anyone shoot a bolt action .22mag?

bradpierson26

bradpierson26

Joined
Aug 7, 2008
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I ordered this yesterday and can't wait to shoot it. I bought it for killin squirrels with my girlfriend's dad in late july. I don't plan on scoping it but I did get a leather sling that should match the light colored laminate very nicely. http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/22WinMagnum/983S.asp
does anyone else shoot .22mags? I would love some pics on your rigs.
how accurate are they with premium bullets like v-maxs, TNT's or accutips?
 
I would recommend a scope to fully take advantage of the capabilities of the .22WMR cartridge. I use a 12X Leupold with a Harris bipod and it's just right.
sorry, no rifle pics.

Regarding ammo, I've had very good accuracy with these.
22-wmr-maximag-hp.jpg
 
damnit. i was hoping this could be my first unscoped rifle:grumpy:
i bought a 50rnd box of the maxi-mag HPs at wally world today. i think they were $10
 
I haven't used a bolt rifle in .22mag but I shot the heck out of an old Winchester '94 chambered in it. Scopes are nice but not necessary if you've got good eyesight and good sights. I'm thinking a good peep sight would make this a fun gun but I would try the buckhorn sights it comes with first. You may like them.
 
I have to agree with PT. While putting a scope on it can make it easier, for me there is a challenge using iron sights.

I had the same rifle but with a black synthetic stock. It was a great shooter...
I just couldn't justify the added expense of the 22 mag ammo for what I wanted to do with it. The cost of 22 L.R ammo is part of what makes 22's fun for me .
I like the tube magazine. Much easier to load than those damn small magazines.

There is someone that makes an after market trigger for that rifle, but I can't remember who. The trigger on mine wasn't the greatest. But then again, it wasn't an expensive rifle, and it was still surprisingly accurate.

I don't think you will be disappointed
 
I hope you are not planning on eating those squirrels. A 22 mag can do quite a bit of damage to one.
 
I have a Marlin .22mag with a 3x9 scope and prefer it over my Ruger 10/22 for any kind of hunting. My rifle like the Winchester Supreme hollow points. Yes the .22mag can tear a squirrel if you dont use head shots.
 
My little brother has something very similar to that gun. It is a Marlin, but I dont recall all of the options. Its a nice shooting gun.

I have a 9422m, but I havent shot it since I made the switch to 17HMR.

The Marlin 22mag is decently accurate, but wont hold a candle to the 17.
 
I don't currently have a bolt gun, or .22 mag, but have thought about one, so I am interested in peoples response to this thread.
 
I shoot a Marlin 982VS and love it. I used to use standard CCI hollowpoints, but have since switched to the CCI V-Max and haven't looked back. The V-max bullet brings the .22 WMR into a whole new category! This thing is deadly accurate to 100 yards (shootable to 150 yards on a squirrel or larger) and does quick kills on everything I've hunted with it (Squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, porcupine, possum, etc.). I am amazed by the quality and accuracy of this marlin, I think you will be doing yourself a disservice if you don't scope it. If the trigger assembly is anything like the 982's, you can get that pull down to about 1 lb. if you simply switch some springs around in the action. The pull is heavy on Marlins, but very crisp and clean. I am not recommending you do this because I don't know your gun. It worked amazingly on mine and is completely drop safe and makes for a much more accurate rifle. Here are some pics of the guts of my rifle:
RemoveStock.jpg

TriggerSearContact.jpg

RemoveTrigger.jpg

RemoveSear.jpg
 
I plan on getting the CCI v-maxs but sportsmans warehouse as sold out when i was there and all they had for .22wmr HPs were the CCI HPs. i think they were $1 cheaper at wally world. :jerkit: IIRC i paid 9.99 and the v-maxs were $12.99 at sportsmans
We don't plan on eating the squirrels. He said they were black squirrels and were harmful to the environment or something. And believe me, he is the type to eat everything he kills.
I have a ruger 10/22 and am building another and i have a savage .22lr so this won't be a plinking gun, just a hunting gun and hopefully an occasional range toy depending on how well it shoots. I don't imagine .22wmr has THAT much more range than .22lr...
everyone says awful things about the trigger on these so i will be doing a trigger mod per instrustions on rimfirecentral.com
If I were to scope it, I would want a stainless scope to match the barreled action. I have a stainless .30-06 that wears a stainless scope and it looks pretty slick.
I really like nikon prostaffs as a lower end scope but at $179 for their stainless 3-9x40mm, thats a little steep, especially since I only paid $206 for the gun. I hear awesome things about mueller APVs and for $125 shipped with a sunshade for their stainless versions, who could resist but 4.5-14x40mm seems like a lot of magnification for a squirrel gun - and its probably on the heavy side for a small game hunting rig.
does anyone know of a decent quality 3-9 or 4-12 scope that comes in stainless for like $80-130?
And don't get me started on the nightmare of trying to find stainless rings. getting the action, rings, and scope to all be the same stainless is impossible. I think i paid $80 for the stainless rings for the aforementioned '06 but that was a $1500 setup:eek:
I wish the new redfield scopes had a stainless model. hopefully next year...
if this gun seriously impresses me, i could see a griffin armament stainless magnum rated suppressor in the not so distant future. ;) taking the can off to reload would be a pain in the ass but if I were to be hunting with it, it might be hours between reloading
 
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for a scope, check out the BSA brand...they make some pretty dam good scopes at decent prices. Walmart sells them, and I'm many other stores and websites do.
 
stealthchaser13 said:
for a scope, check out the BSA brand...they make some pretty dam good scopes at decent prices. Walmart sells them, and I'm many other stores and websites do.
Click to expand...

from personal experience BSA stands for "been screwed again"
but i can't expect much from a "$80-130" budget now can I?
If I was buying a walmast scope, i would get a 4-16 centerpoint
 
The semi-auto .22 WRFM is an old time favorite in the South for Squirrels and varmits. A bolt action with a tube magazie would be the cats meow. I dont know if anyone makes such anymore, I am not sure you can even get a tubular magazine .22 RF Bolt-action anymore. Those little detacable magazines seem to have replaced them.
 
bradpierson26 said:
from personal experience BSA stands for "been screwed again"
but i can't expect much from a "$80-130" budget now can I?
If I was buying a walmast scope, i would get a 4-16 centerpoint
Click to expand...

I had a BSA scope on my .22; the only reason I took it off was because I acquired a scope with mil-dot reticle, which the BSA didn't have. It held zero very well (once set, held like a rock). Now the BSA scope is on a pellet rifle. It is a 2-7x.
 
I don't use it much, but in the late fall, when the leaves are off the hardwoods, and the shots are longer, I take out the old Marlin 783. This picture shows it wearing an old El Paso Weaver K4, but there is a Leupold 3-9X on it now.
marlin783.jpg
 
protourist said:
I haven't used a bolt rifle in .22mag but I shot the heck out of an old Winchester '94 chambered in it. Scopes are nice but not necessary if you've got good eyesight and good sights. I'm thinking a good peep sight would make this a fun gun but I would try the buckhorn sights it comes with first. You may like them.
Click to expand...

are ya sure it was a '94? i didnt think they were chambered in rimfires, might be wrong though.
 
bradpierson26 said:
I ordered this yesterday and can't wait to shoot it. I bought it for killin squirrels with my girlfriend's dad in late july. I don't plan on scoping it but I did get a leather sling that should match the light colored laminate very nicely. http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/22WinMagnum/983S.asp
does anyone else shoot .22mags? I would love some pics on your rigs.
how accurate are they with premium bullets like v-maxs, TNT's or accutips?
Click to expand...

I have a couple of Marlin 22mags. a model similar to yours and the heavy barrel model 982 I think. The only thing that takes away from it is the cost of the ammo jump from 22lR to 22mag for a pinch of more powder. However I shoot mine frequently and have taken rabbits,coyotes,Pdogs,and Bob cats

I have mine scoped..As for ammo choice just start buying different brands and weights and shoot until your rifle shows you it's desired round. Then start buying a couple of boxes every payday and you'll have a nice supply after 6 months.

Make sure you buy yourself 3or 4 more magazines
 
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