Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires What is a good bolt-action 22lr for an adult under $300?

Looking for recommendations on a full-size, bolt-action 22lr for plinking and hunting. Trying to keep it in the $200 range. Thanks.

A used Winchester Model 69a.

Marlin 980s.

JEff

Just got a CZ 455 American in .17 HMR and .22LR. I made an offer and got the new in the box rifle for just over $300. Its for the fun of it, to change the barrels etc.

The .17HMR is max. for the state forest here. There is so much snow that I have just shot it a little. I can't shoot it in the club, only .22's indoors.

I did the trigger over and now its light and crisp. The rifle is kind of light and has a LOP just over 13".

If the snow ever melts I will put the .17 HMR barrel back on.

http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/455-american/

+1.. love mine.

My recommendation would be the Savage Mark II F with Accutrigger. It's light for hunting and plenty accurate for plinking. The stock isn't fancy but it does everything you're looking for at the lower $200 range (I think $180 at WM).

The older Mossbergs 44,45,46 $200 range and great shooters

Marlin makes several bolt action .22 rifles that would meet your criteria. They are American made, and accurate, as well as reasonably priced.

Marlin 925. I'm not a tube fed fan.

Under $200, you're talking Marlin or Savage for decent bolt .22lrs.
CZ 452/453/455 models all start well above $200 and go up from there.

I bought a pair of the Marlin 981TS, 1 for each of my kids, because they like the tubular magazines and think that it is cool for fill them up with 1/2 a box of 22 shorts.

FWIW, I prefer the Marlin rimfire rifles with sporter contour barrels, as I find the Savage Mark IIs with sporter contour barrels to be less "man sized" with narrow forearms. On the heavy barreled rimfires, I like the Savage Mark IIs, 93s, and 93R17s to the Marlins, as they have shorter barrels and seem to balance better for me.

EDIT: I see that the 981TS is now the XT-22TSR. www.marlinfirearms.com

JEff

Savage 93.

www.whittakerguns.com has CZ 455s for .$299.99 right now, on sale. Very nice rifles at that price point, too. One barrel only, I think.

I paid a good deal more than that for mine, but it's a switchbarrel, like Savage 99s. Mine shoots HMRs like a target rifle, but so far, it's just been average with .22s. More experimentation to follow, of course.

OK....so I didn't get a bolt-action. I saw this baby in the classified and couldn't resist....

We'll forgive you THIS time, but don't let it happen again! Those are nice little rifles, and if you can live with the triggers, so can we..........

Can anybody work on those triggers? I'd like to get it smoothed and lightened a bit.

I think that question has been asked several times here, don't ever recall hearing anything that sticks out in my memory.

Might have been a good question to ask before buying, if that was of paramount importance ... Otherwise treat it as the fun lil plinkers most lever rf's are. I have 2 39's neither wears a scope and both are mucho fun!!

That's my plan....plinking away with it all in fun. But if the trigger could be worked......

you could check the archives here (you may have better luck on RFC though) .... but really don't recall seeing much. IIRC, most threads said you either get lucky or you don't. .... Never took one apart, but maybe you can polish youself??? I was looking at one of these for my wife, but found a Mountie instead she seems to like.


Good Luck!!

Find a Zastava or Remington 5, nice shooting rifles for $200 leave some $ for a scope. Mine both shoot very well for what they are.

Search until you find a used Remington 58x. They came in 580 (single-shot) 581 (clip) and 582 (tube). It was the economy version (maple versus walnut) of the 54x deluxe match rifle. Unbelievably accurate, six-lug bolt, 60� bolt throw and 24" barrel all in a sub-five-pound rifle.

Mine is a 582 tube-fed. I had it drilled and tapped to fit better bases and have a Burris 4X rimfire (adjustable objective!) scope on it. If there is more than one ragged hole at 25 yards, it was the jerk on the trigger's fault.

Rocky,

Have a LH 581, and it is very accurate and a joy to shoot. I figured that I had gotten really lucky. Did not know they were all that way.

Either way, I'm way ahead.

Steve

With a LH version, you DID get really lucky!

Either way, an inaccurate Rem 58x would have to be either a rare lemon or an abused gun.

Get a remington scoremaster,got mine for $150.00

+1

Winchester 69A target

Nice,nicew lever gun. Wise choice!

now, go find a silhouette range that hosts lever action smallbore, and your fun will never stop!

to add to the list of bolt actions:


Marlin 880SQ !

What would you consider a good deal on a 581/582 rifle?

Anything under $200 these days, would be a good deal on a Remmy 58* series in decent shape.

I strongly agree with this suggestion. A 582 was my first rifle ever at 7 years old (thanks Dad!). I still have it and it continues to perform very well.

There is no reason you shouldn't be able to shoot your 17 HMR in the club if they let you shoot 22mag. It doesn't have any more energy.

+1
Mine is a 581-s. The plastic magazine looks cheap but works flawlessly, and as Rocky said is very accurate.

When I bought mine I didn't know about the accuracy reputation of these rifles, it was the ergonomics that got me to buy it, the gun just fits me. That, and the price was right $125 about 8 years ago, I don't know what they run now.

Boy was I surprised how it shot.