy Scout camp rifle at one point in its live, shoots very well with cheaper ammo. I also have a Remington 513T and was a former JR ROTC Champion's rifle, nothing special was done to the rifle, they just culled the best shooter out of a large collection. Probably my favorite open site rimfire. I bought my son a lefty 452 American, scary accurate especially in his hands (13yr old). Recently bought two of the CMP Kimbers, mine will stay open sight my son's (he gets it under the tree tomorrow!) has a 6x24 Pentax. I have shot my Kimber and really like it, and had three Boy Scouts qualify for the Rifle Shooting Merit Badge with it. Bang for the buck the Kimber is the best bet now, but they appear to be approaching the bottom of the barrel so be careful, especially if going for the 400 "Rusty" option.
BTW my son earned the right to shoot with optics when he was able to best my score with irons. A proud moment.
Merry Christmas and good luck with your choice.
Arnold

 

[Old Coach]

I have a LH CZ-452 that will shoot 1 3/8" groups @ 150yds.
Wolf MT ammo shoots the best in my rifle.
Also have a CZ scout that will shoot under 1" @100.
Can't beat a CZ for the price.

Coach

 

[ScottB]

Since no one has mentioned it.....did some looking around in the late 80's and found a Rem 541T-HB, stuck a Redfield 5-star 4-12x on it and my favorite ammo(Winchester T-22). At the range for a really quick sight in(never been that lucky...was only off maybe 4 clicks left and a few in elevation) and comsumed the rest of the day replacing the targets.
Shot some BR-50 matches with it, and if anyone knows about BR-50-it ain't an easy match. Never came in last, then again...never came in first either, normally right around the top five out of 20+ shooters. But considering I was shooting against custom gun with sorted ammo....couldn't complain!

Have only shot the .22 out to 150yards at eggs(got bored), didn't hit them every time, but was always just close enough to move them off their sitting spot to roll away. Egg shooting is fun after a few hours of not shooting.....the crows land to eat!


Good luck on your search!
Scott

 

[Vulture]

@ The Duke007, did you ever make a decision? You mentioned you might be picking one out in a few days. Just curious.

 

[coyotezapper]

Marlin Model 880 SS Micro Groove Barrel

NULA Model 20 Rimfire ( custom )