calamaridog
Expedition Leader
Semi auto .22 = more fun plinking. Any brand should be fine.
Another "help me pick a rifle" thread
- Thread starter BKCowGod
- Start date
cruiseroutfit
Well-known member
I don't know what the gun shows and purchasing laws are like in your local, but check out a gun show in your area. We have them here in SLC every couple of months, at the show last weekend I could have chosen dozens and dozens of different .22 rifles in every brand, shape, condition, some cash & carry no paperwork needed. Others require a quick background check.
Ended up with this little .22, a AR look-alike based on the common .22 repeater. Needed a bit of work but $90 cash out the door
Might be worth checking out just so you get some hands on time with a couple different models your considering. You might find one you just can't let go of
Ended up with this little .22, a AR look-alike based on the common .22 repeater. Needed a bit of work but $90 cash out the door
Might be worth checking out just so you get some hands on time with a couple different models your considering. You might find one you just can't let go of
BKCowGod
Automotive ADHD is fun!
no ruger for the same reason I hate Toyota pickup trucks - too ubiquitous. I think it's an excellent rifle (and the toys are great vehicles) but I couldn't stand to own one. Same with the Marlin to a certain extent, but I can live with it a bit more.
No gun shows in the area any time soon, I checked.
Thanks for the advice, y'all! Keep it coming...
No gun shows in the area any time soon, I checked.
Thanks for the advice, y'all! Keep it coming...
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
OK, I guess I don't quite get the Ruger antipathy...as has been previously mentioned, the Ruger 10/22 is the most common .22 rifle out there on the market, parts and accessories are cheap and easy to find. If you need a magazine or a barrel you can get one almost anywhere.
I understand wanting something "unique" but "unique" can be a total PITA when you need to replace a broken part. Ask me how I know that.
Otherwise, there are some nice rifles from Marlin out there, too. My first .22 was a Marlin model 60 and I've owned a couple of others since then. For reasons I don't fully understand, semi-auto .22's are considerably cheaper than bolt or lever action .22s (probably the semi's are easier to mass produce.)
I would stay away from the .17 unless you are a varmint hunter or like the throw money away. You can still get .22 for about 2 1/2 cents a round while .17 is almost as expensive as centerfire rifle ammo. Since you're looking for a "plinker" and not a target rifle, .22 should be fine and, again, you can buy .22 ammo anyplace in the US that sells ammo.
Mosin-Nagant: I'd stay away. Mosin Nagants fire a powerful cartridge and kick like a mule, especially in the carbine (short rifle) variants. Unless you're planning on fighting invading Nazis (which the Mosin-Nagant was designed for) you will have too much gun. Ammo can be found that is relatively inexpensive if you don't mind non-reloadable steel-cased Russian or Eastern Bloc ammo but it will still be more than 10x as expensive as the .22. Plus you can shoot a .22 all day but if you shoot more than about 10 rounds from that Mosin-Nagant, you will be black and blue.
I understand wanting something "unique" but "unique" can be a total PITA when you need to replace a broken part. Ask me how I know that.
Otherwise, there are some nice rifles from Marlin out there, too. My first .22 was a Marlin model 60 and I've owned a couple of others since then. For reasons I don't fully understand, semi-auto .22's are considerably cheaper than bolt or lever action .22s (probably the semi's are easier to mass produce.)
I would stay away from the .17 unless you are a varmint hunter or like the throw money away. You can still get .22 for about 2 1/2 cents a round while .17 is almost as expensive as centerfire rifle ammo. Since you're looking for a "plinker" and not a target rifle, .22 should be fine and, again, you can buy .22 ammo anyplace in the US that sells ammo.
Mosin-Nagant: I'd stay away. Mosin Nagants fire a powerful cartridge and kick like a mule, especially in the carbine (short rifle) variants. Unless you're planning on fighting invading Nazis (which the Mosin-Nagant was designed for) you will have too much gun. Ammo can be found that is relatively inexpensive if you don't mind non-reloadable steel-cased Russian or Eastern Bloc ammo but it will still be more than 10x as expensive as the .22. Plus you can shoot a .22 all day but if you shoot more than about 10 rounds from that Mosin-Nagant, you will be black and blue.
snipecatcher
Adventurer
Yeah
I do understand not wanting a 10/22 because everybody and their mother has one. I DO NOT understand the not wanting a Toyota statement. Anyways, I've got a Marlin Model 60 and a Marlin 981T right now. The 981 is a bolt action with a tube feed. The reason this is so cool is that you can fire any type of ammo in a tube fed bolt action. It will hold 15 rounds of regular 22LR or 25 rounds of 22 short. Aguila makes ammunition that has no powder, only a primer. They fire at about 500 fps, which is about the equivalent of most air rifles. They make less noise than most air rifles. If you go with a semi-auto, it is fun to shoot very fast (granted you are near a range that will let you do so, or you own land) but a bolt action is much more versatile.
-Dan
I do understand not wanting a 10/22 because everybody and their mother has one. I DO NOT understand the not wanting a Toyota statement.
Anyways, I've got a Marlin Model 60 and a Marlin 981T right now. The 981 is a bolt action with a tube feed. The reason this is so cool is that you can fire any type of ammo in a tube fed bolt action. It will hold 15 rounds of regular 22LR or 25 rounds of 22 short. Aguila makes ammunition that has no powder, only a primer. They fire at about 500 fps, which is about the equivalent of most air rifles. They make less noise than most air rifles. If you go with a semi-auto, it is fun to shoot very fast (granted you are near a range that will let you do so, or you own land) but a bolt action is much more versatile.-Dan
BIGdaddy
Expedition Leader
OK, I guess I don't quite get the Ruger antipathy...as has been previously mentioned, the Ruger 10/22 is the most common .22 rifle out there on the market, parts and accessories are cheap and easy to find. If you need a magazine or a barrel you can get one almost anywhere.
I understand wanting something "unique" but "unique" can be a total PITA when you need to replace a broken part. Ask me how I know that.
Otherwise, there are some nice rifles from Marlin out there, too. My first .22 was a Marlin model 60 and I've owned a couple of others since then. For reasons I don't fully understand, semi-auto .22's are considerably cheaper than bolt or lever action .22s (probably the semi's are easier to mass produce.)
I would stay away from the .17 unless you are a varmint hunter or like the throw money away. You can still get .22 for about 2 1/2 cents a round while .17 is almost as expensive as centerfire rifle ammo. Since you're looking for a "plinker" and not a target rifle, .22 should be fine and, again, you can buy .22 ammo anyplace in the US that sells ammo.
Mosin-Nagant: I'd stay away. Mosin Nagants fire a powerful cartridge and kick like a mule, especially in the carbine (short rifle) variants. Unless you're planning on fighting invading Nazis (which the Mosin-Nagant was designed for) you will have too much gun. Ammo can be found that is relatively inexpensive if you don't mind non-reloadable steel-cased Russian or Eastern Bloc ammo but it will still be more than 10x as expensive as the .22. Plus you can shoot a .22 all day but if you shoot more than about 10 rounds from that Mosin-Nagant, you will be black and blue.
To me a gun is a tool, albeit a fun tool.
I don't "not buy" snap-on tools or craftsman or whatever, because "everyone else has them".
do you, BK? or do you view guns differently?
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BKCowGod
Automotive ADHD is fun!
A car is a tool, a knife is a tool, a job is a tool, a pet is a tool. Everything is a means to an end. If I can find something that works as well or better and is not the "obvious" choice, I will almost always choose it. I enjoy choosing the alternative simply because the person who has never been in first place will often try harder than the person who has been in first place for so long that whenever someone requests options their name is immediately and without explanation given.
For examples:
Drive a 1986 Honda Civic, then Drive a 1986 Hyundai Excel. Back then Honda rocked and was the obvious choice.
Now drive a 2008 Honda Accord and a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata has better handling, better throttle response, a more logical and inviting interior, and costs way less. In two decades, Honda became so used to their success that they just churn out the same unenthusiastic product every year with just enough minor updates to keep uninformed people saying to their uninformed friends "just get a Honda".
Similar examples can be found in most of the major brands in any given category.
On an unrelated note, I am picking up my Marlin in 9 days. I tried to like the Ruger a number of times and I just hated how wide it was. :victory:
For examples:
Drive a 1986 Honda Civic, then Drive a 1986 Hyundai Excel. Back then Honda rocked and was the obvious choice.
Now drive a 2008 Honda Accord and a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata has better handling, better throttle response, a more logical and inviting interior, and costs way less. In two decades, Honda became so used to their success that they just churn out the same unenthusiastic product every year with just enough minor updates to keep uninformed people saying to their uninformed friends "just get a Honda".
Similar examples can be found in most of the major brands in any given category.
On an unrelated note, I am picking up my Marlin in 9 days. I tried to like the Ruger a number of times and I just hated how wide it was. :victory:
BKCowGod
Automotive ADHD is fun!
By the way... you are talking to someone whose expedition ride is a vintage Jeep (and I don't carry any spare parts), whose daily driver is a BMW with an engine I rebuilt, and whose motorcycle was only imported for two years. I live dangerously
And I don't buy Craftsman tools anymore because they are riding their reputation. Plastic parts in the wratchets, no more lifetime warranty on torque wrenches, etc.
And I don't buy Craftsman tools anymore because they are riding their reputation. Plastic parts in the wratchets, no more lifetime warranty on torque wrenches, etc.
I assume you got a Model 60. I'll bet you'll have a blast with it. I love the fact that for $20 in ammo, you can shoot all weekend. Good choice, but then so is the Ruger.