Thread: New 22LR shopping

Looking for another 22 to join the ranks. Will be used mainly for pest control duties.
My Marlin has seen excess of 25k rnds...probably more like 30k+ the more I think about it.

Was looking at a Savage but NIOA are the biggest bunch of twats that have walked this earth and are basically screwing Savage over here. So forget them.

Looking for a lightweight BA shooter.

So far I've narrowed it to
- Bergara BMR
- Ruger Precision M-Lok carbon
- Howa M1100 Varmint

Anyone have any of these and have any thoughts on them, good or bad?

I could look at others, but after molesting pretty much everything available those above are what I've got it down to.

After real world knowledge, not what your buddys dogs uncle used back in the boer war

I've got a similar Ruger (mine is an all stainless heavy barrel in a laminated stock) and it's a very smooth cycling, accurate 22 right out of the box. When I got it I spent at least an hour in the shop comparing it with a Tikka and a CZ 457 for the feel of the action and trigger, and how it felt in the hand to carry (and even a pest destruction rifle gets carried more than its shot) . For me the Ruger was "nicer".

Since then I've bought a lightweight Blued synthetic CZ 457 and it's now up to a brick shot. It shoots slightly better than the Ruger, and is starting to smooth up. The factory trigger (an accu trigger type) on the Ruger was better than the CZ but with both home tuned with springs the CZ has an edge. They both feed with absolute reliability, the Rugers 10 shot mag makes it a bit fatter in the hand than I like, but the CZs 10 shot mag hangs way down.

Cheers

I meant to add that I shop evaluated the CZ against a Tikka (again) and the Bergara BMR. The BMR had a very smooth action and a light bolt lift, which I think helps when you want quick followup shots, and the stock is nicer than the Tikka and CZ. But the Bergaras can have "internet reported" feed problems and its hard to fix a poor feeding plastic 22 mag.

Cheers @Tentman
Good info there.

I've molested all the 22s available, and the 3 rifles I picked out seemed the pick of the bunch.
I liked the familiar AR feel to the Ruger, and the Ruger rotary mags is good as pretty much available anywhere.
The carbon RPR was significantly lighter than the steel version and also is suppressed already. Alloy chassis all gets cold on the long nights shooting as a con. Seems quality control has been an issue with Ruger and been a few slip through that should've been scraped by the sounds.

The Bergara I've read have had cold bore issues where they need 5-8 shots to then be accurate.
But it had a fantastic feel to the action and had a real nice mag release. Stock felt nice to shoulder as well.

The Howa stock felt very plastic and hollow as well. Like a bad Easter egg.
Action felt good though and the mags weren't bad either.

Each had their pros and cons.
Without being able to field test them, I wouldn't like to say which 1 was the better.

If you want quick follow up shots and don't want to go semi or straight pull then a T1x with a Sterk Swept bolt handle is ridiculously quick to cycle.

I think the T1x is easily the best rimfire on the market unless you want something specialized. A 16" T1x with a few add ons (vertical grip and proper length butt pad) is what I would go for.

The CZ 457 would be worth considering (not the 452 or 455 due to stupid backwards safety and 90° bolt throw) but the 10 round mags are too long and pointy and too far forward on the rifle.
The T1x mags a way better IMO.

Cheers @Beetroot
After owning tikkas, don't think I'll ever own another.
The Tbolt did arouse my interest but after giving 1 a good going over I just didn't gel with it.

I know what you mean about the 90deg bolt lift... crazy. Thats 1 of the main reasons I am looking for another shooter. The Marlin I just can't fit decent glass as the bolt hits the ocular ends of the modern scopes.

Originally Posted by cambo

Was looking at a Savage but NIOA are the biggest bunch of twats that have walked this earth and are basically screwing Savage over here. So forget them.

how so?

Originally Posted by 300CALMAN

how so?

After chasing them around for months regarding a rifle they said was on backorder, eventually found out they have no plans to even import it.
Nioa have zero interest in NZ firearm market as they have bought Barrett and are more concerned with their military contracts

I know you said no to Savage but I recently picked up a Savage B22 bolt action .22LR and I'm very happy with it. Great trigger, very smooth action and the rotary mags work great.

If its purely for pest control and you like the familiarity of AR then why not go for something like a semi auto Tippman M4? I wouldn't be without mine and use it for pest control every day. I taught a 14 year old kid that had never even held a rifle to shoot it over the weekend, within an hour he was hitting the 100m gong with every single shot and it only has a no magnification red dot on it. For accuracy it rivals or betters all other .22s I've ever had including a CZ452, RPR, ISSC etc..

Originally Posted by Mintie

If its purely for pest control and you like the familiarity of AR then why not go for something like a semi auto Tippman M4? I wouldn't be without mine and use it for pest control every day. I taught a 14 year old kid that had never even held a rifle to shoot it over the weekend, within an hour he was hitting the 100m gong with every single shot and it only has a no magnification red dot on it. For accuracy it rivals or betters all other .22s I've ever had including a CZ452, RPR, ISSC etc..

I agree with @Mintie , if it's purely pest control and a numbers game get a semi. There are some good options out there .

why not go semi? such as a tippman or something 10/22 based? a thompson centre tc22 would be ideal in my opinion if you could find one

Been through the semi phase with my ARs and others....
Will look at the Tippman as an option though.
Used a mates TC and its OK. Very light but its a bit of spray and pray.
Ruger 10/22 just not up to the rigors of what I put my tools through.

Originally Posted by cambo

Been through the semi phase with my ARs and others....
Will look at the Tippman as an option though.
Used a mates TC and its OK. Very light but its a bit of spray and pray.
Ruger 10/22 just not up to the rigors of what I put my tools through.

I shot full time and Ruger 10/22’s were my go to. I would have put well north of 100,000 rounds through each of them. Used to put through 600-800 a night. Even had to get the firing pins built up form wear and replace the ejector clips. These were used off a 4x4 bike with a spotlight on top and would drop it in the front fish bin to open gates…which there were a lot.

I struggle to see how they wouldn’t stand up to the rigours of what you put your tools through. They have simple reliable mechanics and just need stripping and regular cleaning with solvent….no oil.

If it’s serious pest control work, it would be hard to go past one and plenty of aftermarket options to improve triggers, barrels ect.

Only limitation is you can get accurate one and not so accurate ones, it’s a bit of lottery.

Won’t find a better mag system

I am sorry to hi-jack this thread, but am very interested in buying a 22LR for myself as a first rifle. It's awesome to read everyone's feedback about the Ruger 10/22 vs Tippmann M4-22. A second-hand Tippman is ~4x the cost of the Ruger. Probably the Ruger has more accessible replacement parts too.

I'm hoping to read more about everyone's experience of shooting with both subsonics (for short range target shooting) and supersonics (for hunting small game), and maintenance of these rifles.