ok, so im looking to get a .22 for some plinking, just for some fun and of course the informal competition.

anyway, im looking for opinions on what to get.

ive looked at:
-savage mkII
-cz 455 and 452
-marlin 795, 60, xt-22,
-ruger 10/22
-hell, even a few ar-22's

are there any else i should look at?
what would you recommend or how would you rate these?

i know the 10/22 isnt the most accurate out of the box but with some money, can get there (but i dont feel like putting more money into that, than what i would spend on something of good quality out of the box) and is very customize-able. and ive read that the marlin 795 and 60 are quite accurate out of the box, esp for the money that they are going for. are the cz's really worth paying that much for?

last question, bolt action vs semi auto? which one is better?

sorry for the long post and questions, just trying to be thorough

I have a CZ 452 Ultra Lux and a S&W 15-22. I cannot see myself ever parting with either one of them. They are both a joy to shoot. The CZ is irons only and the S&W has a fixed 4x Nikon Prostaff Rimfire on it. 10-22's are great too but I wanted something to mimic the controls of my AR. And I bought the 452 on a whim some years ago and am so glad I did. My friend could not believe I'd pay 450 for a rimfire (in 2005) until he shot it.  :)



I suppose my point is, get a couple. Over time of course. You can't wear them out and they can serve very different purposes/styles, as shown here. And as for bolt/auto, neither is better in this case. The CZ is VERY QUIET, even w/o a can, but it has a 28.5" barrel. I do not think you will be disappointed with either of these, nor with most, if not all, of your list.

Any of those would be fine but I think the CZ's will be hard to beat for quality and out of the box accuracy.  I own multiple 10/22's because I like to tinker with them.  I have one that will shoot with my CZ452 but I have about $700 that one, not counting the scope.  A 452 with a Mueller APV and the right ammo will do almost anything you will ever need it to.

with the increased price of 5.56 ammo, and to attract new shooters, several of the clubs around here are offering .22lr matches with a 2/3gun format...if that is the type of competition you are looking at, then an autoloader would be the choice... the targets then typically reflect the choice of rifle, and 10/22 out of the box accuracy is good enough on a 4x4" square at 50y....if you plan on shooting 3 gun, you might look at a dedicated .22lr upper for your AR... my CMMG unit equals the accuracy of my STC 10/22 at 50yards....if you choose an optic sight, a clamp on barrel tuner works very well to dial in a particular brand of ammo...

if you are looking for precision shooting, then the bolt gun out of the box wins....

Get the Savage MKII, I own a 10/22, Marlin 502 & 70, GSG-5, CMMG AR Conversion kit, Savage 64, and the MKII.  My MKII is by far my favorite, accurate and most shot .22 hands down. I will say I have never heard anything bad about the CZ's I would like to own one, one day but right now I am to hard on my guns to spend the money on something so pretty just to know I would beat it up lol.