I'm getting my son a .22 rifle for graduation and am looking for recommendations. It's going to be a bolt action. He was looking at the Savage because they had good reviews and were the least expensive. I like the Ruger and am leaning that direction. Any recommendations on one or the other? what about another make and model to look at? I've been looking for a nice used rifle in the same price range but nice ones are hard to find.

Ruger 10-22, nothing better imo.

My wife and I each have a Ruger American rimfire. We are happy with them. Pretty accurate and reliable. Nicely blued. Smooth action and decent trigger overall. I think one of the better choices in a budget rimfire.

Savage Rascal.

×2.

...

Semis aren't legal here fellas for hunting which is why I'm guessing he wants a bolt action.

I was always partial to Marlin bolt 22's.

Sorry Hippie

I like the Marlin 925 myself.

Henry makes a darn good rifle

What does that mean? No 22 for squirrels?

I guess it means nothing bigger than 22?

Looks to me like your fine to use a .22
I don't know why you sent that wetdog?

Thanks for all the input so far. I agree that a 10-22 is a great choice but he wants a bolt action, that's why I said that in the original post. We can use semiauto for SG in PA now but that isn't the issue. I have a couple older Marlins and really like them, if I found one in good shape for a decent price, I would definitely grab it.

Maybe we're now allowed semis?

Guess I'm not up to date on the semi law. Good deal.

the 10/22 has the best mag design and the Ruger American shares mags with it a flush fit 10 round rotary

our youth program has 8 of the Rugers they run well for me

I don't care so much for how we have the scopes mounted , if it were a personal gun I would have a EGW rail mounted on it with the lowest bases I could get the scope on with and have clearance.

my son has a Savage MKII-FV it is the heavy barrel and it does shoot very nice and is lower cost. the FV is a heavy barrel and lugging it around the woods gets a little old.

if it is a hunting gun either will do the MKII-F or the Ruger American 18 inch barrel https://ruger.com/products/americanRimfire/specSheets/8305.html
with an EGW rail and a 2-7 scope would be how I would outfit it


if it were just a tap line gun to dispatch and not much longer shooting I would skip the rail and scope.

other thoughts would a 22wmr be more versatile

it depends a little on planned use

for an all around handy length gun the Ruger American 18 inch barrel is good

as for the threaded barrel , find a bird cage flash hider chances are some one has one laying around for free or near free put that on the end and it protects the muzzle crown heck they are only 10-12 dollars new then when your in and out of the truck laying the rifle across the bench seat so that the muzzle is in the foot well of the passenger side you are not messing up the crown.

my trap line gun is a marlin bolt action with peep site when it isn't a 10/22 however Marlins are not being made currently. so so as much as I like them , I can't recommend them unless you find a nice used , but like you said that isn't happening much these days

I personally like the Ruger 10-22. I received a Ruger 10-22, with a cherry stock, for my 16th birthday, 35 years ago and still use it more than all my other firearms combined.

For your son's birthday, you could take him to a range, rent the rifles he is interested in for him to try, plus some big guns that are fun to shoot and purchase the 22 he likes best.

Keith

Tikka t1x or CZ if sticking to bolt.

A bolt is a manually operated firearm...
WOW!!!

Kids and semi auto’s aren’t the best combo. Just too dang easy to forget there’s a live one ready to go after every trigger pull. Start em on bolt actions or levers. Browning bl-22 is nice compact lever, with a short stroke. Can’t go wrong with a bolt action neither. Shot many a bird and ground hog...and few holes in tin roofs with a bolt. Keep yer powder dry

I just picked up a Henry garden gun lever action. Smooth bore made to shoot bird/rat shot. But we gonna shoot carpenter bees.

Is the 10- 22 a bolt gun? Not last one I saw but been a few years. Man said bolt action.

10-22 is semi auto, compact and utterly reliable.

maybe the ruger precision rimfire will be a great choice, if not the savage b series looks like a good one too

For ultimate cool factor, Remington model 12 pump. Only downfall is everybody gonna want to shoot it.

What part of "It will be a bolt action" don't you understand ??

Check out the CZ bolt guns. Extremely accurate and alot of gun for the money !!

Doggone there's a BUNCH of knotheads here !! The man said he wanted a BOLT ACTION and 27 people say get a 10/22 !!! Unbelievable ....I think Coonman has lowered the collective IQ of this whole place !!

Has anyone mentioned the Ruger 10/22 yet? Sweet shooting gun.

What u did.... I seen it hahaha

Love my Henry .22 lever action.

Wannabe the regs said it is Legal for manual and simi auto rifles LEGAL. for manual handgun

CZ makes fine shooters with close tolerances.

Ruger 10/77 is my favorite tuff a little pricey but it will last a lifetime.

Does Ruger still make the 77-22, great bolt action 22 even if you go with a used one, otherwise I like the CZ 22 bolts

It's not a bolt but the best choice none-the-less.

he said this was a Graduation present so I guess I was thinking High school a high school grad should be good for any gun under the sun. after all not that long ago High school graduation was followed by a hair cut boot camp and a trip to SE Asia as the father of a High school grad class 2021 I am glad they have more options that a draft card.

he also said they could hunt with a semi auto but the boy asked for a bolt

I am now rethinking that it could be 8th grade or heck even 4K

all my recommendations I was thinking high school.

although would be good for 8th grade also

if it is 4K or 5K then a savage Rascal hardwood

Wouldn’t own one or take one in trade unless I had a buyer with cash money in hand. Most overrated .22 outthere and I’ve worked on a passel of them.

According to what was posted semis are most definitely legal! Since we're sticking with semi talk...I LOVE my Marlin 60 LE that I got 30 yrs ago, nail driver still!

I also thought of th 77/22, but I don't think they make them anymore.

Browning T - Bolt is something to check out.

Ruger M7722. For a bolt action this is the one I think I would get.

The Marlin bolt action is a good choice, I have one in .22 mag and like it, BUT I just bought the .22 I have always wanted and would recommend it highly, a checkered stocked Winchester 9422

Marlin 81 DL or Savage mark ll tactical are great bolt guns.

I like rifles that look good as well as hit where you aim. CZ 457 American

ruger or cz
good luck finding any rifle in stock tho

Bolt action

Thanks for all the input, I found a really nice 10/22 that I decided would be perfect for him...

It is for a HS graduation and he is well trained, I have plenty of .22s (to include a couple 10/22) for him to learn on. He just turned 18 and wanted to buy his first gun on his own so he was looking at the least expensive option but we decided to make it a graduation gift. I hadn't thought about the CZ, I'll see if I can find one around here. I was also looking on Gun Broker and saw several nice ones for decent money, I'm watching them now. Part of the problem right now is that you can't find a store with a couple on the rack to check them out and a lot of stores won't special order since they don't know if they'll come in anytime soon.

Thanks again for all the advice - now you guys have me thinking I could stand to add a couple more .22s to the safe for me.

After all that and the comments made it’s a 10/22 after that. LOL love it

Prolly a good thing you logged on Amigo

well there is probably no other 22lr with better parts availability than the 10/22

you can do so many things with them but not much that needs doing right away

if your going to mount an optic the EGW 20moa rail is a good option , a 2-7x32 vortex

right away I replace the factory sling swivels with the quick disconnect type epoxy the threads so that they don't turn later and get out the chain saw file and modify the bolt release to sling shot

I like the extended mag release however for hunting isn't needed

we make kydex cheek risers from .125 kydex to get the eye behind the scope

you will like the 10/22, it is pretty accurate and reliable. Sure to bag some game with it. Got a couple myself. One was left behind by a late friend and the other I got as a give for my birthday. Since then put an arch angel stock on my gift. Use both for ptarmigan or seal hunting.

Good choice on the 10-22 if for no other reason the Biden administration recommends it

I would have recommended the 1022, but I thought everyone already had one or two.

I give up !

I was joking about the 10/22, I found a Ruger American Rimfire that I am going to pick up tonight. If I saw the 10/22 Deluxe that GreenCountyPete showed, I'd snag that for myself in a heartbeat.

picked that up new from fleet farm on a sale April 2019

went to buy it on sale 249.99 , they were out , lady at the service counter wrote me a rain check for the sale , and said hey if you sign up for the credit card you get 20% off your first purchase

249.99 on sale and 20% =199.99 which is a heck of a deal ( when you have 20% off and your filling out one 4473 they can put more than one gun on a form so some other stuff may have been purchased also) that day I hadn't even gotten the call for the rain check but I stopped in for some batteries saw they had oen , it was the display and I said I will take it.

EGW rail 35 dollars

Vortex 2-7x32 129.99

weaver quad-lock rings 20 dollars

uncle mikes 1 1/4 inch sling swivels $10 epoxied in so they don't turn.

the cheek rest is made from some kydex a friend had in his stash , I modify the bolt hold open with a chainsaw file then buff.

GI web sling $13

extended mag release 20 dollars

total cost 427.98 + some lock tite , epoxy , and a bit of my time. you get the functionality you build

which does seem like a lot for a 22 although today the rifle lists for 379.99 at fleet farm it had listed at 321.99 back in April of 2019 the non deluxe is 279,99 today up from 259.99 so if all the other parts were the same which I know they are not it would be 607.98

Look up the Lithgow LA101. It seems to be highly thought of as a tackdriver.

for a price of 1200 it should be a tack driver

How old is the kid?

18 either recently or soon

He just turned 18 and is graduating HS.

although this thread is about over since he was headed to pick up the new Ruger American last night.

the ruger Americans bolts sometimes feel a little gritty new , I grease the outside of the bolt then cycle them a bunch , that and a brick of 22 and the smooth right out

you know now he is going to need a 308win Ruger all American Predator

If you are going to stick with bolt action - I would highly suggest the CZ model 457. My sister has a Ruger American .22 and I really don't like that trigger. CZ has a better trigger.

Went to get the Ruger American last night. First time I've handled one and it seems like a solid starter rifle for him. If he wants a nicer one in the future, he can fund it. I didn't get to bring it home since I'm an AK resident stationed in PA, my NICS always takes longer. I should get it on Saturday. Not many rifles on the shelf to try out but there was a nice Cooper that would have come home with me if it hadn't been a lefty. I have a Leupold rimfire on the safe to throw on top but need to get the base and rings.

Thanks for all the advice and conversation, I have some ideas for my next rifle.