Upscale 22lr rifle suggestions

[Lloyd Smale]

once had a Kimber super American. It was an absolutely gorgeous gun and a tack driver to boot. Just couldn't justify a 2k$ 22 though so it got traded off.

[W.R.Buchanan]

The Kimber action is basically a updated version of the Mauser ES350 rifle which is the magazine fed version of the Single Shot ES340B I have.

I uses the same controlled round feed and claw extractor as the Mauser and the bolt face is identical to the Mauser.

Mine is a single shot however this is not the disadvantage many would think. To load all you do is drop a cartridge into the breach and close the bolt. I feeds perfectly every single time no matter how fast you close the bolt. it is nearly as fast as a clip fed rifle.

,,,,,

I have shot a Browning T bolt alot and they are very cool rifles. I don't think you could go wrong with one of them either.

If you are willing to pay $2K for a .22 then there are lots of choices. All of them will be a joy to shoot. You just have to pick one and go for it.

Randy

[odfairfaxsub]

I have 3 Cz rimfires and I can't say enough....Cz is the best best best rifle for the money. If you don't have a lot of cash get the trainer 455 for 325 plus ship and you'll be the happiest man. If you have the money get the Cz 455 lux or ultra lux. If you have a affiny to full stocks like me get the 455 fs. I have a lux 452 in 22lr I have a Cz 455 fs in 22 lr and mag.

my lux is my fav gun. Glass trigger and nice long barrel. Dimes 5 shots open sights at 40 yards

[Jack Stanley]

I don't know how often the Winchester model 320 comes up for sale but the last one I saw was in excellent condition for three hundred bucks . When the guys say the CZ is a great rifle , believe them , the ones I've shot are simply amazing .

I bought a Browning T-bolt a while back chambered in the magnum and it puts it's shots into one hole if I hold it right . The action might seem a little goofy but it's easy to get used to and quite fast to use if needed .

I've never owned or used the Anshutz , high end Winchesters and other in that class but I have seen the results and they shoot very well . Many years back I bought a Kimber model 82 deluxe and it has served very well . I have never been sorry I bought it but I am always careful with it in the field . It's just my opinion but I think it is in the same category as the high end rifles of today .

Jack

[Deadeye Bly]

I'm a fan of the CZ's myself. I have a 1950 mfg Brno #1. I also have a Brno#5 from 1958 with a custom stock and custom bottom metal. I bought my son a CZ452 a few years ago and it's a shooter! The newer 455 seems to have taken a few shortcuts to keep them affordable. I've not shot one and have no opinion yet.

One that has not been mentioned is the Winchester 75 Sporter made from about 1940 up to maybe 1960. They are very nice looking rifles and generally shoot well. I once cut down a 75 target into a sporter configuration. It was my go-to squirrel gun for years. I sold it off after getting some other 22 rifles.

[waco]

I bought a Kimber 22 Hunter for $350 last year! Far and away the BEST 22 rimfire I have ever shot.
Beyond the crazy low price, this is the most accurate 22 I have ever shot.

[MakeMineLead]

Winchester 52C + Unertl 30X @ 50 yards

= this 5-shot, 50 yard group

Bless my shaky old hands.

Remington40XR BR KS (one of about two hundred made in Remington Custom Shop) Set a standing club record



Remington 37 Unertl 36X Programmer

= this 5-shot, 50 yard group

[Lowpower]

A friend has an Anschutz for sale. It's an older one he used for benchrest. The action is a 54. The thing shoots lights out with eley match ammo. zi think he's in the $1100 price range if you're looking at how much these things are going for nowadays.

[Lowpower]

Pity that Eley doesn't make Blue anymore.....I loved it.

[lawboy]

I would encourage you to abandon the "current production" requirement and instead, take your time and find a good older Winchester or Remington target rifle, such as a Winchester 75, or 52 or Remington 513, 541T or 541S or 541THB, or 37, or 521, or 40X. Once the rifle is in hand, have the gun reconfigured to your liking. Either work the factory stock or replace it, put the mount and scope on it you want, cut or reprofile or replace the barrel, etc. The gun you are contemplating -- a dedicated squirrel gun, is almost a spiritual thing. Do it right!

[akajun]

If your looking for a sporter still in production , Sako quad, browning t bolt, cz, or anschutz. All are tack drivers.
If new production target, Anschutz or Walter .

if old production target, anschutz, bsa martini, Winchester 52, or Remington 37 or 40x.

[1Hawkeye]

For a new production .22 I would have to say CZ 452 in what ever style you fancy as for the old school stuff my favorites are a BSA #8 and a BSA 12/15 both are baby martini's. I've had Win 68's, 69's & 69t's,75t's Rem 511's, 513t's & 521's and just about all the Cz 452 styles but after I got the BSA's most of the others went bye bye. Those BSA's will out shoot everything else I had and with Federal Lightning ammo not even the expensive match ammo.

[osteodoc08]

Still looking. When I find the right one, I'm sure it will
be a rather zen experience and I'll snag her up.

[Forrest r]

It's hard not to look at the classics, the old mausers stand out. They made an excellent 22lr with match chambers and adjustable triggers along with interchangeable front sights.

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Remington made an beautiful sporter for their 513 series target rifles. The 513-s has a match chamber and adjustable trigger, these rifles just scream quality when you hold/shoot them.

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As already mentioned the remington 541-s is a light weight sporter that has a match chamber and adjustable trigger. These rifles are excellent for hunting with thier compact size and light weight.

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The original anschutz 54 sporters are a timeless classic, a 1st year (1963) 54 sporter. They came out and not only was able to compete against anything out there. They excelled and quickly became highly regarded as a premier rimfire sporter.

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It's hard not to want/like the winchester 52 sporters.

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You mentioned cz, my 1996 cz luz has been an outstanding 22lr sporter. Allot of rifle for the $$$, I put a 20x on mine and it's 1 of my favorite offhand/silhouette rifles.

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My favorite hunting 22lr rifle, a 1958 anschutz full stock. It's light weight accurate, just a pure joy to shoot. The vintage weaver 3x post reticle is a perfect match for that field/hunting rifle.

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You can never have too many quality 22lr sporters. If you like a centerfire rifle brand/style/model, there's a good chance there's a rimfire version of it out there. The same holds true with 22lr match rifles, they made allot of sporter versions of the same models.

[snowwolfe]

Contact a Cooper dealer and then place an order for a rifle built the way you want. Then you will own a work of art that shoots great that was built for YOU.
We have 4 Coopers in our house and all are tack drivers.
Its a different feeling altogether when the rifle is built for you from the ground up. I did this a few years back and ordered a left hand Cooper Custom Classic with a few options and upgraded wood. Worth every penny.

Someone mentioned Kimber Hunters. Bought the wife and son one when they first came out. Neither were as accurate as my CZ and both had ejection problems. No wonder they are cheap on the used market.

[W.R.Buchanan]

It's hard not to look at the classics, the old mausers stand out. They made an excellent 22lr with match chambers and adjustable triggers along with interchangeable front sights.

[IMG][/IMG]

Excellent Picture of a nice Mauser ES340B. My Sporting Rifle of choice for nearly 50 years. Mine cost $50 when purchased in 1968! Latest Gun Traders has them at $1000.

I also have this M2 Springfield which is proving to be very accurate. I have to get a brick of the Eley Match Ammo and See how it shoots in these two guns. I have never shot anything but the cheap stuff in any of my .22's, and really need to know if the Eley stuff is that much better. .

Randy

[Forrest r]

Excellent Picture of a nice Mauser ES340B. My Sporting Rifle of choice for nearly 50 years. Mine cost $50 when purchased in 1968! Latest Gun Traders has them at $1000.

I also have this M2 Springfield which is proving to be very accurate. I have to get a brick of the Eley Match Ammo and See how it shoots in these two guns. I have never shot anything but the cheap stuff in any of my .22's, and really need to know if the Eley stuff is that much better. .

Randy

I also enjoy my springfield m2.

[IMG][/IMG]

The 1922 m2's make an excellent day at the range. Nothing better than putting a shooting jacket & glove on and slinging up for some quality trigger time. Mine has a 1928 bbl on it and that chamber likes the longer nosed bullets like the sk match. The mauser es340b (1930's) also has a longer chamber and likes the bullets with the longer noses like sk match also.

[IMG][/IMG]

The eley eps bullet is a rather short bodied bullet and the cheap federal bulk 38gr hp is actually close in length/body design to the eps bullet. The federal bullet I'm talking about.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/produ...ounds?a=694844

A chart showing the different demensions for different 22lr chambers.

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The lilja match reamer is close to the chambers in my 1922m2 and es340b. I use the ptg lilja reamer to cut new chambers for different 22lr rifles. That way I don't have to 1 brand/bullet length of ammo for 1 rifle and another brand for a different chamber. Most of my sporter rifles with match chambers and the older match rifles have the longer chambers. My 40x, 52d and anschutz 54 have the shorter/tighter chambers.

You might consider chambering some federal bulk in your 1922m2 and seeing how long/far the riflings of your bbl engrave the drive bands on the federal bulk bullet. Then compare that to ammo that as longer bodied bullets.

FWIW:
To put 22lr chambers in perspective, I don't know about the new 455 cz's but the cz 452's have a 18mm (.708") sporting chamber in them as did the anschutz 64 actioned sporter rifles. While being almost 70/1000th's tighter than their american counterparts, they still are not a tight match chamber by any means. Most bulk, hunting ammo and low grade target ammo typically have longer bodied bullets (drive bands out further) than the higher grade match ammo. I've measured as much as 80/1000th's (.080") difference in length between eley eps and winchester hv hp's. But then again the eps's were designed to be used in a .600/.620 chamber and the blammo ammo in .670'+ chambers.

To the op:
There's tons of classic 22lr rifles out there, as mentioned cooper is an excellent rifle but if I was going to go the custom route I'd take a look at the remington custom shop rifles also. Allot of $$$ but as with any high end rifle, you'll get years of quality range time with them and then sell them for more than you paid for them. Nothing better than getting paid to on of the best 22lr sporter rifles on the planet.

http://remingtoncustom.com/Rimfire_547Classic.aspx

[Shawlerbrook]

Lot of great suggestions here, although some are going to set you back the same as the Kimber you said you couldn't justify. For something less, I agree with the CZ or even a Ruger 7722.

[osteodoc08]

I'd love to find a Kimber. The price Cabelas wanted for their beat up 52 was ridiculous. I don't mind paying for a fine firearm.