.22 rifle

[Ravensview]

All right I am looking at getting another .22 for plinking, practice, and small game hunting, I currently have a model 39m by marlin, and a mossberg model 42a I believe, it is with a mossberg scope, I have been eyeballing a tikka t3 in .22lr, I am wondering if anybody on here has one and do you like it? Is there another model I should look at instead? I would have to order it as no one anywhere near me carrries them, any good sources?

 

[375Fox]

Tikka calls it a T1X. I really like mine, particularly the trigger. If you like Tikkas you will like their 22. However, I don’t like the 10 round clip that sticks out beyond the stock. There are thankfully some aftermarket 5 round clips that are flush.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I really like my cz 457.

 

[Ravensview]

Tikka calls it a T1X. I really like mine, particularly the trigger. If you like Tikkas you will like their 22. However, I don’t like the 10 round clip that sticks out beyond the stock. There are thankfully some aftermarket 5 round clips that are flush.

Thanks that’s the model I was looking at with a 20” barrel

 

[Ravensview]

I really like my cz 457.

I have looked at those as well and liked them also, appreciate the info

 

[Edster]

I just picked up a Ruger American Rimfire. Mostly for my grandson to get used to a bolt action. He is 8 and will be 10 when he heads to Africa with me. I was really impressed with the rifle. I think the ability to change the LOP by swapping the butt pad was a great idea on Rugers part. Had it out Sunday for the first time. Sighted it in and that was the last time I touched the rifle. The little guy hogged it from then on!!!

 

[mdwest]

For me, for small game hunting and general plinking, its hard to beat a Ruger 10/22...

Theyre affordable...

They are incredibly easy to modify in a hundred different ways to specialize them to any specific thing you might want to do with the rifle..

Plenty accurate off the shelf for the things you are wanting to do...

Very reliable..

Really cant ask for much more out of a .22LR that you'd want to take after bunnies, squirrels, coons, etc.. or poke holes in paper or strike gongs out to 100M or a bit more..

 

[Doug3006]

I really like my cz 457.

Same here. My CZ 457 is very accurate and handles like a full sized center fire rifle. I think shooting it makes for great practice. The squirrels fear it.

 

[TwoTracks]

The Tikka T1x is great. Very accurate with quality ammo.

 

[Ravensview]

For me, for small game hunting and general plinking, its hard to beat a Ruger 10/22...

Theyre affordable...

They are incredibly easy to modify in a hundred different ways to specialize them to any specific thing you might want to do with the rifle..

Plenty accurate off the shelf for the things you are wanting to do...

Very reliable..

Really cant ask for much more out of a .22LR that you'd want to take after bunnies, squirrels, coons, etc.. or poke holes in paper or strike gongs out to 100M or a bit more..

I have always liked the 10/22 but am leaning towards a bolt action

 

[curtism1234]

Browning T bolt - straight pull

 

[shootist~]

Another Tikka T1X fan.

 

[One Day...]

Perfect safari trainer...

A full size quality .22 LR with decent glass is an absolutely perfect safari trainer to practice out to 100 yards (150 yards without wind) from the sticks on a 6" steel plate.

Mine are an older Walther KKJ, an older Anschutz 1418, and a Winchester 52 B (modern manufacturing by Miroku). The Remington 541 T, a number of modern Anschutz, the Cooper, the CRF (yes! .22 CRF !!!) Kimber Classic, and a few others are in the same niche: superb quality, high precision, grown men .22 LR serious rifles.

The various CZ 452 / 455 / 457 are also great rifles at a more affordable price point, as well as the Tikka T1, Sako Finnfire, Ruger Rimfire bolt action .22, etc.

At the bottom of the price scale, Savage and many others make great value-for-the-money rifles.

And of course, if you take a Blaser R8 on safari, the obvious choice is the Blaser .22 LR barrel...

In the end, one generally gets what one pays for, so it all depends if you are looking for a life-long friend that you will cherish, or just a tool. Truth be told, from a practical perspective any modern .22 LR at any price point will ring the 6" plate at 100 yards...

The two bottom line points are:
1) the rifle needs to be man-sized;
2) a bolt action is vastly preferable to a semi auto if the object is to practice for Africa where you will most likely hunt with a bolt action.

In term of glass, it is a mistake to go too cheap on the glass and the mounts, as you do not want to doubt that the miss is yours, rather than equipment-caused...

After some iterations of older scopes, I put Zeiss Terra scopes on mine. These are not too expensive but still offer above-par glass clarity and clicks predictability. Talley rings & bases eliminate any mounting issue.

Until I bought a Blaser R8, I used to typically burn 5,000 rounds of .22 LR Thunderbolt standing from the sticks at 100 and 150 yards each spring & summer before heading to Africa. At 150 yards the Thunderbolt (and any other .22 LR ammo) is really sensitive to wind and its groups can drift out of the 6" plate, but this is good practice, and at 100 yards, even in moderate wind, there is nothing to argue about: if the plate does not ring, it is you...

Winchester 52 B .22 LR, Zeiss scope, sticks and 6" steel plate. Perfect for 100 and 150 yards, unlimited and virtually free safari training.

The Thunderbolt is not the best in term of accuracy and consistency (understatement of the year!) but it is so cheap that it is virtually free, and it holds 4 MOA standing off the sticks without wind (4" @ 100 yards), which is good enough for a 6" steel plate out to 150 yd.

Winchester 52 B .22 LR 20 rounds of Thunderbolt at 100 yards standing off the sticks. The cheap Thunderbolt does not honor the rifle's intrinsic accuracy, but it is good enough to ring endlessly a 6" plate at 100 yards virtually for free. This will do wonders for your safari shooting...

Walther KKJ .22 LR 20 rounds of Thunderbolt at 100 yards standing off the sticks. The cheap Thunderbolt does not honor the rifle's intrinsic accuracy, but it is good enough to ring endlessly a 6" plate at 100 yards virtually for free. This will do wonders for your safari shooting...

Anschutz 1418 .22 LR 20 rounds of Thunderbolt at 100 yards standing off the sticks. The cheap Thunderbolt does not honor the rifle's intrinsic accuracy, but it is good enough to ring endlessly a 6" plate at 100 yards virtually for free. This will do wonders for your safari shooting...

Here is the game: you win when you get 5 consecutive series of 5 shots to ring the plate at 100 yards. Each miss resets the entire count. Try it, it is not as easy at it sounds, and it will do wonders for your shooting off the sticks during your next safari

I am now practicing with a .223 Rem barrel on my Blaser R8 because it allows me to reach out to 300 yards with still fairly inexpensive ammo (Federal American Eagle 55 gr), AND I can shoot pretty much anytime and anywhere I want in Arizona. I reckon that if I was living East, the .22 LR R8 barrel would be my go-to, with more limited shooting facilities.

A .223 Rem barrel on the Blaser R8 now extends my still inexpensive practice out to 300 yards...

 

[deewayne2003]

I have always liked the 10/22 but am leaning towards a bolt action

Ruger 77/22 then…. They use 10/22 magazines so you can get them anywhere and even use the 25rnd magazines in them.

 

[fourfive8]

For a no apologies 22 bolt, hard to beat the Win Model 52B Sporter made at their Miroku plant. Excellent trigger and correct 22 rf chamber for accuracy where the forward drive band of the bullet engraves into the leade upon chambering. If not mistaken, 1st rifle pictured by @One Day... above. Put on the 22 rf dedicated 4X scope by Leopold and not look back. I think that scope’s parallax zero is 60 yds - IMO perfect for most 22 shooting.

I occasionally check on availability of these in the current market but dang they are hard to find and getting more expensive by the day

Here’s my Win 52 B Sporter. Stopped this beast in full charge at less than 3 ft with a single 40 gr solid through the boiler. Big bull down!

 

[ZG47]

A

All right I am looking at getting another .22 for plinking, practice, and small game hunting, I currently have a model 39m by marlin, and a mossberg model 42a I believe, it is with a mossberg scope, I have been eyeballing a tikka t3 in .22lr, I am wondering if anybody on here has one and do you like it? Is there another model I should look at instead? I would have to order it as no one anywhere near me carrries them, any good sources?

A Tikka. 22 is basically going to be as heavy as an Anschuetz Match 54 magazine rifle with similar diameter barrel. The people who have bought them to match their T3/T3X seem to be happy with their purchases.

 

[WAB]

I have an Anschutz that will shoot one hole groups at 50 yards. They are really hard to beat. However, for pure fun, I tend to grab the Ruger 10/22 more often.

 

[375Fox]

A

A Tikka. 22 is basically going to be as heavy as an Anschuetz Match 54 magazine rifle with similar diameter barrel. The people who have bought them to match their T3/T3X seem to be happy with their purchases.

The 16” barrel model weights 5.5 lbs and the 20” barrel model weights 6 lbs without scope per Tikka’s website. Mine is light to pick up and well balanced.

 

[Laura AK64north]

All right I am looking at getting another .22 for plinking, practice, and small game hunting, I currently have a model 39m by marlin, and a mossberg model 42a I believe, it is with a mossberg scope, I have been eyeballing a tikka t3 in .22lr, I am wondering if anybody on here has one and do you like it? Is there another model I should look at instead? I would have to order it as no one anywhere near me carrries them, any good sources?

I used the CZ 455 rifles for many years in our youth program. We added the CZ 457 rifles when we expanded. The CZs held up well--no issues at all except some dents and scratches in the stocks. One feature we liked better on the CZ 457 rifles is the 60-degree bolt rotation over the 90-degree that the 455s had. We put Boyd stocks on a few of the 455s.

We only wanted our kids to load one round at a time in the chamber. A few kids tried to be sneaky so we replaced their magazines with the plastic ones that can't be loaded.

I think if I was purchasing a .22 for youth now, I'd also look at ones with a composite stock.

We had a few of the Ruger Precision Rimfire .22s in the program. You can get 10-round flush magazines for those--still load one round at a time. The smaller kids shot well with those--adjustability and pistol grip.

I have not shot a Tikka T3 so I can't compare.

Laura

 

[Ragman]

Love my Ruger American Rimfire. Very accurate and fun to shoot. It’s become one of my favourite guns. Would love a Tikka T1x but can’t justify the price for a rimfire when the Ruger shoots so well.