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Ultimate .22 sporter if price were no issue?

17K views 107 replies 64 participants last post by  Al the Infidel 
#1 ·
So over the last month, at the ripe old age of 25, I came to some realizations about my life and finances. Long story short, I’m currently selling everything that isn’t bolted down and living like a bum in order to re build my financial situation.

So I’ve decided that when I do get myself back on track, meaning becoming debt free and able to actually invest and enjoy my income rather than mail it off to other people, my “reward” to myself and first guilty purchase will be a .22.

I adore small game hunting with a .22 rifle and want to choose the best of the available options to enjoy for the rest of my life. But for the time being, it will likely be a printed out picture hanging in my now empty gun room as motivation.

Anyhoo. Anschutz and cooper are the top contenders that come to mind followed closely by Lithgow Arms. I have seen that some Anschutz actions are prone to ejection and trigger problems. I’m unsure about common issues with cooper, and Lithgow is too new and Unfamiliar to draw much of a conclusion on.

There is also the Sako offering. And I assume one could build a sporter from one of the custom .22 actions?

What would you guys set as your “someday” gun in my situation?
 
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#3 ·
If squirrel hunting is your bag I'd seriously consider an autoloader unless head shots @ 100yds are your thing. Had a blast with my dad shooting at grays, in giant oaks with the fall leaves down, that were running on the limbs from treetop to treetop trying to get back to their holes. :gun4: Win ammo was more accurate in the 50s n 60s out of a Rem 552.
 
#56 ·
Can you say ~ Ricochet ?
A ricochet (/ˈrɪkəʃeɪ/ RIK-ə-shay) is a rebound, bounce or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile ,22lr ammo is know for such, shooting "blasting at Grey's in the trees is not a "safe habit" learn to head shoot and play sniper on them . it's not a video game . i dang near got shot by some kids doing that same thing :( ~~JMJ~~
 
#5 ·
I think I would go with the Kidd Super Grade with interchangeable barrel system .One day you can have a 16 inch lightweight barrel, low powered scope or red dot for the woods .Lightweight great for squirrel hunting .The next day you could switch it out with a 20 inch heavy barrel and just add a long range scope and you're set up for bench shooting .It's like having two rifles in one without having to buy two:bthumb:
 
#6 · (Edited)
Cost not an issue.

Cost is always an issue.One of the reasons rich people stay rich is they always consider cost. That being said, if you want a simple effective accurate 22 field rifle ,you can't go wrong with a Marlin model 60 . I like the stainless in the laminate stock , if you are trigger sensitive do the upgrade, buy a good quality scope, if you're just hunting and plinking a fixed 4x or 6x Leupold or Nikon or vortex, if your going to shoot at bullseyes Vortex maxes a nice variable scope 3.5 to 10 x with a 50 mm bell no AO but it works great.so you in for less than $400. For aRuger 1022 set up right add another $ 200.

If you want to do bolt action , imho a more accurate platform, but certainly slower than semi auto on follow up shots.there are a multitude of options. From the base model Savages and Rugers to the better quality CZs ,all need a few upgrades.

One of the important issues is how the stock fits you,it's lop, where your face sits on the stock , and the balance in your arms and the fell in your hands.

Go to a big box store and shoulder all the rifles ,when you find the one that fits the best, research the model etc and pick yours out.

One of the best places to buy a gun is from the gun libraries Cabellas, h it is that you don't like it , tell them it's inaccurate if it's used, and you buy it you have 10 days to try it out and if you don't like it you have 10 days to get your money back if something is wrong with it. They will offer to have it fixed and you say no thank you, a refund please and your done.if all that's wrong with it is that you don't like it ,tell them it shoots bad or it jams.

New guns, no refund , send back to manufacturer under warranty and pray and wait.
 
#25 ·
One of the best places to buy a gun is from the gun libraries Cabellas, h it is that you don't like it , tell them it's inaccurate if it's used, and you buy it you have 10 days to try it out and if you don't like it you have 10 days to get your money back if something is wrong with it. They will offer to have it fixed and you say no thank you, a refund please and your done.if all that's wrong with it is that you don't like it ,tell them it shoots bad or it jams.
Not cool.

I'm not a big fan of Cabela's in recent years, but they are not in the "free gun loaning" business.

If something is *legitimately* wrong with it, that's one thing. But to just try it out and decide you don't like it, or it's not as accurate as you'd like, then to outright lie about it to get a full refund is just wrong.
 
#7 ·
I applaud you for coming up with a plan to get debt free. One problem with the "sell everything" plan is sometimes it costs more to replace your stuff than keeping it in the first place. So be selective on what you dump now. Some people as has been stated feel like they deserve everything NOW like a house, car etc but there are some things like education that are a good kind of debt if you complete it and it improves your income and there is stupid debt like material things that go down in value such as CARS and new leather couches.

The problem with giving up a car is you need it generally to get and keep a job to pay off debt. However you can sell your new car and buy an old one. But how much will you lose in equity for your trade? It may not be worth it when you have to factor in repair costs for the old beater. I myself am of the mind that I will probably not buy any used vehicles now that I'm older unless they are for limited use. I will play the long game instead of the cheap one. I'm going 15 years now with the same truck and 11 on my car. They have 100,000 and 150,000 miles approximately on them. I could "justify" buying new vehicles but the repairs are still much less than the replacement cost and the vehicles are still reliable with care. When transmission or something major goes, then it will be time to dump each vehicle for next to nothing and buy another new one. When you buy somebodies story about a used car, you generally get the shaft. I bought a used Explorer years ago and the guy said it was in great condition. I didn't do my homework and when I went to change the fluids found the transmission was BURNT just like ME. I was able to get about 30,000 miles out of it before the transmission started slipping so much it needed to go. That's when I bought my current truck for roughly 3 times the cost of that explorer and at 100,000 it's still going strong with my maintenance schedule and care. That was an expensive lesson in VALUE. The used Explorer was cheaper but not a good value.

One of the best ways to get out of debt is to move in with family/friends where you can live cheaply and put 90% of your income towards that debt to pay it down as quickly as possible. Certainly don't pay storage fees for furniture. Sell the furniture and downsize, but don't give up your guns. Replacement cost is going certainly be higher, especially if you already plan to buy the most expensive gun you can find. Too many of those personal' rewards and you'll be underwater again but if you have a good job, are debt free with a stable income and want to buy a $2,000 rifle, it will be with YOUR MONEY and not the banks:)
 
#8 ·
I commend you for recognizing the trap that society has made so easy to fail victim too early on. Reset and get yourself back to even.

Buying food is an easy way to literally throw money down the toilet. You can save a lot of money and be healthier developing a smart plan to efficiently fuel your body.

I'd strongly recommend opening an account with Charles Schwab and buy a few solid performing dividend paying stocks and select to reinvest the dividends and forget about them. You'll be surprised how they work for you in 10 years. Use the Schwab account for your regular checking and debit card services. This keeps your financials very simple. Schwab gives you all the educational material you need on line to learn how to be financially healthy on your own. You can perform all the financial services you'll need within your lifetime through Schwab via your smart phone. If you need phone support they've proven solid for me for over twenty years.

When you are able, find a deal on good used CZ , put a Vortex Crossfire II scope on it, and shoot CCI SV.

Then use this as a long-term goal: https://www.vudoogunworks.com/rifles/raven/

I just turned 60 and ordered a Vudoo seven weeks ago, profits from my Schwab stock account are buying it for me.

Develop that plan, set savings and investing goals, learn to resist superficial marketing temptations, and stick to your plan! At your young age you'll be good to go before you know it. :bthumb:
 
#17 ·
EARN before you ENJOY

I commend you for recognizing the trap that society has made so easy to fail victim too early on. Reset and get yourself back to even.
In our bare-knuckled capitalist "WINNERS and LOSERS" economy, one of those traps, of course, is EASY CREDIT. The biggest threat to our society and to our economy and to its vulnerable members is the idea that you must live ON THE MARGIN or fall behind everyone else. If its members cannot learn to control their GREED, such an economy is destined to fail sooner or later.:eek:

When younger, one of the hardest lessons for me to learn was to EARN my rewards before ENJOYING them. Nowadays that approach makes me feel a LITTLE MORE like a grown-up!
 
#9 ·
Many of the guns I sold when I was hurt for cash never really did much for my financial situation, and some I soon wished I had kept. The realization set in that I could have easily kept them IF I had just got a part time job over my full time, most of that ‘free time’ wasnt free at all.
Thing is that dumping everything to ‘get loose of it and start over’ didnt work for me untill I changed my spending habits. Got that in line and been good for decades now.
Best wishes on your go at it!
As to best rifle, it is the one ya got in hand not the one ya wish for.
 
#12 ·
As much a single shot fan as I am I have decided for myself that a repeater action is best for me in the field and forest; Im just too fumble-fingered anymore for fast reloads if things go badly. Were I having to re-buy with hunting in the mix it would have to be a repeater first.
 
#13 ·
So over the last month, at the ripe old age of 25, I came to some realizations about my life and finances. Long story short, I'm currently selling everything that isn't bolted down and living like a bum in order to re build my financial situation.

So I've decided that when I do get myself back on track, meaning becoming debt free and able to actually invest and enjoy my income rather than mail it off to other people, my "reward" to myself and first guilty purchase will be a .22.

I adore small game hunting with a .22 rifle and want to choose the best of the available options to enjoy for the rest of my life. But for the time being, it will likely be a printed out picture hanging in my now empty gun room as motivation.

Anyhoo. Anschutz and cooper are the top contenders that come to mind followed closely by Lithgow Arms. I have seen that some Anschutz actions are prone to ejection and trigger problems. I'm unsure about common issues with cooper, and Lithgow is too new and Unfamiliar to draw much of a conclusion on.

There is also the Sako offering. And I assume one could build a sporter from one of the custom .22 actions?

What would you guys set as your "someday" gun in my situation?
Based on your title, "Ultimate .22 sporter if price were no issue?", my answer would be to find the finest gunsmith available and have him (her?) build the best custom sporter the two of us could come up with. But that may be a bit beyond what you really meant. As to the Anschutz, yes, many have had ejection issues....that were mostly correctable. Haven't heard about trigger issues being a problem. As to Cooper, they have had their share of issues....I can refer you to a thread about my highly problematical Cooper JSR.....had numerous issues right from the factory. I consider CZ to be a best buy in it's class range, but I do like Anschutz. If I was in your situation I would opt for an Anschutz with a good clean use done being a consideration also.

But you mention using it for small game hunting, so there are so many to choose from......really depends a lot of what your particulars are.....bolt? Semiauto? Lever? Slide action?
 
#14 ·
I've been VERY HAPPY with CZ's, but none of them is perfect for ALL my needs

What would you guys set as your "someday" gun in my situation?
If indeed the budget is not an issue at some point, I would not try to find THE perfect rifle for target work, field use, AND hunting. I've never seen such a rifle.

No, I would start with a field rifle: easy to carry and balance. (Mine is a CZ455 Training Rifle in .22LR- no scope required)

Next, I would get a target rifle: fun at the bench. (Mine is a CZ455 Varmint in .22LR wearing a Nikon 6~18x40 Buckmasters with AO)

And if I still had an itch, I would get a long-barreled field/target rifle: fun EVERYWHERE. (Mine is a CZ455 UltraLux in .22LR- no scope required)

Others might advise you to work a repeater into the mix. (Mine are a 1942 Remington 121A Fieldmaster slide action and a 1975 Nylon66 auto-loader in Mohawk Brown):bthumb:

An obvious advantage to this approach is that you can acquire them in stages.
 
#15 ·
Good points Squeezer,

My friend has spent so much trying to get the perfect rifle only to fall out of love with it and send it down the road at a sizeable loss. I've seen him do this with 5 or 6 guns. Practical choices don't have to be the cheapest things out there and your 3 rifles can be owned for less than 1 grail rifle that in the end won't do everything best. rc
 
#16 · (Edited)
Step by step



Yup-yup.:)

I spent about $1,500 on the three rifles and Nikon scope from 2010-2017. I have since acquired about 25 bricks of various ammo for a total of maybe another $1,500, and have spent most of my rimfire shooting time testing these ammos through these rifles (results available). These rifles and ammo should last me the rest of my life. Of course, I'm 70...
 
#18 ·
In my still-ongoing persuit of the perfect sporter, I have found many I thought would be perfect that did not flip the proverbial switch, and others I didn’t think would come close actually came very close. So, what you believe it will be is not necessarily the answer, and what someone else thinks can be a great resource when narrowing the choices.
I first tried to identify the elements that would have to be present to be ultimate, and that really helped focus the search, I thought. For instance, insisting on milled steel bottom metal, or at least not sheet metal or aluminum, will really limit the field, and that would rule out an original 52 Sporting for me. The 52 is also a bit heavy, and the stock shows some unsightly lines. Having said that, I built a 52C sporter from parts using a Lilja barrel, and it may come closest to my current ultimate, sheet metal bottom metal and original stock notwithstanding. On the other hand, I owned a Dakota .22 that had every element I thought I wanted, but it didn’t satisfy and went down the road. Go figure. I know it makes no sense, but it is what it is.

I guess this is not much help...but good luck :confused:

TBR
 
#28 ·
In my still-ongoing persuit of the perfect sporter, I have found many I thought would be perfect that did not flip the proverbial switch, and others I didn't think would come close actually came very close. So, what you believe it will be is not necessarily the answer, and what someone else thinks can be a great resource when narrowing the choices.
I first tried to identify the elements that would have to be present to be ultimate, and that really helped focus the search, I thought. For instance, insisting on milled steel bottom metal, or at least not sheet metal or aluminum, will really limit the field, and that would rule out an original 52 Sporting for me. The 52 is also a bit heavy, and the stock shows some unsightly lines. Having said that, I built a 52C sporter from parts using a Lilja barrel, and it may come closest to my current ultimate, sheet metal bottom metal and original stock notwithstanding. On the other hand, I owned a Dakota .22 that had every element I thought I wanted, but it didn't satisfy and went down the road. Go figure. I know it makes no sense, but it is what it is.

I guess this is not much help...but good luck :confused:

TBR
You're so far down that rabbit hole we can barely hear you. What? :D

Those in quest of the 'holey' grail may want to peruse the Ultimate 10/22 Forum.
 
#19 ·
Sadly.........there is no "ultimate" anything, if you achieve what you think it is, over the horizon there will be the next "ultimate". Just get a well made rimfire sporter you can afford and enjoy one of life's simple pleasures. This advice comes from a senior citizen whose been around the block a few times.
 
#21 ·
These latest comments remind me of some sage advice given me by ‘an old guy’ when I was a young guy....and I am now the old guy sayin’ it is true,” What a guy thinks he wants and what he really wants aint necessarily the same thing”.
 
#22 ·
While maybe not the most accurate or elegant rifle I own, the Marlin 880SS I have is a fine squirrel rifle and used ones show up for $150 to $300 frequently. With a better muzzle crown, it would be an exceptional VALUE. I've already cleaned up the trigger creep and lightened the pull. With a bit of polishing it's actually fairly smooth. Magazines are cheap and it would be a good platform for a custom bedded rifle. Something like this is all you need even though a beautiful Dakota or Kimber might be What you want. rc
 
#23 ·
So over the last month, at the ripe old age of 25, I came to some realizations about my life and finances. Long story short, I'm currently selling everything that isn't bolted down and living like a bum in order to re build my financial situation.

So I've decided that when I do get myself back on track, meaning becoming debt free and able to actually invest and enjoy my income rather than mail it off to other people, my "reward" to myself and first guilty purchase will be a .22.

I adore small game hunting with a .22 rifle and want to choose the best of the available options to enjoy for the rest of my life. But for the time being, it will likely be a printed out picture hanging in my now empty gun room as motivation.

Anyhoo. Anschutz and cooper are the top contenders that come to mind followed closely by Lithgow Arms. I have seen that some Anschutz actions are prone to ejection and trigger problems. I'm unsure about common issues with cooper, and Lithgow is too new and Unfamiliar to draw much of a conclusion on.

There is also the Sako offering. And I assume one could build a sporter from one of the custom .22 actions?

What would you guys set as your "someday" gun in my situation?
An original REMINGTON 40X Rimfire Sporter/Repeater.

If there was ever a better rimfire sporter made...... it would be the Winchester 52B.


https://images.buya.com/production/Images/MFGMODEL/Z47/85/80/31bf95bb4cac2c279e670e12b4.jpg
 
#24 ·
I will echo Teddy Bear Rat's comments above. Some years ago, I decided to embark on a rim fire collecting spree. My thinking was that if I purchased wisely, I could ultimately do this with little cost in the long run - if one considers the return on the initial investments when finally sold. Since then I have purchased a fair number of rifles of various makes and models and price ranges. All were shot and tested in other ways. Some I have kept, most have gone on down the road. One thing I have found is that many of those guns that I thought would be sure fire winners and earn a more or less permanent place in the guns safe have moved on. Others that I initially had little hope of holding on to are still in my possession.



One of my favorites from an aesthetics and handling viewpoint was a Cooper JSR, but it had some serious flaws. On the other hand, a fairly well used Winchester 62 with folding tang sight proved to be a winner - it was a pleasure to shoot and carry. Currently, several Winchester 52 heavies are on my "do not sell list" along with some Anschutz, and scattered Remingtons, Winchesters, etc. Guns are like a spouse, you really will not know them until you have had a good deal of experience with them, and chances are that what you end up liking or disliking about them will not be what you initially envisioned.
 
#26 ·
Staying away from "Fatherly" advise, I would offer two that met my same
time honored specs.
BEST. Remington 541s, second action screw, and barrel cut to 20". Leupold
VariX II in 4x12x40 with AO. More squirrels killed than can be counted.
Very fine rifle.

Second. CZ American with 16.5 threaded barrel, Basics Trigger, DIP rail, Leupold
3x9x33 EFR in Tally rings. This was the Suppressor rifle.

I am 70 now, can afford any rifle I want. I have had Annies, Coopers, one Win.,
one Marlin, Sakos, and the above beat all of them. So right now I am past the
need for PURDY, and have a beater 10/22, chuck it and F*#& it rifle. I throw it
in the trunk of my Mercedes Benz!!! Life is funny!
Good luck and know the hunt is what is important.
 
#27 ·
At 65 Im pretty much with you, Tap. Ive had some nice stuff, some collectors stuff, some pretty stuff; and for some years now they have mostly been weeded out leaving the plainer, but for some reason ‘satisfying’ ones. A secondary benefit is that the big bucks I got eventually flipping the others has pretty much paid for what is left and after the few last ‘special’ ones are gone I will be finally set completely free.
 
#29 ·
I think of this question in terms of what I would sell and keep from the rifles that I currently have. I think the last one to sell from my safe would be an Anschutz 1710 DKL - new or used. I purchased mine new. It very, very accurate, has iron sights so you can shoot it if your scope fails, and has a no-regrets sort of build quality that I just haven't seen on CZ, Marlin, Ruger etc. It just seemed like the next level up, right out of the box - mine had a great trigger that I haven't touched and no ejection issues at all. It is expensive enough that the OP's "cost is no object" condition comes into play. If cost were an object, I'd look at a CZ 452 American or Trainer, or a 455 in either of those configurations, depending on how important iron sights are to the OP.

In terms of rifles I have never shot, the Lithgow 101 would peak my interest.

So there you go. A boring answer perhaps, but boring in the "shoots to POA every time" sort of way. :D
 
#32 ·
Be aware that your tastes will change over time. Over the years I went from autos to pumps to bolts to single shots. My favorite for sitting is a Westley Richards martini TD that in spite of its 26" barrel is very light and loves quiets out to 35-40 yds. For walking I like the Stevens Favorite. Depending how I feel dictates which gun is "ideal". Guaranteed you will need more than one gun. Sometimes the 455 FS hmr does it sometimes it's the Browining ATD. That's the fun or it.
 
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