OT .22 rifle

[Tedoh]

I am going to buy a .22 rifle for my son for Christmas. Don"t know which one to buy. I"m not looking for a high dollar target rifle, will mainly be used for squirrel hunting. He is wanting a semi-auto. So far I"ve looked at a Marlin tube feed ,stainless barrel. Can"t remember the model. Ruger 10/22, and Remington 597.
Looking for opinions on the most reliable rifle for the money.
Thanks everyone, Ted.

 

[Dusty MI]

I like my Ruger 10/22, it has a clip magazine, which makes it easy to load and unload. You can can have a few rounds in the magazine but not in the rifle. It's best to keep the magazine no more 1/2 loaded so the spring is not compressed tight, in time it will loose some of it's compression if left fully loaded.

Dusty

 

[kyplowboy]

I have heard that the 597 is good but never shot one. Buddy of mine had a marlin model 60 I think a few years ago it it was not very reliable. Would only feed and eject of few brands.

My brother and I both have 10/22's and I can not say enough good about them. Both of ours have had close to or over 10,000 rounds shot out of'm and never missed a beat.

They are great squirrel guns out of the box and if he wants a tack drive'n target gun years from now, there is a world of after market goodies you can put on them.

Hope this helps.

Dave

 

[ericlb]

ive had a 10/22 for 30 years, shot the heck out of it, never any problems mine came with the 10 round box magazine and 'somebody' came up with a 30 round bannana clip for it, id highly recomend it [ the gun, not the clip, although thats fun too]

 

[Rich Griffin]

I have a Rem.511 Scoremaster bolt action w/6 shot clip,several years old but works great.

 

[Bus Driver]

For a first rifle, the single shot might be better. It encourages marksmanship. The first shot has to be on the mark.

 

[Mike M]

A couple of things to consider.

A semi auto type is not the best choice for a youngster.

A tube magazine is also not the best choice as they are the hardest to unload and on rare occasins a cartriage can get hung up in them fooling you into thinking it is empty when it is not and you can't see in there as it is all enclosed.

How many shots are you going to need to bring down a squirrel ? I'd think 1 per squirrel would be plenty.

And if you must have a semi auto those Ruger 10 22 are pretty hard to beat and their clip and clip choices are good too.

 

[Puller504]

I own a Marlin Model 60 tube fed .22 semiauto. Accurate, affordable and there"s no detachable magazine to forget/lose. The Marlin is reliable and the receiver is grooved for scope mounting. I also own a Ruger 1022. This semiauto is fed by a detachable magazine that fits flush within the firearm. I also own some 30 round detachable magazines for this rifle. This rifle is easier and faster to reload than the Marlin. The Marlin is a hunting rifle for me whereas my Ruger does better as a plinker/target shooter. Both are an excellent choice so my advice of course is to buy both! The Ruger has a whole aftermarket line of accessories/options that the Marlin lascks though. Hope this helps! Don

 

[parrothead]

I bought my kid a Rossi Trifecta last year. It is a single shot youth gun that comes with 3 different barrels - a .22, a 20 gauge shotgun and a .243 cal. He can now hunt squirrel, rabbit, quail, dove, turkey and deer with the same gun. It came with a handy soft case that holds the whole ball of wax. I was very pleased with the versatility of this gun and I am very happy with the purchase.

 

[Dave2N]

Each of my sons has a Ruger 10/22 and they like them. I decided to be different and bought Remington 597. I like it. I also have an older Remington 512 bolt action tubular mag that I picked up from a guy at work. I like that the best of all of them.

Don't overlook Savage; they have some nice bolt action .22's.

 

[Fordfarmer]

Never been a fan of 10/22's, although I like Rugers as a rule. Marlin has always been my first choice for .22's. Don't overlook their clip-fed semi-auto. Not sure what the newest version is, but I have a model 70HC with factory 7 and 15 round mags, and an after-market 25 rounder. Factory mags work better. Most Marlins are available in blued and stainless.

 

[bruster]

My dad shot competitively on the Westinghouse pistol team. He bought an Ithaca lever action single shot as my first gun at 12. It was great for learning accuracy and patience when shooting, and I did well in bring home a rabbit or pheasant for the table. But as far as I'm concerned, semi-autos have no place in hunting, or in the hands of a young person just learning to use a gun. I still have the Ithaca and a Remington bolt action 5 round clip and scope that I bought for $20 used when I was 17

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

Not sure how young your son is, but I'll say too, semi-auto is not the best point to start. I started bolt action Cooey, eventually worked my way up to a Nylon 66 but you know now my favorite of them all was a pump action 22, can't remember, bush/field master.

Patience is something kids have to learn and semi-auto doesn't teach it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have used a 10/22 Ruger and a 597 Remington extensively for gopher hunting (shooting really, you don't actually have to "hunt" them). I like them both. The 10/22 has a bit of a heavy trigger for my liking. As mentioned "novice hunter and semi auto" are words that make me nervous when used in the same sentence. I shot 3500 rounds this summer, THAT would take some time with a single shot.

 

[JT]

I have had my Marlin semi-auto since I was 12 years old, never had an issue at all. That, to me would be a good choice, I think they are still around $100.00. The only thing, you need to educate him to the proper and safe use of a weapon, if you have not already done that part.
A single shot, in inexperienced hands, are just as dangerous as a semi-auto.
jim

 

[Oldmax]

Don't buy him a Semi Auto Get a Bolt action Clip fed . I have an old I think is a Glenfeild 20 Marlin have had 45 years. That way he will have to learn to shoot not just spray a bunch of Lead.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

When I was about 14 or so, I got a Sears bolt action tube feed for my birthday. We soon discovered that you could set the safety and pull the trigger and it would kick the safety off and fire. Gunsmith said there was no fixing it, so back to Sears it went. Then I got a H&R bolt action, clip fed and I had alot of .22 shorts from shooting my mom's single shot Win mod 60, and tried to use them in the H&R, which was supposed to handle S-L-LR but it just shoved them down the front of the clip. In the end I got a Ruger 10/22. This was when they were very new on the market. I like it and it shoots fine, but I can see where for a first hunting gun, it might not be the right thing. I wasn't hunting with mine, just plinking. Ruger does make a bolt action, the 77/22 which uses the same magazine as the 10/22 and it a very well made gun. Probably too pricey however. The magazine is a main key to the success of the 10/22, and I've grown to hate cheap sheetmetal clips in guns such as 22's. Indeed tube guns are difficult to load and also to unload. I have a Rossi pump 22 clone of a early Winchester 22 pump but it appears that they no longer make any pump 22's.

I still like my mom's old Winchester Model 60 22 single shot, hand cocked (by pulling out the knob on the back of the bolt) It was made in the early '30's and I've put alot of rounds thru it.

Charles

 

[David from Kansas]

Just have to add my 2 cents worth. Still have the Remington 514 single shot I received for Christmas when I was 12. I think it cost $18.95 back then. A couple of years ago I bought a Henry lever .22 for shooting rabbits and birds around the farm. I like it and it is American made and inexpensive. But, kinda cumbersome to load with the tubular magazine, but I think it holds about 15 rds so don't usually have to do much reloading. I also owned a Remington Nylon 66 for several years and it was a good reliable gun, lightweight and clip feed.

 

[T_Bone]

Hi Ted,

I gotta agree with BD. With that in mind, I would buy him the Ruger 10/22 but only give him one cartridge at a time until he's thru the basic learning stage.

That way he gets want he wants and will take care of it but at the same time learned the marksmanship he needs.

T_Bone

 

[Kentb of SWMO]

Ruger 10/22 hands down. I have one. Sweet 22 auto loader. Saw a flier in the Sunday paper that Bass Pro had them for 229.00 at their Main Store in Springfield MO. I am 20 miles north.
I do not work for BP and have only been in their store twice since it was built on South Campbell.

Kent

 

[cornfarmer]

The 10-22 is a nice gun. Of all my .22 rifles, my Browning lever action BL-22 is my favorite. However, this little beauty has caught my eye for a clip-fed autoloader http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=004B&cat_id=021&type_id=025

 

[Sam#3]

Also one with a manual hammer. Never a question whether the weapon is cocked.

 

[Jiles]

One thing to thank about--A clip fed rifle such as the Ruger 10-22 is much faster to load and unload. For safety, the gun should ALWAYS be UNLOADED after use, INCLUDING the one in the chamber!

 

[eeleater]

Some folks here may not like this response- but the best combination -in a NEW gun- of accuacy for low price is the CZ 22 bolt actions. Not made in the USA- not as well finished as the older US made guns of the past others refer to- but well made where it counts.

I am involved in target shooting competion with 22's- run the local matches- and have seen a lot of people bring 10-22's. They simply do not shoot as well. This includes the ones which have been accurized by a good smith. In fact- I own one- but no longer shoot it in competition.

If you are going to buy used try and get to actually shoot the gun -with the brand of ammo you will actually use, and check the accuracy. 22"s are ammunition sensitive when it comes to accuracy- some more so than others. Sometimes the unstated reason the gun is being sold is that it does not shoot well, which may be true with the ammunition they use- and may not be with yours...

 

[hay]

Cricket .22 rifle. small, light, several different colors, single shot, and about $100 at wally-mart. made in U.S.A., good buy for a youngsters first rifle.

 

[Stan in Oly, WA]

Hi Ted,

I'm with those who advise against a semi-auto as a first .22 rifle. A boy will learn marksmanship and gun safety better with a single shot .22 than with an auto-loader.

My first .22 was a bolt action single shot Monkey Ward's Western Field. It had enough problems that I really learned a lot about how firearms worked by having to tinker with it to keep it shooting. It was accurate, though, and so was I. I learned to do what I needed to do with one shot.

When I got a tubular magazine semi-auto a few years later (almost identical to a Marlin Model 60, as I remember, but made by Springfield) I immediately became much more interested in how quickly I could put a whole magazine of bullets in the general direction of the target than in precise accuracy. I was somewhat encouraged in this attitude by my parents' friend who was the hardware store owner who sold me the gun. He was a nice man but a bit of a fool. At 15, though, I had stopped appreciating my father's careful, moderate style, and was pleased to be encouraged by an adult to strive for maximum firepower. (By the way, it took almost no time for my father to regain my respect. I took that rifle apart for cleaning and assembled it incorrectly so that it wouldn't work. I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong, and eventually had to take it to the local gunsmith. He took it apart, cleaned it, put it back together the same way I had, took my money and sent me on my way. When it still wouldn't shoot, my father went to the shop with me and told the gunsmith, quietly but clearly, "Either fix it or give the boy his money back." I was surprised to see the gunsmith look like he'd been told. He got the gun fixed that time.)

Jeff Cooper used to say that a group of well trained soldiers armed with lever action rifles could easily defeat an equivalent group of typically trained citizen/soldiers armed with full automatic weapons. Possessing too much firepower often creates a lack of respect for marksmanship (and tactics.) Learning to deal with the limitations of a single shot rifle will give your son a greater understanding of the weapon, and there's nothing to stop you from buying him a semi-auto later (or let him buy it with his own money and really appreciate it.)

All the best, Stan

 

[caterpillar guy]

I know I have a leaning to the Marlin levers. What you don't say is if he shoots right or left handed. If left handed the bolts everybody is touting are just a pain as the bolt handle is on the wrong side. If yo get a left hander they can be pricey. If down the road for some reason he trades or sells it the only person for it is a lefty. That is why I lean for the levers. I have several 22's and use the 39 marlin the most. They are lever action can be found in Pawn shops for aroung $150.00 They will shoot the ears off any 10/22 the 39 marlin is a nail driver for accuracy and will feed anything for ammunition.
Ok I'm off my stump now. Oh I shoot left handed too.

 

[Anonymous-0]

love my nylon 66 i got as a child so much .that when i found out the wife was expecting twin boys . i started looking for two more . found two mowhawk browns . they have them as for me im not letting my apache black go they can fight over it in probate.

 

[Tedoh]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Guess I should have given a little more information.
He has a Cricket that he has been shooting for several years. He has also been shooting my Remington Speedmaster for a year or so. He takes it when we go Squirrel hunting and usually does better than I do. I'm going to have to buy him something so I can have mine back. My eyes aren't good enough any more to hit a Squirrel with his open sight Cricket. Ted.

 

[Puller504]

Buy him a Ruger 1022. If you remove the magazine, he can single load his rounds and the rifle will function as a single shot! I don"t know why some men bash an autoloader as a first rifle. My Marlin Model 60 semiauto becomes a single shot if the inner tube is removed from the magazine. I"m surprised that no one points this out. Buy any semiauto firearm you can in the next year as they very well may be outlawed soon. Don

 

[S2710]

I would buy the 1022 it has the best clip of any that I have seen. never buy a newbe a tube feed the single shots are great but the ones I have had you had to cock by hand and if you didn't shoot you had the uncock by hand they can and will go off if you are not careful and if they are wearing gloves it WILL HAPPEN. The 1022 has a very good clip and it has the cross safety which is very good. I bought all 3 of my sons a 1022 when they turned 12 and they still have them and they work great. By the way my oldest is 39 and the youngest is 30 and they all 3 hunt a lot. Bob

 

[J.C.in AZ.]

For a starter Rifle I would recomend looking at Cabelas's Special they are running for Christmas. I bought one last year to carry on the Quad. A Mossberg .22 Cal LR Semi Auto with 10 shot Magazine.Shoots real good I think, I had to paint the Front Sight with some White Appliance Paint as I had a problem seeing it but my Eyes have been looking at things for 71 years so that is my excuse. Around $100.00 gets it to you.Not bad for a quality Rifle to start a youngster out on. Made in Brazil ,has Composite Stock and Anodized Barrel, grease it real good if you tend to get it wet.

 

[Doug in Illinois]

I agree, the Ruger 10/22 would be the best. Have him treat is as a single shot. The nice thing about the 10/22 is all the modifications you can make as he gets older. My 10/22 was bought new in 1976, is in fact engraved as produced in the 200th year of American Liberty. I don't keep it as clean as I should, but has never jammed or otherwise malfunctoned. DOUG

 

[lucas boy]

i started out at 8 with a stevens 1915 single shot ,still have it had to replace firing pin in 1985 i think. bought a 10/22 in 78 . i never could really hit anything with it. i let cheif aj work on it for me and after that is the most accurate 22 i have.ive outshot expensive rifles with it.the problem was the rear sight had to be replaced , not enough adjustment on it,it was made wrong. he slicked the other parts up for me too. aj holds the world record for shooting asprin with a 10/22.sounds like your son has some experience ,you can judge if hes ready for semi auto gun (take the clip out and cycle the bolt ,looking in the breach when done) but every boy knows they are more fun.. i think many times the only problem with 22s that wont hit are the sights have really never been sighted in or replaced if neccesary.i was long range trained in service and helped train snipers with the 30 cal rifles.its a pain when your eyes go south.lucas

 

[Anonymous-0]

If it must be a semiauto then it muct be a Ruger 10/22. I have had the marling 60 and it was a jamomatic. I think mmost agree the 10/22 is the finest semi .22 made.
That said, get him a lever action Marlin .22. It is a lifetime firearm that he will appreciate even when he is an old man. Even a clip fed bolt gun would be better than a semi.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I would recommend a slide action rifle. My first 22 was a Rossi (Interarms) remake of a model 62 Winchester slide action (pump). It has an external hammer (no question if it is cocked). The safety is a ¼ cock on the action. The shells eject straight up, so the gun is completely ambidextrous. There is also a small notch, so you can even tell if a round is chambered. The gun breaks down into two pieces, and it is very easy to clean. Another bonus is that you can shoot long rifles and shorts. (Both are marked on the barrel.) That makes for quite plinking.

Just a thought…

 

[Dan67]

I started out with Remmington 22 targetmaster single shot bolt action, safer for young shooters, chamber is empty after shot and you learn to be more accurate. Enjoy it with him what ever you decide.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I"ve got Dad"s 50+ year old Marlin 39A action .22, and I think that would be an ideal gun for a young person. Tubular magazine, so no clip to lose in the woods; hammer tells you whether it"s cocked and ready to fire or not; shoots .22 shorts, longs, and long rifles. This one is old enough the receiver wasn"t grooved for a scope, but I found a Weaver scope mount through Bass Pro Shops, and it now sports a Tasco 4X scope.

And I figure when my 15-month-old grandson is ready for his own multi-shot .22 for hunting [in 10-15 years, of course, depending on his demonstrated level of maturity], it"ll get passed along to him. It"s simply that good a rifle.

 

[Sam from WA]

Try out a Thompson/Center R-55 or 22 Classic. I have the T/C Silver Lynx (it's just an older R-55 .22) You will be glad you did. The standard R-55 is capable of printing groups tighter than the factory "target" Ruger 10/22. I've had two or three of the 10/22, no more for me. all were pieces of junk and jamomatics like no tommorrow. I tried the Silver Lynx, it'll function flawlessly on subsonic loads and it'll do so for a couple thousand rounds before it needs cleaning. All rimfires start to develop misfiring issues when they get dirty, but the Silver Lynx is the only S/A I've owned that hasn't had functioning issues.

 

[Sam from WA]

Thompson/Center makes an excellent .22 rifle. They do cost a little bit more than a Ruger 10/22 or something comparable, but well worth the money spent. My Silver Lynx has held up very well for me, and will function on just about any load that is put in the chamber. Mine gets shot rapid fire a good percent of the time, and the only thing I have noticed real recently is I'm startingto get some gas erosion on the back of the bolt, but that was caused by me not taking care of the gun the way I should have been. I love the Thompson I have, and I do have to say that it is a heavy gun, but I find it easier to shoot if they are a little heavier.

Get your shooting supplies before external_link gets into office though.

 

[Mr. Bob]

One of the lowest priced .22 semi-auto rifles is the Savage model 64(62). I've owned and fired more .22 rifles in the past 50 years than I can recall. The Savage semi-auto, in my opinion is unbeatable for both reliablity and accuracy. The Ruger 10/22 is a fine .22 rifle, but I'll put the Savage 64 up against one any time, any where, any place. The Savage has a 10 shot detachable mag. and a black synthetic stock and is very balanced and streamlined. I bought my first one a few years ago, used, and when my local gunshop got another one in, I bought it for my wife. These rifles have thus far functioned flawlessly with any sort of ammo I've fed them. i've put a few thousand thru my first one with absolute dependibility.
Mr. Bob

 

[Anonymous-0]

The Stevens 87 or Savage 6 with tube magazines can hold a cartridge in the tube when the tube is removed.You have to pull the bolt back to get the last cartridge out of the tube.I do not care for single shot rifles that are cocked full time.Marlin made plenty of hand cocked single shot 22s.The Stevens 87 can be used semi auto or as a bolt action.It can handle 22 shorts,longs and long rifle cartridges when used as a bolt action.Early models of this rifle were marked Springfield.

 

[Bud in FLA]

I've got my father's 39A, too. The iron sites on it were more accurate than my friends scopes were. I'm 57 now and that rifle was already old when my father died 50 years ago but I still prefer it over any other .22 I've ever used.

 

[Tedoh]

Thanks again everyone. The local gun shop has a Mossberg Plinkster on sale for $100.00. Feels like a decent gun. Will probably give it a try. Ted.

 

[buickanddeere]

Not a semi for a 1st time user. He will "spray and pray" instead of concentrating on aiming.

 

[Wilsonfire]

Please DON"T buy a plinkster. My son"s has been in the gunshop twice already. Plastic part in the ejection system. It is an accurate rifle, however. I was told the plinskter is being discontinued soon.I think 2 or 3 "manufacters" sell it under different names. The boy does shoot quite a bit. His twin has a Remington 597 semi auto and we have had zero problems with it. It is all around a much better quality rifle but costs more money.

 

[Mr. Bob]

Well,like I said, for both cost and performance, I highly reccomend the Savage 64(62). You couldn't go wrong.
Mr. Bob