Speaking of rimfire rifles... shopping for one

Stampie's build has me looking for a rimfire rifle for meeeee!

For those experienced folks, would I be better off just going for a .17HMR over a .22LR for the same initial buy in?

My thought is that although the ammunition is more expensive, it's still relatively inexpensive.

ASSumptions on my part are the ammo is likely of better quality and easier to find. But I have nothing to back either of those notions up.

As for which rifles I'm eyeballing - CZ455, Ruger Precision Rimfire, Tikka T1X - currently leaning towards the Tikka.

Feel free to opine and make suggestions. Thanks in advance. :)

Do you not have a 22LR?  If you don't have one, as I said, everyone needs a 10/22.  And in the two bill range for the low end buy in, what's to not like?  And being the SBC of 22's, there are accessories to do anything at all with it, including changing it to 17 caliber, but you have to stick with the 17 not magnum.

The 17's are expensive to shoot, comparatively. When prices start approaching centerfire ammo, I always wonder why not just go with the centerfire?  Good quality 22LR is about as easy to find as the 17 stuff.  Otherwise, if you're looking to spend some bucks, that Ruger Precision Rimfire looks interesting at about 2 10/22's: https://grabagun.com/ruger-precision-22lr-18-blk-15-1-tb.html .  I like that it takes 10/22 mags.  I don't think you could go wrong with any of those choices, though.

My current go-to is a Remington single shot bolt action that I bought at a gun show for $20.  I put a $5 garage sale scope on it.  We're up to 40KIA in the Global War on Squirrels, most of which went down with that Remington, which is around 10 years older than me, Tim and Margie.

No .22LR. No firearms at all. 

Bolt action over semi-auto is merely preference, but it is my preference. I also ASSume the bolt action would cause me to not go all Johnny Seven One Man Army on a target. That alone would lower my dollars per hour to justify the more expensive ammo.

I also want a good rifle and not totally cheap out. However, I don't wish to do many (if any) major modifications. 

It will be like my fishing setup - more a social tool than anything I expect to get "in to" in any serious way. If I'm invited on a fishing weekend, I know I have something simple and decent that won't let me down on the lake, but it's definitely not drool worthy to anyone serious about fishing. I have friends who shoot, and I would like to join them in some fun and after activity food and beverages.  

The .17 ammo is more expensive than .22LR, but seems to be in the 9mm price range. I would still call that cheap relative to almost all other ammunition. Plus, I think it has a cool factor. 

I'll second the .22LR over the .17 based on ammo cost, but I'm a cheapskate.  I'll also second the Ruger 10/22.  Got mine about 25 years ago when they were cheap.  Good little rifle.

Part of me wants a bolt-action .22 with a target-grade barrel, something like the Savage Mark II BV.  The CZ-452 also intrigues me.

The 10/22 is worth it just for the magazines alone. They are so convenient.

That Ruger Precision takes the 1022 mags. 

Woody said:

The 10/22 is worth it just for the magazines alone. They are so convenient.

My son ended up buying a Ruger American.  Bolt action, polymer stock, tapped for a scope and feeds 10/22 mags.  All for under $300.  Highly recommend it.  

What the good Dr. Hess said.  The 10/22 is The Rimfire Firearm Answer.

The .17 HMR is really only good for when you need to reach out to 100 to 150 yards with a flat trajectory.

IE: when the bushy tailed tree rats get too skittish.

Other than that, the .22LR does everything else just as well for way cheaper.

stroker said:

What the good Dr. Hess said.  The 10/22 is The Rimfire Firearm Answer.

I'm thinking I best take a more objective look at the 10/22.

I'm sorta shopping a 10/22 now, mostly thanks to Stampie. 

Kinda weird, my dad had ~15 .22 rifles and pistols. Not a single one was a 10/22. I've knocked that down to 3, and I'm kicking myself for getting rid of the all plastic 80's semi automatic pistol because it would be perfect to teach my daughter with in a couple years. 

When I saw the thread title I said to myself “Ruger 10/22 /thread” but it appears others have beat me to it.

.22s aren’t the most accurate things however and at 100 yards it’s hard to compete with real calibers so accept that part of their fun.  Plinking away, killing some cans, just have some fun with them.

What is is you are interested in doing with it?  Bolt guns are typically more accurate but if killing pop cans is the game, likely irrelevant.  If you wanted a project watch gunbroker.com for a beat 10/22 as all you really want is the receiver.  Barrel kits, stocks, and triggers are cheap.

I suggest 10-22.  If you decide you want a flat shooting .17 to reach out past 100 yards you can always sell a well cared for 10-22 for close to what you paid for it new.  But in reality you'll likely keep it and just add a 17 to your collection.

.17 is cool but kinda pointless unless your going to be small game hunting. Squirrels and groundhogs. Very fast and flat round. I seem to remember it having about 1” of drop at 100 yards. 

But with .22 you have many different cheap options. The 10/22 is the obvious go to. Endless aftermarket. Want to turn a 150$ gun into a 5000$ gun? Just go shopping. You can do it with a 10/22.  Dont be afraid of used either. I got my go-to 10/22 for i think around 300$. It would have cost double that+$ to build. Hogue rubberized stock, tactical solutions threaded barrel. Already had trigger work and a nice scope and some other doodads. Its wacked many a armadillo(amongst other yard pests). 

I have a savage mark 2 fsr or something like that. Bolt action, magazine fed. Heavy barrel that comes threaded for suppressor.  Very nice gun. Also bought used. 

One of my favorite .22’s is a OLD remington target master. Bought it for i think 70$ at a pawn shop. Felt sorry for it. Had been spray painted. After cleaning that sad thing up and lots of bore scrubbing, its an AMAZING shooter! Made back when guns were assembled and manufactured by hand. Quality that you wont see on a gun made today unless your spending well north of 1k$. As accurate as the 1k$ + guns too, with open sights. 

It really depends on what you want to do. And also realize you may “need” more than 1(more like 20+) .22’s to cover your bases. 

You have bolt action and semi auto. Both have their purposes. Oh and lever action if you like the okd cowboy stile. Its faster than bolt action but bot as fast as semi. 

You have magazine fed ammo where you can have multiple magazines to switch out.

“Tube fed” or tube magazine is cool. The tube under the barrel holds the ammo. You remove a spring loaded rod and put the ammo in. Ive always liked these. It also seems more common on older guns. Good is you can do a good amount of shooting without reloading, but reloading can take more time than just swapping a magazine.  

Then there is the single shot. I like them. Not fast for reloads or follow up shots but still cool. Just make sure they have a good feed ramp. Basically you can open the bolt, drop the ammo in and close it. The ramp lines the round up to go right into the chamber. There is many single shots with no feed ramp so instead of dropping the round in, you have to actually insert it into the chamber. I have big hands so its a pain in the butt/hand for me. 

Another vote for the 10/22.

Hard to beat these things for accuracy and dependability.

One caveat, stick with factory Ruger mags. I've never found a non-Ruger mag that worked reliably.

Then there is .22 pistols. They are quite fun and great training for new shooters to build confidence. My favorite is probably my browning buckmark with threaded barrel. 

Its a semi auto that uses a 10 round magazine. 

You also have revolvers in a few different flavors. Single action like cowboy stuff. Double action that you dont have to c0ck each time you shoot. 

Id be glad to help if you have any specific questions. 

In reply to RevRico :

.22's In my safe at the moment:

•  A S&W J frame .22 I learned to shoot pistols with
• A pump .22 from the 70s
• A Buckmark that's been through Browning's custom shop
• A 10/22
• A Sig Mosquito

It's a good cheap round to shoot with and a really good round to teach with. I love my 1911s but if I want to go shoot a bit I reach for the 22s. 

I'd recommend the Marlin Model 60. Tube fed, better than a 10/22 out of the box, cheaper. If you prefer magazine fed rifles the Model 70 or 795 is the same guts as the 60. Less customization options than a 10/22 but inherently better than it as well. Not bashing Ruger as I love my worked over Mark III.

If you get a marlin model 60, get a older one from when marlin made them. The later ones built by remington werent as good(at least as far as i always was told). I have i think 3-4 marlin 60’s and variants. Great guns and easy to work on.  The newer ones known as “marlingtons” will have a “R” at the beginning of the serial #. Real marlin has a “M”.  

Also if your surfing used guns, the glenfield version has the cool embossed squirrel stock. 

I own several rimfiers, most are .22 LR, one is a .17 HMR and another is a .22 WMR (Magnum).

If your goal is indiscriminate plinking at targets for fun go with a .22 LR.  If your goal is precision target shooting, go .17 HMR.

.17 HMR is more expensive, but I've managed to stock pile a couple thousand rounds without trying too hard, or spending an exorbitant amount.  I usually buy boxes of 50 when they're on sale at $12/box.  I really stocked up once when one of the online retailers sold them for $10/box if you bought 10 boxes.  Even during the mass .22 drought I could fairly easily get .17 HMR.  I typically buy the Hornady 17 grain V-Max .17 HMR, that's what is most consistently accurate out of my rifle.  YMMV.

My .17 HMR is a Savage 93R17 BTVSS, that's the laminate thumb hole stock, heavy stainless barrel version of their 93 series rimfires.  I bought it the first year Savage offered Accutrigger on their rimfires, so '04 or '05.  I have an older Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14x40 on it.  That Savage with Hornady V-Max ammo is the most laser accurate thing I own.  As long as the wind isn't too bad, that rifle makes anyone shooting it look good.

If you don't have a 10/22 though, you should get one, everyone should have a 10/22.

On the Marlin suggestion, the 60 is a great semi auto option too, they don't have the aftermarket support of the 10/22 though.  If you go with the Marlin though, get an older/used one.  You don't want one made after '07, they went to E36 M3 after the Freedom Group bought them out.

Edit, TJL responded while I was typing.  Freedom Group also owns Remington, a real Marlin will also have a JM stamped on the barrel near the receiver.

In reply to The0retical :

Aside from a few highlight pieces, the 1187, the AK, an old Henry 22, and the marlin lever action 357, I couldn't tell you whats in my gun safe these days. The last time I opened it, one of my old shotgun stocks was growing mold, so I threw in a box of damprid and am just praying things will sort themselves out. I just don't have anywhere better to move the safe to. Probably should take some time this winter, break everything down, and clean it all up. 

BUT. 

My neighborhood has been sounding like a war zone the past few summers, so I'm taking that as a cue that I can shoot in the yard again. I gave up my sportsmans club membership when I moved to CA, and just don't want to deal with the politics to join again, so my shooting hobby has been on hold the past ~7 years. I do have a E36 M3load of ammo stockpiled though, so getting back into things is just taking stuff outside and putting a target on the hill. 

a 10/22 may be the perfect addition to the collection, maybe a couple of them, just from all the crazy buildouts I've seen and yes, the price of ammo. 7.62 tends to attract police and isn't that cheap for as fast as it goes, .45 and 357 seem to be going up every month, 380 is cheap enough for target shooting, but I don't like any the pistols I have, the Llama doesn't feel right at all, the ruger is a nice carry size but too small for my hand to shoot accurately more than about 10 feet away.

In reply to RevRico :

That Marlin .357 is worth a bit these days.  I can fairly confidently say it's worth more now than when you bought it. 

Similar story to the same warning we gave about the Model 60.  When Freedom Group bought Marlin, and moved manufacturing facilities, the first .357 1894s were garbage, bad enough that they quit making them.  Cowboy Action shooting competitions have gotten real popular, so the demand for pistol caliber lever actions has sky rocketed, since your rifle can use the same ammo as your revolver.  Only recently did they announce the .357 was going to be available again, but Freedom Group diminished the brand so badly, that no one wants new "Marlins," everyone is after the old "JM" stamped 1894s.

I was in the market for one for a few years, finally picked one up at Wanenmacher last Spring.  First one I found for under $1K (just barely) that wasn't sold before I could get to it.

Sorry for the tangent.  Carry on.

If you don't *need* a rifle and just want to plink, the Ruger Charger is by far the most fun that you can have with a 10/22.