Friday, November 14, 2008

.22 Rifles

If you've read my Nonconformist Guide posts, then you know that I did not start out shooting guns like most adults who own guns.

When I was a kid, growing up in Arkansas, indeed I did want to get guns like normal southern boys did. I got my first BB gun when I was about 8, for Christmas. It would have been normal for me to get a .22 rifle when I was 12, but we had moved to Texas and I got a guitar instead. The rest is history.

At the moment I have no interest in hunting. But I have really enjoyed shooting my pellet rifle and we had a kick shooting my dad's .22 rifle at the range. I didn't think it would be so much fun. Pistols are strictly functional for me. I carry one for self defense, I shoot it for practice. But shooting rifles is fun.

So my next gun purchase will probably be a .22 rifle.

I want a semi-automatic. I am still making up my mind on the rest. I think I want a box magazine. I also am leaning towards a stainless barrel and synthetic stock. I am looking in the $200 range. I went to Academy the other day and handled most of those on my short list. Bear in mind, I have not shot any of them. Here are my comments on my short list:


Mossberg 702, $99 for blued/synthetic version. This gun looks a whole lot like a copy of the Marlin 795, except for the shape of the stock, and of course the overall feeling of quality. For $99 this gun looks like a killer deal. In fact, it was among my favorites in terms of just feel and handling. The factory sight is really cool, with the ring front sight. The gun feels real solid, and the bolt lever is very nice. The gun does not exude quality of workmanship or refinement of finish and parts, but for $99, what do you expect? I am very tempted to buy one of these. I am not in love with the stock, and I would prefer stainless.


Savage 64, $119 for synthetic/blued includes a pack-in scope. I didn't actually get to handle one of these. I have heard reports that this is a copy of a Marlin 795 but clearly it is not. I might be tempted for the price, but for $20 less and no scope, I would take the Mossberg.


Marlin Model 60, $139 for blued/birch version. I handled this gun and I liked it a lot, right off the bat. The feel was very comfortable. It has a superior quality feel to the gun, the fit and finish are superb. The price is great! This may be the best possible value. If I were into a wood stock, blued finish, tube magazine gun, I would buy this in a second. Maybe I need one of each. The raised comb on the buttstock fit me better than any of the other guns I tried and it felt more like a "full size" gun than most of the others. I like it. I like it a lot. I might have to change my preferences.


Remington 597, $149 or blued/synthetic version. I handled a couple of these, in synthetic and wood, and including a .22WMR gun. These have a superior feel of quality, excellent balance, and just look and feel great. I really liked this gun a lot. I am going to have to spend some quality time with this vs. a Marlin 795 before I can make up my mind. If I find one with a stainless barrel it will make this a much harder choice. 30-round magazines are available aftermarket, although not abundant.


Marlin 795, $199 for stainless/synthetic version. I didn't actually find one of these to handle, but Academy has them on the web site. From what I hear, this is basically just like a Model 60 but with a box magazine. I loved the feel of the Model 60 in my hands. It looks like the 795 is identical in dimensions, stock shape/design, etc. If so,then this will probably end up being the one. It will be a tough choice between the Marlin and a SS Remington 597. I cannot find any high-capacity magazines for this gun. That may be a deciding factor.


Ruger 10/22, $229 for stainless/synthetic version. Everybody suggests the Ruger 10/22 is the "ultimate" semi-auto .22. They say it's the standard by which all others are judged. I don't know. It did not feel right to me. It felt too small. I also handled a birch stock 10/22 and it was a couple of pounds heavier, as well as fatter. The gun just does not feel like a real gun. The abundance of aftermarket parts may make it possible to change the stock, trigger group, other parts in order to get it to have the better feel but why? It costs more than the Remington or Marlin and does not have the feel. The lifetime warranty and excellent track record, plus easy to find 30 and 50 round magazines are the biggest selling points.

If I had to just drop the money and do something, I think I want one each, a birch and blue Marlin Model 60 and a synthetic and stainless Remington 597. I am going to have to spend some more time with these two guns and do some more research before I can make up my mind.

This is my Christmas list, if anyone's buying :)

Please leave comments about these choices since I'm all ears.

No comments:

Post a Comment