.22 tack driver for under $400?

[The Famous Grouse]

I have plenty of .22 rimfires.  Some old, some new.   None of them is the tack driver that I really want.  Golfball size a 50 yards is good, but I'd love to have something that did just a little better.
As the sage poet Mick Jagger sang, "You can't always get what you want."  But in this case, can I get a .22 tack driver for under $400?

Now first off, I have to cut the 10/22 off at the pass.  Sorry, I am NOT interested in buying a 10/22 and then spending and additional $500 on a new trigger, barrel, and other mods to make it actually shoot.  I've had a 10/22 and the box-stock rifle is a piece of junk.  It is easily the worst .22 of the modern rifles that I've owned.  I shot it, it sucked, I've sold it.  Let's move on.

Bolt, auto, new or vintage it matters not.  Recommend a rifle and show me the pics of what it can do. 
Many thanks.

Grouse
 

[SHOOTALL]

Well I don't have a target at work to show but the reality is even if someone offers a target you have to trust them as to truthfulness. Here is what happened to me, First 22 rifle I ever shot was a tack triver until some one stuck a bullet in the barrel and tried to shoot it out.  It was not my gun but an uncle had it. That was over 40 years ago , it was a single shot Remington. Not an expensive gun. I shot quarters off fence post at 30-40 yards , some farther maybe as far as 60 yards ( kids eyes are so much better). That rifle is in the shop being cut back to get rid of the ring in the barrel . I hope it will shoot well once more.
 I have a Golden 39A that is quite accurate I could keep all shots inside of a late 60's vintage beer can all day at 100 yards.  That rifle is over 40 years old. And yes it had/has a scope.
 
 Ruger 77-22 , I have one in SS with a laminated stock. It has a 26 inch barrel that is not a bull barrel but quit heavy. At 50 yards most groups were under an inch most less than that with target ammo. I got it used for under 400. I got another one in blue and shorter/lighter barrel and it had a pattern not a group.
I have had other 22's as have my sons . I wanted a very accurate target/hunting 22 and got the Very expensive Remington back 15 yeas ago It was bad as for group tried a lot of ammo including 12 bucks a box target ammo. I return it to the store to find out there was a recall. BAD BARRELS had gotten thru. That was when I traded for the 77-22.
 I hope this helps , I don't know if you can buy an out of the box new gun in that price range and it be a tack driver. One thing is with less expensive rifles the way scopes are mounted can be less than sturdy .
I'm not pushing Ruger although I like them it was just a luck buy to get the one I have , have a matching 22 mag that is not as accurate at least not with ammo I have tried. Both were used and both under 400 .
 
 Good luck
 

[Bugflipper]

Sorry no pics on hand. About any production bolt action will do what you are looking for with the right ammo. Generally speaking subsonic or match ammo is often more accurate than high velocity ammo in most rifles. As for one of the best under $400 new production rifles, it's hard to beat a CZ. A stock 452 or 455 will shoot with my pricey match 10-22s. And yes a stock 10-22 is a piece of crap. For $400 you could get the ugliest used one in a gun shop. A $35 target hammer, a good GM barrel for $100 and a decent stock for $80 or so. Just hovering under the $400 mark. An average stock CZ off the shelf will generally stripe it if both are beeing fed what they like.

I've been plinking quite a bit with aguilla match, it's cheap and accurate enough. Wolf match is getting more pricey these days but generally beats out eeley in every gun I've shot it in. Thankfully I got several cases of it when it was dirt cheap before folks figured out it was one of the best match ammos ever made in lr. Remington subsonics are generally the most plentiful at local stores and shoot decent enough in a lot of guns. They are a little dirty though. What I'm trying to say is ammo is just as important as the right rifle. Heck a lowly savage bolt action will stack bullets at 25 yards if it's fed the right ammo. You may try feeding what you have some different stuff and see what they like. Odds are you already have a diamond in the rough and you can save the $400. At any rate here's a link to CZ rimfires. Barrel diameter has nothing to do with accuracy in lr since there isn't high harmonics in the low powered round. A cz scout will shoot with a cz vamint. The varmint will just shoot more shots accurately until the barrel gets hot.
cz-usa.com/products/by-category/rimfire-rifles/

[SHOOTALL]

Never shot a CZ but they look nice , good to hear they shoot well.

[FPH]

I have two 30 year old 10/22'2s.  I was going to go all out with one.....drop 500-600 on it and get a tack driving .22. I took them both to the range to see which was the best candidate.  Both wear Weaver 3x9's both would shoot a nickle size group at 50 yds.  Neither got touched.

[The Famous Grouse]

I have two 30 year old 10/22'2s.  I was going to go all out with one.....drop 500-600 on it and get a tack driving .22. I took them both to the range to see which was the best candidate.  Both wear Weaver 3x9's both would shoot a nickle size group at 50 yds.  Neither got touched.

Better hold onto those.  It's evidently been all downhill from there as far as the 10/22.  Not only did mine not shoot worth a crap, but every box-stock one I've seen at the club doesn't shoot worth a crap either.  Of course, the owner are quick to point out that while they consider minute of tennis ball to be "really good", with a custom barrel, custom trigger, custom stock, and better optics, they're real tack drivers.       Yeah. 

I have always heard good things about the CZ, I'm going to try to find one to see in person. 

I'm also wondering about Savage as an option? 

Grouse
 

[Ranger99]

this is an interesting read.
i would think someone with an h&r
would post. i've not shot one myself,
and would be interested to hear some
opinions.

[PowPow]

My CZ452 American is scary accurate after the first flyer. The first shot out of it is always high and outside, but most every 5 shot group after that is inside a 1/2" at 50 yards on a still day. Shooting at 12 ga hulls at 100 yds, about a 70% hit rate. (hit rate for 20 ga goes way down). Shooting Blazers.
Being LH, it was more than $400 a few years ago.

[Bugflipper]

Folks with old 10-22s have a good, accurate rifle. If you do a little trigger work or put in a target hammer odds are you will be shooting as good as a fresh built high dollar aftermarket one. The folks that know better than me claim 1994 and earlier factory barrels are good. The further from 94 the worse the tooling and the less accurate. That would mean a fellow hunting a used one would want the serial number to be below 240-9xxxx.
If they follow what they did with the minis they will make a decently accurate 10-22 standard model in about 30 more years. 

[Ladobe]

The other option.... if you sort your ammo into lots for the firearms you already have, your group sizes will get smaller with any lot... find the lot a firearm likes best and they can get even smaller.   Sort by rim thickness minimum, by weight and/or concentricity if you want to really get into it.
 
If you want to buy another rifle... just about any name brand 22 rifle that is 50 or more years old would be a great shooter if it has been taken care of.   And most of them are not considered collectable so sell for fairly modest prices.   Most were just made better back then... many parts made by hand, assembled/fitted by hand, and they had better quality control to catch substandards before they left the factory.
 
I've owned a bunch of them that today's would be over 50 years old, a few that would be over 75 and three of the Winchesters over 100 YO today.
Only one I still have of that crowd is one of the newest, a HS/JCH Model 31 I got new in 1959 that is still like new, still shoots as good as new, and is still as reliable as new.  One of the best 22 auto's I ever owned, including over the old Winchester's, Remy's and FN Browning's I had.
 
Another option is the 17 rimfires that will are inherently more accurate than the 22 rimfires.
 
Rogers... My very early 10/22 International was an accurate shooter when it went boom and well made (mid-late 60's)... the other 5 that came after it were just plain junk.  Last one bought new was in the late 90's - there will never be another bought.   On the other side, my early Ruger 77/22 (bought new mid 80's) has always been a very good shooter, still is and has seen countless rounds fired in it.   I like it so much I bought a GM 17HM2 barrel for it for even more versatility.   Doubt you'll find a nice early 77/22 for $400 though.   I wouldn't own one of the newer ones.

[martineta]

The old Weatherby XXII's are the prettiest production semi-auto 22's you will ever see.  They shoot as good as they look.  My brother and I both have them and they are a pleasure to shoot.  Two sundays ago I shot the bullseye out of a target at 100 yds after sighting in at 35 yds with a new old scope I bought.  Post reticle Lyman All American vintage 1950's scope.  It was a dead calm day so wind drift wasn't a problem.  I sight in at 35 yds as I use the rifle primarily for squirrel hunting.  It took me about 10 shoots off the rest to figure out the hold over for 100 yds and then it was on.  I have an old 1950's bolt winchester 72A that is also tack driver.  Both rifles love standard velocity remington ammo.   I am going to have to try some of the Ely Ammo.  These rifles can be purchased within your price range on Gunbroker used.

[Iowa Fox]

I'd look for a older Win model 75 or 52. Same for comparable Remingtons of the same time period. Every now and then I see some nice unmolested originals pop up at a pretty fair price. And those rifles shot very well.

[mcwoodduck]

My Cz 452 Varmint is the tack driver you want.  You will have to get your own.  But the CZ 452 Varmint is a great rifle.
I mounted a 6-18 X 40 AO Bushnell with Millet rings and am extremly happy with it. I had the Scope from an earlier project that did not work the way I wanted. 
I sighted it on with the CCI AR ammo at 50 yards and then used Aguilla super ammo and it was Zerod at 75 and the Aguilla SSS made one ragged 5 shot  hole at 25 yards - Not too shabby till I say OFFHAND.  I was setting it up to shoot silohuetts at the club I shot at in Northern CA.
I take the rifle out and with a budy that is shooting his 17HMR we shoot at the steel 9mm cases on a peice of wood at 50 yards.  and it became no fun as we got too good off the picnic table in his yard. 
Some here have bad mouthed the CZ for having a reversed safety.  But it has never hindered me at the range or in the field.  I think many of them have never used it and do not like it as they will only try something new if Grandad had one.
 

[30063030223357]

Not sure of your meaning of tack driver, but i've been very please with the accuracy of the marlin model 60 that i bought over 30 years ago. I guess so pleased that i have never bought another 22 rimfire. Haven"t shot groups in a long time with it and no pics, but as i remember it would shoot around 1" groups at 100 yards. Maybe a little bigger? I guess i will have to get it on paper now. By the way, it was a $60 gun at the time.

[ironglow]

  Here's a good place to start..below $400..
  A) Savage Mk II at $235 MSRP
 
  B) Savage MkII with bull barrel
 
 C) CZ Special trainer at $ 368 MSRP
 D) Then there is the Savage Mk II FV-SR @ $260 MSRP  (looks real promising to me)
 
  The MSRP prices should come to much less in the average shop.

[Victor3]

Some here have bad mouthed the CZ for having a reversed safety.  But it has never hindered me at the range or in the field.  I think many of them have never used it and do not like it as they will only try something new if Grandad had one.

 I have a Scout, an American and a Varmint with these horrible "reverse" safeties as well as other rifles, shotguns and handguns with safeties all over the place. Somehow I can always find and manipulate each one of them.

[The North Runner]

I have a Savage MKII GL .22LR I love it. I have a 3-9 on it with see through mounts. I was shooting empty 12ga shells off a stump at 100yds.
Just purchased a Savage 93GL .22WMR Have not fired it yet. I hope to today.
NR

[Larry L]

Unless you just have newginitis, I would work with what you already have. I've got the new and the old 22 rimfires and they all are capable of bringing home the gold in matchs. A good 1" scope with AO and if the rifle is old, subsonic ammo or standard velocity ammo means near one hole groups at 25 yds. My Marin 39 and Remington 511 will do that easily. Both will shoot as good as my Anschutz anyday with the right ammo. Both will group better than Bros 2 year old CZ and it ain't no slouch. But if a new gun is whatcha want, it's pretty hard to find a bad shooting one. Pick a brand that you like and give it a go. There's no guarantees that a high dollar name brand is going to out shoot an old junker anyway. When it comes to rimfires, I've come to the conclusion that the ammo matters a lot more than the gun.


Talking about the 10/22. My stepdad carried a 10/22 in his farm truck for decades. It's obviously an old one and has been shot more than I could possibly guess. The trigger is as good as the Volquartzen in my custom 10/22 and shoots near one hole groups at 25 yds, just like my Green Mountain barreled fully bedded Ruger with thumbhole stock. I'm assuming the best thing you'll ever do to a 10/22 is shoot it a lot.

[teamnelson]

I've a Remington 512x that literally is a tack driver, 50 yds from a bench and a nice scope, it drove roofing nails into pine. 23" barrel (I think) bolt action. All stock, except I did a linseed refinish.


Sorry no pictures, its been a decade or so since last I did it. I think I paid $70 used 30 years ago, scope came off a new 10/22 I got for $100 when a local Sporting Goods shop went out of business - sold the Ruger, kept the scope for the Remington. I see them show up on Armslist every now and again for $250-300.

[The North Runner]

I was able to get out today and sighted in my Savage 93GL .22WMR  I love it. Had it dialed in with 8 shots. At 25 yards  3 shots all in the black center. It will be a tack driver. I was using CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr. and Hornady 30gr V-max.
NR