First .22LR rifle...advice please

[AbyssRider]

hi all. looking at getting my first .22LR rifle. couldnt really make up my mind on which model after windowshopping for a while...

so far the finalists are:

- CZ 457 American Wood (no barrel length description on the website)

- Ruger American 18'' threaded

- Savage Mark II 16.5''

Savage is the cheapest, like 50% of what CZ costs. im in WA so of course the final purchase depends on whether any of this is a cat A.

anybody who has used any of the above brands? not hunting and it will be used mostly on the ranges. thanks a lot.

[No1Mk3]

All are capable rifles for their type, none are what you would call Smallbore Match grade, so go with the rifle that feels most comfortable for your hold and suits your budget and have fun.

[bladeracer]

hi all. looking at getting my first .22LR rifle. couldn't really make up my mind on which model after window shopping for a while...

so far the finalists are:

- CZ 457 American Wood (no barrel length description on the website)

- Ruger American 18'' threaded

- Savage Mark II 16.5''

Savage is the cheapest, like 50% of what CZ costs. im in WA so of course the final purchase depends on whether any of this is a cat A.

anybody who has used any of the above brands? not hunting and it will be used mostly on the ranges. thanks a lot.

They are all CatA in all states as far as I'm aware.
In WA if you licence a firearm only for target shooting then all your shooting with be on ranges, you can't use it anywhere else.
If you like the Ruger American also look at the Ruger Precision Rimfire, I have two Americans and the RPR and I generally reach for the RPR, it's great fun.
Never seen a Savage rifle of any kind (except some No.4 Rifles made by them during the war) but I've seen great reports from owners of them, and the CZ's have a terrific reputation. When you're at the range talk to the RO and he might be able to find you some shooters happy to let you have a shot with their rifles.

[Bello]

Hi

If you want cheap, and not to bad a shooter, Norinco/ Pumer hunter JW15A.
CZ 457 is a good rifle, has a good reputation. I have 2 and they have been good and relatively accurate.
Then there is the Tikka 22lr rifles that are very good. Anshutz are accurate and expensive.
Move up to a Sako 22LR.
As you move up, so to does the price.

A dedicated target 22LR is higher in price.
Don't forget a good quality scope. (scope may depend on what range you intend to shoot at).

Possibly an idea to attend a range that shoots 22LR competition and speak to some of the shooters, ask them about what they have and why, what scope they use and why.

The more expensive ammo tends to shoot better in my 22LR rifles such as Eley and RWS.
For just plinking, get the cheapest you can get your hands on.

[northdude]

Got a savage here nothing wrong with it. If it feels ok to you it will leave you more money for a decent scope

[AbyssRider]

thanks guys for the great advice. i do have a property letter so technically i can go hunting...work hours is the only (and a rather large) constraint for me. so usually speaking going to a range suits me better.

any of you from the Perth area? so far i have only been attending the Belmont ranges for practice. i did see the flyer about rifle matches at their place...just dont know where exactly the other ranges are located.

[bladeracer]

thanks guys for the great advice. i do have a property letter so technically i can go hunting...work hours is the only (and a rather large) constraint for me. so usually speaking going to a range suits me better.

any of you from the Perth area? so far i have only been attending the Belmont ranges for practice. i did see the flyer about rifle matches at their place...just dont know where exactly the other ranges are located.

I'm from Perth but left there in 2014. I think the only rifle range I ever attended was at Whiteman Park, but we were doing an IPSC pistol shoot there. They could be an option and I think they catered to all sorts of disciplines back then. The website does promise you'll find out about all the different disciplines but there's nothing there that I can find. https://wpisc.org.au/ It looks like they do Smallbore at least (which nowadays generally means .22LR only) - http://www.wasra.asn.au/ - and if you talk to them they might be able to direct to some other places.

Personally, if you have access to private land anyway I'd buy a variety of steel gongs, maybe even Metallic Silhouettes, and go and spend a couple days just shooting out there. Ranges to me are incredibly restrictive in what distances you can shoot, what sorts of targets, and what positions you can shoot from. That's fine if you only ever intend to shoot competitions but if you want to hunt you need to practice in the field, random targets at random distances against random backgrounds from improvised field positions. And it's a whole lot more fun than shooting the same holes...in the same piece of paper...from the same bench...at the same distance...every week. And you're spending time in the bush which makes it even more fun

Get a bunch of different ammo, shoot ten five-round groups at 50m on paper with each type and determine which ammo your rifle shoots best with, then buy a case or two of it (a case is 5000rds) and get out practicing at every opportunity.

[Rutabaga]

I'd reccommend looking into a Lithgow. They're great quality guns that punch above their weight for the price.

Plus Australian made, which is always nice.

[Vince24]

I would take the CZ but that's because I have a very accurate 452.
Not sure if the 457 are as accurate but they probably are.

the first group of 10 below is at 100m, the second group of 10 is at 50m.

452+ Tasco 100m.jpg (99.73 KiB) Viewed 3813 times

CZ452 50m - Copy.jpg (476.2 KiB) Viewed 3813 times

IMG_1164 - Copy.jpg (503.73 KiB) Viewed 3813 times

and it did not take 10 attempts to get to those groups.

Also the CZ 457 can be found with excellent iron sights, which do not prevent the mounting of a scope, so you have both options when it comes to shooting.

[AbyssRider]

thanks for the advice. personally at least at this stage im not hunting, although i know that hunting could be much more exciting than target practice at a range.

the main reason i take up shooting is i think it is a great sport and i would like to introduce to my kids.

looking at getting my handgun licence too, but figure i should probably get cat A whilst i still can. i think handgun licence is always going to be around as long as there are shooting clubs. but other categories not sure when they are going to strengthen gun control again.

[Latitude37]

I just went down this path myself. I nearly got a Savage - a mate had one and it's a nice rifle, feels lovely, action is smooth and shoots ok.
But accuracy is about half as good as a CZ or Tikka, going by reviews. I can confirm this. I got a good deal on a Tikka T1X, and recently we shot them side by side and my mate (well more experienced than me) was getting much smaller groups out of the Tikka. I got it for just under a grand, so 1.5x the cost of the Savage. I think it's worth it. But the Tikka is plastic, and wood on the Savage is nice, so you might feel different. Hope that helps. I've held a Ruger American, but the action felt rough in comparison to the Savage and Tikka.

[Vince24]

So the best is to go for the 457, same accuracy as the Tikka, AND the nice wood.

That being said, the Tikka T1 now exists also in wood.

In any case, across the rifles listed in the OP, I have no doubt that the CZ is the best for range use.
My in-law has the Tikka T1, it shoots well but not really better than his CZ.
The 457 is a risk-free choice.

[Latitude37]

Absolutely agree. No point paying more for the Tikka. Interesting, though, the Tikka is cheaper in left hand than the cz. Would have an extra $300. But for most people, I think the cz is the way to go. One day I might get one of those second hand Brno's for my wife, if she's keen.

[Larry]

I would have said the CZ515 hands down will be the best 22 you could buy, however you are in WA and would never really get to use it to its full fun potential. CZ do make a good gun in all their models however so keep looking there as a comparison to anything else you might like the look of.

[Tassiebloke]

I have a CZ 457 American in 22WMR and i have the 22lr barrel as well. it's a great shooter, accurate enough for the job, and light enough to carry around for an afternoon of hunting. pretty reasonable priced as well.

I'm not a fan or the Ruger plastic stocks. I don't have any experience with the Savage, but I assume it'd be similar.
I'd say get the CZ, and have a gun that'll last you decades if you treat it right.

[AbyssRider]

great advice thanks. judging by the review i will go with the CZ.

the Ruger Precision range looks quite nice. has the modern Picatinny-look rail attached. from memory it is not as expensive as CZ? if i can't get a good deal on the CZ i may go for it.

never seen a Lithgow in my local gun store though, so can't really comment.

[AbyssRider]

just a quick update to thank everyone for the advice.

with more knowledge up my chest about .22 rifles i walked into the store and started a conversation. i was looking for the CZ457 but was ultimately offered a CZ452 package with scope and bipod. i think the price was ok for an entry level rifle.

[Vince24]

Good choice.

"Lux" or "American"?

The CZ 452s typically love the SK 22LR ammo, although always worth testing a bunch of different brands and see what that specific rifle likes.
Accuracy is probably as good as the 457, the only bad side being that the original trigger of a 452 is not adjustable and is a bit heavy for the taste of some demanding shooters. It never bothered me though.

[Diamond Jim]

I'm biased - I own a CZ. CZ/BRNO have a long history in Australia for making excellent quality accurate firearms that outlast several generations. People who own a CZ or BRNO rifle rarely sell them to trade up - there's no need. But once again, I'm biased.

[AbyssRider]

Good choice.

"Lux" or "American"?

The CZ 452s typically love the SK 22LR ammo, although always worth testing a bunch of different brands and see what that specific rifle likes.
Accuracy is probably as good as the 457, the only bad side being that the original trigger of a 452 is not adjustable and is a bit heavy for the taste of some demanding shooters. It never bothered me though.

American.

i do plan on trying out different ammo and see how they go. i heard a lot of good things about CCI.

[Diamond Jim]

Good choice.

"Lux" or "American"?

The CZ 452s typically love the SK 22LR ammo, although always worth testing a bunch of different brands and see what that specific rifle likes.
Accuracy is probably as good as the 457, the only bad side being that the original trigger of a 452 is not adjustable and is a bit heavy for the taste of some demanding shooters. It never bothered me though.

The CZ452 trigger is adjustable - to a point. There is a nut on the trigger spring that adjusts tension and the spring is easily replaceable with a lighter spring if desired. Creep can be adjusted by shims - search for the "ten cent trigger job" or Google "trigger kit for CZ452/455". If you don't feel confident doing the job yourself any half decent gun shop should be able to adjust the trigger to your liking for a reasonable cost.

Rimfire Central has a very active CZ section and a wealth of knowledge.

You will enjoy that rifle.

[AbyssRider]

Good choice.

"Lux" or "American"?

You will enjoy that rifle.

yeah...really looking forward to trying it out. the application takes ages.

this is the part of WA gun laws i dont get - why would you want people to wait again to add an extra firearm of the same cat? i get the cooling off period and stuff for first time shooters and such requirement if you are getting a different cat gun, not if they are in the same cat.

this is even more confusing now they have banned many high-powered firearms.

[bladeracer]

yeah...really looking forward to trying it out. the application takes ages.

this is the part of WA gun laws i dont get - why would you want people to wait again to add an extra firearm of the same cat? i get the cooling off period and stuff for first time shooters and such requirement if you are getting a different cat gun, not if they are in the same cat.

this is even more confusing now they have banned many high-powered firearms.

Virtually nothing in the WA Firearms act makes any sense, even the Police know that, that's why they make up their own "laws".

[AbyssRider]

Police know that, that's why they make up their own "laws".

how so?

and BTW it is so easy to lose the firearm licence. the range master told me the police will immediately cancel the licence if they found ammo and gun in the same bag, doesnt really matter how many...

[bladeracer]

Police know that, that's why they make up their own "laws".

how so?

and BTW it is so easy to lose the firearm licence. the range master told me the police will immediately cancel the licence if they found ammo and gun in the same bag, doesn't really matter how many...

Like requiring huge property sizes for shooting on, there is no law that requires this, just their own policy. And banning a whole host of chamberings for no legitimate reason, then going out themselves and using a firearm illegally for a press presentation.

Yes, Police in all states will come down very hard on you if they find you storing or transporting a firearm with ammunition. In WA you also have to store your ammunition, primers and bullets in another gun safe (though I think you can still use the bolt box within a safe if it's big enough). In all states ammunition must be secured but everywhere else we just lock it in plastic ammo crates. And in WA you can't be in possession of ammunition or bullets for a firearm that is not specifically listed on your licence - all other states allow us to possess ammo for any firearm that we are licenced to use. And you can't loan or borrow firearms in WA, in all other states we can.

[AbyssRider]

Police know that, that's why they make up their own "laws".

how so?

and BTW it is so easy to lose the firearm licence. the range master told me the police will immediately cancel the licence if they found ammo and gun in the same bag, doesn't really matter how many...

Like requiring huge property sizes for shooting on, there is no law that requires this, just their own policy. And banning a whole host of chamberings for no legitimate reason, then going out themselves and using a firearm illegally for a press presentation.

Yes, Police in all states will come down very hard on you if they find you storing or transporting a firearm with ammunition. In WA you also have to store your ammunition, primers and bullets in another gun safe (though I think you can still use the bolt box within a safe if it's big enough). In all states ammunition must be secured but everywhere else we just lock it in plastic ammo crates. And in WA you can't be in possession of ammunition or bullets for a firearm that is not specifically listed on your licence - all other states allow us to possess ammo for any firearm that we are licenced to use. And you can't loan or borrow firearms in WA, in all other states we can.

i guess it is not easy after Port Arthur.

the long waiting time is the most annoying.

[safeshot]

"Well we used to call them BRNO's." Today they are CZ and are a damn accurate rifle and it is one case definitely where you get what you pay for.
The scope. we are swamped for choice in scopes but as a old mate of mine said scope and rifles is like breeding horses, 'you put the best on top.'
He had a rule of thumb in this matter where you spend on a scope at least what you paid for the rifle.
Happy (rifle) hunting.

[Tassiebloke]

i would definitely recommend the CZ
i have one myself and it's a great bit of kit.

[deye243]

"Well we used to call them BRNO's." Today they are CZ and are a damn accurate rifle and it is one case definitely where you get what you pay for.
The scope. we are swamped for choice in scopes but as a old mate of mine said scope and rifles is like breeding horses, 'you put the best on top.'
He had a rule of thumb in this matter where you spend on a scope at least what you paid for the rifle.
Happy (rifle) hunting.

Very good advice.
I have been known to put a $3000 scope on a 800 rifle price doesn't really mean much both rifle and scope have a job to do some jobs require specialised equipment.

[AbyssRider]

i dont know why but there is something about the wooden stock that makes the CZ so charming. it brings out that rifle feel.