Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires .22 autoloader recommendations

I feel a bit more charity towards the 10-22.

But, performance for the buck, can't argue with the Marlin.

But, more can be done with the Ruger, Marlin largely is what you get.

DF

I've got one of those OLD Marlin 60s, from about 1971. It has a better trigger than any 10/22 I've messed with (a half-dozen for me alone, plus those of my friends). Nothing but using it, no smithing involved. I shot the heck out of it when I was a kid.

I've had 10/22s with Volquartzen and Powers hammer/trigger springs, and still weren't as good as that old Marlin. That old Marlin will outshoot them, too, but it's not very reliable. It'll jam with any excuse whatsoever. It's clean.
Marlin did a recall on them some years back, (when they were still Marlin) and replaced some feeding components (cartridge lifters, among other parts). I shoulda got it done then, but I was afraid they'd find out how good it's trigger was, and how well it shot, and send me a replacement.

That said, the 10/22s were/are more reliable, in my experience. I just wish they shot better with their factory barrels.

My old Marlin was probably late '60's. It was back when stocks were walnut. My brother now has it, doubt it's been shot in 30 yrs.

With Clark and Volquartsen parts, a Brownells trigger stop, I was able to tune several 10-22 triggers beyond what I could achieve with the Marlin. Some of the earlier Ruger barrels, out sourced from vendors, weren't that good. I understand they're now all made in house, hammer forged.

I never had an issue with a 10-22 not being reliable. Guess I was blessed in that regard.

DF

I've had half a dozen or so 10/22's.
My first one for a decade and it was shot a lot.
Bone stock..........no issues. Shot well enough.Think it a '76 model (maybe '75).

Best shooter was my '67 fingergroove.
All others pre 90.

No issues. They were reliable as heck. But I always ran HV stuff.
No bad mags either. Shoot til filthy, then clean.

Got a '67 standard now, it's only had a couple hundred through it under my watch (well worn before rehab- dunno round count, suspect a fair bit..........wear/damage might be from just truck bouncing).
Runs HV fine. Has volq hammer now. Stock had issues (from the factory LOL) and I fixed that.
Have yet to see how it affects accuracy. Prev to removing some wood at the front of the bbl channel (Overton stocks not having wood back to receiver under bbl)............it's been the worst shooting 10/22 I've had.

Reliable, same as the others. Just not a good shooter (huge amount of forend pressure prev to mod).

Been shooting the same 10/22 since Dad gave it to me new in '87 when I completed the Hunters Safety Course, don't see any reason to change now. I've had a couple old Springfield(Savage)187's and a CZ-452(bolt), The 187's were both OK, the CZ was scary accurate(of course it's not an auto), but I just keep going back to the old 10/22 Carbine, it's been reliable and solid minute of squirrel since I was 12.

I have lots of .22s and have had even more. Semi-autos in stock are two Browning SA22, and a Ruger 10-22 Sporter (unfortunately a birch stock). The newer of the Belgium Brownings out shoots the other two. It is equipped with a cantilever mount and a Burris Mini-4X PA scope.

I'm not sure what your goals are, so I throw this out as a freebie. I have two Marlin 39A Mounties that shoot right up there with the two Anschutz 54 Sporters that I have owned. The scoped one, from '67, does a 1/4" @50 with Super-X ammo. I can't hold the open sighted one that close, but it might do as well scoped. I also have a Remington 510 single shot that I found in my FIL's storage shed after his passing. There is only about 25 cents worth of blue left on the rifle, but it shoots decent ammo a half inch at fifty with open sights. Then I ran into a nice Remington 511 bolt repeater for $40 in a pawn shop a few years ago. This is the exact same barreled action as the Junior Sporter sans the target stock and the Redfield receiver sight. Scoped with a 3-9AO, it is a quarter inch rifle at 50. Since Anchutz is now available without the rollover stock, which I detest, I would buy another whatever they call the 54 action these days. With my $40 pawn shop find, there is no reason to spend the money.

I agree that everyone needs a semi auto .22. gnoahh is right about ammo consumption. When I was a kid, a brick of Super-X was in the $4.50-$5.00 range. I could go through one of those on a Saturday afternoon with my Western Field 87 (made by Stevens).

Good luck,

Jack

Goes without saying but the 10/22.



Dave

I wish Marlin would make Microgrooves for the 10/22. Hmmm. Wouldn't be THAT hard to do a little spin on the lathe, would it.

Henry 22 are good.

I was REALLY interested in the Marlin 60 until reading in their manual "no hyper velocity ammo".
Are the other semi-auto's capable of shooting this ammo?

I think you missed the auto part of auto.



Dave

Mountain Dew Code Red and a pump Henry..............same thing.

Dang, I went into Gander Mountain today to check out the sale and darn if they didn't have a composite stocked, SS barrel 10/22 for right at 130.00 after discount, and I am ashamed to admit....... I did not walk out with it. I felt like I stabbed myself right in the back.

Late to the party here with only minimal auto experience. Mine is a 10/22 Deluxe Sporter (real walnut, checkering, no barrel band, rubber butt pad) I bought 20 years ago while in college. To me it is what a 22 autoloader is supposed to look like. Maybe because dad had the same for as long as I can remember. I shoot my CZ bolt gun more now, but no issues with my Ruger.

I think the original 10/22 sporter to be the best looking (also known as "fingergroove").

The later sporter (DSP- currently offered)..............they look decent. I've had two fingergrooves and one DSP). Plus a few standards.

IMHO the 50th anniv should have been a stainless sporter, in a black plastic stock- the stock a copy of the old fingergroove, w checkering).
Reg swivel studs though.

my 2nd 10/22 rifle is from a 50th anniv action. got the complete action in a trade, new never fired. just picked up a blued fluted sporter taper barrel (17") and a walnut DSP stock to place it all in. will work the trigger later but will shoot it for a while as is just to see. will probably end up having the bolt worked and bed the action down the road.

I admit that I've looked down at semi-auto rifles in general, though I admired the M14 I was handed in USMC.
There's several reasons for this, but mostly the people I knew who had these semi-auto 22's emptied the magazines/clips often faster than I would be able to shoot twice. And hitting the target, for them, was a matter of luck.

If I were to buy a semi-auto 22, accuracy would be high priority. I may have owned a semi-auto 22, though I don't recall/remember any.

If a 10/22, then the target model would likely be my pick. But what of the competition: "What rifle(s) would be "accurate" - say 1/2" 5 shot groups at 50 yards?" Is that too strict? What kind of accuracy would be possible with the rifles available today? I think I'd be satisfied with 1/2" 5 shot groups at 50 yards.

Henries are pump and lever. They are not autos. I used a weatherby semi-auto tube feed bought years ago.

Yes they are capable of that.



Dave

Pair of '67's