22 bolt or semi?

[run faster]

So I dont own a 22, Ive shot some though. Im looking to get something for small game in an emergency situation, I dont think a 30 cal would be good for getting meat off squirrels, however fun lol. So basically it needs to accurate and reliable and simple, to me that means bolt gun. It seems most of my friends semi 22s are always having problems, and thats not what I want in a bad situation. Are there reliable semis? Reliable magazines? Is a big part of it the ammo?

Thanks

[J.C.]

A big part is the ammo; it is possible to get them running reliably. You would not lose a squirrel to it though because you can see when it is jammed and you'd fix it. Its not like you are going to get more than one shot at the squirrel in any situation. I think either is fine, whichever you would prefer target shooting really.

[KentsOkay]

Ruger 10-22 (semi) with a M1 carbine stock is sooo on my list of guns to own. I have a Marlin bolt action, love it but jeesh, after a while it can be a pain in the but, especially when plinking for shits and giggles. As far as the semis go, most folk say 10-22 or Marlin 60.

http://www.eabco.com/m1_carbine_ruger_1022_tribute.htm

[yossarian]

I've got a Marlin Glenfield 25 bolt gun that I literally found in the woods, it has been an awesome little gun. For dead nuts reliability a bolt gun can't be beat IMHO. However, as KentsOkay stated, it can get tedious when burning up a brick of ammo.

[JRJ]

Don't waste your time with a bolt action, the ability to quickly send rounds "down range" cannot be overstated. If you use magazines, keep them clean. Tube fed is great and I love my Marlin 60. If I were to suggest a .22lr I would say a Ruger MK 2 or 3 with a red dot, its accurate and reliable plus it can be holstered. I have never had any mechanical failures with any of my .22lr pistol and rifles. I like CCI and Federal but cheap target ammo works well enough. How much are you looking to spend?

[Cpt. MelonBuster]

My vote is a Marlin Model 60. Semi-Auto tube-fed.

[TacAir]

I have a bolty - Henry mini - youth.
single shot, have to pull back the striker - don't get much simpler than that. bonehead safe as well.

sure - it's slow. good way to discourage the spray and pray you see every so often in semi auto users.

If you know you have just one shot, you are going to work to get the good shot...

Not so good if facing a pack of rabid dogs or the horde of the undead.

Something to consider as a starter anyway.

[sworbeyegib]

Theres nothing wrong with a semi-auto .22lr. Yea, once in awhile it might give you problems, but almost always it can be traced to.

Magazine.
Ammo, find out what your gun like to shoot.
The fact the .22lr makes a gun dirty fast. So keep it clean.
The general breaking in of a gun, I was frustrated with my first .22lr, thinking I bought a lemon. After running enough rounds thru it, it works great.

Then again, there is nothing wrong with a bolty. In fact, I'm coming close to buying a friends .22lr lever action, which I'd also suggest.

[PistolPete]

I think either would fit your purpose as a game getter. Find something that fits your budget and aesthetic desires and put lots and lots of rounds through it. I've seen bolt action and semi-auto rimfire guns that were finicky, it's all about knowing your gun and the ammo it shoots best.

[crypto]

Definitely. Both the bolt actions and the rimfires usually hang-up on the magazine. The feed lips on detachable mags are one culprit, and the shell elevator on tube magazines as well as dirty tubes (giggity) on tube-fed systems.

[huntingohio]

Either or will work for you, it reall depends on what you want. I'll weigh my pros and cons for you

SEMI_AUTO
pros- rapid shots [small game move a lot this can be handy if you miss]
availability [youll find em for 110 bucks and up new, even less used]
less physical movement [all you have to do to make a second shot is squeeze the trigger, which can aid you as small game usally freeze up if you miss]

cons- matinence [take good care of it and it will run great, dont and you have a paper wieght]

BOLT ACTION
pro- accuracy [not saying thry are more accurate, only one shot, youll make it count
reliability [my grandpa hasnt cleaned his marlin in the 50 years hes owned it and it stil cycles]
ease of matinence [pull out bolt wipe with oily rag, wipe gun you done]
cons- speed [cant make fallow up shots quite as quick, but if you dont miis you wont need em]


Usally the malfuntioning 22 problem stems from the fact that they are inexpensive. This means that unlike your remchesterby you wont be as apt to clean it cause well you can buy a new one next pay check.

Me personally i like break action single shot 22s, dirt simple and cheap. There is also the something to be said for the discipline you it takes to make that shot count. My shootiting skills even with autos have improved imesely due to this.

Here is a suggestion list for you

Bolt- savage.. i got nothing else they work to well for me
Autos- marlin model 60 795 remington 597 and ruger 10/22
Break action- H&R sportster
pistols Ruger mark series

[NoMercy]

Here is a suggestion list for you

Bolt- savage.. i got nothing else they work to well for me
Autos- marlin model 60 795 remington 597 and ruger 10/22
Break action- H&R sportster
pistols Ruger mark series

I would not recommend a Savage bolt action rimfire. I had one and it was very unreliable, the magazines were garbage and it usually wouldn't feed right. My friend bought one and his does the same thing. I do recommend a Marlin 60 or 795 though, my 60's are very reliable.

[donjulio]

I've owned 2 semi-autos that never gave me a bit of trouble.
Ruger 10/22
Savage 64
The Savage is often overlooked, but I found it to be a top quality .22.

[Bearcat]

I've got a Marlin Glenfield 25 bolt gun that I literally found in the woods, it has been an awesome little gun. For dead nuts reliability a bolt gun can't be beat IMHO. However, as KentsOkay stated, it can get tedious when burning up a brick of ammo.

That is awesome. Did you take it to the police to see if it was stolen or anything?

On topic, I've never owned a semi-auto .22 or bolt gun. From what I've seen through family and friend's semi .22's is that they can be very picky about ammo and good mags are really important. I learned to shoot on a early 1900's remington pump action in .22short, long and long rifle. That gun is dead nuts accurate. I think you should go to a gun store and pick a few up. Throw em' up and see how they feel. Pick the one you like best.

[yossarian]

I've got a Marlin Glenfield 25 bolt gun that I literally found in the woods, it has been an awesome little gun. For dead nuts reliability a bolt gun can't be beat IMHO. However, as KentsOkay stated, it can get tedious when burning up a brick of ammo.

That is awesome. Did you take it to the police to see if it was stolen or anything?

I found it when I was working for a retired college professor. I got the story when I showed him what I found. He had gotten it to take of a rabbit prolem in the garden. He never really liked having it but saw it as sort of a necessary evil. When he got rid of the rabbits he took it out into the woods and left it where he figured it would rust into the ground. He didn't believe I could ever make it work again, said it had been out there 10-15yrs. I found out later why he never wanted it around. He was drafted in WWII and said that he got enough of guns and shooting on Moratai Island. It was his last gun and my first.

[MVegas]

Here is a suggestion list for you

Bolt- savage.. i got nothing else they work to well for me

I would not recommend a Savage bolt action rimfire. I had one and it was very unreliable, the magazines were garbage and it usually wouldn't feed right. My friend bought one and his does the same thing. I do recommend a Marlin 60 or 795 though, my 60's are very reliable.

My experience with Savage rimfires has been nothing but positive.

[Bearcat]

I've got a Marlin Glenfield 25 bolt gun that I literally found in the woods, it has been an awesome little gun. For dead nuts reliability a bolt gun can't be beat IMHO. However, as KentsOkay stated, it can get tedious when burning up a brick of ammo.

That is awesome. Did you take it to the police to see if it was stolen or anything?

I found it when I was working for a retired college professor. I got the story when I showed him what I found. He had gotten it to take of a rabbit prolem in the garden. He never really liked having it but saw it as sort of a necessary evil. When he got rid of the rabbits he took it out into the woods and left it where he figured it would rust into the ground. He didn't believe I could ever make it work again, said it had been out there 10-15yrs. I found out later why he never wanted it around. He was drafted in WWII and said that he got enough of guns and shooting on Moratai Island. It was his last gun and my first.

Wow, that's quite a story!

[DarkAxel]

Here is a suggestion list for you

Bolt- savage.. i got nothing else they work to well for me

I would not recommend a Savage bolt action rimfire. I had one and it was very unreliable, the magazines were garbage and it usually wouldn't feed right. My friend bought one and his does the same thing. I do recommend a Marlin 60 or 795 though, my 60's are very reliable.

My experience with Savage rimfires has been nothing but positive.

Mine have been mixed. Had one that fed from the mags well, but the extractor failed to eject the spent shell after every other shot. It continued to due so after sending it of for warranty service, so they sent me a new rifle after the second return. The rifle they sent me ejected well, but wouldn't feed from the mags. New mags fixed the problem. I traded it off a year later. The rifles are hit or miss, but the customer service was outstanding.

Actually, I'd recommend either a Cricket (Bolt) or a Marlin Model 60 (Semi).

The Cricket is a very accurate little rifle, and the factory peep-sights are very easy to use. Plus, you can fit the whole thing in a duffel bag. Excellent Bug-out/survival gun.

[KnightoftheRoc]

I think it depends on how well you shoot, really. If you're some kind of sharpshooter, "one shot, one kill" kind of guy with a .22, then a bolty is going to be a workable solution, and be less maintenance, and less chance of foul-ups. I own an antique Savage .22 bolty, single shot, and it's never been a problem. Ammo, on the other hand, has been. Buy small lots of a few brands, find what it likes, then stock up on that- which is good advice for any gun, really.

For my own BOB/survival rifle, I'm looking at buying this: http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-survival-ar7.cfm .Fundage is the problem for me right now, but this is, IMHO, a proven design that's been around a lot longer than I have- there's a reason it's still being produced. The only downside to these I've seen, on the ones I've handled, anyway (they may have updated the design since then) is the lack of an ability to mount a scope. A scope on a take-down gun, again, IMHO, is almost a waste of a scope, but I can see where a low power scope could be handy on a .22, especially on a survival rifle. On the plus side, .22 ammo is about as cheap as it gets, and this would be a good way to get really good with iron sights.

For the record, all I own is an H&R 12 ga. break action, a Savage .22 single shot bolty, and my deer rifle, a Browning BARII in .270, which does have a scope. I honestly don't see a need for my adding anything to that list, from a survival point of view. I would like to add an AR in .223, but that's just as a fun gun- I'm really not a fan of the caliber for hunting.

[Bearcat]

For my own BOB/survival rifle, I'm looking at buying this: http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-survival-ar7.cfm .Fundage is the problem for me right now, but this is, IMHO, a proven design that's been around a lot longer than I have- there's a reason it's still being produced. The only downside to these I've seen, on the ones I've handled, anyway (they may have updated the design since then) is the lack of an ability to mount a scope. A scope on a take-down gun, again, IMHO, is almost a waste of a scope, but I can see where a low power scope could be handy on a .22, especially on a survival rifle. On the plus side, .22 ammo is about as cheap as it gets, and this would be a good way to get really good with iron sights.

I really wanted at first too, but it seems like the general consensus here is that the AR7 is sub par. A lot of people seem to like the marlin papoose instead. viewtopic.php?f=109&t=73330&hilit=marlin+papoose

[ultra magnus]

I can't say enough good things about the Marlin 60. Near dirt cheap, reliable, accurate, and wide availability of parts. I originally got mine because it was cheap, and I just wanted a .22 to shoot. It had some positive comments here so I grabbed one. It's probably my favorite gun. As a "survival" rifle the Rossi matched pairs are cool. You can get a .22/20ga combo for around $100 new if you keep your eyes peeled.

[Shade~O'Grey]

Someone mentioned a lever action, and I would like to second that.
As much as I love my old Marlin 60, a lever action has many distinct advantages:
Ammunition- a lever gun usually can eat anything, shorts to long rifle. Shorts for close quiet kills, LR for longer range/more power when noise is not going to be a problem.
Action: with practice, a lever gun can be almost as fast with followup shots as an automatic, and are always faster than a bolt action. With a lever gun you generally can keep better track of your spent brass than with an automatic.
Accuracy is really a non-factor IMO with almost any .22 rifle, bolt, lever, or auto, they are mostly accurate enough at the ranges they would be used at (sub-100 yards).
Lever actions are generally more expensive than either bolt or automatics, but as I wrote above they are the most versatile of the .22 rifles. The other problem would be fitting optics to some of the lever guns can be somewhat of a problem, but I think that is minor if you get a newer rifle.

[wagdhead]

I am going to go with Bearcat on this one. I have one semi a Reminton 597 (love it btw), and four bolt actions. To be perfectly honest whenever I want to hunt or do some shooting that requires fast handling and the ability to cycle anything I always fall back on my 1936 Winchester Model 61. I do not care for 10/22's because they are too short for my long arms, but they are fine rifles. The semis also do not cycle many of the subsonic rounds very well, and bolt guns do not offer a fast enough cycle time for a quick follow up shot on running game. I find the lever action to be nice, but I find the cycling causes me to change my poa while a pump is a more natural action imho.

Look for used Winchester Model 61's, Remington Model 12's, or a similar rifle.

An added bonus to these older rifles are most are takedowns and you can shoot .22 short, long and long rifle.

[Lodewijk]

If you're seriously looking for a rimfire rifle, stop reading ZS and do two things.

1) Check your state hunting laws. Edit: Nevermind, you live in Utah.

2) Hit Rimfirecentral.com and see what the consensus is there about what rifles might be a good fit for what you want. These people have more trigger time and more in-depth rimfire experience than any other forum on the internet. Plus, they're the friendliest group of posters you will ever meet.

The more affordable usuals on RFC are:

Ruger 10/22
CZ 452/455
Savage Mark II
Marlin 60
Marlin 39 A

You would be hard-pressed to really go wrong with any one of those.

My preference for a .22 is almost always bolt-action. But I don't shoot to, ah, put a lot of lead in the air. I mostly shoot rimfire to mellow out at the range for a while. If I was going to build a semi, it would probably be a 10/22 with a suppressor for giggles.

Edit: Somebody above said something about accuracy not really being a big deal with .22 LR guns. Having been on both ends of the scale, I'd say that a sweet-shooting .22 makes your life easier and more enjoyable. Accurate enough does exist, but you can't beat shooting MOA (or better) with rimfire.