# looking for .22 advice



## wright7414 (Mar 30, 2007)

In the market for a .22 and have it narrowed down to the marlin model 60, marlin 795 and ruger 10/22. From what i have read online the Ruger is not very good out of the box but has the most mods available. I am looking for the best .22 out of the box to plink around with and hunt squirrel.

Thanks


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## 5Cent (Jun 4, 2004)

Just curious, why not a Remington 597? I enjoy shooting mine and with a 3x9 and hollow points, it brings down almost anything (stray cats, *****, squirrels).


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## PITCHNIT (Nov 2, 2004)

Lots of good .22's to pick from. Check out Rimfirecentral.com tons of info. The triggers in the new savage accutrigger are really sweet. I love my CZ. Good luck and enjoy.


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## jeffmo (Apr 7, 2004)

check out what savage has.the prices are very good which leaves more money for a good scope.


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## discoii (Mar 28, 2009)

I own 6 CZ 452's so I am biased however a ruger or savage is a good overall rifle. If you want accuracy out of the box spend the extra money and get a CZ 452 they have several models but all have a great reputation for accuracy out of the box. When you look at the different models keep in mind they all have the same action. The difference between models are length of barrel and style of rifle.


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## Poohflinger (Feb 2, 2010)

Never had a problem with my Ruger 10/22. Cycled flawlessly. It was just too short for me to hold. I really like my Marlin Model 60. Never an issue and points better due to it being a longer stock than my Ruger. I almost baught a Savage but never did. It fits me and is priced the same as the Marlin. I usually break mine out to hunt rabbits couple times a year. Fun as heck with a semi auto .22


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Don't know where you aquired your info on the Ruger but I do not agree. I bought mine when they first came out which i believe was in the early 60's.
Have put thousands of rounds through the rifle without a single malfunction. The only thing I could comment on was the rough trigger pull which may have been inproved over the last forty plus years. The Ruger is as accurate as needed for small game hunting and does a decent job at 100 yards but cannot be compared with the high dollar (hundreds) rifles that are desired by some avid bench shooters. I have shot silhouette with a bull barreled, improved trigger, thumb hole stock 10/22 and it held it's own against other high accuracy 22's.
With all that being said, you should buy what you like best from a budjet and eye appeal standpoint if you are looking for a plinking rifle as all the major recognized name manufacturers produce very aceptable 22's.
Let us know what you decide on and have fun with it.


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## wright7414 (Mar 30, 2007)

From reading reviews on the guns and talking to a couple of the guys at gander, i have read a lot about how the rugers are great guns and they have pages and pages of upgrades that others do not. But without upgrades, a lot of the reviews i have read, say they are not that great if you keep them stock. All three are in the budget im willing to spend, $100-280. By far i think the ruger looks the best, but not sure it shoots anymore accurate or better then the other brands. Also is there much difference between tube fed and clip fed? the marlin 597 is clip and the model 60 is tube.

Thanks for all the advice guys


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## 5Cent (Jun 4, 2004)

wright7414 said:


> From reading reviews on the guns and talking to a couple of the guys at gander, i have read a lot about how the rugers are great guns and they have pages and pages of upgrades that others do not. But without upgrades, a lot of the reviews i have read, say they are not that great if you keep them stock. All three are in the budget im willing to spend, $100-280. By far i think the ruger looks the best, but not sure it shoots anymore accurate or better then the other brands. Also is there much difference between tube fed and clip fed? _the marlin 597 is clip_ and the model 60 is tube.
> 
> Thanks for all the advice guys


This is my only small complaint on this gun. I have 5 clips, and on the oldest 2 (8yrs old), the springs are getting soft and it doesn't like to load when fully loaded. I've shot thousands of rounds through this gun, and I believe it was leaving the clips loaded when I first bought it that wore them out. Besides that, I agree the Ruger is better looking. For hunting and brush busting the poly is nice.


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## Nikster (Mar 14, 2007)

IMO;

Hands down I vote for the 'RUGER.' I've got the S/S Manlicher (spelling?) stock & have shot THOUSANDS & THOUSANDS of rounds from it with out a hitch. I would venture to say that in the 22cal., mode there is no other model that has sold as many as the 10/22. I'm just guessing?

There is nothing wrong with the other models mentioned by others. ALL GOOD. 

A buddy has a Henry lever action that is really a sweet rifle, & just has a nice feel to it when shooting. So with all the comments made by others its a choice of the individual & what THEY HAVE & swear by them. 

Had a standard 10/22 before I upgraded to the S.S. one & don't remember how long I had it but shot that one thousands of rounds & I gave it to a friends son in Missouri for his 1st., rifle. He shoots the snot out of it & many a tree rat for its real intended purpose'
Again FLAWLESS.

Nik,


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## TomC (Aug 14, 2007)

Go with the Ruger 10/22. I have two, well one the other is the wifes. I have a standard walnut stock with a 3x9x32 on it. its been accurate for years. The wife has a limited addition Ruger Race Rifle. There were only 1500 made and hers is #360. Its got the thumb hole stock and heavy barrell, along with a lot of titanium parts and a 12-24x50 scope on top. Yeah i know it seems like much but man at 100yrds and beyond it great. 

They are accurate out of the box i just like having a scope on my rifles. Many upgrades and options and a million different stocks. They even have a stock that makes the 10/22 look like an M249 SAW with the box mag!


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## chris1162 (Mar 12, 2008)

another vote for the ruger. i also have a remington but it seems to jam more for me.


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

I got the marlin 795 and the ruger 10/22. I got my marlin set up with a barska 3x9 scope and a bipod and also a shoulder sling. My 10/22 has a tru glo red dot scope and a 20 round hot lips banana clip. Both guns are great to shoot and very accurate! the only thing is the ruger does not have the mounts to put a sling on it where the marlin does. and the marlin has a 7 shot clip only I believe where you can get all different sized clips for the ruger.

ps. here is a pic of my 2


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## AJ1991WB (Mar 3, 2010)

The stocks on the 10/22's are really short. I shoot about 250 rounds a week all off hand with factory iron sights and when I went to the Butler Creek folding stock i noticed i was shooting slightly better. In all the 10/22 would probably be you're best bet, as for accuracy its not a match grade rifle but its more than capable of minute of squirrel groups. As for the comments about the Rem 597, you'll be a master gunsmith after owning one of those.


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## F1504X4 (Mar 23, 2008)

I've got a 597 and had it about a year and a half. I got the one that came with the scope and out of the box was dead nuts on. I must be a lucky one because I have put a couple thousand rounds through it without ANY malfunction. Personally I really like the gun!


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## Huntinbull (Apr 10, 2004)

I think Savage has better out of the box guns than Marlin. Marlins are good, don't get me wrong but the accuracy of those savage barrels is pretty darn good. 

If you are going to buy the gun, scope it and thats it, check out some Savage models. If there might be modifications in the future, then get the ruger.

Huntinbull


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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

I started hunting with the tube fed semi autos years ago. My buddies and I all used tube fed ..22's back then. I had a old winchester 190, another guy had the marlin 60, another fella carried the ruger 10/22 and another guy had the rem. 552.... all these .22's killed squirrels and lots of them. Over the years I have had several semi autos and still have them and like them all. One thing that I don't like about the tube fed type now is that when you load and unload several times the hollow points tend to get deformed from smashing the bullets on top of one another. This is where I think the rotary mag on the Rugers are tops, They tuck up inside the rifle and are out of the way. The detachable straight mags like on the Mossberg 702 or the Savage MKII hang down outside the stock and can make carrying them a bit of a pain. but at least your bullets don't get deformed. As for accuacy from these rifles out of the box I'm not real sure there is much of a difference, you will have to find the ammo that particular rifle likes. I am sure that you will get what you pay for. My most accurate out of the box .22 semi auto was the T/C classic, but even though I paid more for it than say a Savage, or Ruger, or a Rem. this was one case where the gun was a genuine jam-o-matic. When it shot, it was very accurate, but getting it to shoot was a pain. I sent that rifle back twice before they gave me a brand new one. Needles to say by this time I was so disgusted that I didn't even bother to try it out. I sold it nib. and bought a Ruger 10/22 T. Now the T is a nice shooting rifle but darn heavy to hunt with. Well time has passed and now I like the bolt action rifles, for squirrel hunting. I think they are truely more accurate. But if you want a semi auto be carful what you buy, some of these cheaper semi autos are now made with lots of plastic. That Savage MKII would be nice and accurate and the trigger would most likely be the best out of the box. I just don't like the fit of the plastic stocks. They feel toy like to me. I think that maybe I would be looking at some of the Ruger models like the 10/22 Deluxe sporter or the Ruger 10/22 Light Varmint. They may cost you a little more than the regular Ruger 10/22 carbine model but imho they are a better grade of rifle..... So look around at all there is out there and hold them to see how they feel. Check to see what is plastic and what is not. If you know someone who owns one or more of what your looking at ask if you may shoot them. Sometimes just a visit to a local shooting range will help. I'm sure if you ask someone how they like the one they are shooting and you tell them you are thinking of getting one, they may offer you a few shots. Now you'll have a good idea of what your getting for your money... Well good luck with your search if it hasn't ended already. Hope you have lots of fun with your new .22!#!#!#


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

I will throw in another vote for the CZ 452, I really like my Americans. I had alot of fun back in my younger days with my Glenfield semi though, it was not very accurate but I sure had a ball putting rounds downrange.


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## flthednut (Feb 17, 2007)

Oh, when I said I like my bolt actions now I meant the CZ 452's !%


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## allwayzfishin (Apr 30, 2008)

i picked up a marlin mod 60 for 50 bucks last year. i put a nice scope on it and did a custom camo job on the wood stock since it was dinged up. what a great shooter. busting eggs at 100 yards with brick gold bullets. my scope has mil-dots and makes long shots easier.the camo looks awesome and my brother liked the camo job so much he had me do his muzzleloader. i then did the same pattern on my new mossberg 930 autoloader. ill try to put up some pics. in the marketplace recently under" rifles for sale" there is a NIB stainless marlin mod 60 with a carbon fiber stock and scope for 225. i wanted to buy it but i came across a marlin 1894cs lever action in a garage sale sat that i just had to have for the asking price.. the stainless mod 60 would be a great gun and will never rust. perfect survival weapon and plinker. just my 2 cents. good luck with whatever you choose.


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## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

I put my vote on the Ruger 10/22. My 2 cents on the whole accuracy issues with these guns is this The Gun is only as accurate as you can shoot it. I am a gunsmith and I can't tell you how many times I have had people bring me guns wanting me to improve the accuracy only to shoot the gun myself and shoot super tight groups with it. I bought a Ruger about 8 years ago and it shot damn good out of the box. So I bought another and tricked it all out to be shot left handed as I'm a lefty I gave the other 10/22 to my sister for her birthday. And I can't tell you how many ground hogs, squirrels, rabbits, and the odd fox we have killed with our 10/22's. Here's a pic of the one I built from the receiver up!


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## allwayzfishin (Apr 30, 2008)

heres the camo job i did on the marlin and the mossberg 930. that little marlin is very accurate but unfortunately there isnt too many modifications that can be done to it except for changing the stock. if you can find one on the cheap pick it up. its a natural pointer and reliable. they can be had for 40- 100 bucks at pawnshops,shows,garage sales. i would still like to get the ruger so i could dress her up. i think the look tacticool.good luck and keep your peepers open on a good deal.


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## Socom (Nov 3, 2005)

If you are looking for something really fun to shoot, pick up a .22 MP5 or M4. My buddy got both of those last year from a gun show and they were a blast to shoot at the range. We were able to use an indoor range with them and just light up targets. They are pretty accurate right out of the box too.


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