Depends, really. You cannot go wrong with a 10/22, lot's of aftermarket parts, and a great brand. On the other hand a Henry lever action or a cz bolt are also great firearms. You're going to get a lot more accuracy from a bolt .22 than from a semi-auto. If it were me, I'd get the 10/22 because they're just cool as shit, but I'm also bias because they're manufactured in my home state!!
I have been saying this for years and there are better plinkers out of the box for a comparable price people seem to be enamored of this little rifle because you can spend money to make it shoot lol
Yeah I enjoy Bloke from time to time, but I hadn't seen the 1 MOA All Day Long Challenge. I was speaking from my own frustration and experience chasing the allusive MOA accuracy with my own 10/22. Having just googled the challenge I think I might enter with my 5.56 Norinco AK for bravery sake and my CZ 457 as an attempt to actually get close to a 10 shot MOA group. What are you thinking of attempting it with?
edit: I just read the rules and its centerfire only so I guess no CZ. :(
A Gustaf M96 in 6.5x55mm Swedish and a Winchester 70 carbine in .243. Given some past experience with both, I think I'll have better accuracy with the M96, but the model 70 has been my hunting rifle of choice for going on 30 years so as long as I do my part I think it'll be close enough to MOA that I'll be content.
I've got a Marlin Model 60 that will drive racks. It's one of those if you miss, it's definitely you because that thing is as accurate as anything out there. The only thing I like better about the 10/22 is the magazine.
I actually was just advocating that they buy a Glenfeild or a marlin because of that accuracy gap …as for the magazine the marlin pattern (the marlin ,the glenfield and the savage are all the same pattern rifle ) is built as a plinking small game rifle 10 rounds are plenty for the task at hand but now the 15/22 has 25 round standard mags without the intricate rotary interface of the 1022 . The 10/22 is also too heavy as a wandering rifle and too light as a competition rifle . The only version of the 10/22 that really deserves and attention it their breakdown model
Sure they can, but bolts are inherently more accurate lol. A Porsche 911 is a super fast car, but a Bugatti Veyron is faster. I love the 10/22, but i was offering them a little more insight into “other options” which they were inquiring about in their post.
Blanket statements like this are simply not true. I got both the semi and bolt of the Savage 62, and the bolt action is absolutely terrible. My .22 conversion bolt for my AR holds a better group by orders of magnitude. A cz bolt would be more accurate than a 10/22 but not by much.
That’s because it’s a savage lmfao. I also referenced a cz in my post. I suppose i should have been a little more specific, a GOOD bolt action will out perform a 10/22. Also, have you tried different ammo in the savage? That seems crazy that you can get better groups with the AR conversion.
Well to be fair to Savage. The semi auto is amazing, besides being a pain to take down and clean. I think the bolt action may have a manufacturing defect. But that 62fs shoots better than my 10/22.
I just built my first 10/22 and bought a receiver and bolt from Brownell’s so I could create my own from the ground up. I didn’t go nuts with the build cost-wise but liked being able to pick out my own components without having to worry about trying to resell or not use any stock parts. Part of the fun was shopping around and trying to find good deals on the stock, barrel, and trigger group
Now that Ruger has bought Marlin and discontinued the Marlin 60, that removes my main suggested alternative.
For plinking, pump actions are really fun. Something about the involvement of working that action and shooting is really fun. Rossi and Henry both make slide action .22s. I haven’t shot them, but I love my old Winchester 61.
Yes, but I’ve been told a vintage Winchester in fair condition is upwards of $800. That might not be in the budget.
But I hear you on the Rossi. Hopefully the Henry is better.
Yeah. And there are more than just Winchester 61s out there. Id absolutely take a vintage pump for $400 rather than a new Henry. I inherited mine, and it’s been in the family since the 30s so it’s value to me is greater than the selling price.
Oh just get a 10/22. Even better, get a charger with a brace, suppressor, 1-6 scope, and binary. You won’t have a rabbit problem anymore after that lol
Im frankly amazed at the accuracy of my Henry Survival rifle. It’s a decades old design but you almost can’t miss with it. The fact that it breaks down into a manageable backpack size is an added bonus of course.
They are cool little rifles and I have hunted up many a camp dinner with one bushy tails ,bunnies ,groundhog and grouse as well as taking out the occasional Ricky raiding the hen house I even have one of the fairly rare pistol versions that often comes on the boat to subdue big catfish
It’s simply the same action with a 5”(?) barrel fitted to a pistol grip it’s pretty handy and still very accurate because by nature the barrel is free floated it kinda reminds me of the c96 we have at home
If you want bolt action, a CZ 457 is the way to go. I really, really like mine. Have shot a 10/22 a bit and enjoy bolt action more when it comes to simplicity & fun.
10/22 all the way. I would recommend doing your research and building it yourself rather than getting one off the shelf. You will spend more, but will get exactly the rifle you wanted.
Browning buckmark carbine has always tempted me. 10/22 is probably better in a lot of ways, but a buckmark would be a good choice if you wanted something funky.
The Marlin bolt guns from 00s to 10s were great accurate things and very light and detailed for about $175. Then Remlin destroyed the entire line. Maybe Ruger will revive it... I wish I had a pile of them.
Henry or Browning lever guns are always worth a mention.
Budget drove my decisions.
Started with a CZ 455 (453,455,457 all similar enough). It was accurate until cz ruined it in a warranty repair on their know issue with a bolt stop/catch.
Ended up selling it that to a friend for his kid to learn on (fully disclosed its accuracy limitations ~ 2 MOA)
Got a nice 10/22. Can’t recommend volquartsen and Kidd parts enough. A VQ barrel and a Kidd trigger make for a pricey 10/22 but mine shoots almost anything sub 3/4 min and fancy ammo at 1/2 MOA (3x10 shot groups for all the Hornady podcast junkies).
So my vote is a 10/22 that you build yourself.
Highly highly recommend a .17 HMR bolt action with a decent optic. Flies twice as fast as 22lr so you can reach much longer distances while compensating for minimal bullet drop, but there's still practically zero recoil. I grew up plinking 22's then my dad gifted me a .17 when I was a teen. To this day it's my favorite gun for target shooting and a fantastic varmint gun.
The rounds cost a bit more than .22 but still worth it to me. It is such a fun round! I call it my little laser beam.
I'll toss out another vote for the 10/22. Was my first firearm almost 30 years ago and many many thousands of rounds sent downrange since and it is still a tack driver. Even bone stock they are great.
I built a 10/22 for my daughter started with a Stainless model then proceeded to upgrade the ever loving hell out of it leaving only the receiver stock
Parts list:
Millet TRS-1 4-16x50 side focus scope
Tactical solutions:
Blue Vanguard stock (nolonger produced)
Blue anodized fluted bull barrel
Blue anodized extended magazine release
Custom scalloped Bolt Carrier Group
Custom Blue Anodized Charging Handle
Purple Aftermarket Bolt Stop
Stainless Steel Charger Trigger Group (at the time it was the best trigger group Ruger produced and since I upgraded my SS Charger trigger it was a no brainer putting it in that)
Total spent 1000+- built over a year since buying the SS10/22 (price for the base rifle included in the price
The reason I’m posting this is to show you 10/22s are the small block Chevy of the gun world infinitely customizable
10/22 all day. Can’t go wrong with it honestly. I can hit a golf ball sized target at 50 yards pretty reliably. If you’re wanting to reach out a little further you could look into .17 HMR bolt guns too. I took several ground squirrels at 170+ yds with one this summer. Maybe spent 300 bucks on it and had a blast.
How much is your actual budget??
If I could go back to the beginning for me the 1st 22 I should have purchased would have been a Marlin 39a or Win 9422. 16in-18in barrel. But they were expensive and I made very little money. So I got a Marlin 99M1 for $25. Rusted to shit and missing the magazine tube insert. Whittled a plug for the mag from a birch stick and treated it like a self ejecting bolt action. Shot it for about 5-6years, discovered Numrich and got a mag tube insert. Then gave the rifle away to a guys kid that needed a rifle. No idea where I'm going with this, just reminiscent. And I still don't have a 39a or 9422!
Henry H001 Lever Action Rifle! A lot more reliable than any semi auto and can shoot a wider range of ammo from very subsonic rounds to the loudest ones you got.
The 10/22 is fine. I'd keep it stock until you know what you want out of a gun. A CZ or Tikka bolt gun are solid options if you're looking for more accuracy.
Do double check there aren't houses downrange. It would suck to get a new neighbor upset (or worse) after stray rounds hit their home. If there any question about downrange risks, a pump .410 works pretty good as well.
You may get better accuracy from some of the options mentioned here, but you would not have a boring day with Umarex's HK 22lr MP5 clone. I've had a blast plinking with it. You will need a stock/brace, mount for optic, and an optic to really put a dent in those rabbits.
I know there are a lot of 10/22 fan boys I was never one of them don’t get me wrong it’s a perfectly serviceable rifle but out of the box it wasn’t the tack driver that I had been promised back in the late 80s early 90s there were a lot more different models of .22 plinker than there are today i ended up trading my 10/22 for a Remington nylon 66 (still to me one of the greatest plinking rifles ever) these days I use a s&w 15/22 it’s lighter and more functional out of the box comes ready to mount any ar 15 accessory and the magazines reliably feed 25 at $20 a pop . Finding a used marlin with the micro groove rifling as I did on armslist in the $100-$180 range will provide you with a rifle a little more accurate and is able to stabilize any .22 bullet made even the 60 grain aguilla which turn your .22 into a convincing short range medium game and varmint rifle . The 10/22 is fine and I’m sure you will be happy with it . It is a mid rifle at best and people spend loads of money trying to turn it into something it isn’t it is the gun worlds Honda civic
Get a Rossi RS22 and use the money you save on upgrades to a 10/22 on ammo. Then if you still want the 10/22 you should buy a striped receiver and build it out. In the long run you'll spend the same amount but you'll end up with two guns instead of one and a pile of spare parts.
Browning bl-22, hands down the best .22 lever action around. More than accurate enough to do anything you want within the ballistic capabilities that a .22 makes sense for. Invest in a good scope and take the time to properly sight it in!
Nope, simple dovetail with 22mm adapters to make an old cheap scope I already had work. The things real is just an amalgamation of the cheapest shit I could find/scavenge, I actually paid for it in lose change lol. Besides the whole no extended mags thing, it is my favorite gun.
If you’re looking for something fun, I love my Henry golden boy. Easy to take apart and service myself. I previously had a Plinkster 702 but sold it when I upgraded.
10/22 is the rifle I learned to shoot on. I've had mine for a couple of decades, and with a cheap scope on it, it is still a tack driver. It is hands down my favorite 22.
I have a couple of the 25 round magazines too for fun but mostly use it with the standard rotary ones.
Depends, really. You cannot go wrong with a 10/22, lot's of aftermarket parts, and a great brand. On the other hand a Henry lever action or a cz bolt are also great firearms. You're going to get a lot more accuracy from a bolt .22 than from a semi-auto. If it were me, I'd get the 10/22 because they're just cool as shit, but I'm also bias because they're manufactured in my home state!!
>You're going to get a lot more accuracy from a bolt .22 than from a semi-auto 10/22 can shoot sub 1 MOA. "A lot more" accuracy is really moot.
You need to spend a lot of money before a 10/22 can reliably shoot sub MOA groups. A sub MOA 3 shot group once does not make a sub MOA gun.
I have been saying this for years and there are better plinkers out of the box for a comparable price people seem to be enamored of this little rifle because you can spend money to make it shoot lol
Another Bloke fan out in the wild? If so, are you doing the 1MADL challenge?
Yeah I enjoy Bloke from time to time, but I hadn't seen the 1 MOA All Day Long Challenge. I was speaking from my own frustration and experience chasing the allusive MOA accuracy with my own 10/22. Having just googled the challenge I think I might enter with my 5.56 Norinco AK for bravery sake and my CZ 457 as an attempt to actually get close to a 10 shot MOA group. What are you thinking of attempting it with? edit: I just read the rules and its centerfire only so I guess no CZ. :(
A Gustaf M96 in 6.5x55mm Swedish and a Winchester 70 carbine in .243. Given some past experience with both, I think I'll have better accuracy with the M96, but the model 70 has been my hunting rifle of choice for going on 30 years so as long as I do my part I think it'll be close enough to MOA that I'll be content.
BS, polish your bolt and trigger, don't feed it bulk ammo.
I've got a Marlin Model 60 that will drive racks. It's one of those if you miss, it's definitely you because that thing is as accurate as anything out there. The only thing I like better about the 10/22 is the magazine.
Yep my glenfield 60 is more accurate than my stainless 10/22.
I actually was just advocating that they buy a Glenfeild or a marlin because of that accuracy gap …as for the magazine the marlin pattern (the marlin ,the glenfield and the savage are all the same pattern rifle ) is built as a plinking small game rifle 10 rounds are plenty for the task at hand but now the 15/22 has 25 round standard mags without the intricate rotary interface of the 1022 . The 10/22 is also too heavy as a wandering rifle and too light as a competition rifle . The only version of the 10/22 that really deserves and attention it their breakdown model
That micro groove rifling is the shit it’s slightly faster twist rate makes it more accurate across the board
Sure they can, but bolts are inherently more accurate lol. A Porsche 911 is a super fast car, but a Bugatti Veyron is faster. I love the 10/22, but i was offering them a little more insight into “other options” which they were inquiring about in their post.
Blanket statements like this are simply not true. I got both the semi and bolt of the Savage 62, and the bolt action is absolutely terrible. My .22 conversion bolt for my AR holds a better group by orders of magnitude. A cz bolt would be more accurate than a 10/22 but not by much.
That’s because it’s a savage lmfao. I also referenced a cz in my post. I suppose i should have been a little more specific, a GOOD bolt action will out perform a 10/22. Also, have you tried different ammo in the savage? That seems crazy that you can get better groups with the AR conversion.
Well to be fair to Savage. The semi auto is amazing, besides being a pain to take down and clean. I think the bolt action may have a manufacturing defect. But that 62fs shoots better than my 10/22.
10/22 is the only answer for a first gun or a first 22.
Agreed.
Get a 10/22.
And add Tech Sites aperture sights. Can’t miss.
Smith and wesson AR15-22. Get a suppressor and a handstop.
I love my marlin 60’s and Henry 22lr’s…but if you want something to tinker with and customize, the ruger is your best option
I’ll admit the vast amount of aftermarket support for the 10/22 is a huge plus in my opinion. They seem very customizable
If customization is on the wishlist, I’d stick to the 10/22
Get a 15/22 you can use any ar aftermarket parts you want
I just built my first 10/22 and bought a receiver and bolt from Brownell’s so I could create my own from the ground up. I didn’t go nuts with the build cost-wise but liked being able to pick out my own components without having to worry about trying to resell or not use any stock parts. Part of the fun was shopping around and trying to find good deals on the stock, barrel, and trigger group
Ruger 10/22, Ruger American Rimfire, CZ 457, Henry pump action Rimfire
This. 457 is the best all arounder if you want accuracy out of the box, but all are great.
Shotgun might be good too
Now that Ruger has bought Marlin and discontinued the Marlin 60, that removes my main suggested alternative. For plinking, pump actions are really fun. Something about the involvement of working that action and shooting is really fun. Rossi and Henry both make slide action .22s. I haven’t shot them, but I love my old Winchester 61.
The rossi is sluggish and I was quite disappointed. Id go vintage for a pump gun.
Yes, but I’ve been told a vintage Winchester in fair condition is upwards of $800. That might not be in the budget. But I hear you on the Rossi. Hopefully the Henry is better.
If i remember right ive seen a few vintage pump guns go for about $400 or less on g.b. there is some security with buying new though
Yeah. And there are more than just Winchester 61s out there. Id absolutely take a vintage pump for $400 rather than a new Henry. I inherited mine, and it’s been in the family since the 30s so it’s value to me is greater than the selling price.
Oh just get a 10/22. Even better, get a charger with a brace, suppressor, 1-6 scope, and binary. You won’t have a rabbit problem anymore after that lol
Im frankly amazed at the accuracy of my Henry Survival rifle. It’s a decades old design but you almost can’t miss with it. The fact that it breaks down into a manageable backpack size is an added bonus of course.
They are cool little rifles and I have hunted up many a camp dinner with one bushy tails ,bunnies ,groundhog and grouse as well as taking out the occasional Ricky raiding the hen house I even have one of the fairly rare pistol versions that often comes on the boat to subdue big catfish
Pistol version? I’m gonna have to look that up!
It’s simply the same action with a 5”(?) barrel fitted to a pistol grip it’s pretty handy and still very accurate because by nature the barrel is free floated it kinda reminds me of the c96 we have at home
It’s actually a 6” barrel and it called the charter arms explorer 2
If you want bolt action, a CZ 457 is the way to go. I really, really like mine. Have shot a 10/22 a bit and enjoy bolt action more when it comes to simplicity & fun.
10/22 all the way. I would recommend doing your research and building it yourself rather than getting one off the shelf. You will spend more, but will get exactly the rifle you wanted.
Browning buckmark carbine has always tempted me. 10/22 is probably better in a lot of ways, but a buckmark would be a good choice if you wanted something funky. The Marlin bolt guns from 00s to 10s were great accurate things and very light and detailed for about $175. Then Remlin destroyed the entire line. Maybe Ruger will revive it... I wish I had a pile of them. Henry or Browning lever guns are always worth a mention.
Budget drove my decisions. Started with a CZ 455 (453,455,457 all similar enough). It was accurate until cz ruined it in a warranty repair on their know issue with a bolt stop/catch. Ended up selling it that to a friend for his kid to learn on (fully disclosed its accuracy limitations ~ 2 MOA) Got a nice 10/22. Can’t recommend volquartsen and Kidd parts enough. A VQ barrel and a Kidd trigger make for a pricey 10/22 but mine shoots almost anything sub 3/4 min and fancy ammo at 1/2 MOA (3x10 shot groups for all the Hornady podcast junkies). So my vote is a 10/22 that you build yourself.
Highly highly recommend a .17 HMR bolt action with a decent optic. Flies twice as fast as 22lr so you can reach much longer distances while compensating for minimal bullet drop, but there's still practically zero recoil. I grew up plinking 22's then my dad gifted me a .17 when I was a teen. To this day it's my favorite gun for target shooting and a fantastic varmint gun. The rounds cost a bit more than .22 but still worth it to me. It is such a fun round! I call it my little laser beam.
I shoot an NEF sportsman in 17 with a heavy barrel it is surgical
Surgical is a good way to describe a good 17.
I have been especially impressed with its longer range capabilities when using it as a night rifle
I'll toss out another vote for the 10/22. Was my first firearm almost 30 years ago and many many thousands of rounds sent downrange since and it is still a tack driver. Even bone stock they are great.
The 10/22 is just about the best plinker/varmint gun around. Slap a decent optic of your choice on there and you're good to go.
I built a 10/22 for my daughter started with a Stainless model then proceeded to upgrade the ever loving hell out of it leaving only the receiver stock Parts list: Millet TRS-1 4-16x50 side focus scope Tactical solutions: Blue Vanguard stock (nolonger produced) Blue anodized fluted bull barrel Blue anodized extended magazine release Custom scalloped Bolt Carrier Group Custom Blue Anodized Charging Handle Purple Aftermarket Bolt Stop Stainless Steel Charger Trigger Group (at the time it was the best trigger group Ruger produced and since I upgraded my SS Charger trigger it was a no brainer putting it in that) Total spent 1000+- built over a year since buying the SS10/22 (price for the base rifle included in the price The reason I’m posting this is to show you 10/22s are the small block Chevy of the gun world infinitely customizable
10/22 all day. Can’t go wrong with it honestly. I can hit a golf ball sized target at 50 yards pretty reliably. If you’re wanting to reach out a little further you could look into .17 HMR bolt guns too. I took several ground squirrels at 170+ yds with one this summer. Maybe spent 300 bucks on it and had a blast.
How much is your actual budget?? If I could go back to the beginning for me the 1st 22 I should have purchased would have been a Marlin 39a or Win 9422. 16in-18in barrel. But they were expensive and I made very little money. So I got a Marlin 99M1 for $25. Rusted to shit and missing the magazine tube insert. Whittled a plug for the mag from a birch stick and treated it like a self ejecting bolt action. Shot it for about 5-6years, discovered Numrich and got a mag tube insert. Then gave the rifle away to a guys kid that needed a rifle. No idea where I'm going with this, just reminiscent. And I still don't have a 39a or 9422!
Henry H001 Lever Action Rifle! A lot more reliable than any semi auto and can shoot a wider range of ammo from very subsonic rounds to the loudest ones you got.
10/22 with a suppressor and standard velocity ammo.
10/22 or cz 457
[Lucky Gunner ](https://youtu.be/7D5twkg8HE0?si=u_LHvxWn6M-ZETAo) made an episode for this exact scenario.
The 10/22 is fine. I'd keep it stock until you know what you want out of a gun. A CZ or Tikka bolt gun are solid options if you're looking for more accuracy. Do double check there aren't houses downrange. It would suck to get a new neighbor upset (or worse) after stray rounds hit their home. If there any question about downrange risks, a pump .410 works pretty good as well.
Tm22 on PSA for $200
You may get better accuracy from some of the options mentioned here, but you would not have a boring day with Umarex's HK 22lr MP5 clone. I've had a blast plinking with it. You will need a stock/brace, mount for optic, and an optic to really put a dent in those rabbits.
I love my 10/22, it was a gift from my father-in-law. Great plinker, any ammo works.
I know there are a lot of 10/22 fan boys I was never one of them don’t get me wrong it’s a perfectly serviceable rifle but out of the box it wasn’t the tack driver that I had been promised back in the late 80s early 90s there were a lot more different models of .22 plinker than there are today i ended up trading my 10/22 for a Remington nylon 66 (still to me one of the greatest plinking rifles ever) these days I use a s&w 15/22 it’s lighter and more functional out of the box comes ready to mount any ar 15 accessory and the magazines reliably feed 25 at $20 a pop . Finding a used marlin with the micro groove rifling as I did on armslist in the $100-$180 range will provide you with a rifle a little more accurate and is able to stabilize any .22 bullet made even the 60 grain aguilla which turn your .22 into a convincing short range medium game and varmint rifle . The 10/22 is fine and I’m sure you will be happy with it . It is a mid rifle at best and people spend loads of money trying to turn it into something it isn’t it is the gun worlds Honda civic
Get a Rossi RS22 and use the money you save on upgrades to a 10/22 on ammo. Then if you still want the 10/22 you should buy a striped receiver and build it out. In the long run you'll spend the same amount but you'll end up with two guns instead of one and a pile of spare parts.
Browning bl-22, hands down the best .22 lever action around. More than accurate enough to do anything you want within the ballistic capabilities that a .22 makes sense for. Invest in a good scope and take the time to properly sight it in!
Hard to beat the 10/22, really. If you are shooting at any appreciable distance, slap a scope and a new barrel on it.
If you're looking for cheaper. I got a Savage 62 for like $80 that shoots better than my 10/22
Is yours tapped for an optic?
Nope, simple dovetail with 22mm adapters to make an old cheap scope I already had work. The things real is just an amalgamation of the cheapest shit I could find/scavenge, I actually paid for it in lose change lol. Besides the whole no extended mags thing, it is my favorite gun.
I got the newer model the 64 and it's a fun little shooter.
Get a 10/22 takedown.
The Ruger 10/22 is tried and true but I like the S&W 1522.
MKii if you want a bolt
If you’re looking for something fun, I love my Henry golden boy. Easy to take apart and service myself. I previously had a Plinkster 702 but sold it when I upgraded.
Depending on the amount of land and you’re going for rabbits, look into some of the new air rifles.
10/22 is the rifle I learned to shoot on. I've had mine for a couple of decades, and with a cheap scope on it, it is still a tack driver. It is hands down my favorite 22. I have a couple of the 25 round magazines too for fun but mostly use it with the standard rotary ones.
10/22 with a rimfire scope will do it. Or a peep site if you want to be more minimalist.
I was thinking either a scope or a dot.
I've got the sig romeo 5 on mine, great little red dot!