Perhaps you can help me find my new .22 LR? I have been using a BSA Martini action for years and years as my target rifle. I have been using a Marlin M39A Mountie as my squirrel rifle, but I am going to give that to my nephew for Christmas (I gave him my pre-64 Model 94 .30-30 for his birthday, so he will need a lever action .22 for practice and squirrels). I want to get a high-quality bolt action .22 LR. I am having a very hard time picking out the right one. Part of my issue is that I haven't ever had to ship for a .22. My dad gave me the Marlin when I was 5. My budget is $500-$600 for the rifle. I could be persuaded to go higher, but part of my problem has been getting acclimatized to current rifle prices. Some things seem to be about the same price they were 20 years ago. Other things are astronomically high. I recognize that the almighty dollar doesn't stretch as far as it once did, but I have been picking up very nice centerfire hunting rifles for less than the prices I see on many .22 LRs.
I am very partial to older rifles with nice wood and blued steel. I plan to mount a scope on it, so iron sights are not a necessity. I don't want a single shot. I want at least five round magazine capacity. I am looking for a hunting and plinking rifle. I'd prefer something that looks nice, but has some signs of honest use. I am right-handed.
Rifles I have been considering, in no particular order, include:
Browning T-Bolt - one of the old ones made in Belgium. I have several FN Commercial Mausers. Sako 54 - I have a Sako .243 and I love it. CZ 457 - are there other CZ models that are "better?" My older brother loves CZs, but I have never had a bolt-action CZ.
Are there any others that I should be adding to the mix? Are any of the three above particularly "better" in some way than the others? Thank you for any opinions or assistance you can offer.
Get a Tikka and pretend the stock is made of wood. Shoot it for a while and you’ll learn to overlook it’s faults. It’ll be like dating a plain girl who never stops trying to please. 🤔
I think most would be very happy with a CZ457. They are nice looking, feed and operate very smoothly, and tend to shoot well. They may not be the most accurate, but their function makes up for that. I personally like the looks of the American models. Some guys like the Lux model, but the European humpback stock does nothing for me.
Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.
There are a number of potions out there. Tikka does make a walnut stocked T1x Hunter in 22 LR that may be above your stated budget but I never seen one for sale second hand. The CZ 457s are accurate and frequently available on the used market at decent prices.
Quality Sako, Remington, Kimber and Winchester RFs are out there but definitely at higher price point. Personally, I went the CZ 457 route but don't over look older BRNO or CZ 452 and 455 rimfire rifles.
The world is your oyster.
"Rhetoric is no substitute for reality." -Thomas Sowell
I have a CZ 527 in 22 Hornet….bought new many years ago and now has been discontinued, and is a great rifle, very accurate beautiful wood. Not a 22LR, but the CZ line in 22LR is one you need to get one in hand before you decide. As BSA said above, I would buy the CZ 427 if looking for a 22LR. Just holding one in your hand speaks quality throughout and lt you could shoot one would be even better.
I have these rifles, like them, and think that they are good understudy rifles, particularly the 541T because its weight makes it feel more like a comparable size centerfire hunting rifle.
My current preferred understudy or warm up rifle is a Tradewinds 311A, a house brand Krico 302. Simpson LTD in Galesburg, IL, usually has several Kricos for sale.
Get a Tikka and pretend the stock is made of wood. Shoot it for a while and you’ll learn to overlook it’s faults. It’ll be like dating a plain girl who never stops trying to please. 🤔
^^^^ +++1
drover
223 Rem, my favorite cartridge - you can't argue with truckloads of dead PD's and gophers.
24hourcampfire.com - The site where there is a problem for every solution.
Strosfann: I have owned all of the rimfire 22's you are considering - I still own the CZ 457 and a couple of Browning Belgian T-Bolts. I would rate them as follows:
I traded the Sako 54 in on an amazingly accurate Sako P94S with heavy barrel and Leupold 12 power scope. Yo might need to up your "budget" just a tad to obtain a fine condition Browning Belgian T-Bolt or the Sako P94S but I am sure you would be happy with either. Best of luck with whichever you choose. Hold into the wind VarmintGuy
I have these rifles, like them, and think that they are good understudy rifles, particularly the 541T because its weight makes it feel more like a comparable size centerfire hunting rifle.
My current preferred understudy or warm up rifle is a Tradewinds 311A, a house brand Krico 302. Simpson LTD in Galesburg, IL, usually has several Kricos for sale.
I love my 320, but they seem to be hard to find. Mine outshoots my new CZ457. I'm talking consistent accuracy/precision, not the occasional bragging "wallet group". On a consistent basis, tit for tat, the old Winchester shoots better. The CZ, however, makes up for it by how smooth and comfortable it is to shoot. As an example, though, the Winchester 320 can be had for under $400.00 most times, but you have to find one first!!! No flies on the old rifles either, like oldgrouser said.
Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.
I have these rifles, like them, and think that they are good understudy rifles, particularly the 541T because its weight makes it feel more like a comparable size centerfire hunting rifle.
My current preferred understudy or warm up rifle is a Tradewinds 311A, a house brand Krico 302. Simpson LTD in Galesburg, IL, usually has several Kricos for sale.
I love my 320, but they seem to be hard to find. Mine outshoots my new CZ457. I'm talking consistent accuracy/precision, not the occasional bragging "wallet group". On a consistent basis, tit for tat, the old Winchester shoots better. The CZ, however, makes up for it by how smooth and comfortable it is to shoot. As an example, though, the Winchester 320 can be had for under $400.00 most times, but you have to find one first!!! No flies on the old rifles either, like oldgrouser said.
I have these rifles, like them, and think that they are good understudy rifles, particularly the 541T because its weight makes it feel more like a comparable size centerfire hunting rifle.
My current preferred understudy or warm up rifle is a Tradewinds 311A, a house brand Krico 302. Simpson LTD in Galesburg, IL, usually has several Kricos for sale.
I love my 320, but they seem to be hard to find. Mine outshoots my new CZ457. I'm talking consistent accuracy/precision, not the occasional bragging "wallet group". On a consistent basis, tit for tat, the old Winchester shoots better. The CZ, however, makes up for it by how smooth and comfortable it is to shoot. As an example, though, the Winchester 320 can be had for under $400.00 most times, but you have to find one first!!! No flies on the old rifles either, like oldgrouser said.
All based on samples of one.
The wonderful thing about all those “samples of one” is that I can aggregate them to make a reasonable decision. There are a lot of nice options out there, some of which are easier to find than others. And hearing people’s subjective favorites and individual experiences has helped open my aperture some.
I really appreciate everyone who has weighed in on this question so far. I really enjoy hearing your experiences, preferences, and opinions. If I had to make my decision today, I’d probably get a CZ 457. But part of the beauty of my inclination trending in that direction is that I don’t really have to shop for the perfect rifle. I can just go down to my LGS and get a 457 whenever I want. My LGS also sells Tikka, so I can handle a T1X Hunter (which has a wooden stock) before I make a final decision.
Tika or CZ. Neighbor has a Tika and I do a CZ. We swap in the squirrel fields once in a while, and accuracy is about the same. The CZ hangs right in there with an Anschutz and a Ruger 77/22. Were I a bit richer, I'd do a Cooper.
I have a P72 and M78 Sako, they are both tack drivers. The P54 is a little older that I want for a plinker if I am putting a scope on it. The problem with the older 22 Sakos, they usually start at the $1200 range unless you fine one at a local pawn shop.
I’ve never seen a Hunter, only the synthetic ones which don’t appeal to me. They are by all reports very accurate, and one of my friends says his is his most accurate .22. I’ve had four CZs, currently a 457 Premium I put together from parts. Those, and the Royal, have oil-finished stocks which I prefer over the often gloopy-looking other versions which hides the wood grain. All have been good shooters. The 455 and now the 457, can be easily changed over to other calibers with a simple barrel/magazine swap, at modest cost, and different stocks are available as well, though availability is spotty. I don’t think you can do better for the price, unless you get very lucky in the used market. Personally, I’m too old to wait around for miracles…..
I have a P72 and M78 Sako, they are both tack drivers. The P54 is a little older that I want for a plinker if I am putting a scope on it. The problem with the older 22 Sakos, they usually start at the $1200 range unless you fine one at a local pawn shop.
AND you cannot find spare magazines anywhere. Whe they do rarely surface ,they are $100 or more.
I bought my first Sako m78 brand new in the Spring of 1980. It cost $325 plus shipping- that was dealer cost at the time. It was the first of 4 different m78s I owned jn the 1980 & 90's. They all shot and functioned superbly. Their looks were another matter..
I ordered that first rifle through a little local country store that sold a few guns and had an FFL. The owner was astounded anyone would pay that kind of money for a .22 rimfire.
In.2024 dollars- the grand total for that rifle (gun ,shipping and transfer fee) would be about $1200 now.
The point is moot because all Sako/Tikka will make now is plastic infused over-rated and priced rimfire rifles that neither shoot OR function as well as the old Sako guns. And yes- I have owned Sako p94 Finnfires and a Tikka t1x. So, I am not talking out of my arse about things I have never owned. .
I bought a Winchester Model 75 Sporting for about $650 ten years ago. Much lighter and trimmer than a Model 52 and less expensive to boot. Put a vintage J4 Weaver on it in a 3/4" N mount and it shoots 1/2" at 50yds with CCI 40 gr solids. Nice piece of fiddleback walnut too. Like my Model 43 in 22 Hornet better, though.
