Years ago Weatherby bought out a very sweet .22 LR semi auto and it was extremely accurate. However (at least the three I had) jammed seriously. Often times failing to execute a 5-shot clip successfully.

I was looking for a fine auto to replace my Marlin 60 but just don't seem to find one available.

Anyone know of a classy walnut stocked .22 semi auto on the market?

Thompson Center.....steel and walnut. A beautiful rifle and the one my son has "shoots".

Look at a used Browning from the 60's thru the 80s's--dont know the model --but it's the one that loads from the buttstock

Maybe they even still make it. Very slim, Very pretty, Very well made, a little pricey

Yep, few prettier than the Browning.

Browning .22 takedown at Cabelas

My BIL has one and it is sweet!

Have both the Browning and the Thompson Center and they are both fine rifles. The Browning is a bit on the petite side if that would bother you.

Is the Browning a highly accurate gun?

I was told years ago that they wasn't very accurate.

I'd like to see 1" 50 yard groups.

My favorite steel/walnut 22 semi-auto is the Winchester 63.

Bruce

Re, Vapodog:

The Browning semi-auto .22 rifle (take-down), a thing of beauty, is the ONLY "semi-auto" .22 rifle model Browning currently manufactures (although in three grades).

As to accuracy, I have always "heard" they ARE regarded to be extremely accurate. I purchased my Browning SA-22 in the late 50's and have always found this to be true with my rifle- as well as with the 'newer' models I have fired.

The first thing I learned about my then "new" Browning .22 was it's bottom ejection port ... when the "hot" ejected casing bounced off the tender flesh inside of my bare wrist. After a few times ... I learned to hold my fore-arm clear.

The Browning SA-22 is also of extreme quality in all materials used and in it's craftsmanship.

I also much regard my Marlin 60 and two Ruger 10/22's for their quality and accuracy ...

Still, the Browning .22 - is a BROWNING !

Mine too is actually the Winchester 63, just didn't mention it because it's no longer being made. Shouldn't be much of a trick to find a nice one on the used gun market though.

Were any of those M63's ready for a scope?

Here is one that makes that point.

M63 with a scope mount

Yep, TC's Classic is the most accurate 22 semi auto out of the box. I have eight Ruger 10-22's and they shoot well, but I did a whole lot of upgrading to get them to where they are today. TC's equal the tricked out 10-22's right out of the box.
I have a buddy up here that has a TC Classic. He was at the range one day shooting it when I was there. I watched him shoot a 5 shot, 1/4" group at 50 yards with the TC using Wolf Match target ammo. I was blown away. They are that accurate...

I have a new SA-22. It's a semi-auto, it's high-grade, and mine is pretty accurate for a semi-auto.

What it's not is a benchrest rifle. It was never meant to be.

If a man wants to shoot squirrels through the eye at 50 yards, I'd suggest he go in a whole different direction.

But if he'd like a high-grade walking-around rifle, a magic-wand that leaps to his shoulder and perforates small, sometimes quick-moving targets out to 50 yards while he is standing on his two feet, then a high-grade semi-auto like the SA-22 would be a fine choice, IMO.

- Tom

I believe the last 63's were grooved. No idea how many or for how long.

Bruce

The Browning ATD is cool on alot of levels, the T/C is accurate but leaves class with the 10/22 IMO.

Have you looked at the Remington 552? I have one and its super accurate and does not ever jam.

I like the "full size" feel of the gun

This really isn't a bad looking gun and it's priced about the same as the Browning.

I couldn't find a price on the Thompson Center gun

There really a classic IMO. I found mine at Gander Mt in near new condition for a steal, keep an eye on gunbroker I see them there all the time. Top it off with a Leupold M8 4x and you will have an accurate classic.

Here is mine with M8 4x

Nice outfit. Have always wondered about these rifles.

Thanks, I always wondered about them too. As usual I needed to buy one and find out for myself and Im here to tell you there a sleeper! The 10/22 gets so much attention in the auto market I think most of the others get overlooked. But these guns have been around for ever and there is a good reason for that.

Here is some good reading on them.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=296877&highlight=552+club

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290009&highlight=552+club

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291298&highlight=552+club

The T/C Classic is a fine .22 rifle. I bought mine just after they came out several years ago. I still have it and it is very accurate and well made.

My vote in a modern rifle would be the new T/C R55 Classic. The original T/C Classic had a few reliability troubles. I had two, one jammed and had a terrible trigger, the other was very reliable and had an excellent trigger. Thompson Center got their stuff together and took a look at the source of the troubles and fixed the issues and complaints. The latest versions of this rifle are very nice all steel rifles with good triggers, nice wood, threaded barrels, and very accurate and reliable.

The Leupold M8 4x looks good on that rifle. Any problem with rear sight clearance, and what height rings? Thanks.

I have a Browning 1950 vintage, beautiful, accurate. Dad bought it for me @ age 2. I have shot thousands and thousands thru this thing. It is one nice rifle. Bought my x a T/C classic which I guess she still has. nice rifle but didn't like to get dirty. Didn't shot sny where as well as the browning. Sample of one YVMV.

Thanks, no issues clearing the rear sight, rings are Burris.

Rings are low IIRC, might be med.

Forgot to add that.

I keep telling myself I'm gonna get one of these...Yours looks sweet. I wish they'd kept the old style bead sight.

The new bead look WAY to big IMO, I have never shoulder one but daum.

I've got an early 70s BDL model. The sights on it are the bigger ones, look similar to Remington's centerfire sights. I agree they don't look as good as the smaller ones but they work a lot better for my older eyes. My 552 with the old style stock with more drop in it, longer barrel and bigger sights is the only rifle I own that I can use the open sights on. It looks like it would be hard to use the open sights on the newer ones with the high comb stock.

It would be hard to not consider most any pre-war SA not a Higrade rifle. Fit and finish better than later and present production. Many were built as full size rifles. Two of my favs are Win74 and Sav6a.

How about a 490 Winchester? I have one and it's a well built rifle. Walnut stock, steel receiver, jeweled bolt, and it's grooved for a scope. Just about a carbon copy of a Model 100.

Can you post a photo of this gun?

Not his, but some on the net:

Bruce

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/at...-490-22-autoloader-winchester-490-22.jpg

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/at...winchester-22-winchester-490-w-scope.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/winchester%20490/frenchmanjack/042.jpg

Now that's a fine looking specimen. What kind of groups do you suppose one might expect from this rifle?

Mine is very accurate and reliable, but the trigger leaves something to be desired. Really my only complaint.

How is the trigger on your Speedmaster?

I keep looking at examples of it's brother, the 572, on gunbroker, and figure the trigger groups are identical.

I own a Remington 552, a restored 241 (nice}, a NIB 490, two of the Weatherbys and several other discontinued models. I really enjoy them all but one of my favorites is the Browning BAR .22. They are no longer made, but you can find them. They are an adult sized rifle. There are about four variations. I had three but sold two. The one I kept is a pistol grip model with the typical Browning high gloss finish. I think it looks great and feels very good. Having mentioned the BAR, for a reasonably priced, high quality .22 auto-loader, it is tough to do better than one of the little Brownings. I gave one to my wife many years ago and we will never sell it!

I got one of the original Weatherby XXII guns when I graduated from high school in '66. Very reliable and a good shooter and looks great, but if you want maximum accuracy with an auto, a properly tricked out 10/22 is tough to beat. Mine is a simple gun with Ruger receiver, Green Mountain 20" fluted SS barrel, Kidd trigger, Hogue stock and a Weaver 2x7 rimfire scope. Total weight is 7 lbs, 5 oz. Shoots great. Totally reliable.

I suppose some people wouldn't consider a 10/22 high grade, but their Deluxe Sporter is a pretty nice little rifle. Mine shoots great, has a nice piece of walnut in it, and is dead reliable after I put an EDM extractor in it. Also did some trigger work on it, but that's part of the fun of the 10/22, you can't help but mess with them.

\With all due respect friend, I don't really think a "hi grade" rifle should come demanding a trigger job and an aftermarket extractor.

I've heard great things of the 10-22 and rarely ever see anyone post negatively about them. That said: they don't fit my definition of a "hi grade" rifle.

I have a very great shooter and functionally excellent autoloader in a Marlin 60. It's also a fine "tool". But then as with the 10-22 it's lacking in refinement such as nicely finished walnut with checkering and rubber but pad and pistol grip appointments.

Among the sweetest hi grades I've ever owned were three weatherby Mark XXII.....sadly all three were functionally illiterate!

The Brno 611 is a high quality auto made only in .22 Mag. as best I know.

Savage99, is that your rifle?.....How's it shoot?

That's a fairly nice looking rig!

Yes it was mine. I gave it to my son and he has it now.

It's quite accurate. I paid a low price for it. The prices of those 611's are crazy high now on the net.

Some dealer had some new ones. Find those old auctions if you can. They may have more.

Tough to beat a good 10/22,though I've many examples of the other offerings mentioned thus far in this Thread.

I tend to grade performance,more than I do aesthetics............

Got any good tips on tuning up a 10/22 heavy barrel?

Another vote for the T/C.

B&C tubes are usually sinister in the accuracy department and the 16" .920" S/S non-fluted,is all but free in pricing.

In everything but a Hogue,I float the action and FL the barrel,with the McMillan Anschutz Sillywet being my default favorite. The Hogue is a drop-in and run scenario,which do bear fruit.

Rather than replace triggers,I'm happy to stone the existing and perhaps respring same. I'm a fan of a TG mounted overtravel stop,for double-taps or longer stitches.

For the loot,the Weaver T-09 base is tough to beat,as it's cross slotted and will greedily accept a multitude of ring types. I'm hip on Leupie PRW's and their generous surface area beneath the ring caps and I've yet to shoot any loose in any application.

I've a good sized herd of 10/22's(and a pair of AMT's) and am very hip on what a good 10/22 can reliably do................

Don't consider the 1022 to be "high grade", do consider them to be the best buy in a SA 22, though. Not really necessary to "upgrade" them, although it's a temptation, with all the aftermarket goodies available.

My oldest 1022 was new in the late 1960s. All original, 'cept for a synthetic thumbhole stock and inexpensive Green Mountain 20" .920 blued barrel, (both fairly recent additions). That rifle has digested in excess of 20,000 rounds and still works fine...if you keep Remington ammo away from it. My kid ran a minimum of 3 or 4 bricks through it annually, when he was in his pre-teen years.

Once went over 3 years (and thousands of rounds), with no cleaning, other than the occasional patch down the barrel. Still cycled flawlessly, crud'n all.

If a "high grade" rifle is one that's extry purty and cost alot of money, you can have it. Especially if it can't shoot/function as consistantly well as one that cost less than $200. Bought another new 1022 last year for $179. Still as-issued, except for a longer LOP synthetic stock I had taking up space here. It also shoots/functions very well.

Had a 10/22 go almost 18,000rds in an R&D experiment,before it got too dirty to run at all.

For conversation...............

I always liked the original little Browning .22 auto. I was the only one of four siblings who loved firearms. When he died in 86 dear old mom gave it to someone else.

I've a few,as well as a 241. While nostalgic and fairly classy...they can't begin to hang with a 10/22.

My Winny 74 short is pretty skookum.............

Ended my experiment after about 3 years, mostly because of peer pressure: My dad and my son demanded that I clean it, since they shot it more'n I did at the time. ;O)

The boy once burned up over a brick of Wildcats with the 1022 in a few days, when he was about 8 or 9 and went to hunting camp with my parents. Told dad to hide the Ruger and make the little pizzer shoot his own M581, so the fodder lasted longer.

1022 never bobbled once in all those 3+ years,, shooting WW Wildcats, Dynapoints, CCI Mini mags, cheap Federals, or anything else we ran thru her. No Rems, though. Rem ammo is the only stuff that ever caused it to smokestack or jam, since I've had it. And that was many years ago.

Won a Fajen synthetic thumbhole in a raffle, figured that little factory barrel looked silly in there, so put an inexpensive .920 GM barrel on it fer chits and grins. With Wolf Match Target from a rest, it'll punch ragged holes @ 25 and do 1/2" @ 50 yards. Stock trigger and innards.

Think the rifle originally cost me $75, back when I got it?

I've had 4000rd days.

Few things more fun than a high zoot 10/22,a cliploader and a daypack full of 25rd BC's...................

"Sillywet" Got me on that one...

They's versatile.............

Classy-looking rifles are fine. Several of my friends own some, I own very few. It's a personal choice, if one has the money to spend on something they and others find to be classy.

Some years back a huntin' bud bought a new Browning rimfire lever action. It is a beautiful little rifle. Not content to have spent hundreds for the Browning, he ordered a pricey receiver sight for it, which also looked beautiful.

I have a cheapo Williams receiver sight on the M39 I bought used. It still shoots circles around my bud's Browning, for roughly half the investment.

Then there are Savages, but I'll quit now.

BRNO 581's and the newer version labeled CZ 511 are well made accurate semiautomatic rifles. Not easy to find and the triggers are not match quality. I have one of each and they are very accurate. Have a TC Classic as well and it is very accurate and the trigger is nice.
dan