Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Rimfire bolt action rifles, lever action, pump action and self loading rifles. Air rifles.

Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by in2anity » 28 Aug 2018, 11:05 am

Wm.Traynor wrote:Who said the CZ wasn't a project gun?

lol. you are a bolder man than I WM. thanks for the tip good to know :thumbsup:
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by Gwion » 31 Aug 2018, 8:29 am

WM. What's the issue with a bore guide?
Also, filing the ejector sounds a bit rash: how well will the rifle eject after this?
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by Wm.Traynor » 31 Aug 2018, 10:10 am

Gwion wrote:WM. What's the issue with a bore guide?

I will have to look up a topic on RimfireCentral.com to answer that, reliably. Won't be until this pm earliest.

Also, filing the ejector sounds a bit rash: how well will the rifle eject after this?


It won't.
In a manner of speaking, there are two ejectors. One seems to be part of the magazine housing. I am experimenting with removable ejectors. One is part of the magazine; something that I epoxied to it. The J B Weld does not seem to be hardening and I have no confidence in it. Have made two wooden prototypes, one with aluminium inserts. Both untested so far. Have to go to Bris this am. Will resume tomorrow.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by Farmerpete » 31 Aug 2018, 7:19 pm

Have you considered a pump or lever action make for a good fun plinking rifle and faster shots on bunnies
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by Wombat » 31 Aug 2018, 7:57 pm

There are three different unfired BRNO model 2's for sale at the moment.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by Wm.Traynor » 31 Aug 2018, 9:37 pm

Gwion,
You will find a discussion on bore guides here
https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/s ... 289&page=2
The third line of reply #11 is mildly interesting but reply #17 by PABEAR got my attention. In addition, I long recall being told or maybe just hearing that it does not matter how well made the guide is. If both the rifle's bore and the action's axis are not concentric then there will be rod wear, owing to misalignment.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by bigfellascott » 31 Aug 2018, 10:09 pm

They are all good rifles so go with what feels good to you and happy to pay for. I like my Daughters little Savage HB, it can shoot tiny groups and isn't overly heavy compared to some (I find the lithgows a bit on the heavy side for a 22, which I think would be a PITA to carry around all day out bush (I could be wrong) my little Brno Mod 2 is a great little hunting rifle, nice and light and shoots nicely too.

End of the day if you buy something and you find it's not quite to your liking you can always sell it and try something else.

Good luck with your decision.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by bigrich » 01 Sep 2018, 5:03 am

bigfellascott wrote:They are all good rifles so go with what feels good to you and happy to pay for. I like my Daughters little Savage HB, it can shoot tiny groups and isn't overly heavy compared to some (I find the lithgows a bit on the heavy side for a 22, which I think would be a PITA to carry around all day out bush (I could be wrong) my little Brno Mod 2 is a great little hunting rifle, nice and light and shoots nicely too.

End of the day if you buy something and you find it's not quite to your liking you can always sell it and try something else.

Good luck with your decision.


you raise a very important point BFS. i have a weihrauch hw66 that's extremely well built and accurate. but i just got my old krico 22 back from the smith's yesterday, and it's a LOT lighter. which was the reason i used to like my cz 452 so much. out in the paddock a light to carry , quick to shoulder 22 is probably more important than one hole accuracy. :thumbsup: :drinks:
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by bigfellascott » 01 Sep 2018, 5:36 am

bigrich wrote:
bigfellascott wrote:They are all good rifles so go with what feels good to you and happy to pay for. I like my Daughters little Savage HB, it can shoot tiny groups and isn't overly heavy compared to some (I find the lithgows a bit on the heavy side for a 22, which I think would be a PITA to carry around all day out bush (I could be wrong) my little Brno Mod 2 is a great little hunting rifle, nice and light and shoots nicely too.

End of the day if you buy something and you find it's not quite to your liking you can always sell it and try something else.

Good luck with your decision.


you raise a very important point BFS. i have a weihrauch hw66 that's extremely well built and accurate. but i just got my old krico 22 back from the smith's yesterday, and it's a LOT lighter. which was the reason i used to like my cz 452 so much. out in the paddock a light to carry , quick to shoulder 22 is probably more important than one hole accuracy. :thumbsup: :drinks:


That's pretty much how I see it BR, all you need in any hunting rifle is one that consistently places that first shot where you intend it to go or as close to the POA in any case, as I say we don't shoot groups on fur so don't get all hung up on one hole group accuracy in a hunting rifle. I like to put those little orange stick on dots on a sheet of cardboard and just take one shot at each do, you'd be amazed how consistent the results can be, yet if I sat there trying to shoot say a 5 shot group at one dot and the groups was say around 1" I'd be disappointed as we all think we have to shoot tiny groups to have a decent hunting rifle, it really isn't the case at all.

My little Brno Mod 2 ain't no target rifle yet it manages to hammer rabbits in the head out to around the 80m mark with good consistency if I do my part right, what more do I need from a hunting rifle if I can get good consistent results whilst out hunting? :unknown:

It's all good a well having a rifle that can shoot tiny groups on a range where distances are static and you know then, you have a wonderful rest to shoot off and can take your time to fart around reading the wind and waiting for the wind to be in your favour etc etc, those things don't really exist in the real world of hunting where it's see something, get in a position to get the best rest you can to take a good shot and ya go for it before the little bugger buggers off. :D

I really think people confuse the two types of situations and the way they both work in real life. :drinks:
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by bigrich » 01 Sep 2018, 5:59 am

i think your absolutely right with that last line in your post BFS.i live /work in the outer suburbs halfway between brisbane and the gold coast, rarely go to either of those places, city life/people can give me the sh@ts at times .i have mates who live/work rural, so i get to hunt about a dozen times a year when i can get the time and my mates can get the time off work. a lot of my shooting is done at ripley (stewartdale ) SSAA range on the weekend. it's in a rural setting and much more freindly and laid back than belmont in brisbane i'll tell ya ! it's enjoyable reloading , shooting groups and i like the social aspect and talking to other people about their guns ( met a bloke who had a barvarian full wood anschutz in 270 with the twin triggers, man what a great old rifle ). but in the feild shooting at moving targets on the fly is a vastly different circumstance. the rifle that works well at the range may not be the best in the paddock . hopefully i'll win the lotto and buy a big block in the tenterfeild reigon where i get to hunt. :drinks: :thumbsup:
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by cracker » 01 Sep 2018, 10:52 am

Find your self a FN "browning trombone" 22LR pump action.
They handle great, point really well and shoot super well.
quality made belgian gun designed by god him self.

Can be had rough for as low as $200-$300, and better examples around $500-$700.

Wiki - >

he FN Browning Trombone is a pump-action long takedown rifle designed by John M. Browning in 1919, patented on 1 August 1922 and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal Belgium from 1922 to 1974. Models manufactured post 1969 had a product code W.

The rifle has a .22 caliber chamber, a tubular 11-round magazine, 24-inch round barrel, wooden semi-pistol grip stock. Models made in the late 1960s featured a dovetail notch for mounting scopes.

The stocks of early models were susceptible to cracking, sometimes attributed to the shape of the receiver; later models, such as the dovetail scope variant, appeared to solve this problem. The pump grip of all models is susceptible to cracking, the wood between the magazine and barrel being especially thin, this rarely detected unless the rifle is disassembled.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by Breadroll » 04 Sep 2018, 11:04 pm

I have just bought a Savage Mark II G as my first rifle. While it isn't as tight on groups compared to the Lithgow that I have shot a few times at Springvale SSAA Range, it was great fun to shoot, and not too expensive to start off with.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by bigrich » 05 Sep 2018, 5:51 pm

Breadroll wrote:I have just bought a Savage Mark II G as my first rifle. While it isn't as tight on groups compared to the Lithgow that I have shot a few times at Springvale SSAA Range, it was great fun to shoot, and not too expensive to start off with.


post some results mate :thumbsup:
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by green_comet » 28 Sep 2018, 7:31 pm

Hey guys, just wanted to touch base and thank everyone here for their comments and suggestions.

I went down to my local gun store earlier today and was able to shoulder the new Steyr Zephyr II and a Tikka T1X (albeit in 17hmr), both were nice but didn't really blow me away. I did make a decision though and finally put a deposit down on this Weihrauch HW60J.

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I really liked this rifle when I shouldered it a few weeks back, it's on the heavy side but I just couldn't stop coming back to it and I found myself comparing every rifle I'd hold to the HW60 in some way. I know this sounds silly, but every time I was holding the HW60 it felt like I was holding something special. It just oozed quality, the build looks and feels top notch, the two stage trigger was excellent and the bolt throw/action for me was the best of the bunch. I'm extremely happy and can't wait to get my hands on it.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by ClaytonT88 » 28 Sep 2018, 7:41 pm

That is one beautiful looking rifle! Very interested to see that you shouldered both the T1 and Zephyr, lots of good news about both but great to see you found one you fell in love with! Did you shoulder the HW66 side by side with it? Did the open sights sway you towards it?
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by green_comet » 28 Sep 2018, 9:12 pm

ClaytonT88 wrote:That is one beautiful looking rifle! Very interested to see that you shouldered both the T1 and Zephyr, lots of good news about both but great to see you found one you fell in love with! Did you shoulder the HW66 side by side with it? Did the open sights sway you towards it?


Thanks mate. Yeah my local store (Gunco) had both the T1X and the Zephyr II there, The T1X felt pretty much just like the T3X (no surprise there) which was nice, I really wasn't a fan of the synthetic stock though. The Steyr was nice, very lightweight and well made. I wasn't a big fan of the action of the bolt, which did slide smooth but was quite hard to lock and unlock. It was almost the same price as the Weihrauch too, but just didn't feel like it was in the same league build wise.

I did shoulder the HW66 Production and quite liked it too, I just preferred the stock on the HW60J. It was more comfortable and had nice checkering which the HW66 didn't, the fact the HW60J came with open sights also helped sway me to it over the HW66.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by ClaytonT88 » 29 Sep 2018, 7:24 am

Awesome. Thanks for the feedback. Happy shooting!
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by allan » 29 Sep 2018, 2:28 pm

I think you will be very impressed with that HW60J and I will be interested to see how it performs for you.
I have one - Finish, design and build quality right up there with the Anschutz 17XX sporters IMO.
Might be a bit heavy for some as a "carry" rifle but an excellent hunting rifle regardless.
Take care with that two stage trigger - Can be adjusted very light!
Bit hard to control well in a BR situation due to the narrow tapered fore end and cheek rest but a little practice will go a long way towards over-coming that!
Enjoy!!
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by bigrich » 30 Sep 2018, 9:49 am

seeing that hw60j reminded me of how nice my one i had in 22 mag was. you have bought a very fine rifle there. i've got the hw66, it has taken a while and about 1000 rounds to settle in, it impressed me greatly how it shot in windy conditions yesterday. one thing that did make a difference was the tension on the action screws. both set moderately firm, not tight. thinking about pillar bedding mine just to get that bit more out of it. post some photo's of ya groups when you get going. SK match and eley sub sonic hollow points shoot well in mine :thumbsup:
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by green_comet » 27 Oct 2018, 12:06 pm

Picked it up earlier in the week and got my Tract 3-9x40 fitted, also got an 8 round mag and swapped over the swivel studs. Planning to put a bunch of rounds through it next weekend. Can't wait.

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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by allan » 27 Oct 2018, 1:38 pm

Nice looking outfit for sure - Hope it shoots well for you - Any of the SK offerings should perform well on paper.
Interesting scope - Just read their "About us" comments on the web site - Must admit I've never heard of that brand. Did the mounts and bases come with the rifle?
With basic maintenance, that rifle will last a VERY long time - Very few well built, traditional looking rim fires around these days - You will pay a lot more to buy anything else of that quality.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by green_comet » 27 Oct 2018, 3:53 pm

allan wrote:Nice looking outfit for sure - Hope it shoots well for you - Any of the SK offerings should perform well on paper.
Interesting scope - Just read their "About us" comments on the web site - Must admit I've never heard of that brand. Did the mounts and bases come with the rifle?
With basic maintenance, that rifle will last a VERY long time - Very few well built, traditional looking rim fires around these days - You will pay a lot more to buy anything else of that quality.


Thanks mate. Yeah I'd never heard of Tract either, I was reading up about the Leupold Freedom Rimfire 3-9x40 a few months back and a few people were recommending the Tract 22 Fire. I did some reading up one their products and people were highly rating them, so I thought I'd give them a try. The glass on it is excellent for an entry level scope, the guy at Gunco had never seen one but seemed quite impressed by it.

The dovetail rings were provided by Gunco, who fitted the scope and bore sighted it for me. They're nothing fancy but they came recommended, if they're no good I'll swap them out in future.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by bumpy » 03 Nov 2018, 7:43 pm

Im looking at getting a CZ 452 Vermint for my first rifle..... when I finally get my licence paperwork etc. Plan on using it for hunting, plinking, and some target shooting at the local range.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by green_comet » 02 Jan 2019, 6:25 pm

Finally got some time out at the range a few weeks back, had heaps of fun and ran a bunch of different ammo through it after sighting in.

The Weihrauch shoots really well and didn't give me any issues for the 4 hours I was there. It was quite windy all day and I only took one photo of some of the groups I shot early on, they got tighter as the day went on as I got used to everything. I don't have much experience with shooting so I'm certainly the weakest link at the moment. lol

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I'm going out again later this week so I'll see how it all goes.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by Sawyers » 03 Jan 2019, 10:40 am

green_comet wrote:Finally got some time out at the range a few weeks back, had heaps of fun and ran a bunch of different ammo through it after sighting in.

The Weihrauch shoots really well and didn't give me any issues for the 4 hours I was there. It was quite windy all day and I only took one photo of some of the groups I shot early on, they got tighter as the day went on as I got used to everything. I don't have much experience with shooting so I'm certainly the weakest link at the moment. lol

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I'm going out again later this week so I'll see how it all goes.

How you liking the optics?
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by green_comet » 03 Jan 2019, 12:25 pm

Sawyers wrote:How you liking the optics?


Excellent so far, tracks well and the glass is very bright/clear. I only had my cousins Bushnell Rimfire Optics 3-9x40 on his Savage B17, and a Leupold VX-1 3-9x40 on his Browning T-bolt to compare it to on the day. I found it much clearer and brighter than both of them, even he much preferred the Tract over his two scopes.

If you're interested in getting one, the Tract cost me $239US shipped ($174US for the scope and $65US postage) so about $345AU at current exchange. So price is about on par with the Leupold VX-1 here in Aus, but like I said we both found the Tract much nicer. You'll need to email them for a better $65US shipping price though, as their website will quote you $141US.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by allan » 03 Jan 2019, 1:23 pm

Nice pics - I really like the metal finish and blueing on these rifles. I think you will find the various SK offerings will give you decent target accuracy at an affordable price.
I notice you said you had no "issues" during the first outing but I'd appreciate a few comments about how you found the overall function of the rifle - Did it feed, extract & eject to your satisfaction? Did you find the bolt lift a little heavy? Did the trigger come adjusted to your liking?
I put just under 6,000 rounds through my two last year - Not one malfunction of any kind and you have to move up to the full on target rim fires to find better triggers than the Weihrauch options.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by deanp100 » 03 Jan 2019, 3:15 pm

allan wrote:Nice pics - I really like the metal finish and blueing on these rifles. I think you will find the various SK offerings will give you decent target accuracy at an affordable price.
I notice you said you had no "issues" during the first outing but I'd appreciate a few comments about how you found the overall function of the rifle - Did it feed, extract & eject to your satisfaction? Did you find the bolt lift a little heavy? Did the trigger come adjusted to your liking?
I put just under 6,000 rounds through my two last year - Not one malfunction of any kind and you have to move up to the full on target rim fires to find better triggers than the Weihrauch options.

But not better than a sportco 63. I think that’s what you are trying to say :D
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by green_comet » 03 Jan 2019, 4:37 pm

allan wrote:Nice pics - I really like the metal finish and blueing on these rifles. I think you will find the various SK offerings will give you decent target accuracy at an affordable price.
I notice you said you had no "issues" during the first outing but I'd appreciate a few comments about how you found the overall function of the rifle - Did it feed, extract & eject to your satisfaction? Did you find the bolt lift a little heavy? Did the trigger come adjusted to your liking?
I put just under 6,000 rounds through my two last year - Not one malfunction of any kind and you have to move up to the full on target rim fires to find better triggers than the Weihrauch options.


I had a few feeding issues early on which ended up being caused by one of the eight rounds mags I purchased. One feeds fine and the other gives me issues, so I stopped using the faulty one. After that it was perfect for the rest of the day, no feed or ejection problems. The bolt seems fine to me, a couple times it felt a little stiff but it's new and I put that down to needing to wear in a little.

The two stage trigger is a joy to use, weight seemed excellent to me right out of the box, I used my cousin's t-bolt for a while which felt horrible in comparison. He used my Weihrauch for a bit and loved it, he has since sold his t-bolt and ordered an Anschutz 1416.

So yeah, I'm super happy with it and can't wait to take it out again this week.
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Re: Buying my first firearm, any 22LR suggestions?

Post by allan » 03 Jan 2019, 6:20 pm

deanp100 wrote:But not better than a sportco 63. I think that’s what you are trying to say :D
Deano


Ha...Yes, the old 63A would hold its own as a field rifle with any 22 I've ever owned, Deano. You do know I sold it last year - Owned that for 47 years and it had a lot of sentimental value. Also recently sold my 65 Anschutz 222 - I reckon that thing cost me the price of a new Landcruiser as it started a love affair with "high end" German rifles which is still on-going. Not getting any younger and have the 22 collection down to eleven now - Most collector grade stuff or customs so not sure where they will finish up. I've sold off quite a few these past couple of years but reluctant to let any more go.

Green-Comet - Only reason I mentioned the bolt lift is that both mine were fairly stiff to cock when new but settled in nicely with a little lubrication and use.
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