Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Suggestions for a rimfire rifle

I'm thinking of getting an accurate rimfire rifle with a scope without breaking the bank. Budget for the rifle about $400 and considering a 6x SWFA for the scope ( reliable dialing) so about $600 all together.
Application is just general plinking and target shooting. Not married to action type or particular caliber but probably 22LR for affordable ammo although 17HMR or others might work also.

Depending on what you consider sufficiently “accurate,” and keeping in mind the current astronomical rate of inflation, your self-imposed cost limits could well prove unrealistic for something brand new. Second hand could offer interesting possibilities, though.

Remington 581. Light for carrying, darn accurate. A new spring in the trigger works wonders for very little money.

Good point. I'm thinking 1 inch at 50 yards so not Anchutz accurate but better than the 60 year old Western Field (Mossberg) that I got for my 10th birthday.
Is that reasonable?

My 581 is consistently half of that.

Thanks I'll be on the lookout.

Not sure what they are selling for now, but I really like my Tikka T1x. It shoots target loads into one ragged hole at 50 yards that can be covered with a dime with room to spare. You can do 1" qt 50 yards with many 10/22's. My Tikka is under 1" at 100 yards. I shoot it out to 250.

This Ruger will come close to my Tikka.

https://ruger.com/products/1022Sporter/specSheets/31167.html

You don't need a scope that big in a 22. BTDT with the same scope. It is a good scope, but something smaller with more magnification would be more useful IME.

For your budget keep a lookout for the Remington teen rifles- 513, 512, 514 and the Winchester 69A, 75 Target, and if you can find one in your budget the Win 75 Sporter.. but doubtful that will happen... Brno trainers are also extremely accurate and can sometimes be found for cheap money... The Remingtons and Winchesters will come with good walnut and blue steel...

For something newer or prettier you will probably need to expand your budget some...

This or the blued version for a bit less money.

Ruger blued LVT model 31166 - a quick check of a local chain around here shows $386 retail
Burris Fullfield E1 4.5-14x42 with their MOA reticle - $159 on Amazon

Total without tax is $545, even with 5.6% AZ sales tax that's $575 and if you look around you could probably find the rifle for less. It comes with a Weaver style base already so you could use Burris Zee rings which might take you over $600, otherwise 10/22 mounts and rings are everywhere, from basic Weavers to 12 screw tactical monsters.

The LVT consistently gets very good reviews for accuracy so 1" at 50 should be easy for it. No experience with this particular Burris scope but it has adjustable parallax and instead of dialing, the hash marks on the MOA reticle would take you out to 200 yards or a bit more depending on your sight in range. Plus it's 5 oz. lighter than the SWFA, which is also a great scope with a lot of bang for the buck.

If you ever decided to spend more on it then aftermarket upgrades for a 10/22 are as ubiquitous as sand at the beach.


OR, look for a good used bolt action. I sure love my Remington 510 and 513 but remember that lots of those older rifles had no provision for scopes or at best a dovetail "tipoff" style mount.

Lots of ways to skin this cat and stay close to your budget.

My Marlin 25 shoots an inch or less at 50 with a few types of ammo, and santa brought it to me about 40 years ago...... A Tikka T1X is kinda nice And a Bergar BMR is also nice , but they may stretch your budget a wee bit......

That brings up something else I have been considering. I have a 69A that was my dad's but have been hesitant to D&T it. It's also the first firearm I ever shot 65 years ago. It is very accurate even with the irons.

There have been some good recommendations here but I have to add my two cents worth too. I have been accumulating accurate 22’s for the past 50 years so have a closet full. My favorite is an Anschutz 54 Sporter but is unfortunately out of your price range. My latest two acquisitions more or less fit your budget. They are a Ruger 10/22 LVT, already mentioned, and a CZ 457. With the ammo they like, either of these rifles will shoot 3/4 minute or better. Sure some of the Remingtons will shoot very good but they are clunky to say the least. The CZ and the Anschutz are solid and smooth.

I just bought a Tikka T1x for $579 at Cabelas. I think the new price is $649 everywhere. I added a rail mount for around $50 and some rings I already had. A Burris Rimfire scope was $129. I guess that blew past your planned budget, but the darn thing shoots! It was a gift for my daughter and SIL, and now I’m plotting to get the same for myself. Heck, life is short. You can always make more money. 😁

Not exactly what you asked but I recommend it to new shooters and what I'd do if starting from scratch today is spend twice the $'s on a rimfire with optic as to a centerfire replica to hunt with.
If you shoot enough rimfire at longer distances it will only make your centerfire more accurate.

I have several Winchester 69As and all of them are very accurate. One had the grooved receiver so it has a scope on it. Another has the 80A aperture sight and it is also very accurate with that sight and I'm not that good with peeps.
One thing I tell most guys in this dilemma- these aren't exactly what I would call a collector gun since they made millions- unless you have a rare version. Drilling and tapping it for a scope will make it substantially more useful and won't detract enough from the value relative to the usefulness to make a difference IMO.... If I didn't already have a 75 Sporter that was drilled and tapped when I got it, I wouldn't hesitate to D&T one of my 69A rifles...

Good point. As usual, my first thought isn't necessarily the best. If I put a good dialing scope on the 69A it will probably be a better rig overall.

BRNO? I'll second that emotion! Predecessor to the vaunted CZ. Smooooooth actions, trim classic lines, and typically accurate (a lot better than than the 1"@50 goal you've set). There's a few languishing on Gunbroker right now that fit your budget. You could be the only guy on your block.....

I have a BRNO #2 that'll slop five into a half-inch at 50 all day long (with selected ammo it likes), and it kills stuff too:

A lot of good suggestions, but nearly every one of them goes over your budget. If you want to stay within your spending limit, I'd look at a Savage MK2 heavy barrel. They shoot and function exceptionally well. I have 2 of them with iron sights and they are tack drivers. There was mention of 1" groups at 50 yards. My iron sighted rifles do better than that. This was the first 10 shot group with the first one I bought:


I upgraded the stock:

Only have about $360.00 in the rifle now. For a while I had a scope on it, when my club was shooting a lot of KYL shoots. That rifle would clean up on those targets.

My second one still wears the factory tupperware:

I know, it's a Savage it's ugly, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I really like the way they shoot:


You can buy these without the target sights. Throw a scope on one and see how it does, you might be surprised.

Or, you can look for a used Ruger 10-22. I've seen 4 of those, in the last month, under $400.00 and 2 of them wore heavy barrels. I'm sure they shot pretty good too.

Another vote for the Savage MkII, this one in particular:

Mk2 FV-SR

Can’t be beat in the bang for buck dept. I bought this very one and KYGUNCO is good to go.

More good input. Those Savages aren't the best looking but from all accounts they shoot. The proof is in the target.