Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires $1000 .22's - Lets dream a little here, What's your pick?

If you are going to buy Anschutz save the money and shop around for a 54 Sporter, they can be found for your $1000 limit, not easily but they are around for that price.

The 64's shoot well enough and depending on the model may or may not have a good trigger. But the 64 action is basically a boys rifle action, it is very lightweight, lacks rigidity in comparison to the 54, and yes - even a CZ. It was mentioned earlier that the CZ has slow lock time I don't know how the poster determined that but if you look at the massive cocking piece on a 64 action I don't know hos that the CZ could be any slower.

I am in a agreement with the statement that the CZ is the "best bang for the buck" and is probably a bit more failsafe. I used 54 actioned Anschutz in competition for a lot of years and their wonderful trigger is also one of their downfalls, quite often the sear reset spring will break and the trigger mechanism will not reset. The good side is that the springs are available, are inexpensive, and are easy to replace if one has a bit of mechanical aptitude.

Easy answer - if you can't find a 54 Sporter in a timely manner, buy a CZ use it until you find a 54 in your price range and then resell the CZ. It is doubtful that you would loose any money on it.

drover

The 1416 shoots very well. The reason I got it was it was a trade deal and that's what the dealer had on hand NIB.

I would try to find a good used 54 action Annie before paying the asking price for a new 64 action 1416. What you want is a Savage import 54 as it is more likely to be in your price range. The current 54's are the 1710 and 1712.


For anyone else it may concern
I already said the 54 Annie would be my first pick. If I went current CZ 455, I would opt for the Lilja barrel and either sell my original barrel to offset costs or just buy the CZ in a 22 WMR or 17 and get the Lilja in 22 LR Match grade HB. That way I would have more options should I choose.

RH- Appreciate the info. I have no problem springing for a 1710 or 1712. Though I will look into the Savages now as well. The reason for my interest in the 1416's was the 2lb-ish weight savings over the 54 based rifles as I prefer a slightly lighter rifle. Though with the overwhelming views of the 54's superiority I make the conclusion that the weight is worth it.

Kuz that's the kinda goofy chit they did and still do..but nothing wrong with a rem 37

The 64 action is a conundrum. There is better fit and finish over a CZ. Having both the 1416 Annie and a 453 CZ, I would buy the Annie at a $100 premium over the CZ. I would not pay the current $400 over the CZ. The 453's trigger is also very nice, so much so that you would need to be a bench rest shooter to notice the difference. It's not something that even matters in the field. My 453 breaks cleanly just under 2 lBS safely. I did have to tweek it from factory settings which were crap comparatively. Just for a walking Squirrel rifle, I would buy a CZ. The CZ is so close to a 64 action that it's not worth the premium. The only reason to pay premium is knowing you are buying arguably the most accurate rimfire in the world, the 54 action Anschutz. A used 54 action around $1000-$1200 is a lot more for your money than a new 64 action at $900. You don't however have to spend $1800-$2000 on a new 1712 or 1710 to have a very nice and accurate hunting rimfire. The CZ will fit the bill nicely for around $500. I do however prefer the proven 452 and 453 over the relatively new 455 just for track record.

I just took a tri-state gun shop tour. Looked at the 455, side by side with a Left Hand 452. The 455 has a very poor blue, no polish at all. And seems more like a $300 rifle than $500. A lot of finish and machining short cuts for a $500 gun. I am very disappointed.

I found one right hand 452 new in box, for $570. Well worth the up charge, but I not looking for a 22LR.

I am now looking with Centershot. Raise more money and buy better. Or find a NIB 453 - figure the odds.

I also found an one used Anschutz in LR. I guess 99% of the older guns are 22LR.

Story of my life. Either discontinued or cheaped out. Why not up the price? Why cheap out the gun?

What caliber are you looking for?

Looking for 22mag.

I saw a Browning T bolt today. Now,I just looked on line. That is available in 22mag. Seemed like a class act. Japanese I assume. I may go back and look again and ask about 22WMR.

You can find a 54 action Annie if you look long enough, having said that, the 22 mag is not the most accurate platform so something else may suit you well. Handle the T bolt before you buy. I thought I wanted one until I saw how poorly they fit me.

Yes. You can get .22 Mag barrels separately, I got one for my 455 from www.whittakerguns.com about a year ago. It ran $130 or so, delivered. I use it on the .22LR/.17HMR combo gun I bought in 2010.
There's nothing wrong with the 455s at all, but they do take some getting used to, and pay VERY close attention to the barrel-swapping video on CZ's website if you get one. I like mine, it's a pretty fair shooter. YMMV, but mine works well and shoots pretty good. I've yet to find a WMR load it likes, though, so far I think I'd have been better off saving my money on the .22 Mag barrel and just used my .22 Hornet instead.

Clark,

This statement is what raises some eyebrows. Those that have dolled-up the CZ with the Lilja say that the CZ still doesn't hang with a 54. I explored this route too.

Jason

drover,

Don't know about the 64 or who mentioned lock time on it, but Anschutz has advertised the 54 as having the fastest lock-time of any rifle in the world. Not a bad place to start ?

Jason

I read some reviews at Rimfirecentral that said they did. I haven't tested one myself and I suspect such a statement either way to be very subjective. Personally I would put money on the 54 to be the winner, but at half the price, I would be willing to try the CZ.

Another route to scratch your itch is to find a nice used 541S Remington. With their match chamber and hand lapped barrels, they usually shoot at least as well as your criteria and look good doing it. Great feel and size for carrying also. Also along that line would be a nice Rem 541T heavy barrel if you can find one. About the same specs as the 541S but with a slightly plainer stock and no match chamber, so it would be easier to shoot plinking ammo in. Of the ones I know of and the guys on RF Central, they also will meet your accuracy needs in a nice, lightweight carry rifle and both models should fit into your budget easily.

Bob

When I was first learning to shoot in the Boy Scouts a friend of my father's loaned us a rifle. Art Von, who used to write for Field and Stream. A Winchester Model 52. At the time I did not even know what I had.. Needless to say it shot well. I was one unhappy lad when we had to return that rifle. Anschutz are great rifles as well. Another one to think about is the Sako's they are tack drivers as well. My all time favorite is an old BSA martini Model 12 that I bought years ago. I take great pleasure in out shooting folks with a scoped rifle with one that has peep sites that is about 100 years old.

Assuming the Lilja is as-good as the 54 barrel, I still don't see how the CZ is going to hang with the lock-time of the 54 and 1-4 ounce Annie trigger. Barrel is just one part.

First, lock time only helps keep you from moving the rifle between the time you pull the trigger and the firing pin ignites the primer. Unless I'm missing something, that's the extent of it's importance. Second, you don't want a trigger that light in a sporter rifle. I can get a CZ into the ounces but prefer about 1.5 lbs as a minimum for a field gun. If we are talking Bench rest winners, then we aren't talking stock Anschutz rifles either.

What we are really talking about is a person's ability to shoot a very accurate rifle. What it comes down to is, that it is likely going to be the rare individual that can shoot the difference between the accuracy, which is why when you ask the question of which is more accurate, the answers are so subjective.

Tell me more! The bail is open...

Jason

The bottom line is indeed the nut behind the trigger..

Bottom line is that there are some good choices from $500 to $1000 in a sporter weight gun. Under field conditions the shooter is indeed going to be more important than the gun. It still does however give a person a lot of confidence knowing they have a rifle considered extremely accurate.

I can take my 453 scoped with a 4-12X40 AO fine duplex Leupold, and shoot empty 22 cases off a stump, limb or log from my back porch at about 30-40 yards. I set on a bench I made, with a sandbag on the porch rail. Lots of fun and I only miss one out of 6 or 7 times. Possibly I wouldn't miss at all with a 1712 or 1710 but at 1/4 the price, I'm very pleased with the 453. It won't be winning any Olympic events but that's not it's job. It's hard to beat for the accuracy and price in a hunting 22 LR.

I wish the 453's were still made but I do hear good things about the 455's and there is the option of a Lilja barrel to try if you want to go for an upgrade. It may shoot so good that you will forget about that Lilja and a $400 CZ would be easier to turn over than an $1800 1712 if it didn't live up to your expectations.

I have 2 CZ's and a 1416 Annie. I will own a 54 action Annie some day just to see, but for now, I think the CZ's are the most bang for the buck.