I'm in search of a good small varmit gun that meets the following criteria.

1.bolt action (can't hunt with a semi in PA)

2.under$450

3.must hold about a .75" group at 50 yards

4.should be easy to takedown and clean

5.prefer a woodstock, but will settle for syn.

6.should accept a scope (no sights needed)

7.can be a box or tube magazine

Thanks for you help and opinions.

_____________________
Domari Nolo

OK, I'll bite first.
My choice would be a Ruger 77/22.  Since it comes with great rings, spend that money on a premium trigger.  Mine will easily shoot that well with four or five selected loads.

The original plan was to get a Ruger 77/22 but I started to hear some people say that with the Rugers it is hit or miss. You either get a good one that shoots or you don't.  I already have a Charles daily field grade stainless that will not shoot less then a 3" group @ 50 yards and don't want to go down the road of another bad .22. Thanks, the Ruger is still on my list.

I really like my Marlin 39A.  It's not a bolt action, but it will shoot shorts, longs, and LR interchangeably.  With a little ammo experimentation, it shoot groups with all holes touching at 50 yards.

I bought a Ruger K77/22VBZ about 6 months ago an I love it.  It is a .22LR bolt action with a 10 round box magazine.  With a Nikon Buckmaster 3x9 scope I can consistently shoot 1" groups at 100yards.  I hope this helps.

-JoeyD

CZ 452

Any Marlin will out-shoot any Ruger with both being stock out of the box. I own three Marlins including my very first gun bought in 1974. If you want a 22LR bolt, check out the Marlin 88SQ. It'll sell for around $200 or so, usually a bit less.

I have a Marlin 39A that's like a million years old and I can still shoot the branches off of bushes with it. It's an extremely reliable and accurate firearm. I HIGHLY recommend it.

I'll have to place another vote for the 77/22.

I have the laminated wood stock/heavy barrel version and it does sub-half inch groups at 50 yards.

BTW, it has a 10 round removable rotary magazine.

Quoted: CZ 452

Yep, won't find a better .22 rifle for the money. They come in a few different versions, including a heavy barrel model.

Anyone have any luck with the Savage rifles? They have a heavy barrel lam. stock for around $250 with a 10rd drop out mag. Looks nice, just wonder how they run. Thanks for all the input.

If you buy a Ruger, buy used.  Dont give any money to the company that brought us the hicap round magazine ban--Savage or Marlin will do what you need to do, anyway, so buy one of their rifles, then send a letter to Ruger telling them why.

CMP Mossberg M44.

Quoted: CMP Mossberg M44.

I don't the M44 is drilled and tapped or has a dovetail to accept a scope. Good value though.

I'll throw in a vote for the 39A. It is my squirrel/utility/garden gun. Excellent utility as mentioned before with it being able to shoot and feed almost any load. Mine shoots minute of squirrel and has never let me down.

I have to agree with you guys who like the Marlins. Marlin puts EXCELLENT barrels on their guns. I have a Marlin 788 22magnum which has a very crappy trigger but shoots tight groups. My gunsmith helped the trigger problem some but did not totally cure it. For a cheap gun it will shoot pretty well. My dad has a Ruger 77/22magnum which shoots excellent. I am looking for a good 22 or 22mag NON-semi auto myself as I can't take my 10/22 to PA to hunt. I got to shoot a gun about two weeks ago that is now on the top of my list. It is a Browning A-Bolt 22. It groups excellent and like most Brownings it is well made. They haven't been made for about 10 years but if you can find one they go for about $300-$350.They were also made in 22magnum. I am looking for a nice one to add to my collection if anyone here knows of any for sale (22 or 22mag). If I don't come up with one in the next couple of months I will probably buy a Ruger 77/22 or if I can scrape up the money I like the Marlin 1897T lever gun(about $450). I like the looks of it and I know someone who has one and it shoots pretty tight groups like most Marlins do. I think the top of the receiver is grooved for a scope mount on this one. Does anyone know how much the CZ 452 costs? I have never had my hands on one but with their reputation it should be a pretty good gun. I'm rambling so I better quit and hit the sack - 5:30am comes WAY too early.
Finnbear out

Quoted: Anyone have any luck with the Savage rifles? They have a heavy barrel lam. stock for around $250 with a 10rd drop out mag. Looks nice, just wonder how they run. Thanks for all the input.

I've got a MK2. It's pretty good but I don't like the trigger that much. The action is really nice and it'll shoot 1/2" groups at 75yds.