Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Looking to buy my first magnum rimfire rifle

I am looking to purchase my first rimfire magnum bolt action rifle with a heavy barrel in either 22 wmr or 17 hmr. I am wanting to keep it under $400. I am looking hard at savages. Marlin seems to have gotten out of the game. It will mostly be used for punching paper out to 200yds. Might try it on squirrels if the opportunity arises. I am sure there have been long discussions of this in the past but I can't decide between 22 wmr and 17 hmr. I am kind of old school and want the 22 wmr but the 17 hmr has made a name for itself. Also, not sure which rifle is best or if there are any other brands of rifles I should consider in that price range. I know if I go a little higher I could get a CZ or Ruger American but would they actually be better for what I want to use it for?

I’m a CZ junkie. I’d be patient and see if I could find a CZ at a reasonable price. My CZ 452 was very accurate with CCI Maxi Mag. The only reason I sold it was that the cost of ammunition kept going up to what I thought was was unacceptable territory.

I waited several years to try a 17, but now I'm hooked.

My Salvage is gonna be hard to beat accuracy wise, but the magazines give me a bit of trouble at times & think they will continue to do so. With that in mind I just bought a Ruger American Predator. They can be had within your budget if you shop around.

OTOH, the 22 mag has served lot of folks well & while I've not run the numbers, the newer Vmax loaded ammo might be a game changer. That giving the cartridge more velocity, & bucking the wind better than the 17.

Either are useful, & ammo is slowly going down in price.

Punching paper or an occasional squirrel is right up the 17 alley. The WMR is typically not as accurate, and its advantage in killing larger vermin is something you would not be missing.

Savage in that price range

and 17hmr, took me years to finally buy one, picked up a tikka t1x, love it. But its a little north of 400.

Hard to beat CZ for current production rimfires. If you can find a nice older marlin in 22 mag, they are consistent shooters IMHO

I'd recommend looking for a used Marlin in the 900 series as the 900 series has a trigger upgrade over the previous 700 and 800 series rifles.

All of the newer Marlin rimfires that I've owned in 17HM2, 17HMR, .22LR, AND .22MAG have all been good shooters. The Marlins are also a little larger than the comparable Savage 93 and 93R17 series rifles, more "man sized", if that makes a difference to you.

My experience with Ruger American rimfires has been, to say the least, disappointing.

Savage 93R17 gets my vote. Great rifle, great trigger. I have 4 rifles and one revolver in .17HMR, it is a round well worth investing in.

Good stuff here. Cz or Marlin. But I have never used the Savage line.

For punching paper, go with the 17HMR. They're far more accurate than the 22WMR's. But I prefer the 22WMR for hunting bigger varmints.

If accuracy is important, avoid Rugers.

Totally disagree with this statement. Have and standard american in 22 magnum, and it's a tack driver. Dad uses it for everything except deer. I have an older marlin 25m that's is nice but not near as accurate as the ruger. Know of several others with the rugers and they are all just as accurate. As of with the 17 vs 22 mag I would take the 22 mag over the 17 anyday if just hunting with it.

Glad yours are accurate.
I had two 22 mag and after trigger work, bolt shims, re crown, glass bedding, they didn’t shoot worth a damn, with several brands of 22 mag ammo. I wouldn’t rescue from a land fill.

My Ruger American 22 WMR is the most accurate 22WMR I've shot in 40 years.

It sounds like you were using 77/22's, and the guy you quoted is discussing the American.

I've never been terribly impressed withe the 77/22's or Amercian rimfires I've owned.

^^^This^^^

BubbaG: Go with the Marlin line - the savage rimfires are accurate but wreak of chinceyness and cheapness and sloppiness and homeliness.
My Marlin 883 in 22 Magnum is VERY accurate and not so homely.
Good luck with whichever you choose - and if you can scrounge up some more dollars the heavy barrel Browning T-Bolt of mine in 22 Magnum is just lights out accurate.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

17HMR, if those are your requirements. Savage is a great option. 93R17's are excellent shooters and function very well. Since coyotes are not on your list, the 17HMR is the surefire winner. To answer your question about other rifles being "better" than the savage. They are on par, yet more expensive. I know the Ruger American is not going to be better, as they have had some QC issues and some guys have had problems with the 17HMR RAR. YMMV, but I'd trust the Savage to do it all and at a great value.

They are not a bad rifle, but my Mossberg 640kd Chuckster is more precise.. Also, as someone else said, the older Marlins shot well. Other 22WMR's, not so much..