Thread: What .22lr to buy

I haven't shot many different .22's so my opinion isn't worth much. I bought a standard CZ452 for $700 and put a $400 scope on it and i've really enjoyed it so far. Fantastically accurate and reliable.

When I had that kind of budget I bought an annie. More accurate than I will ever be.

Originally Posted by blip

When I had that kind of budget I bought an annie. More accurate than I will ever be.

Anschutz rifles are very good, but they are pushing Vudoo .22 prices, and parts availability and cost are biggies (making the Vudoo look like a bargain).
For the price of a new Anschutz you can buy two CZ 457s, ammo test them and keep the best one.
Therefore your best value opportunity for a good 22lr bolt action is a CZ.

Originally Posted by Hermitage

Anschutz rifles are very good, but they are pushing Vudoo .22 prices, and parts availability and cost are biggies (making the Vudoo look like a bargain).
For the price of a new Anschutz you can buy two CZ 457s, ammo test them and keep the best one.
Therefore your best value opportunity for a good 22lr bolt action is a CZ.

The other thing i should mention is Im left handed and there aren't many options for them in rf. I had a lhd lakefield as well which was pretty good after I modded the trigger

Originally Posted by blip

The other thing i should mention is Im left handed and there aren't many options for them in rf. I had a lhd lakefield as well which was pretty good after I modded the trigger

real nice Remington 581 leftie on trade me at moment they are a great .22

Originally Posted by Hermitage

Anschutz rifles are very good, but they are pushing Vudoo .22 prices, and parts availability and cost are biggies (making the Vudoo look like a bargain).
For the price of a new Anschutz you can buy two CZ 457s, ammo test them and keep the best one.
Therefore your best value opportunity for a good 22lr bolt action is a CZ.

Anschutz is way cheaper than Vudoo. 1761 is about 2k, 64 action based are cheaper than that. 1710/1712 has been out of stock for some time but i dont expect them to go beyond 3500 when they come in. 3 years ago they were 3000. 1727 uses Fortner action so it is not comparable to Vudoo, but still only 5k.

Vudoo's barrled action + mag is 6300, that is before you put on any stock. with a full chassis you are looking at 8~9k.

However, the Anschutz and Vudoo do not really compete. Anschutz cater to smallbore target shooting (Olympic styel), Biathlon, sporting rifle, competition sporting rifle (Silhouette) , Benchrest, and collector market. Vudoo is 95% PRS , 4% benchrest, and 1% sporting rifle. When was the last time you saw someone rocking a Vudoo at Silhouette or sporting rifle club shoot?

Either a CZ457 or T1x.
I'm a bit of a Tikka fanboy but I think the CZ is probably the way to go, however if either comes up in the buy/sell section then I'd jump on it.

I have a CZ 452 chopped to 15" with a Yo-Dave trigger upgrade. I also treated it to an over-barrel suppressor for no good reason other than I wanted one. It's a laser! The only thing I don't like is the back-to-front safety. I'm not overly keen on the wooden stock either. I put a Limbsaver on it to increase LOP and it's functional. In an ideal world, I'd get a chassis or at least an adjustable stock for it, but that boat has sailed.

Originally Posted by MB

I have a CZ 452 chopped to 15" with a Yo-Dave trigger upgrade. I also treated it to an over-barrel suppressor for no good reason other than I wanted one. It's a laser! The only thing I don't like is the back-to-front safety. I'm not overly keen on the wooden stock either. I put a Limbsaver on it to increase LOP and it's functional. In an ideal world, I'd get a chassis or at least an adjustable stock for it, but that boat has sailed.

Unfortunately there aren't too many chassis options for the older CZ/Brno rifles.

Boyds is pretty much the only option which I guess isn't bad but you'll have to import it.

at the moment my go to rf is an old slazenger its old cool and very accurate.

Get mudgripz to do you a norinco special and be forever happy and not scared you use it where it may get scratched.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Get mudgripz to do you a norinco special and be forever happy and not scared you use it where it may get scratched.

Better yet, get a used EM-332!
Edit: it doesn't come in a wrong-handed option.

You need to buy the 22LR that suits the shooting you intend to do. Lots of answers above - they are not wrong. But you do need to define your purpose, then buy to that. Key questions..

What type of shooting will buyer do? Is it bench, is it competitions, is it predominantly game eg possums/bunnies - or a combination. What's the balance of target and field shooting? This will tell you what accuracy he needs to buy, what weight will be acceptable etc..

What are the field conditions he will shoot in? Will he do very light shooting i.e. something like 2-3 trips a year popping 4-5 bunnies each time. Nice strolls in paddocks with bipod etc, time to setup, shoot, have a coffee, then wander on to next one. For this a more expensive nicely wooded brand will be fine - no scars and scratches expected.

Or is his 22 intended to be a fun worker rifle. Out wandering hills, rocks, scrub, matagouri etc, then into truck, or onto quad for hours spotlighting. This is not the place for more expensive wooded pieces, and frankly you do not need expensive 22s for this job at all. The likes of polished Norincos, accurized 10/22s, Marlins, Savage etc can all do this worker job very efficiently.

Have had beautiful and costly 22LRs but for worker use they stayed in cupboard. After umpteen thousand bunnies, and about 100 22LRs of alot of makes, my two favourite bunny killers overall are a polished chopped JW15 Norinco with a Bushnell on it, and the lethal little Marlin 60 semiautos - deadly wee snipers to 100m. Would you beat them in the field with a Tikka or Annie - no.

Always fun to spend to buy something nice for ourselves, but with this 22LR rifle choice - go back to key questions. Define its purpose, its uses, its conditions - and what rifle suits these best. A last thought - you do not to spend alot on field 22LR optics. Good basic 3-9x or 4-12 in Tasco, Nikko, Bushnell, Simmons etc do this 1-110m job very reliably, effectively.

Happy hunting PS yes Norinco EM332 a wee gem!

What mudgripz said.
I got a model 60 deluxe and what a little ripper.
Accurate and reliable.
Wouldn't give you a tin of shit for a stock standard 10/22
Also running an early lithgow la101.
A quality build with a nice action and very good accuracy.
Trigger is a little bit heavy but adequate.
Owned a tikka T1x as well but chose the lithgow to keep as had a 55moa custom rail done for it.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another tikka or cz.
Probably regret selling my 455 more than the tikka.
My 2cw

Sent from my SM-A556E using Tapatalk

Good morning.
Have had a CZ 457 camo with 20 inch threaded ss barrel for a couple of years and really like it. Accurate well made rifle.
They are about $1500 new now but you may possibly find a used one with rings etc.
Come with 5 shot polymer mag. I bought a ten shot steel mag as well.
Also have a 10/22 which is accurate too but pretty much my thermaling rifle as it has a pic rail
NRF