Author Topic: I think I want another 22Mag bolt gun.... (Read 3734 times)

cwlongshot · « **on:** February 11, 2012, 03:50:08 PM »

Evening guys!

I have been hunting steady a new piece of property for coyotes. Its a really nice piece and killing off these coyotes is my entrance to this property. No other hunting... yet. Got a couple dogs so far and am finding hunting with my CF's a bit over gunned. I have taken my handis out a couple times, as well as my LR bolts and I like the bolts for this hunting better. I feel a bit under gunned with the LR's...

I dont like tubular magazines... so its gotta be a clip fed gun. I had a Marlin 783 years ago and aside form the tubular mag, I LOVED IT! Now I am thinking a 782 might be in order... Only thing is I don't see them any longer. GB has a couple and the price isn't bad. I would buy a new or as new gun. But these have seen allot of use and I dont feel comfortable with buying there...
The hunting here in New England is mostly a close range proposition. Truth be told, much can be done with a 12Ga, but I prefer the rifle. It's woods and hedge rows, 100 yards is a looonng poke. I am currently using a old Savage 23B 25-20 and it works well, but I miss having a 22Mag... Well that's enough reason for me... I need a Marlin 782!!

What do you use and like? What would you go with if you could not find a 782?

CW

JamesIII · « **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2012, 01:26:43 AM »

I have a Marlin 25MN and it is scary accurate with 40 gr. CCI ammo. I did buy both the seven round and 4 round magazines, the 4 round fits flush. I bought a .22 hornet in hopes of making a "reloadable" 22 mag, that has not happened yet! I think the .22 mag round is greatly under apreciated in both a rifle and a handgun. JamesIII

cwlongshot · « **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2012, 01:37:11 AM »

I forgot about the 25!! Thats basically a birch stocked 782 right? Kinda plain jane wood on the same action?

CW

JamesIII · « **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2012, 02:39:06 AM »

Ya, mine is pretty plain, just some checkering on the stock. I had another that was a little more dressed up, but still stamped 25MN on the barrel, mine shoots better!! JamesIII

chefjeff · « **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2012, 03:18:37 AM »

My old 783 is hard to beat,#1 porch gun...Look at the savages and the CZ also.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2012, 06:37:28 AM »

cw, had several .22 mags...the best shooter of the old group was a Marlin, but with a tube mag..it was something..A couple years ago, I picked up a CZ at a yard sale...the .22 mag. was pretty low on my list of things, but the price was right and the gun mint..It has become one of my favorite rifles..in the winter, for small game, and in the summer for varmits...It might be a bit pricey. but it sure is a dandy rifle..as accurate as my old Marlin....

briarpatch · « **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2012, 09:32:58 AM »

If I were getting a 22mag it would be the browning t bolt.

tacklebury · « **Reply #7 on:** February 12, 2012, 02:51:34 PM »

+1 on the 25. Mine is a 60's vintage and I redid the stock, but it's super accurate and a nice heavy barrel.

cwlongshot · « **Reply #8 on:** February 12, 2012, 03:06:42 PM »

Well,
My plan was to go cruse some gun shops looking for this rifle...
Only thing is, customer called with a rush gotta have it now fabrication.... SO, I spent ALL day building a scafolding/rack on top of a truck.... Oh well, make $$ or spend $$.. Guess momma will be happy.

Maybe I can hit a couple shops during the week...

Thanks for the suggestions!!

I have had a Ruger Varmint 22Mag and did everything thinkable to make it shoot... gave up and sold it off.
I do have a CZ 22LR and its wonderfully accurate!!
T-Bolts are very nice! I have never seen a 22Mag version.

My first chooice is the Marlin and of those 782, but a 25 would suffice!!

CW

cwlongshot · « **Reply #9 on:** February 13, 2012, 08:01:14 AM »

What about the new 22m offerings from marlin?

I see a stainless steel heavy barrel offered. But in a non monte Carlo stock.... What are the thinking?? I mean NO sites and a stock cut to align open sites...... Looks OK otherwise. Anyone shot one?

CW

Ladobe · « **Reply #10 on:** February 13, 2012, 11:31:56 AM »

My personal choice for a 22WMR bolter is a Mossberg 640K Chuckster. One of those I should have never let get away.

But I've used this Marlin 17VS for everything up to coyotes at surprising ranges... prefer it over a 22MAG any day, and twice on Sunday.

cwlongshot · « **Reply #11 on:** February 13, 2012, 11:40:51 AM »

I agree, I would buy the chuckster in a minute!!

That SS looks sharp too! I have a H&R in 17M2 and 17HMR that shoot tacks... I just "want" another 22Mag...

CW

Ladobe · « **Reply #12 on:** February 13, 2012, 06:35:27 PM »

That Marlin Mod 25 gets my attention... the 783 doesn't as I rather have clip feed than tube feed bolters.

The 640K Chuckster's come up for sale now and then in the $150-$200 range usually, so they can be found. Any of the rifles from that era would be good choices though. I'd rather have them than current production rimfires. CIP - a $700 10/22 custom 22LR I built over 10 years ago still sits with less than 50 rounds through it because it just can't replace the always reliable HS/JC Higgins Model 31 I've had since 1959.

If you want a 22MAG that's definitely what you should get. The 17HMR's I've had did anything they can and more for me... why they have been my preference for over 10 years now and why I'm down to just one 22WMR (that I haven't shot for 8 or 9 years). The 17HMR replaced them all same as my 17HM2's replaced all the 22LR's.

cwlongshot · « **Reply #13 on:** February 13, 2012, 11:50:53 PM »

Pretty much same here, just less time frame.

I had a 783 and it shot like a house-a-fire to say the least. I simply do not like/trust tubular magazines! I had a 14" Contender too, great accuracy. Then I bought a then new Ruger 77/22M in Varmint 22Magnum. Shot 2+" 100 yard groups.... I bedded the barrel and cleaned up the in-letting of the action. No real improvement. I changed out the trigger and bought a new Leupold 4x12 AO scope and different ammo. It would shoot occasional 1" groups with FMJ ammo. This is it did not matter if it was CCI, Winchester or RWS!! I pulled off the barrel and sent it out to be cryogenic frozen to stabilize it. All told I had some $$ wrapped up in this gun... STILL coupld not get it to consistantly group at the majic 1" mark... A customer saw it, fell in love and paid me everything I had into the gun. (I kept the scope) so I sold it... Then Fed came out with the 30G Premium and Win brought out the 34G varmint ammo. He brought in groups under 1" with BOTH of them!!! GRRR It was a pretty stainless Lam wood stocked gun... Somewhere along the way I sold off that 783 too...
I bought a new H&R 22M it shot OK but not as good as that Marlin. then the 17HMR came out, I bought one of them and shot under 1" out opf the box... out the door went the 22M barerel!!

I too have shot a couple coyotes with it, many chucks and a couple squirrels. Devistatingly accurate and effective bullet preformance.

My 17M2 is far and above the most accurate rimfire I have ever fired! I have shot ALLOT and some VERY hi dollar firearms too!!! Coopers, Brownings, Anshutz, Kimbers... BIG dollar companys offering beautiful finely crafted firearms and my 17M2 H&R @ $150 out shoots ALL OF THEM!!
I do have two wonderfully accurate 22LRs. A CZ long barrel with a 6x18 AO scope and a Marlin 780 Squirrel I customized with trigger, beddings and nice Walnut stock. Both shoot great, but I want a bit more power...

I just "want" another bolt 22M.... For allot of us, It's never about "need" anymore..

MAN I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!

CW

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #14 on:** February 14, 2012, 01:37:03 AM »

Quote from: cwlongshot on February 11, 2012, 03:50:08 PM

Evening guys!

I have been hunting steady a new piece of property for coyotes. Its a really nice piece and killing off these coyotes is my entrance to this property. No other hunting... yet. Got a couple dogs so far and am finding hunting with my CF's a bit over gunned. I have taken my handis out a couple times, as well as my LR bolts and I like the bolts for this hunting better. I feel a bit under gunned with the LR's...

I dont like tubular magazines... so its gotta be a clip fed gun. I had a Marlin 783 years ago and aside form the tubular mag, I LOVED IT! Now I am thinking a 782 might be in order... Only thing is I don't see them any longer. GB has a couple and the price isn't bad. I would buy a new or as new gun. But these have seen allot of use and I dont feel comfortable with buying there...
The hunting here in New England is mostly a close range proposition. Truth be told, much can be done with a 12Ga, but I prefer the rifle. It's woods and hedge rows, 100 yards is a looonng poke. I am currently using a old Savage 23B 25-20 and it works well, but I miss having a 22Mag... Well that's enough reason for me... I need a Marlin 782!!

What do you use and like? What would you go with if you could not find a 782?

CW

Check out a Ruger 77-22mag. It is same size as a CF bolt gun has a 9 round magazine. Also the ruger set up for scope mounting is easy and solid.

cwlongshot · « **Reply #15 on:** February 14, 2012, 02:20:45 AM »

Thanks Shootall,
I have been that route and for the $$ prefer the Marlin.

UPDATE; a good friend of mine up in VT just called me. He has a older 782 in his hands! It's now getting loaded in the truck and will be in my hands Tomorrow nite! It's a older model with the acorn engraving in the wood. So late 60's early 70's model. JUST what I want!! He too has a Chuckster and dose t use the Marlin. Says it shoots sno shoes, and prickley pigs dead!! It was his "bathroom gun" as he called it. LOL

More later, keep the coments and conversations flowing!!

CW

Ladobe · « **Reply #16 on:** February 14, 2012, 06:28:38 AM »

Quote

For allot of us, It's never about "need" anymore...

Know that one very well... have always had far more firearms than I could ever use - a product of growing up on a ranch probably where they were just tools and there was always a lot of them. About 5 years ago when the health failed I had 65 handguns, rifles and shotguns plus all my Contenders and barrels. Several of them were still new in the box left over from a buying spree while laid up from a bad accident in 2004. I just had so many new ones all at once that I never got around to them (still have 3 or 4 of those).

My 77/22 is a 22LR, bought new in the mid 80's, is deadly as sin with almost any ammo and has had 10's of K of rounds shot through it. Then I made it even better by making it a switch barrel with a GM 17HM2 barrel added.

As far as the 17 rimfires (I've had 3 HMR's & 3 HM2's). My first 17HMR (Bullberry carbine) was consistently the most precise, shot the smallest groups and never met its match no matter who made the firearm. Allot of buddies tried with their Hummers from just about every maker. It absolutely devastated one of them who had just bought a Cooper 17HMR (the most money he had ever spent on a firearm). The Cooper couldn't even come close to my dolled up Marlin 17VS that'll do the 2's and 3's on my good days, and sub 1/2 MOA almost any day. So the Cooper had zero chance against the Bullberry. His Cooper was easily sub MOA, like almost any 17HMR was then, but not much better than his Savage cheapie with a 9# sloppy trigger he could hold MOA with.

williamlayton · « **Reply #17 on:** February 14, 2012, 12:03:16 PM »

Browning T bolt--if it has to be a bolt.
Blessings

cwlongshot · « **Reply #18 on:** February 14, 2012, 01:29:22 PM »

Quote from: williamlayton on February 14, 2012, 12:03:16 PM

Browning T bolt--if it has to be a bolt.
Blessings

I shot a couple of these in 22LR a bunch of years back when Browning had the salt wood problems... Beautiful handling quick "bolts". IF you can call them that... I do like them and if I found one in mag I am sure I would think long and hard about owning it... To my mind its in the same basket as the Ruger... too costly for my purposes. (Target cost is under $250) (I have plenty of cheap scopes and rings in the cabinet.)
I want it for mostly utility, Im thinking quick imprompt to coyote hunts, either off the ATV or out of the Jeep. Its gonna get knocked about and I don't want to have to worry about its finish. I know the Marlin will shoot well. I would look at the Savages but they seem to cheap in my hands. The Marlin is marginally better with its Walnut stock.

Truth be told the 10/22MAG or Marlin 922 would probably be best for what I am thinking... But again too costly... This Marlin should be just right.

CW

williamlayton · « **Reply #19 on:** February 15, 2012, 12:34:24 AM »

Until the last week or two I had never sought after a .22mag in the pawn shops in my area.
I have been looking for them now--browsing---and can't find any. They will turn up shortly after I purchase a NIB---then I will have two.
I know how Murphy works his games.
Blessings

chefjeff · « **Reply #20 on:** February 15, 2012, 10:45:24 AM »

You always need a spare anyway....

cwlongshot · « **Reply #21 on:** February 15, 2012, 03:05:49 PM »

Well, here she is!

It was a very good shape overall, I found a bit of rust under the rear site and beneath the barrel in the barrel channel. He mentioned it not shooting so good last time he shot it... I found the front site screws finger tite...

I removed the factory sling swivels and installed studs.

Then mounted up some Burris rings and a cheapie Simmons 3x9x50 I picked up at a big dept store closing.

Its as close as you can get to the barrel with out problems...

Here it is ready for the range!!

Friday afternoon we will find out...

Range report to follow...

CW

tacklebury · « **Reply #22 on:** February 15, 2012, 04:06:40 PM »

Nice man, hope she drives tacks!

streak · « **Reply #23 on:** February 15, 2012, 05:02:06 PM »

Quote from: Ladobe on February 13, 2012, 06:35:27 PM

That Marlin Mod 25 gets my attention... the 783 doesn't as I rather have clip feed than tube feed bolters.

The 640K Chuckster's come up for sale now and then in the $150-$200 range usually, so they can be found. Any of the rifles from that era would be good choices though. I'd rather have them than current production rimfires. CIP - a $700 10/22 custom 22LR I built over 10 years ago still sits with less than 50 rounds through it because it just can't replace the always reliable HS/JC Higgins Model 31 I've had since 1959.

If you want a 22MAG that's definitely what you should get. The 17HMR's I've had did anything they can and more for me... why they have been my preference for over 10 years now and why I'm down to just one 22WMR (that I haven't shot for 8 or 9 years). The 17HMR replaced them all same as my 17HM2's replaced all the 22LR's.

Ladobe.
Not to get off subject here, but you tweeked my interest when you mentioned
that you have a HS/JC Higgins Mod 31! What does the HS stand for?
My daddy had one which is now mine and I have just put it in the gunsmiths shop for new rings and base for the scope that is on it! The gunsmith said he thought these were originally made by Marlin and supposedly was the runner up to the Marlin Mod 60. He said he was going to double check on that and let me know for sure!
When my daddy was alive he did alot of squirrel hunting with this rifle and supposedly was pretty accurate. The gunsmith also said that it had an exceptional good stock on it!
So any additional info you might have on this model that you might share, I would appreciate it!

On second thought!
That HS would not stand for High Standard would it??

williamlayton · « **Reply #24 on:** February 16, 2012, 01:04:59 AM »

I love projects when they come together.
You did good.
Blessings

cwlongshot · « **Reply #25 on:** February 16, 2012, 02:09:42 AM »

YES. I believe the "HS" is High Standard.

Remember JC Higgins didn't manufacture anything. It was Sears name for sporting firearms. Along with the ball player Ted Willams.

They sourced firearms form a number of manufacturers like High Standard, Mossberg, Fox, Savage Winchester etc.

Thanks Bill, I think so too the fact that it was nice and clean was a welcome bonus!! I WAS gonna give it a camo paint job. Not now!! It's staying just as you see it!! It's a close match to my 880 SQ.

Now I need a couple more/extra mags!

I will also mount a nicer AO scope to it once I shoot it a bit. This one is a "Blazer". $40-50 new. I picked it up for like 10$ on clearance. ( Not a big fan of such large objectives. But I also like adj objectives on my rim fires. As generally speaking I shoot them at
Much shorter, read closer ranges.
CW

cwlongshot · « **Reply #26 on:** February 17, 2012, 12:48:36 PM »

Well I had a great time at the range!! Could not shoot as much as I would have liked. We can only shoot till sunset and I did not get there till just aft 3...

Anyhow the bore sited did its job and I was on the paper at 50... 3-4 rounds and I was centered! I was shooting Winchester HPs into 1/2" groups at 50 yards.

Next up Fed 30g HPs. These shot cloverleafs but almost a foot higher. I was off the paper shooting groups in the backer board.

Next up CCI 40g HPs. Again nice neat 1/2" groups. Also 50 yards.

Next up was the beans new Hornady 45g FTX. These are brand new and designed for personal protection. But MAN do they shoot good!!!! I shot the first five into one 35 cal hole about one inch lo at 50!!!

I was running outta time and I did not even dent the assortment of ammo I had brought. I have had good acc and performance with Remington 40g SPs on game. So I grabbed them last, it was almost as good as the FTX! Dime sized groups. This was the only one I shot at 100. It shot almost into a nickel. EASY into a quarter! But about 1" lo. It was about 1" high at 50. So this is what I am using for tomorrow's hunt!!

I also grabbed the shorty Maxi and found it really likes 170 GD bullets under a max load of H110!! Clover leafs at 50 with a red dot scope!!!

CW

streak · « **Reply #27 on:** February 17, 2012, 04:34:25 PM »

CW,
Lot`s of luck on your hunt!
Great looking Marlin!

cwlongshot · « **Reply #28 on:** May 15, 2012, 08:21:09 AM »

Well it's been a few months and I seem to bring this rifle with me every time I hit the range. I shoot it while I wait for others to cool...

It's been shooting SO well with the 6x Bushnell I bought off a member here I thought its time for some better optics.

Last month I bought a nice lil 1x4 Leupold. For a handi. I mounted it but it just didn't "fit" the gun. So I pulled it off and replaced the too big 3x9x40 VXII that was on my 19" barreled 8MM Mauser. This was a very good "fit"!! I took the 3x9 and mounted it to the Marlin Maggie!

It's a perfect fit in the Med Burris ZEE rings. I also bought a 4 round flush fit magazine for it.

I brought a bunch of ammo and started shooting at 50 then 100 yards. The gun shot great. I did notice the view not as focused at 50 as the Bushnell was but I also did not change focus at all. The gun shot about 1/2 - 1" @ 50 yards and just under 1" to about 2" at 100. Always nice groups even the 2" groups.

Here is one I never shot in this gun before. It's a CCI +V 30g bullet at 100 yards.

Here is CCI Gold Dot "pistol" ammo. I think this was also 100yards

Anyhow I'm really liking this rifle.

Spanky · « **Reply #29 on:** May 15, 2012, 01:09:07 PM »

Looks like bad news for whatever gets in front of it.

Spanky