There are so many good 22 rifles out there, both old and new. Its tough to even keep track of them all, nevermind know which ones are the standouts.
We all know about the famous ones (Marlin 39, Winchester 52, etc) but I got to wondering which ones are the uncommonly good ones that never get the credit they deserve.
I'm going to throw out a vote for the Remington 582. Its the little brother of the 788 centerfire and shares a well designed rear lug action and the same real trigger group with the 788. The tube magazine holds plenty of ammo (14 long rifles IIRC) and keeps the rifle easy to carry. Factory stock is adult length though slender and while usually birch, were also made in walnut and cherry. Its very scopeable with a low rotation bolt handle and 3/8" groove. And the steel receiver has plenty of thickness to be D&T.
Yeah, I wish the barrel wasn't so long (24" I think) and that the rear sight wasn't held on with that hokey plastic sleeve, but mine is a REALLY good rifle, so its getting my vote over a few others that are also really good.
So, which not-so-mainstream 22 rifles are diamonds in the rough to you?
Kragman
Last edited by kragman1; 01/04/17.
Work is what you do to finance your real life.....
One that is underrated IMO is the Marlin 60, especially with the laminated stock. $167 at Wally World and you walk out with the gun and the mags??? Tubular mag and that means no mags to misplace/lose.
If you want add a bargain priced scope and a sling and for around $200 you are out in the great outdoors with a great value that shoots darn good.
Not as good as a teched out 10/22 but still a meatgetter.
Marlin 60s and 795s are as tough as woodpecker lips, but don't get anywhere near the respect that Remington 66s and Ruger 10/22s get.
PS - I was a Brownell's in Grinnell, IA, yesterday and they had at least a doze Remington 580, 581, and 582 rifles in stock. I haven't seen so many of them in one place since the early 1970s.
Last edited by 260Remguy; 01/04/17. Reason: Added PS
I've got a Rem 581 and it is way more accurate than it has a right to be. Bought it for my son may years ago and it is still one of his favorite rifles.
However, the most underrated rifles I see are my Winchester 69A's and my Winchester 75 sporter. Built on the same actions, they are man sized rifles that shoot almost as well as my 52's, are much lighter even with a scope, and are just a joy to carry in the sage rat fields and squirrel woods. With a scope mounted the accuracy of these rifles is phenomenal. I don't shoot as well as I used to with aperture sights, but my 69's are a kick to shoot with the peeps. I can easily hit clay pigeons to 75 yards with apertures with them, much farther with the scope. The wood they put on these early Winchesters is also very nice walnut. I refinished a couple of them already after removing a number of layers of brushed on varnish and they look great.
You can usually pick the 69A's up at a LGS or Cabela's for $200-$300 or so in good shape.
Bob
Never underestimate your ability to overestimate your ability.
I have found the over rated are generally over rated for good reason. To stay on topic- There are some excellent savage-anschutz rifles that sometimes go for short money. Probably not so much on the web, but out in the boonies.
My vote goes to the Zastava 99. Remington sold them for awhile as the Model 5 and Charles Daly had them for awhile. I saw some at Cabelas for around $180.00 a year or so ago. The one I have is scary accurate and my only complaint is the magazine is a little hard to remove occasinally.
My vote goes to the Zastava 99. Remington sold them for awhile as the Model 5 and Charles Daly had them for awhile. I saw some at Cabelas for around $180.00 a year or so ago. The one I have is scary accurate and my only complaint is the magazine is a little hard to remove occasinally.
Beat me to it.. Inexpensive, but they work and work well. I've had one for 20+ years and other than cleaning it occasionally, it's never failed to function properly..
Ex- USN (SS) '66-'69 Pro-Constitution. LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
My vote goes to the Zastava 99. Remington sold them for awhile as the Model 5 and Charles Daly had them for awhile. I saw some at Cabelas for around $180.00 a year or so ago. The one I have is scary accurate and my only complaint is the magazine is a little hard to remove occasinally.
Word must have got out on those. My LGS has a NIB .17HMR online- for $525!
The Model 1903 Savage pump and a Winchester Model 57.
"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed-unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." James Madison
My vote goes to the Zastava 99. Remington sold them for awhile as the Model 5 and Charles Daly had them for awhile. I saw some at Cabelas for around $180.00 a year or so ago. The one I have is scary accurate and my only complaint is the magazine is a little hard to remove occasinally.
Word must have got out on those. My LGS has a NIB .17HMR online- for $525!
Maybe the wrong cz99, the Zastava rimfire rifles are $200
The magnums run an extra $10. I let anyone interested to do their own follow up googles. I heard these will benefit from a good stock refinish. Good winter project.