Rimfire Madness: The Infection Begins

[dbg326]

I'm all for oddball things, but mine have been priced at the point where if something went wrong, it wouldn't be the end of the world (Mossberg 46B was $90 in ok shape, missing the rear peep). Not an odd ball by any means, but the Marlin 60SS was $130 with a cheap Simmons.

Under the $200 or so dollar mark, I'm willing to take a risk if it's something I find cool or unusual. Past that I typically ask myself more questions.

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[wtburnette]

Thanks guys!
Appreciate the input about scopes and will definitely go slow about a rifle.
The scope got my attention, and made me look since the price point seemed OK if the optic was right.

Don't let the scope make too much of an impact on your decision, the biggest thing will be the accuracy and reliability of the rifle. That should be your biggest concern. After you find a rifle that suits your needs, then you get glass for the distance you will want to shoot. The glass doesn't have to be crazy expensive for rimfire. My first scope was a 3x9x40 Bushnell that worked great at 25 yards. It was less than $70. I upgraded recently as I wanted to shoot consistently at 50 yards and occasionally at 100 yards. I bought a Vortex Diamondback Tactical 4x12x40 from AAoptics at the NRA Convention for $210. It was a step up in price, but the quality and warranty help make up for that. At some point if this isn't fitting my needs I might go with something with higher magnification, but this is fine for now. I need to work on my skills and consistency at 50 yards before I worry too much about stretching out to 100 yards.

Something else you'll want to look at are bench rests and bags, like a Caldwell "The Rock" or "Rock Jr", or a lead sled if you want something that locks it in better. That will help you stabilize so you can shoot nice, accurate groups.

 

[wtburnette]

BTW, I should state that I'm really new to rifles and scopes, so take my comments with a grain of salt. This is just what I've learned in my own personal journey over the last year or so. I was lucky enough to get a great deal on a killer rifle that I'll never fully measure up to. If I was just starting out with rimfire rifle and didn't have a deal on a rifle like I managed, I'd either grab a Ruger Precision Rimfire, or a CZ 452/455, the needed glass and shooting rest and start learning.

 

[Areoflyer09]

^ this times 100. For general use, particularly with rimfires, you don’t have to have the expensive scopes. Most of mine cost around $110 with one that was $180.

Your use (distance, location, goals, etc.) will determine the quality of the scope needed.

 

[Hohn]

Nice shooting WTB. Very impressed. Your groups look good sir. And that is a very nice rifle indeed.

Was that 100y?

Must have been a calm day!

I can actually see my bullets move a bit in the wind as they approach 100y at Atterbury. But this is Aguila Pistol Match and it’s only about 850fps.

Very accurate indoors though.

 

[Hohn]

^ this times 100. For general use, particularly with rimfires, you don’t have to have the expensive scopes. Most of mine cost around $110 with one that was $180.

Your use (distance, location, goals, etc.) will determine the quality of the scope needed.

My $260 10x42 SWFA is a perfect match for my CZ 455. I can spot little 22lr bullet holes at 100y with fair to middling eyesight.

MOA quad reticle has a tiny center dot, love it for rimfire target work.

Seems to work perfectly on critters too in very poor light.

 

[T-DOGG]

Was that 100y?

Must have been a calm day!

I can actually see my bullets move a bit in the wind as they approach 100y at Atterbury. But this is Aguila Pistol Match and it’s only about 850fps.

Very accurate indoors though.

50 yards. We're just getting our feet wet at this point and having fun with it too. 100 yards will come soon enough.

 

[Areoflyer09]

My $260 10x42 SWFA is a perfect match for my CZ 455. I can spot little 22lr bullet holes at 100y with fair to middling eyesight.

MOA quad reticle has a tiny center dot, love it for rimfire target work.

Seems to work perfectly on critters too in very poor light.

I’m not a fan of high magnification, it hurts more than it helps for me. I spend most of the time between 3-6x. Much above that and the loss of quick acquisition and stability cause problems for me. I tend to shoot off hand or improvise a rest more than I actually use a rest. Thinking about it, I don’t think I’ve really tried for groups with a rifle in probably 8 months. I’ve had a lot more fun picking off lollipops or ringing steel lately.

My wife much prefers bench resting and prefers more magnification. She is vey much the one that has enjoyed shooting for groups more so lately.

Everyone is different on this front and what they like. Just isn’t a single right answer when it comes to optics.

 

[Hop]

I'm thinking about moving up to 32x or maybe 36x on my 10/22 Smallbore gun. I've got a 6-24x on it right now & am doing OK. The X ring at 100 yards is 1" in diameter. I'm in prone with only a sling trying to hold steady with less than ~1/2" of reticle jitter.

 

[doddg]

Drove to Camby after work today to buy a SW Model 18 Master Combat .22LR revolver ($400).
I was going to buy a Model 17 along with it, but had sold. I could get both for $700.
I thought I'd try the Model 18 out for fun since is it supposed to be deadly accurate.
It wasn't as big or heavy as I'd hoped, the Ruger GP100 .22LR or the Taurus 990 that I had felt bigger in my hand.
They were both in "worn" condition, but the older guy told me they were both shot flawlessly.
But, I wasn't satisfied on tightness of the cylinder, not as good as I was used to.
The deal breaker though was that the cylinder didn't fall/pop out easily but got hung up a little.
The double action pull was better than my other two that I mentioned though.

I didn't mind the model 18 showing its age, but no need to buy a revolver that is not as "smooth" in all facets than others I've owned.
That took out the desire to see for myself about the accuracy.
I will console myself by taking out the magnificent Dan Wesson 8" barrel, 54 oz. that I bought off a member here for a range trip.

 

[doddg]

Found this interesting item, but didn't persue it b/c I have to walk out the door in a minute, and it is by the same seller as the Marlin that never responded when I asked him about the scope brand.

Like new Remington model 597 22lr semi , 10 round mag, 20" heavy barrel, laminated wood stock , scoped great shooting rifle. $400.00 cash.

 

[Areoflyer09]

Found this interesting item, but didn't persue it b/c I have to walk out the door in a minute, and it is by the same seller as the Marlin that never responded when I asked him about the scope brand.

Like new Remington model 597 22lr semi , 10 round mag, 20" heavy barrel, laminated wood stock , scoped great shooting rifle. $400.00 cash.

I don’t think you’ll find very many people that recommend the 597. I’m not sure I’ve heard anyone say they like the factory trigger, most seem to agree a trigger job is mandatory.

 

[KJQ6945]

I don’t think you’ll find very many people that recommend the 597. I’m not sure I’ve heard anyone say they like the factory trigger, most seem to agree a trigger job is mandatory.

This!

The 597 is a pretty crappy, cheap rifle. I bought one as a suppressor host, and the trigger was absolutely terrible. $4 bills seems like a whole lot for one too.

 

[mcapo]

Found this interesting item, but didn't persue it b/c I have to walk out the door in a minute, and it is by the same seller as the Marlin that never responded when I asked him about the scope brand.

Like new Remington model 597 22lr semi , 10 round mag, 20" heavy barrel, laminated wood stock , scoped great shooting rifle. $400.00 cash.

Buy what you like...but if I had to buy one 22 rifle; it just might be a CZ bolt. Seems like they always have good to great accuracy and I think I paid $400 for one used and it was the most accurate 22 I have ever had until Turbo made me buy a TacSol.

Granted, 22's aren't my expertise so just do whatever Turbo says.

 

[mcapo]

Drove to Camby after work today to buy a SW Model 18 Master Combat .22LR revolver ($400).
I was going to buy a Model 17 along with it, but had sold. I could get both for $700.
I thought I'd try the Model 18 out for fun since is it supposed to be deadly accurate.
It wasn't as big or heavy as I'd hoped, the Ruger GP100 .22LR or the Taurus 990 that I had felt bigger in my hand.
They were both in "worn" condition, but the older guy told me they were both shot flawlessly.
But, I wasn't satisfied on tightness of the cylinder, not as good as I was used to.
The deal breaker though was that the cylinder didn't fall/pop out easily but got hung up a little.
The double action pull was better than my other two that I mentioned though.

I didn't mind the model 18 showing its age, but no need to buy a revolver that is not as "smooth" in all facets than others I've owned.
That took out the desire to see for myself about the accuracy.
I will console myself by taking out the magnificent Dan Wesson 8" barrel, 54 oz. that I bought off a member here for a range trip.

Model 17 is going to be more of a Target model than the 18. You probably noticed this in a side by side comparison.

 

[Areoflyer09]

For an affordable bolt action 22 rifle, I’d stick with CZ, Ruger and Savage.

For an affordable semi auto, Ruger. Actually I like the non-Ruger 10/22s more than the Rugers. I don’t think I’ve spent time any other semi-auto 22s.

 

[Hohn]

Buy what you like...but if I had to buy one 22 rifle; it just might be a CZ bolt. Seems like they always have good to great accuracy and I think I paid $400 for one used and it was the most accurate 22 I have ever had until Turbo made me buy a TacSol.

Granted, 22's aren't my expertise so just do whatever Turbo says.

I own one .22LR rifle: CZ455 Varmint with the Boyd's varminter stock. I bought new and it'll last a lifetime. Yes, it's heavy for a .22LR. But it's light enough to shoot offhand accurately, the action runs like butter, and the Boyd's stock is superb.

If you don't go down the rabbit hole of Lilja and Manners and such, it's a pretty good bargain, too. Though perhaps not as a good a deal as the Training Rifle version of the CZ rimfire.

 

[Areoflyer09]

I have a serious problem. Like I probably need help.

So I know I’m being nit picky, but missing my 4lb goal for the Ultralight has been bugging me. Letting it stew on the back of my mind got my thinking about trigger groups. I’ve got a 10/22 with the plastic housing instead of the aluminum housing that TacSol uses. Could that be enough?

Factory plastic trigger housing with Kidd trigger job kit: 4.6oz
TacSol aluminum trigger kit: 6.9oz
Factory plastic housing + Kidd trigger kit - factory bolt hold open: 4.3oz
New weight for the Ultralight 10/22 is 3lb 13.5oz! Woo hoo!!!

I need someone to blame this on...

 

[doddg]

I don’t think you’ll find very many people that recommend the 597. I’m not sure I’ve heard anyone say they like the factory trigger, most seem to agree a trigger job is mandatory.

This!
The 597 is a pretty crappy, cheap rifle. I bought one as a suppressor host, and the trigger was absolutely terrible. $4 bills seems like a whole lot for one too.

Buy what you like...but if I had to buy one 22 rifle; it just might be a CZ bolt. Seems like they always have good to great accuracy and I think I paid $400 for one used and it was the most accurate 22 I have ever had until Turbo made me buy a TacSol.

For an affordable bolt action 22 rifle, I’d stick with CZ, Ruger and Savage.
For an affordable semi auto, Ruger. Actually I like the non-Ruger 10/22s more than the Rugers. I don’t think I’ve spent time any other semi-auto 22s.

I own one .22LR rifle: CZ455 Varmint with the Boyd's varminter stock. I bought new and it'll last a lifetime. Yes, it's heavy for a .22LR. But it's light enough to shoot offhand accurately, the action runs like butter, and the Boyd's stock is superb.

If you don't go down the rabbit hole of Lilja and Manners and such, it's a pretty good bargain, too. Though perhaps not as a good a deal as the Training Rifle version of the CZ rimfire.

Priceless input! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback!
I know nothing about rifles other than Henry Lever-action, Remington 19 round semi-auto and and an old Savage, all of which I used to have in the past.

I hear you loud and clear about the 597.
CZ keeps coming up, as I know it would, with some telling me they prefer one model over another.
I will limit myself to the CZ, Ruger and Savage as suggested.
I'm in no hurry at all, in fact, I need to sell a couple of guns to hustle up some money, but if a dynamite deal came along..................
I was hoping to get a rifle with the scope already on it thinking that would be the less expensive route.
My head was turned when I saw the $275 rifle with a scope, but I was told it was overpriced, and that is the type of mistake I want to avoid: thanks!

 

[patience0830]

Buy what you like...but if I had to buy one 22 rifle; it just might be a CZ bolt. Seems like they always have good to great accuracy and I think I paid $400 for one used and it was the most accurate 22 I have ever had until Turbo made me buy a TacSol.






Priceless input! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback!
I know nothing about rifles other than Henry Lever-action, Remington 19 round semi-auto and and an old Savage, all of which I used to have in the past.

I hear you loud and clear about the 597.
CZ keeps coming up, as I know it would, with some telling me they prefer one model over another.
I will limit myself to the CZ, Ruger and Savage as suggested.
I'm in no hurry at all, in fact, I need to sell a couple of guns to hustle up some money, but if a dynamite deal came along..................
I was hoping to get a rifle with the scope already on it thinking that would be the less expensive route.
My head was turned when I saw the $275 rifle with a scope, but I was told it was overpriced, and that is the type of mistake I want to avoid: thanks!

Gary, occasionally there is a gem out there in rimfire land for less than a CZ that shoots as well or better. Doesn't happen often. If you have the extra retirement funds, the new Tikka and the Steyr Zephyr are also excellent choices new to the table.