After growing up and moving out and away from home I've been missing having my Dad's Marlin .22 that I could use when I wanted for squirrel hunting. Currently most of what I hunt has varied habitat so I take my 20 O/U, but a few places are mostly squirrel and deer. When I hunt those early season I would really like to have a .22 and am now slowly researching what I'd like to get used.
Any suggestions as to a reliable .22 bolt or lever action, that I might be able to get for reasonable price used? (Not looking for a safe queen here) I figure this sort of hunting will keep me busy until small game starts again next Fall.
depends on your budget. i have two that i can highly recommend.
rem 582 - older, tube fed guns made from late 60's to early 80's. decent ones go for around $250. mine is extremely accurate and very light.
ruger 77/22 - been made for about 30 years. clip fed, very accurate and good looking. you can find used ones for around $450.
the current crop of marlins and savages are more utilitarian. good shooters but not really good lookers. with perhaps the exception of the savage classic. CZ makes a nice one too for about the same as a used 77/22.
For a really fun gun to shoot look at the Henry lever actions. Bought my son one a couple of years ago. The whole family loves it. Any questions shoot Henry an email & you'll get a personal reply from the president himself.
Can't go wrong with the looks or the accuracy of a lever gun in 22. jmls is right about the Henry's. Henry makes a nice one with a brass receiver and also just a plain jane blued receiver. Just as accurate...just not as pretty.
i have a savage mark II 22 lr 10 round magazine fed absolute tack driver and can be had new for around $250 not really sure what they're going for used my guess around $150
go with marlin! I want to get the 983 ss. I am not sure if they make the 17 mach 2 anymore but it is better than the 22 cal in my opinion. Dont have any pics of squirrels i got with the mach 2. the black gun is a .22
notice the shot placement. Not saying you wont do as good with another brand but marlin is the only rimfire i or my future kids will own. Only gripe is their actions come greasy or dirty.
sorry the pics were so big i thought they were resized.
I love that snow picture might make it my back ground. Hope you go with marlin. If not i would say savage is just as good if not better with the accu trigger. Just biased i guess. Shot a guys savage 17 at the range with a modified trigger. He said he couldn't get it zeroed. I shot the number 10 out of a morell target and suggested he not touch his scope.
Not sure on the black 22 price these days. Couldnt be more than 140 bucks new.
I like Marlin 22's for a couple reasons.
1 - they are about as inexpensive as you can get.
2 - They are the most accurate guns I've ever used.
3 - You can pick one up just about anywhere.
I have a couple, and I will say I really like the tube feed guns better than clip fed. With a clip the balance point is where the clip is at. It makes carrying with one hand a bit more of a pain. The tube feed is smooth on the bottom. Mine holds 17 rounds of lr ammo. I usually just load the tube, and go hunting. It's rare that I have to add more bullets.
I shoot an older Marlin Model 25. Got it for christmas in 1986. Still to this day it is the most accurate .22 LR I have ever had the pleasure of firing.
You just have to find the loads that the particular rifle likes....Mine likes CCI Mini-Mag HP's. It makes one ragged hole at 50 yards with the full clip.
I love the looks of some of the higher priced guns out there and am a fan of lever actions and pumps. But if you can find a decent, used Marlin bolt action......You will be pleasantly surprised.....Not only in the accuracy but also in the fact that your wallet will not take tooo much of a beating.
Thanks for all of your input everyone! That helps to point me in the right direction for once the late season ends next month and I switch from hunting rabbits to .22's.
Possum, I just shot my uncle's vintage Browning T-bolt over Christmas. That was one sweet gun, but we'll have to see if I could ever find one in as nice condition for a lower price!
Look into CZ. I have a 452 trainer in .22 and 452 American in .17hmr. Cannot beat their out-of-box accuracy for the price and the .22 handles a wide range of ammo.
When I was a yound boy, I saved up my wood splitting money and bought a Remington 572 Fieldmaster. Great .22, glad I have it. It was the last gun I bought with my Grandfather.
Rem 581... I'd never go with any other. Suckers are as accurate as the man/woman behind it and are relatively inexpensive. Find a load that it likes, and you have a squirrel killing machine.
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