Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires List your top pick for best shooting and handling sporter

of the current crop i'd have to suggest the CZ 457 american as much as i don't care for the savagesque annie looking action it is one helluva bang for the buck. my preference is the 452/455 as imho they just look classy.

Big Ed

Thanks for all the kind words.
For me it hits every number. It is by far the best .22 rifle I have owned.
For others it might not be the most desirable, #4 or the best bang for the buck, #5. But it sure hit the spot for me. 😎

My only photo at hand. I had targets in the garage but tossed them after a recent cleanup.

Couple Sporters, the 2nd one from top is one of my Zephyrs. The bottom is a "standard" Zephyr.....I made it into a sporter.

The Zephyr is very light and as easy to carry as your wallet. Shoots about as good as my other rifles.

Good thing targets are easy to put holes in buddy. Nice looking rifle. I was just at the range, and it was spitting ice at me!!!! Had to correct my recent 10/22 clone. Screwed up and put a nice little forward comp on it,

but it shot like crap yesterday. Had to make sure it was still shooting good today!!





Now, when I say "shoots good", I'll take .5" 10 shot groups all day long. A sporter doing that is always a nice thing. I know you have a great shooting 10/22 as well, and believe it also sports a Green Mountain barrel. It's always nice, when they shoot good. Day in and day out..

For blue collar guns:

Browning BLR and BRNO Models 1 & 2 feel different than similar rifles (including CZ's), they are both just a touch smaller than similar rifles too. I like them best in the "feel" department and I'm a large guy. Everyone is different. They shoot.

Remington 552 for natural shouldering and swing. Mine is dependable and accurate with a nice broken in trigger, and even new shooters clean up with it.

For a light sporting carbine, my best is the CZ 455 Lux, the only Lux they made as a "shorty". Factory trigger is good, can be excellent with a spring change, and beyond that can be anything you want for $$$. Mine is extremely accurate, one of the most accurate rifles I have ever seen. Scope mounting can be a challenge unless you remove the rear sight.

All of the CZ 452 and 455 American's are "just right" sporters to me, and I would gladly hunt with any of them. The longer CZ 457 Lux is also a fine rifle, but not as light or handy.

If you don't mind a little weight, look at the CZ 457 Varmint. The barrel isn't crazy heavy especially the shorter ones but the rifles are really good. Factory trigger on mine had to be brought up from 8oz but without even playing with the action torque I'm shooting under 1/4" CTC @ 50 with good ammo. I don't shoot often enough to be a good shot either.

Lots of good rimfire rifles out there across a wide range of $$$, but my best luck has come with old American rifles whether Reminton, Winchester, Marlin etc or the CZ rifles of late. I hear lots of good about the T1x but have no experience with them. Some of the current Savage rifles shoot nicely too, but they can rival the 457 for cost, and they are NOT equal in quality.

Sorta suprised no-one has mentioned any vintage British rifles as I'm kinda partial to the BSA SuperSport 5 rimfire rifles, circa 1955-1965.

The 22LR rifle looks like a basic trainer model with open sights and a plain hardwood stock that is probably straight grained walnut. My example has an upgraded tangent sight with markings out to 200 yards with windage adjustment. The trigger has two easily accessible adjustment screw for weight and creep. The medium weight barrel is screwed into the action like a big game rifle, not pinned like my modern 22s, making for a very accurate rifle that can compete with modern manufactured sporting 22s. Surprisingly the muzzle has the same 1/2 - 20 thread as my CZ for suppressor or tuner.

Over the years I've owned two example in high condition one set up for Biathlon or target shooting with a globe from sight and a BSA rear target peep sight. My current rifle a plain Jane trainer shoots sub MOA at 50 yards with commonly manufactured 22 ammunition from Winchester and CCI. I look forward to using premium SK, ELEY and Norma offerings.

In the future I plan to shoot the BSA SS-5 alongside my CZ 457s to prove to myself what I suspected all along - that many older BSA sporting rifles were as accurate as anything made today.



It is now scoped with a 3.5-10 power. Can't wait to get out to the gun club and shoot off the bench again.

I think a lot of guys here have mentioned BSA rifles. That may have been in different threads, but they seem to shoot very well. I have faith that England has built many very accurate rifles. Also, any rifle that shoots "sub MOA at 50 yards" is a keeper. Especially an iron sighted rifle. I have a few that have turned in sub moa 10 shot groups with irons. Those being target rifles though. A 1949 Winchester model 52, Savage MK1 FVT, and Savage MKII FVT. A common sporter may have a very hard time doing that, unless they are using really good ammo, and a good scope. If your rifle shoots sub 1/2" at 50 yards with common ammo, like Winchester, Federal, and CCI, that is damn good. My Ruger 10/22 with the Kidd barrel loves cheap Federal automatch, and puts it into 1/2" or less on occasion, but not always. It's a heavy barrel, but you'd think a sporter weight bolt action would be as accurate as a heavy barreled 10/22. Or at least hope so anyway..

1917, cool guns for sure. The area you live in must be loaded with great shops. Here good .22s are seldom seen and often used hard.. It would be worth a drive later in the spring to check some of those places out.

I have two favorites, a Springfield 1922 M2 that has been sporterized and an Anschutz M/64 Stutzen Mannlicher stocked with DST. The 1922 wears a Lyman Alaskan with 2 minute dot reticle in a G & H mount and the Anschutz a 4x Baby Redfield.

That sure is a sweet rifle. Thanks for sharing with us..

Explain”blue collars guns”

Gotta love nice .22’s. Downsizing here, we’ve whittled down to a Tikka T1x, a Marlin Mountie and a Custom Shop Remington 547. Each is beautiful in it’s own way. I’m pretty sure there’s also a Marlin 995 around here somewhere. I don’t want a .22 that won’t put 5 affordable rounds in an inch at 50. I like half that size for a bolt gun, and better is better.

I’ve had, and liked, a couple Browning repro 52’s. IMO, they’re finished a bit better than the ones marked Winchester. They shot really well. I once passed on a .22 in a Colorado gun shop that must have been a 40x Sporter repeater. I only had the funds to buy one gun, and a shotgun went home with me instead. I guess I chose poorly that day.

Edited to add: I’m feeling the urge to lay hands on a tricked out 10/22. Maybe even one with a suppressor. I find that downsizing is a process. 🫤

And there are some guys that say the Winchester 52 repros are better than the Browning. I'm one that would not buy a Browing 52, as they should say Winchester on them, even though they were made in Japan. I also don't see where a Browning would be any better built than the Winchesters, since they were both built by Miroku.

Your thoughts on getting a "tricked out" 10/22 is a good one. The 10/22's are damn good shooters, if built right. I know the 2 I have, shoot lights out. I can't really compare those to a bolt action 22lr though. I think the closest thing in terms of consistent precision would be my Savage MKII FVT, and my Savage MK1 FVT. Those rifles will shoot right along side the 10/22's and not skip a beat for putting them in the x-ring. I know some guys here have proven they have some damn good shooting 22 rifles too. One reason why I started this thread. I've personally seen some good/great shooting bolt action sporters, but I was wanting other's opinions on what their favorites are too. A good discussion, and helpful when I see a 22 bolt action rifle on the used rifle rack.

I'm partial to my stainless 77/22. Yeah, it took a little work to get the most out of it. Barrel cut back to 16 inches, bolt shim, trigger, etc. It shoots great. I can throw it in the back of the truck, have it out in the snow, rain etc. without worrying about it. May not be as nice looking as many of the others but it's a work horse for me.

That scoped 77/22 just looks and feels like a bigger rifle than a .22. It is my favorite red squirrel rifle around the cottage. Another nice one for rambling around is a 61, but since I scoped it, it doesn’t carry as well in the hand. I’m going to go de-red squirrel my deer stands and I think that the winner will be a scoped 10/22 Sporter. Those Rugers score high from my gun safe.

Those 10/22 deluxe sporters are some of my favorites. Especially if you have one that shoots well. I sold my buddy a stainless 10/22 that I threw into a deluxe walnut stock, and it is a big time sleeper. Even with it's factory barrel on it. It's the best shooting factory barreled 10/22 I've personally seen. It's not bone stock though. A little headspacing, trigger work, and bedding, and that rifle is one to watch out for.

Im still wantin to know what “blue collar gun” means

Anybody?

Made by Marlin. Well, the old Marlin. Everything else is uppity or trailer trash.

I know he didn't answer you, but I'm thinking he means anything that is affordable to us bule collar workers. He mentions some of the rifles that you may find on the street for sub $400 used. At least from what I've seen. However, some that I've seen lately are also getting up there in price. Like the dang older CZ's. For example, the 452's and 455's I saw a couple weekends ago, were approaching $700 and $800.00. He also mentions Savage, but I have to disagree about his remark that they are not built well. The Savage rifles I have, and have seen at the range, have been built very well, and they outshoot rifles that cost a lot more. Why? Because they have been making the damn things for so long. I'd also add Marlin to the list of "blue collar" rifles, as well as the Ruger American rimfire, and Mossberg.

I think when a person gets behind a good rifle like an older Winchester model 52, they will realize what quality really is. It's not just an "uppity" thing, that someone mentioned earlier. It's buying a rifle that is actually worth what they are selling for. There is a reason they are high dollar. They are smooth, solid feeling, triggers are sweet, they feed extremely smooth, and they shoot lights out. You almost owe it to yourself to shoot an older rifle like the 52, if you have never done so. They can be an eye opener.