Best 22 bolt action hunting rifle ever made?

[Rapier]

What do you think is the very best bolt action 22 sporting / hunting rifle ever made and why?

Two guns come to my mind right off, the Winchester 75 Sporter and the 500 Remingtons (510, 511, 512 and 541). The 75 Sporter is just a very fine sporting gun as a companion for the 70 Win. The 500 Remington guns as listed are just well made and very accurate for what they are. I shot a 512 in Small Bore Silhouette for years and only had trouble with just one fellow, a friend of mine. He always showed up with his 541 and we would end up in a shoot off, about 90% of the time, with all of the high dollar target guns watching.
Best,
Ed

[shooterjon]

+1 For the Remington 541-s,it's been my bunny and squirrel gun for many years .Dead accurate and dependable,has always been extreamly accurate with about any brand of ammo you feed it.

[dovehunter]

Wow this is like asking what is better blonds or brunettes, Fords or Chevrolets, etc. - it is going to be so subjective. Oh well, with that having been said, I will cast my vote for the Anshutz. I don't remember the model number of the one I am thinking about but, at the time, it was being imported by Savage and sold as a Savage-Anshutz. I had a chance to buy one in virtually out-of-the-box condition for $75 and didn't do it. A deal like that comes along once in a lifetime.

[Pre-64]

Dovehunter, You took the words right out of my mouth. That Anshultz was the first thing that came to mind. other than that, CZ is putting out a darn good rimfire these days.

[dovehunter]

Originally Posted by dovehunter

Wow this is like asking what is better blonds or brunettes, Fords or Chevrolets, etc. - it is going to be so subjective. Oh well, with that having been said, I will cast my vote for the Anshutz. I don't remember the model number of the one I am thinking about but, at the time, it was being imported by Savage and sold as a Savage-Anshutz. I had a chance to buy one in virtually out-of-the-box condition for $75 and didn't do it. A deal like that comes along once in a lifetime.

I clean forgot to mention my own most accurate .22. It's a Mauser that my father-in-law liberated from the Germans. It's a single-shot sporter with about a 26" heavy (and I do mean heavy) barrel. The bluing was perfect and I refinished the stock (looked to be European light-colored walnut) since it had a few dings in it. Once I got it finished and mounted a 4X scope on it, it would shoot 5-shot ragged one-hole groups at 50-yds. It is one heck of a squirrel gun but I swear it must weigh more than a 98K. It is probably the most accurate gun I own - rimfire or centerfire.

[Gil Martin]

The Remington Models 581 and 582 are terrific rifles. All the best...
Gil

[George Foster]

Gil,

I fully agree with you. I have two 581's and they are very accurate and I wish they still produced them.

[fortune]

Originally Posted by dovehunter

Wow this is like asking what is better blonds or brunettes, Fords or Chevrolets, etc. - it is going to be so subjective.

Best 22 bolt action hunting rifle ever made?
In regard to what?
Accuracy?
Construction?
Reliability?
Balance?
Wood?
Quality of materials?
Appearance of weapon?
There isn't a best anything. The variables are so great that no one thing will be everything to everyone all the time.
And that doesn’t take variables of ammunition into account.
I have an Anschutz target rifle that shoots one hole groups using Eley Club but cant hit a barn door with Remington.
I’ve seen an old Russian Vostok that had a stock like a floor board that had a barrel on it that would not have been out of place accuracy wise in an Olympic final.
There is no such thing as best ever made.
There’s a lot of very good ones though.

[270man]

fortune,

Right on with your post! Wish we could all burn these comments into our brains once and for all. I compete in SB silhouette and am often asked what is the best rifle. I usually tell them to pick any decent rifle, experiment with different ammo and put a good scope on it. We see good scores from competitors using Ruger 10/22s, Savage MKIVs, Rem 581s, Rem 541-S/Ts, CZ452s and of course various Anschutz models. Target or hunting. It is all the same.

The same goes for centerfire hunting rifles. Gun writers tend to spin stories about their successful hunts and often imply that only certain brand of rifle in a certain caliber would have worked for their particular quarry. Makes me so ill that I go back to reading Jack O'Connor's stories.

270man

[Jack]

I agree- awfully tough to pick one.
I'd throw the Winchester 52, and the Kimber into the mix.

[DON WALKUP]

i'd have to go with the 510...i've had one quite a while and it's close to the 'tack driver' category out to about 60-65 yds.

and yes CZ, too...

as part of my RF battery i have: win 69A, rem 510 and CZ 452 varmint.

the CZ is the most accurate of the lot though.

[dovehunter]

I have been drooling over those CZ .22 bolt-actions every time I go to the gunshop now for a couple of years. I may have to break down and buy one. Maybe they would qualify as a poor man's Anshutz!

I have a pre-war Mauser .22 single-shot bolt-action sporter. It's made like a mini '98 Mauser. It's got a 26" heavy barrel and probably weighs about 8 lbs. It is a beauty and, if I do my part, is capable of ragged one-hole groups at 50 yds. It is certainly the most accurate .22 I own and is probably the most accurate I have shot.

[dovehunter]

Originally Posted by dovehunter

I have been drooling over those CZ .22 bolt-actions every time I go to the gunshop now for a couple of years. I may have to break down and buy one. Maybe they would qualify as a poor man's Anshutz!

I have a pre-war Mauser .22 single-shot bolt-action sporter. It's made like a mini '98 Mauser. It's got a 26" heavy barrel and probably weighs about 8 lbs. It is a beauty and, if I do my part, is capable of ragged one-hole groups at 50 yds. It is certainly the most accurate .22 I own and is probably the most accurate I have shot.

This is the way of a postscript. I finally got a CZ - the ULTRA LUX. My son gave it to me for Christmas last year. It shoots as good as the above mentioned Mauser, and maybe a wee bit better. It is certainly as accurate as any .22 rifle I've ever shot and more so than most. Though I've never owned (shame on me) or shot the ANCHUTZ, I'd still love to have one.

[popplecop]

I have to cast a vote for the lowly Rem. Mod. 510 too. I received mine when I was 8 yrs old and that was 62 years ago. Still have it and shoot it ocassionally. Two most accurate .22 bolts I have now are a CZ 452FS and a rebarreled Ruger 77/22. Another very accurate one I sold was a Springfield 03/22A. Should be kicked for that one.

[Brithunter]

Hmmm for me it's a bit of a toss up between:-

BSA Supersport Five

Brno Model 2 (I prefer the tangent sight over the model 1's stand and leaf)

Mannlicher Zepher

I have two of the three there are others that come close as Walther made a fine .22 sporter as did Mauser. I must admit I did like a Remington that a fellow club member had but cannot tell you the model number. I was not so struck by the Rem 513 that our club secretary had. Not have the chance to try the winchester .22 L/R's.