Anyone have a good recommendation for a .22 mag??

Question

My brother in law wants to get my nephew a .22 mag for his first gun (he's 13) and asked me for recommendations. He doesn't want to spend more than $250.00 for both a rifle and a scope. I told him a regular .22 was probably good enough, but he is set on a .22 mag. My son even offered him his 10/22 to use, but no go, sigh... I asked around at the range and no one that I would value their opinion had any personal knowledge.

He plans on shooting at a 100 yard range and wants a semi auto. I thought a used Marlin 983 would be a good choice if I can talk him out of the semi auto, but I've never owned one so can't give a personally recommendation for it. Anyone know of one that would be a good choice for him?

Answer 1

First, I want to reply to a couple of the other posts:
1: 8mm Mauser can be had way cheaper than $35 per 20, but that is irrelevant to the discussion.
2: .17 HMR is more expensive than .22 Magnum, and does not outperform it.

Now to my answer: I agree with you about a used Marlin 983, or its predecessors the 883 and 783. I have an 883 and it is a wonderful rifle. However, it may be difficult to find one for $250, especially with any scope worth having (steer him away from the scopes marketed specifically for .22s, BTW. A good 4x32 scope intended for deer rifles would be good).
I would also strongly steer him away from any .22 Mag autoloader. There is a reason why it took so long for any manufacturer to produce a .22 Magnum autoloader, and it is because the cartridge is not well suited for autoloader use.
I have a friend who bought two Ruger 10/22 Magnums, and ended up returning both of them because neither could make it through a full magazine without jamming.

Back to my recommendations, though: in a new gun, about the only game in town is the NEF single-shot. It would be an excellent rifle, but if he really wants a semiauto, he probably won't settle for a single-shot. So look for a used Marlin bolt action. That will be your best bet.
If he happens to find a Winchester 9422 Magnum lever action within his price range, he should jump on it, as they are great rifles. Probably won't happen, though.

Answer 2

I am a fan of the .22 Magnum round. I own and shoot rifles of this caliber, and a semi-auto is not a good idea. As far as I know the only semi being made today is by Remington and it's going to cost twice what your friend wants to pay. My last acquisition was a Savage 93BVTS (bolt action target with laminated thumb hole stock) but it was over $400 by the time I did the paperwork. I believe the biggest bang for the buck today is the Savage 93 (with the accu-trigger) and more other suggestion would be a Marlin. Too bad he won't be talked into a 22LR because even cheap 22WMR ammunition is pretty expensive.

Answer 3

I have a Marlin .22 mag, and it's a nice little gun. It's a bolt action, though. I'm not sure what the price is, now, but I got mine about 9 years ago, and with the scope,it was less than $250.

Answer 4

Unless the Uncle is going to buy all the ammo for his nephew he is severely limiting the kids shooting. .22 Mag. ammo is not cheap and shooting a gun is more fun when you are not worried about if you can afford to shoot another shot. I still think the best gun for a youngster to start off with is a .22 LR. And they can do just about everything a .22 Mag can do within their range. Why handicap the kid.
Sarge

Answer 5

The Ruger 10/22 bolt action is the essential first rifle, there is not any greater beneficial thank you to earnings the mechanics of a rifle and this is low-value to shoot. to your intense powered rifle, i could pass with the Remington in .308 could be an surprising selection.

Answer 6

Can't beat the Marlin bolt... But why not go w/a 17hmr over the 22mag. Cost of ammo is about the same but the performance is much better.

Answer 7

Savage Brand.*

Answer 8

marlins are good but but a ruger