Im looking into replacing old Mossberg .22 with something thats not a 3rd generation passdown and magazine fed. So it comes to two options Im looking at. Either a Savage Stevens 300 or a Marlin 795. I dont own a semi-auto .22 so that would be fun. Also I have tested a few Stevens 300's and they are top notch .22's. So if anyone has experience with either of these rifles put in your 2 cents Id love to hear what you thought. Please nobody say buy a 10/22. Great gun but more than Im willing to spend for a plinker.
Savage vs Marlin .22
- Thread starter yaris0128
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You said not to say what I'd recommend! Seriously, it's the most popular .22 in the country for a reason. If you think a semi-auto .22 is fun; it's even MORE fun with a 30 round magazine! They are cheap and plentiful for the rifle which shall not be mentioned. How cheap are the guns you are talking about? Thought about maybe finding a good used gun? Every now and then I see nice examples of what you said not to say trade hands for around a bill and a half, more if they are customized, of course.
Whatever you decide, make sure to post pics when you bring it home!
Whatever you decide, make sure to post pics when you bring it home!
10/22...and I read your post.
They are both $150. I just bought a Bulgarian Makarov yesterday for $230 and the 10/22 at the same store was $250. No thanks. I can get 2 Mosin Nagants or a good pistol for the price of that 1 10/22. Just want a good performing .22 and I know that either of these two budget rifles will do the job. Id go with the Savage in a heartbeat but Im not sure if Id rather have the semi-auto Marlin over it since its the same price.
10/22 are the most popular and therfore they are also easy to find used. I bought a nice one for $100 at a Estate sale. They litterally last forever and parts are cheap as well as accesories to make it look like a MG42 to a laser rifle from Buck Rogers. really a only ever wore one .22 out and it was this cheap Bingham Squires, it just plain wore out, after a bazillion rounds. Any Semi auto .22 is going to perform flawless. I have a Marlin, its a nice gun, no jams. I just cant get all the cool goodies for it. Believe me, I am no Ruger fan, but they did make a good .22 rifle homerun.
Go to another store.
Originally Posted By: musicmanbass
Go to another store.
Did. The other store wanted $230.
Go to another store.
Did. The other store wanted $230.
Get a used one.
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
Get a used one.
Will everyone stop saying the 10/22. I dont want a 10/22. There are not very many for sale in my area and new price is too much for my taste. Someone please say something about the mentioned rifles or something else thats not a 10/22.
Get a used one.
Will everyone stop saying the 10/22. I dont want a 10/22. There are not very many for sale in my area and new price is too much for my taste. Someone please say something about the mentioned rifles or something else thats not a 10/22.
Long version:
I have no experience with the Savage/Stevens 300, but I once owned a great-grandfather of the Marlin 795- except mine was fed via a tubular magazine instead of the box mag.
Way back then(~1967), Marlin made 2 "carbine" versions of their .22 auto rifle. Both had an 18" barrel, walnut cover atop the bbl & forend, square-topped post front sight, and a square-notched self-contained rear sight that was simply tightened onto the integral dovetail in the top of the rcvr. One was "clip" fed, the other had a tube mag that came out just past the forend. To load its 10-shot short-tube capacity(LR only), you had to pull the mag follower all the way out. I believe the model # for one- or maybe both versions- was the 989.
I traded it after a year or so, but only because of the sights. For a .22 rifle I much preferred a small round bead.
It was very reliable, don't think it ever jammed & I surely shot 3 or 4 bricks through it in the year I owned it.
Short version:
Of the two rifles you named, I'd buy the Marlin 795. That basic action has been used for over 40 years. Get a spare magazine or two & you're good to go.(One drawback to the detachable box magazine, aka "clip", is that they sometimes detach themselves unnoticed & you're left with a single shot. In fairness, this can also happen with a follower from a tubular magazine too)
I found this too: Marlin has a $25 rebate on blue-steel 795's bought throughout most of 2011.
Here's a link:
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Rebates/rebates_spring2011.asp
Last thought- even if there was no rebate, I'd *still* buy the Marlin. As always, your decision may vary.
I have no experience with the Savage/Stevens 300, but I once owned a great-grandfather of the Marlin 795- except mine was fed via a tubular magazine instead of the box mag.
I traded it after a year or so, but only because of the sights. For a .22 rifle I much preferred a small round bead.
It was very reliable, don't think it ever jammed & I surely shot 3 or 4 bricks through it in the year I owned it.
Short version:
Of the two rifles you named, I'd buy the Marlin 795. That basic action has been used for over 40 years. Get a spare magazine or two & you're good to go.(One drawback to the detachable box magazine, aka "clip", is that they sometimes detach themselves unnoticed & you're left with a single shot. In fairness, this can also happen with a follower from a tubular magazine too)
I found this too: Marlin has a $25 rebate on blue-steel 795's bought throughout most of 2011.
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Rebates/rebates_spring2011.asp
Last thought- even if there was no rebate, I'd *still* buy the Marlin. As always, your decision may vary.
You didn't mention it, but another possibility for a low-cost .22 auto is the Mossberg 702. Similar features & price to the Marlin, many variations shown on the Mossberg website.
(I'd probably still buy the Marlin though.
)
(I'd probably still buy the Marlin though.
Originally Posted By: yaris0128
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
Get a used one.
Will everyone stop saying the 10/22. I dont want a 10/22. There are not very many for sale in my area and new price is too much for my taste. Someone please say something about the mentioned rifles or something else thats not a 10/22.
Sorry dude. You've basically asked us to "recommend" from the bottom of the barrel. That's a hard thing to do. Like asking an M1, Pennzoil Platinum / Pennzoil Ultra, or GC user to "recommend" a cheap gas station oil.
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
Get a used one.
Will everyone stop saying the 10/22. I dont want a 10/22. There are not very many for sale in my area and new price is too much for my taste. Someone please say something about the mentioned rifles or something else thats not a 10/22.
Sorry dude. You've basically asked us to "recommend" from the bottom of the barrel. That's a hard thing to do. Like asking an M1, Pennzoil Platinum / Pennzoil Ultra, or GC user to "recommend" a cheap gas station oil.
Went to walmart and I saw the Mossberg plinkster and at $107 I couldnt pass it up. Glad I got something cheaper since I just want to beat the [censored] out of it anyway.
" Went to walmart and I saw the Mossberg plinkster and at $107 I couldnt pass it up "
Congrats on your new Mossberg!
For $107, if I was in the market for fun low cost .22, couldn't have passed that up myself. No rebate to mess with either. Do a little googling, you'll see lotsa folks *love* their little Mossberg 702 Plinksters. I think spare magazines are cheaper too. The one thing I'd recommend, with *any* new .22 auto(yes, even a Ruger
), is to go out & shoot several boxes or a brick of ammo to be sure it works OK. If it does, Great! If not, take it back & swap it.
FWIW; I own a Ruger 10/22, stainless with gray laminated stock, plus some extra goodies for it. The detachable rotary mag is neat, but as an out of the box gun I think they're over-rated. Stock feels clunky & unnatural to me. Of course, if you want a basis to build your own multi-$100 uber-plinker, or just want to alter the looks, they are *the* way to go.
(If anyone in the NE Tx area wants to talk me out of my 10/22, less than 1000 rounds fired, with several unused 30-round mags, coupla 10-round spares, & a folding stock to go with it, send me a PM. I think I still have the factory box too.)
For $107, if I was in the market for fun low cost .22, couldn't have passed that up myself. No rebate to mess with either. Do a little googling, you'll see lotsa folks *love* their little Mossberg 702 Plinksters. I think spare magazines are cheaper too. The one thing I'd recommend, with *any* new .22 auto(yes, even a Ruger
FWIW; I own a Ruger 10/22, stainless with gray laminated stock, plus some extra goodies for it. The detachable rotary mag is neat, but as an out of the box gun I think they're over-rated. Stock feels clunky & unnatural to me. Of course, if you want a basis to build your own multi-$100 uber-plinker, or just want to alter the looks, they are *the* way to go.
(If anyone in the NE Tx area wants to talk me out of my 10/22, less than 1000 rounds fired, with several unused 30-round mags, coupla 10-round spares, & a folding stock to go with it, send me a PM. I think I still have the factory box too.)
Thanks and thank you for recommending the Mossberg. Ill take it out on Thursday and see how she does against my well worn Mossberg bolt action(does not have a name on it).
Has anyone shot those little baby Cricket .22's? I saw them next to my Mossberg and I thought it was the most hilarious thing. I would love to see the reaction from taking a pink Cricket .22 to the range. But please tell me someone here has fired a Cricket!!!
I feel your pain on trying to get an opinion on 22's OTHER than a 10-22. Its like people refuse to accept that there are any other options. I have a 10/22 and actually prefer my old tube fed mossbergs. Out of the two on your list I'd pick the savage. My cousin has one and I've shot it a good bit. It groups great and functions fine with a variety of ammo. Downside is the clip is kind of hard to load. Why are you against tube fed guns? From now on that's the only kind of .22 I am going to own. I don't have any experience with the Marlin 795, but the model 60 is a fantastic .22 and would be what I would get if I was in the market for a new rimfire.
Yea, the 10-22 that I owned(for a very short time) was an inaccurate pile. My grandfather's totally worn out Winchester pump that would no longer feed shells and you had to hold the forearm forward to get it to hit the primer would shoot circles around it.
Ed
Ed
Took out that Mossberg 702 today. Pretty sweet, very happy with it. No jams no problems. I had a lot of rounds that didnt fire, but it was happening with my Mossberg Model 45 as well. Those Remington .22 bricks suck. So fun to just burn threw magazines with it. I just wish and its crazy that there isnt one but a high capacity magazine for these 702's wouldnt hurt.
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I only reason I was so hooked on the 10/22 was the HIGH CAPACITY mags, that you now long for. Thats what is so nice about them, so many aftermarket goodies. As far as stock form being such a better gun, I dont think they are better than the rest. Almost any .22 semi auto is going to perform flawless, like you said, you will have more trouble with the ammo then the rifle. They all are pretty good now. I went through alot of guns and I had one Stevens that constantly jammed and it was used when I got it, so what is to say it didnt have some home gunsmithing done to it.
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