Thinking about getting a 22 semi auto. suggestions please.

[Velosa]

I know you said semi-auto, but my 22 Henry lever action is just so fun to shoot! Accurate, affordable.

[tigweldit]

Another vote for the 10/22. 45 years experience with 3 different rifles. I'd buy another.

[tazman]

I got a bad start with the semi auto 22s thirty to forty years ago. Seems like they were always having lots of problems. Have they gotten the bugs worked out by. Should I take another chance on one. If so which ones are good and which ones to watch out for?. Sorry if this is more or less a repeat of the original question.
Thanks

To answer your question somewhat, no, they do not have all the bugs worked out. You may get a lemon with a new rifle.
I purchased a 10-22 standard a year or so ago, brand new. It was the worst rifle I have ever owned.
Trigger was terrible as expected but could be managed from a bench rest. The accuracy was even worse.
I put a scope on it to allow for my eyesight. Benched, at 25 yards, the best group(if you can call it that) I could get was 3 inches. Average group was about 4-5 inches.That is completely unacceptable. Made no difference what adjustments I made to the rifle, it simply would not shoot with any ammunition I have available and I have a large variety. I even single fed it some Eley match ammo to see if it mattered. It didn't.
It also failed to feed about 3 rounds out of every magazine. Also completely unacceptable.

I am not going to purchase a 10-22 just to strip it down and mount a bunch of aftermarket parts. If I wanted a custom rifle, I would buy one.
When you buy a 10-22 these days, you are gambling. I lost. Badly.
Years ago I had a good one. Very accurate and reliable. This one was a complete waste of time and money. I was never so happy to see a rifle go down the road as I was this one.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I was happily reading through this thread when it occurred to me that it is the better part of 4 years old. I thought to myself, "Surely Taz must have found a suitable rifle by now." Like most types of guns, .22 semi-autos can be had from the very expensive to the relatively inexpensive. I also had a bad experience, now years ago, with a Ruger 10/22, a big disappointment in the accuracy department. I guess that's why there are so many aftermarket products available for them. But, as pointed out in a lengthy thread just awhile back, the Marlin Model 60 was a very reliable, fairly inexpensive rifle. Sadly, it seems gone with the repeated changing hands of the Marlin company, but someone else, I believe it's Rossi, is now marketing a very close copy. Savage/Stevens marketed their 187 series of semi-autos for many years, but sooner or later they need worked on due to a sort of complicated balance of springs in the mechanism. I'd stay away from them. Armscorp of the Philippines makes some .22 semi-autos (I've got one) that seem reliable, but mine has seen relatively little use. Sooner or later everything requires maintenance.

DG

[badguns]

Browning makes a nice plinking .22 semi-auto as well.

[truckjohn]

I guess one of the things I see is that nobody keeps designs around forever. Sooner or later, even good companies freshen things up. Sometimes they leave us hanging to dry with no support and sometimes they don't.

So... After all that, I'll say this... Buy something from a company that's been around for a while. Sure, it may go belly up tomorrow or just stop supporting some product line. If it does, at least you will have online used parts available.

Look at all the people who got left out in the cold on warranty support when Remington went under... Sure, they griped a lot, but the Remington gun designs were fairly well supported between aftermarket, new old stock, and used. What happens when some oddball design shows up for a year and gone. I love my Sig Trailside, but the guy who was importing them died...

The trouble when you get into weird stuff is... Not only is the company gone, but there aren't many out in the wild you can scavenge for parts. If you need parts for a 10/22, a Model 60, or a Savage semi-auto, and you can get them. Parts are still out there for some old Winchester semi-autos that have been gone for years. Get some oddball 22 semi-auto, and you might be on your own.

[mobilemail]

I consider a 10/22 a "project starter". They are reliable guns with great mags (and I love how they are flush with the stock). But as soon as you buy one you are compelled to replace the horrible trigger group. Where you go from there is your choice...stocks, barrels, etc. Just go in knowing the full price tag.
A couple of years ago I replaced my 10/22 and Marlin 60 with a Browning SA-22. If I want accuracy I get out my .22 bolt action. If I want fun and a way to waste ammunition I get out the Browning or my Winchester 9422.

[Hueyville]

10/22 and buy one of the premium grades if you can afford it. I build all mine from scratch now unless see a limited edition. If you want a fine but more "traditional" rimfire I have a pair of Remington Speedmasters that I really love.

[murf205]

Taz, have you bought a rifle yet? I have been reading about the Rossi 22's in LR and WMR and the reports I read were pretty darn good. They have even survived the Biden era(so far) with a pretty low price. If anybody has one of the semi auto Rossi's, chime in and let us know how yours shoots.

[tazman]

The terrible experience I had with the 10/22 I bought kind of soured me on buying another rifle right now. I am still thinking about it but it is on the back burner for now.
Years ago, I had one of the Remington Speedmaster rifles. I also Had the pump version for a while. It has been long enough that I no longer remember how well they shot.

[murf205]

I just sold my Speedmaster because it did'nt have a hold open latch on the bolt and cleaning it was a PITA and it had a great trigger....for a shotgun! I bought a Savage MK II FV with the ACCUTRIGGER. It will make bugholes with the right ammo. $219, gotta love it!

[farmbif]

often overlooked because of just the massive popularity, versatility and ability to customize of the 10-22. old marlin model 60's work real well for a long time. might need a buffer replacement and a good cleaning after a while but they are generally good accurate reliable guns

[murf205]

often overlooked because of just the massive popularity, versatility and ability to customize of the 10-22. old marlin model 60's work real well for a long time. might need a buffer replacement and a good cleaning after a while but they are generally good accurate reliable guns

And they sell like hot cakes at every gun show I have ever been to whether it is a beater or a safe queen. Makes you wonder how a company can make so many good serviceable guns could go down the tubes with a merger or 2. I wish Ruger would revive the 60 but it would compete with their 10/22 so I'm afraid we wont get that.

[TNsailorman]

I will have to say that my experience with the 10/22 has not been all that great. The first one I bought back in the early 60's (got the first one in town) was the most accurate one I have owned and I have owned several. The trigger was a beast at around 12 lbs. (according to my local gunsmith). The last one I still have is one that my wife bought me for Christmas back in the early 90's. I did not like the trigger and I bought a Ron Power complete reworking packaging and it turned the trigger into about the lightest trigger pull I have ever owned. Still, the accuracy sucks. I am not going to spend $300.00 plus for a new after market barrel, so I will just shoot it the way it came to me. I have never owned a Marlin 60 but a friend did and it was a great little rifle. You couldn't pry that rifle out of his hands with a crowbar, and I flashed good money in front of his eyes. If I was to buy another .22, I believe I would try to find one of those Marlin 60's. my experience anyway, james

[frkelly74]

last summer I bought one of the old Sears Sport King 22 rifles. It was made by High Standard before serial numbers were required. It has kind of an odd way of firing. You pull the trigger and it fires and the bolt stays open until you let the trigger reset. It king of freaked me out at first. Bang, click , bang, click, bang, click. But it seems reliable for the one box of shells I have put through it. It has the gills like opening on the left side of the receiver which I really do not know what purpose that feature served. Savages had those too I think. I had one of the Remington 550 autos and liked it but sold it off for some reason.