Best .22 ?

[HK416]

My kids are starting hunters safety in a few months and part of it is shooting a .22 I want to shoot it myself, so dont want a youth model, here are some ?'s

1) What brand .22 would be good for starters

2) Semi Auto or other?

3) I want reliablity what brand has a good reputation?

[Fronty Owner]

for a beginner. marlin model 15 in .22.

single shot, bolt gun compatable with all flavors of .22 rim fire (short, long, LR).

[Adaminak]

Fronty's got the right idea. Single shots teach better aiming fundamentals as there's but one chance to do it right. As far as wanting a gun for both adults and kids, most .22 rifles are mid-sized already, and you don't start getting into an honest adult-sized gun until you hit the Cooper, Kimber, Sako realm. I think the most popular .22 on the market is the Ruger 10/22, followed closely by the Marlin autoloaders. I bought the 10/22 for myself because I can get aftermarket parts pretty easily, a Fajen stock makes it big enough to fit me, and I just can't justify spending $600+ on a non-target .22.

[Adaminak]

Another option I just thought of would be a TC Contender or Encore. The gun can be built to grow with the kids. Start with a 16.5" 22LR bbl, and when they get a little older, add the .410 shotgun bbl for birds/rabbits. Another few years and step up to a .243 Winchester for deer...

[HK416]

Thanks for the imput guys..

[Fronty Owner]

in semi automatic .22LR it really depends on your planned use. The ruger is probably the better choice overall, but I really like a Marlin model 65 as a field gun. 18 shot tubular magazine give a nice capacity and doesn't protrude to catch on brush. Then again, in a field .22LR, a lever action or pump gun is nice too. the bolt gun and semi auto only really offer advantages when shooting prone.

[HK416]

ok, ive been looking at a couple of models but im not sold on either of them yet. The first is a remington fieldmaster 572 pump action, second is a browning SA 22 The browning is a great looking gun but looks like its kind of expensive. any one here have experiance with either. Im also looking at the ruger 10/22

[Fronty Owner]

MSRP on the Remington is $607
MSRP on the Browning is $619

they are essentially the same price. The Ruger is going to run a couple hundred and up. You can get nicer furniture, SS bull barrels and get the price up comparable.

[tightgroup]

I have a Ruger 77/22 and a bunch of 10/22's.

The 77/22 was purchased used many years ago, I think the previous owner had a trigger job done to it because it is sweet. Nice little bolt action.

I had a 10/22 years ago then sold it because of the bolt "clack". Everytime I pulled the trigger I could hear the clack of the bolt hitting the bolt stop pin. I sold it and later on they started making the little buffers that replace the stop pin so you can make the guns quieter. I still like the 77/22 better but the 10/22 rocks on rabbits.

You can do anything with a 10/22. My boys put M4 style (http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0050094228644a.shtml) stocks on theirs and I put a Hogue overmolded stock with a Tactical Solutions barrel on mine:

http://home.comcast.net/~fun2shoot/1022/1022hogueonjeep.jpg

Here bunny rabbit!!!! :D

[Fronty Owner]

On one of the shooting shows last week on the outdoor channel, they showed a 10/22 that was "dropped" in an AR styled clam shell so it felt and handled almost exactly like an AR. It was some guys practice rifle.
I think I will have to drag out my Glenfield Golden 50 this coming weekend and put some lead down range.