Budget .22 LR Rifle Recommendations?

[asquared19]

Curious at recommendations for a budget .22. It seems the Savage MKII has gotten high praise in this category. Any recommendations on a variant of that? Doing some general looking I see the MKII F, MKII FV, MKII FV-SR as good options. Any thoughts?

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

CZ made a long barrel rifle a few years ago. very high quality. there is an aftermarket trigger available. old remingtons are higher than a cat's back.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

Curious at recommendations for a budget .22. It seems the Savage MKII has gotten high praise in this category. Any recommendations on a variant of that? Doing some general looking I see the MKII F, MKII FV, MKII FV-SR as good options. Any thoughts?

I would also consider and old Mossberg, bolt action. Friend has one. Shoots lights out. An OLDER one.

 

[JohnHenry]

I have been impressed with my Ruger American Rimfire. Hawkeye borescope of the barrel was impressive; essentially no tool marks. An easy replacement of the trigger return spring will yield a safe crisp trigger pull to 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs. Mine likes Eley Benchrest Outlaw. On a calm day I have been getting 0.9 moa(0.54") five shot groups at 60 yds.

PS: As mentioned above, also look for good condition older rifles. In the last few years I have found an excellent condition Winchester 320 and a like new Remington 581S that have both proven to be sub moa rifles with the right ammo. Each was less than $300 on consignment at a local shop.

 

[Bugs]

I have been impressed with my Ruger American Rimfire. Hawkeye borescope of the barrel was impressive; essentially no tool marks. An easy replacement of the trigger return spring will yield a safe crisp trigger pull to 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs. Mine likes Eley Benchrest Outlaw. On a calm day I have been getting 0.9 moa(0.54") five shot groups at 60 yds.

PS: As mentioned above, also look for good condition older rifles. In the last few years I have found an excellent condition Winchester 320 and a like new Remington 581S that have both proven to be sub moa rifles with the right ammo. Each was less than $300 on consignment at a local shop.

plus one on the recommendation of an old Remington 581

 

[Liven The Dream]

CZ 457 are hard to pass over.
457 American .22. 24.8 in. barrel ,great trigger Turkish Walnut $554 ??

 

[asquared19]

Thank you for the insights everyone. many of the guns mentioned look great. The only downside is they are 2x the price of the original guns I had mentioned. While I know there is a value in them, I'm still trying to find something in the lower range of $250-300. There is a Rem 581 on GB for $300 right now, so I did see that one. Does anyone have any experience with the variances of the MKII I mentioned in the OP?

 

[Rsadams]

Another vote for the Ruger American Rim fire.... The action is rough it has a cheap plastic stock but mine can put five in a half inch target at fifty and for the price that's pretty good for sure , maybe i got a good one , that would be a first for anything....... During the summer I drive to the range , hang a target out about fifty and take a little of the breakfast taco i picked up for the 30min. drive and rub it on the target and wait for the flies to show up... Yes I have no life.... But neither did this little guy... No matter what you buy the trick with rimefire is finding what ammo it likes and I suggest starting with CCI SV.... That's what hit this little guy at fifty....

 

[msalm]

Why not a good used 10/22? If it doesn’t shoot, replacement barrels are reasonable.

 

[JT27]

I bought a Savage mkll fv last year, so here’s my take.
I wanted something cheap so I could play with my buddies who jumped into the rimfire game. They have deeper pockets than I was willing to dig into so I chose the Savage.
For $235 I would say the rifle is worth it. However, the stock, at least, for me, was awful. I got lucky and came across a Boyd’s pro varmint stock with the bottom metal for $50. WAY better. It didn’t improve accuracy, but at least made the gun shootable. The plastic stock was too short and, ….it’s just crap. I got my trigger down to 12 ounces with a little help from Mr. Dremel and I am very happy with that. Put a Riton X3 Conquest 6 x 24 x 50 on it I bought for $200 new. With the rings and EGW 20moa rail, I think I have $600 into it.
Accuracy wise, I can’t say I’m disappointed. I’m not impressed either. It will hold 1/2 inch at 50 with the right ammo. It took at least 500 rounds before it even showed signs of being halfway accurate. After scoping the bore, I can’t believe this thing even shot straight. I’ve heard ”sewer pipe“ used to describe Savage barrels, they ain’t lying. But, at the end of the day I’m satisfied. Had I not voided the warranty on day 1, I probably would have sent it back. It actually keeps me competitive at my clubs recreational rimfire match so mission accomplished.
If I were to do it over again, I’d go with a Tikka or a CZ. Had it not been for a smoking good deal on that stock, I would have been hard-pressed to put another $250 into this thing.

 

[Handi204]

I bought my granddaughter a Savage 64 for $139.00 new in box no adjustable trigger but I was pleased with it, probably won’t put 5 in a half inch put its minute of varmint. We ran about 200 rounds through it no hiccups. Good value for what it is.

 

[lachoneus]

I bought a Savage Mark II BTV (thumbhole stock) about 13 years ago. It shoots well with every brand of ammunition I have put through it, and really well with some brands.

 

[JT27]

This past Sunday @50 with SK Standard, it’s favorite. 5 shot groups.
From bench, front sandbag, rear protektor bag.

 

[qec]

I have the FV-SR variant out of the box it shoots very well. The stock sucks for my 6'2" frame. I found an unfinished Boyd stock for about $100 and swapped out the trigger spring for a sub 1lb trigger. This is the route I would go. Buy the rifle and then hunt around for a replacement stock at a good price. For comparison I also have a Tikka T22 and a very customized 10/22. Both are much more expensive then the Savage. The Tikka can out shoot it slightly but not the 10/22.
On sale the Savage is hard to beat.

 

[DGP4]

The Savage Mark II really has no competitive alternative in that price range. The problem is that while the rifle is very accurate, the stock is the worst stock I have ever encountered. I put mine into a MDT chassis when they were on sale at Optics Planet and it made a world of difference. If you get the Savage, you will need to look at a replacement stock. The cheapest alternative is probably the Boyds Varmint stock.

 

[TaperPin]

I have been impressed with my Ruger American Rimfire. Hawkeye borescope of the barrel was impressive; essentially no tool marks. An easy replacement of the trigger return spring will yield a safe crisp trigger pull to 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs. Mine likes Eley Benchrest Outlaw. On a calm day I have been getting 0.9 moa(0.54") five shot groups at 60 yds.

PS: As mentioned above, also look for good condition older rifles. In the last few years I have found an excellent condition Winchester 320 and a like new Remington 581S that have both proven to be sub moa rifles with the right ammo. Each was less than $300 on consignment at a local shop.

I’ll second that 581 is a great shooter. Way back I used one for silouette - just a kid, but that gun was competitive against rifles many times it’s cost.

 

[DogBuster]

Have one of these

Ain't purty

But shoots great !

Mark II FV-SR | 22 LR Heavy Threaded Barrel | Savage Arms

The Mark II FV-SR 22 LR combines a tough synthetic stock and heavy threaded barrel for high performance. Adjustable AccuTrigger for precise, tactical shooting.

www.savagearms.com

 

[David Conder]

Spend the money an buy a remington 40x 22 rimfire an cry once you can get your money back when you want to sale

 

[MGYSGT]

CZ MTR. You won't win all the matches or even many. But mine beat a bevy of Anshutes a couple of times.

 

[jonbearman]

Find an old marlin model60 semi auto. They shoot great and are accurate.I bought one in 1971 at a local store and still have it.I like it as much as my tricked 10-22.