# Your favorite .22 rifle



## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

for taking to the woods, for small game,and small varmint, mostly squirrel, although rabbits don't get a free pass,

I know there are many, and each person has their own reasons,

I only have one other .22 rifle that is as accurate or better , thats my CZ453, and that one ain't going in the woods, (unless shtf).

Mine would be my* Ithaca X15 lightning *, holds a 10 round magazine, is built like a tank, and will do eyeball shots on squirrels all dayat 50 yards (probably farther).

This rifle has been called "the best 22 rifle ever made".. may be, :dunno:

If I should drop this gun , or trip and fall over a twig...no problem for the gun(ask me how I know this), may not be same results for me.

I am interested in hearing what your favorite , woods, small game, small varmint, 22 rifle is, and look forward to seeing some pics.

If you've never seen one, here it is

















Jim


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

My favorite .22 rifle is the Marlin 795 series. They are one of the most accurate and reliable out of the box .22LR's I have ever owned (pre-Freedom Group of course). They are lighter and much thinner than the Ruger 10/22 and much more rugged than the similar rifle produced by Mossberg. I have added Tech Sights to my 795 but you can buy one now preconfigured called the 795 LTR (Liberty Training Rifle). My 70 Papoose stainless can be broken down and easily stored in a pack. My 7000 heavy barrel is a true tack driver. The only _subjective_ downside to the 795 series is their low capacity magazines, however Promag (of all places) makes a 25 round mostly polymer mag that is actually reasonably well made. I have 4 that were reliable out of the packaging and 3 more that needed some minor tweaking to get there.





































My favorite .22LR growing up was my Savage 29A pump action. I loved that gun and put 1,000's of rounds through it. We have killed a whole lot of gophers, squirrels, rabbits and dump rats together. I still take that 29A out from time to time and marvel at how smooth and accurate it is.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

I have that exact same rifle and love the thing! It was my very first gun as a kid (back in the 1960's).

Since I have a teenage son, I've shelved most of the semi-auto .22's to slow the rate he burns through ammo and get him to work more on technique as opposed to just ripping through the ammo.

That said, my "go to" .22 rifles are:
A 1930's Iver Johnson model X. Single shot, open sights, incredibly accurate.
Here's a pic I got off the internet









Or
A Henry lever action (I have a scope on it).


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Hey - Why can't I edit my posts anymore????

Since Sentry posted before me, a clarification when I said "I have that exact same rifle and love the thing! It was my very first gun as a kid (back in the 1960's).". I was referring to the Ithaca X15.

I have a Marlin 597 and it's a total piece of sh!t. That's made me shy away from their .22 rifles.


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

ZoomZoom said:


> Hey - Why can't I edit my posts anymore????


Can you still edit your posts in any other subforum?

Jim


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

phideaux said:


> Can you still edit your posts in any other subforum?


Just checked "Signs, Posters..." thread and yes, I can edit there.


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

Thanks, Looks like still a bug in this subforum.

Working on it.

btw, that Ithaca is a liitle heavier than most .22 rifles, they use to call it the"big Boys" rifle.



Jim


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Thanks for fixing it Jim.

Never thought of the Ithaca as heavy. I guess when you're 8-years-old, you don't really notice or care about weight so long as it goes boom when you pull the trigger.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

10/22 Ruger in a back packer Ram line stock.
Weighs 4 pounds loaded.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

I have a stainless Ruger 10/22 and a Remington Nylon 77. Between the 2 I would give higher marks for the Remington. The Remington is much lighter then the 10/ 22 and more tolerant of different types of ammo.

I know the Nylon 77 is accurate because of what I have done with it. It uses magazine 10 round to feed it. There's a Nylon 66 that's the same gun that carries 16 in the butt of the gun.

A couple of months ago I saw a Nylon 77 for sale at Cabelas and they wanted $700 for it.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

ZoomZoom said:


> I have a Marlin 597 and it's a total piece of sh!t. That's made me shy away from their .22 rifles.


Remington makes a 597, Marlin makes a 795. Which were you referring to? I had a Remmy 597 and was unimpressed. I bought a post-Freedom Group Marlin 795 and was also unimpressed. But the dozen or so Marlin 795-series guns I have bought made before 2008 have all been excellent. Same with the Marlin 60 series guns with the tube versus the magazine.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

This is my favorite 22 rifle. It was a gift from my Dad when I was 15. He had bought it used from one of my cousins who needed money. It is kinda cute and with its 16-1/4" barrel it is short and handy. Like almost every 22 it is quite accurate. The gun is a Colt Colteer rifle. I have carried this gun many miles while hunting or just out walking. 
While dependable, it does need to be cleaned every 500 to 1000 rounds. Difficult and unhandy to take down for cleaning. The operating handle is quite small and made from plastic. I broke one 30 years or so ago and bought two so I had a spare (which I still have).
I have others of course but this is my favorite. I am not sentimental and attach no sentimental value to this gun. I just like it.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

I have one my FIL gave me, It's a Ted Williams Model T3 with a Tubular Magazine. I have taken all kinds of small game with it, and it is extremely accurate.


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

I have several I really like, this Weatherby rarely sees the woods but it is my favorite.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Sentry18 said:


> Remington makes a 597, Marlin makes a 795. Which were you referring to?


You're right. I was thinking Marlin but it is a Remington. Still a POS.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

ZoomZoom said:


> You're right. I was thinking Marlin but it is a Remington. Still a POS.


Remington has been struggling for awhile now.

Remember the Remington 522 Viper? Only 22 rifle I have ever owned that I took back to the gun shop and demanded a refund. Not sure the 597 was that much better. They should really just bring back the old Nylon 66. It was their last good .22 semi-auto.


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

Sentry18 said:


> Remington has been struggling for awhile now.
> 
> Remember the Remington 522 Viper? Only 22 rifle I have ever owned that I took back to the gun shop and demanded a refund. Not sure the 597 was that much better. They should really just bring back the old Nylon 66. It was their last good .22 semi-auto.


 My Brother in law shoots that junk. Poor kid just doesn't know any better.


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## jnrdesertrats (Jul 3, 2010)

I had a nylon 66 as a kid and loved it.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

camo2460 said:


> I have one my FIL gave me, It's a Ted Williams Model T3 with a Tubular Magazine. I have taken all kinds of small game with it, and it is extremely accurate.


It's a Winchester Model 190 in disguise I have one of those.


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

When I'm not using my pellet rfle,
In the winter time , I sneek around the fence rows with this one and pick off a rabbit..
This one will shoot a 1" group at 100 yards with right ammo on a calm day.

I only do head shots on the rabbits and this one makes it easy.









Jim


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

I got Jake a single shot Marlin for Christmas. We pay him a bounty on most things on this ridge. Aint much safe these days.....


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

Marlin Model 60. had it since 1979. There is no tellin how many thousand rounds have gone thru it. Still super accurate. Only down side I've found is slow to load the tube. But it'll hold 17 shots. 
Been looking at 10/22 takedowns, but that 795 looks pretty nice. I'll check it and the magazines out closer.


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## backlash (Nov 11, 2008)

I have a CZ452 that is the most accurate .22 I have ever shot.
For all around fun it's hard to beat the 10/22.


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## bugoutbob (Nov 11, 2012)

Was my grandfather's FN tube fed magazine, take down semi auto. Small, lightweight and accurate. I don't know when it was made except well before I was born (I suspect just after WWII but don't know). Shot it all the time growing up. Eventually went to another family member  but she sure was a good un. I have seen similar models but never that one since.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

bacpacker said:


> Marlin Model 60. had it since 1979. There is no tellin how many thousand rounds have gone thru it. Still super accurate. Only down side I've found is slow to load the tube. But it'll hold 17 shots. .


I love the Model 60's, by far my favorite!

They can be had under $100, too.

I had two... I guess the ex-wife felt like she needed one.


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## GaryS (Nov 15, 2011)

Favorite was a round-barrel Model 1890 my grandfather gave me when I turned 8 in 1949. He bought it used when he homesteaded in North Dakota at the turn of the twentieth century, so not sure of the mfg date or series. It was designed for only .22 Long ammo, but it also fired shorts. It lived under the seat of my car all winter and kept me in spending money hunting jack rabbits on my way to high school. It disappeared somewhere during one of my moves. 

Also had a Winchester model 77 clip-fed semi-auto that had great styling, but the feed was very unreliable without premium priced ammo, and even with a scope was not as accurate as the old shooting gallery pump.

I now have a Ruger 10-22 and it's never been fired, so not sure how much I would like it.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

GaryS said:


> I now have a Ruger 10-22 and it's never been fired, so not sure how much I would like it.


I like my 10/22 ....even though it isn't my "Favorite"

You can get nearly any accessory for a 10/22 that you can get for an AR-15!


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

RTYGHJM 90IPOKL;,./


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

Now just because that Ithaca X15 is my favorite all around .22 rifle cuz its built like a tank, and scary accurate, don't mean I can;t like my Ruger 10/22.

Most of yall like that 10/22.....so do I,

It has won several "shoot the dime" contest at 50 yards.
They pay good,

Can't see it in the pic, but is Swirl ground OD bull target barrel from Ruger.

anyway here's my 10/22

















Jim


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I don't own a 10/22. I bought a basic one off the shelf some years back and found it to be basically okay, a bit heavy and oddly thick through the receiver. Wasn't very accurate and I didn't want to spend the money to make it more accurate so I sold it. The 10/22 was already $60 more than my Marlin as it were.

That being said our supervisors all have scoped, enhanced and suppressed 10/22's in their patrol cars to assist with animal control when needed (usually skunks or other rabid little creatures) or to shoot out lights or whatever else is deemed necessary. They are dead on accurate with CCI ammo and very quiet to shoot. They are impressive rimfire rifles.


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## fteter (May 23, 2014)

Browning SA-22 Takedown. It's one of the old Belgium-produced rifles. Light. Easy to transport. Incredibly accurate. And very quiet.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

No one has one like this. Its one I put together out of mixed various parts I had laying around the shop. Barrel from a High Standard 22 rifle. Stock and forearm were from a Savage model 23 bolt action (it was a one-piece stock that I cut up). I threaded the barrel just because and I had to make a barrel band to hold the forearm secure. I had to move the firing pin because the action was made for a centerfire. I had to sleeve the barrel to make it fit the action. Since the picture I put a nice scope on it because it was accurate enough to warrant it.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

hiwall said:


> No one has one like this. Its one I put together out of mixed various parts I had laying around the shop. Barrel from a High Standard 22 rifle. Stock and forearm were from a Savage model 23 bolt action (it was a one-piece stock that I cut up). I threaded the barrel just because and I had to make a barrel band to hold the forearm secure. I had to move the firing pin because the action was made for a centerfire. I had to sleeve the barrel to make it fit the action. Since the picture I put a nice scope on it because it was accurate enough to warrant it.


Love it.

My uncle was a gunsmith and he had several skunkworks rifles and older revolvers made from an amalgamation of other guns. He told me that many older guns were so similar you could just pull a part off one, hit it with a file a few times, and slap it in another.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

That 22 is really short. The break action adds very little length to a gun and the barrel is only 16-1/2". Very handy rifle. Because it is a single shot you can load any 22 ammo in it, like CB's for when you want it quiet.


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

I have taken a many small game critters with my Marlin model 60 that i got when i was 15/16 from my father. It's my favorite because he has since passed so I still use it often.

I have a ruger 10/22 takedown and i love it to but....while there are aftermarket parts galore for the ruger 10/22, not all of these work for the takedown. I will explain, most internals are identical and will work just fine but stocks/furniture will not! I did buy a retractable stock for a standard 10/22 and cut it to fit the stock and used the stock front forend to finish out the outfit. Takes some tinkering and some hacksawing but it can be done...if you don't mind putting a hacksaw to a gun stock...I did! LOL
I am not at home now or I would post a pic of the 10/22 takedown with the 'new' stock. I will if I remember in 2 weeks when I get back to the house!


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## thegman (Jan 12, 2014)

I own a 10/22 and love it but when I go squirrel hunting I take my Henry Golden Boy. It's a kick to shoot and so accurate with just plain old iron sites. It will chamber and feed just about any 22 LR, Long, Short, Cap, BB. I have shot them all. With the Aguila primer only subsonic it almost the same loudness as my Ruger SR22 with the silencer.


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