22 Semiauto S, L, LR?

[Incitatus]

I am looking to pick up a used 22 for plinking and wanted a semiauto that has a tubular mag.  What are my choices?

Thanks

[tacklebury]

Only 1.  Remington Speedmaster 552.  Only Tube feed semi-auto that uses shorts, longs and long rifles that I have heard of. 
 
http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/default.aspx?item=5594
http://www.remington.com/product-families/firearms/rimfire-families/autoloading-model-552-speedmaster.aspx

[spooked]

Only 1.  Remington Speedmaster 552.  Only Tube feed semi-auto that uses shorts, longs and long rifles that I have heard of. 
 
http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/default.aspx?item=5594
http://www.remington.com/product-families/firearms/rimfire-families/autoloading-model-552-speedmaster.aspx

Also the older 550-1 remington...Winchester made one thet wuz supposed too, but didn't work worth a hoot...

[Drilling Man]

  Those 552's are GREAT 22's, i really like mine, i bought it new in the 70's.  It's really beat, but never misses a lick!
 
  DM

[tom hoke]

you might also look for high standard sport king sometimes they pop up and they shoot long rifles and high speed shorts  made in sixties and usually very reasonable

[CV66Slim]

Browning BL22. Nice little .22, I have Belgium and Japanese built versions.

[Snowshoe]

Just use lr and get a Marlin model 60. For under $200 I got a new one and like it a lot. The Marins and very accurate right out of the box.

[Swampman]

The Remington 552 is awesome.

[Ladobe]

There are a bunch of choices that shoot all three without problems (even mixed together in a single tube full) if you go back a few decades and more, and most of them can be bought for pocket change now days.   I always preferred my Winchester 1890 and 1906 pumpers handed down to me in the early 50's (until I wore them out), but I also had several semi auto's from the later 50's to 70's.   One of the best was a Remington, but better was the one I've kept since I got it new in 1959... a High Standard/JC Higgins Model 31 with a JC Higgins Rifleman Senior scope.   Never misses a beat with any kind of ammo, doesn't have to be kept clean to be reliable, shoots plenty accurate and has a built in sling.   Used it mostly for jump shooting jacks and cottontails, tree squirrels later, but it did duty for pest control and just plinking as well.   It's still like new even though its almost 53 years old.
 

[tacklebury]

Nice plinker Ladobe.  I will have to keep my eyes open for one.  Seems to be a lot of the old glenfield and JC Higgins showing up on shelves in my area lately. 

[Ladobe]

The 31 is far more than just a plinker.   
Nothing wrong with a Glenfield (Marlin) either (sold by places like JC Penny, Cotters, Montgomery Wards as Western Field, etc).   For the most part firearms were just better made back then than they are today, so I'm surprised when they are not scarfed up fast.   I shot the barrel out of my Winchester 1906 (c. 1914) and relined it twice before it started spiltting lead and I had to retire it, and the 1890 (c. 1901) was on its third liner.   
 
There were a lot of "store brand" firearms back then, especially 22 rifles, but "hardware store" rifles and shotguns had been popular going back well into the 1800's.   Sears, Western Auto and Western Field were probably the biggest purveyors of the store brand 22's, and between them with models from almost every well known firearm maker.   Conspicuously missing from the list of them though is Remington.  Guess they didn't want to sell even more of their rifles.   Maybe they thought it was "cheapening them" with off names, but the other big name makers didn't turn the extra business down.
 

[tacklebury]

Yep, I have (2) Glenfields in models 60 and 25.  Both built like a brick and tack drivers.  I have been watching around here and setting up some of my little nephews with some as low as 75 bucks locally.  I think some people don't want to shoot em, and when they find they aren't collector's editions they just dump em.   Too bad for them, but good luck for the rest of us. 

[Ladobe]

Folks just don't know what they are missing.  I've been through 6 Ruger 10/22's trying to get one that wasn't a jamomatic more often than not, and finally gave up on them.   I'm not a fan of semi auto 22's anyway, so any that are problematic are not worth my time.   The 31 is just too reliable to mess with them anymore.   So was the old Mossberg I had, a couple of old Remington's and a couple of old Browning's I've also had.  I even liked the odd ball Winchester 55 semi auto single shot better than the 10/22's, but then its kind of hard to jam a single shot.    
 
The HS/Higgins 31 & 30 usually sell in the $120-130 range in good condition.   I think folks pay more for them as an oddity with the overlapping semi bench rest forend, and because they are so reliable.