Thread: Best value bolt .22 besides Norinco....

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

Attachment 141116

I had a good run with one of these.

Ask @Dundee about his one...


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my stirling 22 bolt action has been a great rifle. I always though about shortening the barrel but just cant bring myself to do it.
Even had the chance years ago when I threaded it but didn't

Originally Posted by tiroahunta

Ask @Dundee about his one...


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I am but a plonker shooter with a .22.

He, clearly is some kind of Wizard on steroids.

Get a Brno model 2E. They are currently advertised at approx $700 upwards. I paid $200 for mine. Norinco mags fit them as the Chinese copied the Brno as I understand. My 2E is a very accurate quality rifle that will go to one of the grandkids.

Originally Posted by Ingrid 51

Get a Brno model 2E. They are currently advertised at approx $700 upwards. I paid $200 for mine. Norinco mags fit them as the Chinese copied the Brno as I understand. My 2E is a very accurate quality rifle that will go to one of the grandkids.

There's one on Trademe; but it's $700!

Several common models you can look at that will cost $400 or less. The Toz 17 is a durable old girl that will do the job but sourcing mags/parts now becoming an issue. Newer Toz 78 a good 22 if you can find one. Entry level Savage good and quite accurate. Marlin bolts would be my suggestion as they have very accurate microgroove barrels - will pop under 0.5" for 50m groups - BUT - the older Marlin bolts (models 25/925/980 etc) better and more reliable than recent XT22 models. Remington bought Marlin a few years back and quality dropped for several years.

Originally Posted by mudgripz

Several common models you can look at that will cost $400 or less. The Toz 17 is a durable old girl that will do the job but sourcing mags/parts now becoming an issue. Newer Toz 78 a good 22 if you can find one. Entry level Savage good and quite accurate. Marlin bolts would be my suggestion as they have very accurate microgroove barrels - will pop under 0.5" for 50m groups - BUT - the older Marlin bolts (models 25/925/980 etc) better and more reliable than recent XT22 models. Remington bought Marlin a few years back and quality dropped for several years.

Marlin is where it’s at , but my experience was with the older ones 1990-2000.
I had a few Marlins Back then and my only complaint was the trigger and that’s why I don’t have one now , the triggers were always usable but a few quality rimfires showed me what was attainable . I have no idea but someone must have come up with a trigger solution by now .
Everything else , quality / build / accuracy etc was very good value.

Here is my 2 cents.

22LR is the easiest gun to make. people have been making, and competing in this market, for a very long time. There is no magic in making a 22Lr gun, just two things involved - Material and process used, and quality control.

After having used many 22s my conclusion is that other than a few outliers of either poor value due to poor quality or poor value due to being niche, most 22LR guns actually worth exactly what they charge. There is no magically "good bargin" 22LR guns.

Possible accuracy is not always proportionate to price. At all price points you can potentially get an accurate gun. But the less you pay, the more likely you will end up with a bud and waste a lot of time trying to fix it. All low end guns have this issue, Be it savage, marlin, JW15 or any Russian or Brazilian jobs. The more you pay the less likely this will happen. I have heard of not a single Anschutz M54 or KIDD 10/22 that is not perfect.

Reliability is directly proportional to price. Some guns are known to be accurate, but due to poor quality parts used, they tend to not be reliable. Usual complaints include misfire, extraction problems, deforming bullet on feeding, etc. The more you pay the less this happen.

Having said that, CZ452 and EM332 were above other in terms of value for money. But both are discontinued. EM332's factory, Er Mei, apparently had gone bankrupt some 10 years ago. CZ stopped making 452 a few years ago and switched to cheaper manufacturing process to make CZ455 and now CZ457, both have higher chance of being inaccurate than 452. Unless you buy the CZ457 MTR line which is factory guaranteed to shoot better than standard 457 models (and cost more).

CZ452 used to come up on trade me for 500~ish and occasionally 450. For the past 2 years the owners have been listing them for no less than 600, often 800+ for lux model. I think it is crazy because they were 650~850 brand new back then. But that is just how it is now. New CZ457 cost 1k. EM332 are nowadays listed for twice their new price.

So, the choice for you is easy because there isnt really any choice to be made. Whatever price point you want to pay, you will end up with a gun that is about right for that price point.

Jw15 may just be right at the end of the day.

As far as the budget end of the scale goes the Stirling I had was and excellent little shooter as well if you can handle open sights a BSA would hold it's own against most of them out there I've slowly moved up and now own a walther and an anschutz mrs has a savage and is happy with it

Just might do another polished JW soon.........

Toz 17, brilliant barrels, the triggers need a bit of fiddling with but very accurate and reliable.

Two hares tonight with the Stirling 14p.

I know your title was best other than Norinco but.........my advice is get the JW15. I don’t think they are that much of a gamble. I have a short barrel one and know heaps of people with them. Actions bit rough to start and triggers creepy but they all shoot accurately. For possums and plinking no problem and if by chance you get a dud they are easy to sell to someone who can do the modifications.

Pretty hard to beat the package deal - I really like the short barrel version for a 22 getting carted around. No need for a long barrel in terms of velocity or accuracy.

Good luck

Marlin 925

If you can find a Norinco EM332, snap it up fast @bumblefoot

I found a new Savage MkII for $349 so will probably grab that next week on pay day.... Everything I've read about them seems to be exactly what I'm after. Good basic, reliable, accurate shooter. Thanks for all the input everyone; it's been extremely useful!