Which .22 Rifle...

I have a marlin 60 and a CZ american 452. The 452 is a real beauty, but no iron sights, and only 5 round mags. Other mags are not too easy to find, here anyway.
For a wilderness rifle, get a marlin. I am looking at the papoose, myself.
 
As to your question, "store brands" or marlin.............There are Marlin autos that are bargains and shoot good, Glenfield comes to mind. The Model 39 is a classic if you have the money but it! The Winchester 9422 is what I bought and shoots fantastic with a smoother action. Sadly it is no longer made.

Also expensive but great .22's are.............The Winchester Model 52, the Anshutz, and the Weatherby Mk 11. The first two are bolt actions, and the Weatherby is an auto. For fun and bumming the auto is the most fun. The ammo goes fast though. :-)

I think the Ruger .22 is the best choice..... price, function, magazine availability, and is just plain fun to shoot. For varmits or hunting, a bolt action will work fine. My Anshutz is a "Death Ray" in the woods.
 
CZ-452's. I have two 'Super Exclusive' models with their 28.8" barrel, 300m calibrated rear iron sight and adjustable front sight (to fine tune for ammo changes) and a 'Special/Trainer', which I scoped. I've had everything up to a new Marlin 1897CB - which cost what the three CZ's did total - and nothing compares. Love those CZ bolts!

Stainz
 
An iron sighted 452? sounds good to me. Would it be worth tapping for a peep sight, do you think?
I have an american in .17hmr as well, it's a hot little round, I was getting 1.5 inch groups at 200 yards, but that was with a bipod on a dirt road, and a 12x scope.
I have to bench it to see how well it really shoots.
The .22 was good for 1 inch at 75 yards, with the same dirt road setup. Both shot everthing equally well, from my humble testing.
A CZ will not let you down, that's for sure.
 
Well, throw my lot in with the guys that say the MArlin 39A is the finest .22 rimfire in existance. If you don't want to drop that kind of cash, then I'd suggest something liek the Marlin 981T. Really any tube-fed would be ok, as they can use .22 Short, Long and Long Rifle ammo. With magazine fed rifles, you're limited to Long Rifle, and not all semi autos will cycle with Shorts or Longs.

My favorite rimfire, though is the .22 Magnum. I can highly recommend the Marlin 983T if you want a magnum rimfire. Now if they'd just come out with a 39B in .22 Mag. . .
 
I know this suggestion is probably outside your criteria because of it not being readily available but, if you can find one, I recommend the Remington Nylon 66.

Second choice would be a Marlin Model 60 due to its price, track record, and its reputation for out -of-the-box accuracy (acceptable - not stellar, even with the heavy, crunchy trigger). For a .22 rifle with a barrel that is nowhere near free-floated, and and no real aftermarket upgrades like the 10/22, its still a great, time tested .22.

Third, the Ruger 10/22. I'd recommend it higher on the list but I'm not a tinkerer when it comes to .22 rifles. They can be turned into incredible rifles but usually end up costing as much as a Browning T-Bolt, CZ 452, Anchultz or even higher.

Last would be the H&R/NEF Sportster. Even better would be one of the Combos as they can be taken down and stowed in a pack. The grin factor is pretty high too. It's kinda like the single blade slip-joint of the .22 world. Simple, functional, dependable, and works surprisingly well.
 
I agree with the NEF as well. If this rig is for getting some grub, single shot should be enough. .22lr and 20 guage combo would be a deadly game getting rig, and cheap as well.
 
A CZ-452 'Trainer/Special' will spoil you - adjustable trigger, match chamber (Some CCI ammo won't chamber easily!), hammer forged 25.4" barrel, and great sights. The Euro-style beech, refugee from a pallet or paddle factory, stock is highly functional, if not a work of art. You can spend more bucks and get either a full stock (aka 'Mannlicher) or the same Euro - but out of Turkish Walnut. You can add a peep blade to the rear sight - or change to match sights - or, dissect them slightly, and add a scope mount - some standard mounts will fit the 10mm grooves. Except for the long barrel, it would be a great squirrel gun. Some folks prefer their kid's 'Scout' gun - scoped - for that. Check out rimfirecentral.com and the CZ-specific forum.

Yeah, they are worth fitting a peep sight to - you'd have to spend a bunch more on an Anschutz for a better rifle.They'll spoil you!

Stainz
 
My first rimfire was a weatherbee semi-auto, still the nicest .22 I have ever owned. After it was stolen by some jerks who smashed my truck window I replaced it with a Ruger 10/22 because I couldn't find the same Weatherbee again. Now I know there are a million of them out there but I never did like my Ruger. I had it for years but it was just never the same as my Weatherbee. A couple years ago I had enough so I traded in the old ruger and ordered a Thompson Centre Arms .22 auto heavybarrel Laminated stock.
I Love it. incredibly well built and smooth as butter.

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Is a heavy barrel really necessary with a rimfire?
I supposefor pennies a round and no recoil you can shoot it all day, so it could heat up I guess. It looks pretty cool too, if you don't mind the weight.
Off topic a bit but I remember hearing the Israeli army was using a bullpup ruger 10/22
as a crowd control weapon, and actually had to train them not to kill with the suprisingly powerful long rifle round. A lot of people don't know how much power is in the deceptivly diminutive .22lr, in fact I have heard of deer sized game being taken, though I would not reccomend this unless in a survival situation.
 
I have to go with the Marlin 39 as well! My 20-some year old 39A is a tack driver with whatever kind of .22 ammo I have available! Can't beat it!

Ron
 
The Papoose for being compact, and the chimunk or cricket if you want a small rifle.

If I could have 2 .22 rifles within reason.... these would be it:

1. Ruger 10/22. Great rifle, fast follow up shots, hi cap mags, lots of aftermarket parts, etc.

2. This one just makes sense to me: the marlin 981T http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/BoltAction22/981T.aspx
Why? because it looks like a great rifle, holds 25 shorts, I like the CB shorts, and they should be pretty quiet coming out of a longer 22 inch barrel. Even holding Long rifle cartridges it holds 17. That's enough for me. I think bolt action would be more appropriate for me than lever action as I shoot lying down when hunting. I have nothing against lever actions besides that. I think the rifle is around 180 new, so not too bad :)
 
I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere earlier, but you may want to look at the Henry .22's. I have the cheapest model available and it is a real joy to shoot. Perhaps the best part of the Henry rifle is their customer service which is top notch. Perhaps, as mentioned previously, the Springfield M6 is an awesome gun for just walking around. They are no longer being produced but I was able to find one at a gun show earlier this year for $115. Just my thoughts.
 
I have a Marlin 925 and it has one of the crispest triggers I have ever felt. Its fantastically accurate considering the cost and all around I love the gun. Not tube fed but I am much more into clip guns.

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If you really mean "woods bumming" and going light, there is only one choice for me.. Its my old Remington model #514 Single shot bolt action(at the very top of the picture). This rifle is the type I was brought up on and weighs a fuzz under 4 lbs. Chambered for .22 short, long, & long rifle making it one helluva versatile shooter. She can literally be carried all day in a back-pack or in hand with no sweat at all.. To this day whilst plinking with my kids, they still look up and with their cute young faces and ask, "Daddy, how come you never miss with that rifle?" As I grin, I say" Daddy has practiced thousands of times with her, that's why. "Practice makes perfect little ones", sez me.. Same thing I was taught.

Now that said you will get several different answers from my kids. My Daughter loves her Winchester tube fed model #290 chambered in .22S-L-LR.. seen here at the second from the top.. My son will typically reach for his vintage Glenfield model #20 Bolt action and clip fed .22 in S-L-LR pictured on the bottom of the photo..

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IMO, As far as the Marlin #39 is concerned, she is a beautiful shooter and that is a given. But, a little to heavy and much to pricey for me now-a-days.. The Ruger 10/22 is a fine shooter for the price if you are looking to shoot up the woods and all, but you may just want to try an old single shot rifle if you are looking for a good woods rifle in survival mode.. One shot, one kill!. that's all you need for the supper-time cooking fire.. :)
 
SunnyD makes a fantastic point..."daddy has practiced thousands of times with her" I would think that the rifle you want to bumb around with and make those one shot kills with would be a gun you would regularly use anyway. I could not see regularly shooting that papoose or other take down guns, though they are certainly better than nothing. I carry my Marlin because I have shot it thousands of times and I am so familiar with it, it becomes 2nd nature.

I know you said "bumbing around" but if that bumbing became survival, I know I would want a gun I could trust.
 
I really like the older Winchester Model 63. It's a good shooter and will hold it's value well.
 
I'm getting a lot of good info here.I'm leaning toward a bolt action due to the ammo selection ie. S-L-LR choices.Tube feed or magazine feed but I'm guessing the tube would be a little front heavy when fully loaded.I was supprized to see the Nylon 66 suggested since they are difficult to find and a little more money than I want to spend.They are light however.10/22's are really sugested by a majority.They are nice and handy but also limited to LR only.Keep 'em coming.tom.
 
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