help me pick a new 22 rifle
- Thread starter rebs
- Start date
You need to give us an idea of “not a lot of money “ . For general good shooting sporter types in the $500 range my personal favorite is the CZ line. Better , but more money would be the Anschultz line but a big jump in price and quality as well as accuracy. Anschultz would approach $1000 . Then there is the used rifle market and don’t overlook that. Unless abused they won’t be shot out like a center fire. See what others are shooting where you want to shoot.
Start out by looking at the Anschutz web site for one that suits you and your needs. If they are too expensive, then you can downgrade your search. I have an Anschutz 1516 HD in 22 mag and am VERY impressed with it's accuracy and quality. Beat my Savage.
Rebs , go to a match or two or three and see what’s being used and talk to the people. I have never met anyone who wouldn’t talk about what they like to do and give “advice “ . Don’t jump but listen and walk to a choice!!! Seriously look at the used rifle market ,you can save a lot and keep in mind that you will need a scope, which means you will have to check that out.Anschultz is great, but the older 40X’s and Win. 52’s depending on how deep you want to get in are also fine .Walk don’t jump !!!!
As suggested go to some matches and see what the shooters who are scoring well are using. Take a look at the groups that are winning and placing high - if they are 1-1/2" to 2" groups the a CZ or Tikka could easily be competitive. But you also have to take into account the conditions the groups are being shot in, when I spoke of group size I was referring to calm conditions, if the groups are more around the 1" size then you will likely need better equipment.
Most 22 benchrest matches can be won or place high with a rifle that will shoot consistent sub-1" groups at 100 yds. Often it is more about the abiiity to read conditions then the accuracy of the rifle. As is often said - "it is the Indian not the arrow". I have seen more of one instance of a good shooter with what would be considered sub-par equipment out shoot poor shooters with top-line equipment.
drover
Most 22 benchrest matches can be won or place high with a rifle that will shoot consistent sub-1" groups at 100 yds. Often it is more about the abiiity to read conditions then the accuracy of the rifle. As is often said - "it is the Indian not the arrow". I have seen more of one instance of a good shooter with what would be considered sub-par equipment out shoot poor shooters with top-line equipment.
drover
It is the trigger on the Savage Rifles that does it.
th82457
Silver $$ Contributor
With a good optic from 20 to 36 power & a good trigger at about 1lb. pull or so - either of those might do well. Key is trigger, optics & ammo. .22 lr at 100 is very difficult & need to try out a lot of standard velocity ammo to see what your rifle really likes. 100 yards is about 4 times more difficult than 50 yards with a .22. Because of the slow velocity your bench technique needs to be more consistent than with a high velocity centerfire. High veocity .22 ammo. wil go from supersonic to subsonic at about 75-80 yards - which can cause good accuracy at 50 yards to go to poor accuracy at 100. This is why most .22 bench shooters use standard velocity ammo that is subsonic from the barrel to the target. I have been trying for a while to get better at 100 yards with a .22. I can do well at 50, but 100 is a whole different animal & takes all of the above plus a lot of practice & wind reading skills.
Good Luck !
Good Luck !
Hey rebs, either of your rifles could be competitive if you're up to the task and they are average or above average examples of the breed. Try them out at the local matches and see where you need to go. Either could be fitted with a better barrel and certainly be competitive for less than a new rifle. You have a lot of options. Of course a new rifle always feels good too, but you could spend the money on ammo and glass as explained below.
First off though is try some mid-level GOOD ammo. There's all kinds of ammo from SK, Eley, RWS, Lapua, Armscor, and many others. I have a Remington Model 37 that shoots through the same hole at 50 with a certain lot of SK Standard Plus. When I found it at Champion Shooters Supply ( which is no longer in business I think ), I called to see if they had more of that lot #. Ended up buying two cases. It is more about finding ammo your gun likes than you might imagine. And you will easily spend more on ammo than on the rifle in one or two years time if you get bit by the bug.
And like others have advised, good glass is a must, 36x min and 50x isn't too much for Bench Shooting matches.
One last piece of advise ( I promise ). Get a cheap bore scope and make sure your chambers and barrels are clean. It will prevent a lot of guessing and frustration, trust me.
First off though is try some mid-level GOOD ammo. There's all kinds of ammo from SK, Eley, RWS, Lapua, Armscor, and many others. I have a Remington Model 37 that shoots through the same hole at 50 with a certain lot of SK Standard Plus. When I found it at Champion Shooters Supply ( which is no longer in business I think ), I called to see if they had more of that lot #. Ended up buying two cases. It is more about finding ammo your gun likes than you might imagine. And you will easily spend more on ammo than on the rifle in one or two years time if you get bit by the bug.
And like others have advised, good glass is a must, 36x min and 50x isn't too much for Bench Shooting matches.
One last piece of advise ( I promise ). Get a cheap bore scope and make sure your chambers and barrels are clean. It will prevent a lot of guessing and frustration, trust me.
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Now knowing what rifles you have I suspect that the 541 will outshoot the Savage ,maybe not ,but shoot them against each other with good ammo and high power scope and see how they do at 50 yards . An inexpensive scope that a lot of people shoot are the Weaver T-36 which you can get on the forum used for between $320 - $350 .A lot of people shoot that scope because it is good.You can use it until..... With your best shooting rifle, using the ammunition it likes and a powerful scope,shoot with the group and pick up knowledge and understanding. The worst thing that can happen is that you don’t like it but you have gained knowledge and gained friends. Walk...don’t run towards what you want .
1Merlin
Silver $$ Contributor
Very subjective with lots of variables. For under $1,000 A used heavy barrel Anschutz 54 would give the best chance to have a sub MOA rifle at 100 - IMO. Several others may or may not make it depending on the barrel lottery you play with a less expensive rifle. (CZ or Tikka then Savage then Ruger and various others.) Put a Weaver 36 on it, find a good lot of SK or Lapua and go shoot.
I have a Sightron I believe is 8 - 32 x 56 with fine cross hair with dot and 1/8 click adjustments that I want to use. Would that be good ?
Thank you guys for all your advice, I am going to try the two rifles I have with some match ammo and see how well they shoot before jumping into a new rifle.
Thank you guys for all your advice, I am going to try the two rifles I have with some match ammo and see how well they shoot before jumping into a new rifle.
That Sightron will do just fine for now.
Good choice in my opinion to go with what you have. Hopefully one or both will be good enough to scratch your itch; until the inevitable day you decide you need smaller groups no matter the cost. We all go through that stage, some survive.
Rebs , you have what you need to start ! Go get your feet wet and just do it! There’s a long curve to learn and you have to start somewhere and sometime ! Get realistic and realize that you’re not going to start out World Champion , and with all due respect, it probably won’t be the first or last time you will get your butt handed to you. You’re competing with yourself. Have fun ,learn ,meet people and see how far you want to get into this.
Thank you guys for telling me to walk don't run in buying a new rifle. I took my Savage 22 to the range this morning and shot CCI SV, CCI Green Tag, Tenex, Eley Black, Norma match 22 and Norma Tac 22. I shot two five round groups of each and all were under one inch. Using a Leupold 4.5 - 14 scope. I used a bipod and rear bag, would a front rest make much difference ? Tomorrow I am going to shoot the same with my Remington 541 and see which one is better. Looks to me like I don't need a new rifle. I am not a big fan of this Leupold scope as it seems to have a very small eye box. I have to really lean forward to get a full FOV and the scope is mounted as far back as it can go.
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