By Guy Sagi

Put some thought into picking your first .22 rifle and the fun and excitement could last for years.

It had a place of honor—second from the top to be exact—on my family’s gun rack. There were six rifles in all and two shotguns. An antique break-open single-shot occupied the highest rung, but the weather-beaten .22 was directly below.

At age five, maybe six, I already recognized it was something special. It didn’t look nearly as big as most of the other firearms, but its rugged finish told the story of hundreds of rabbits and squirrels that had fallen to its accuracy.

I still have that rifle today. Even though the barrel carries a couple scars from rust, that Remington Targetmaster shoots every bit as good as the day it came off the assembly line—more than 50 years ago. I learned to shoot on it, and so did my kids. Someday that single-shot .22 Long Rifle will be theirs. Today’s .22 rifles are made better than ever. The metal is more rust resistant and the products to protect firearms have improved dramatically. There are a lot of models to choose from, but make the right decision, take care of it, and your first .22 rifle can last much longer than 50 years.

SINGLE-SHOT

Savage Cub

Savage’s Cub G Youth shoots .22 Long Rifle cartridges. With an overall length of 39.5 inches, it’s perfect for a young shooter, and the fact that it has a wood stock means with a little care it will be a prized possession for years to come. Best of all, it shoots great. With a single-shot bolt action it’s easier for mom or dad to know you’re adhering to all the safety rules, and the two-position safety is easy to understand and engage.

Barracuda Chipmunk

Rogue Rifle has been producing quality .22s for years, and the Barracuda Chipmunk not only has a modern look, it still features the company’s limited-lifetime warranty. This rifle has a thumbhole stock, comfortable pistol grip and floating barrel to ensure its accuracy is every bit as breathtaking as its style.

BOLT ACTION

Charles Daly Superior II

This bolt action is available in .22 Long Rifle chambering, and holds five cartridges in a drop-down magazine. It’s drilled and tapped for scope mounting, has a walnut stock and features a 22-inch barrel.

PUMP-ACTION

Taurus Model 62 UpStart

The Model 62 UpStart, from Taurus, comes with both a youth-sized and an adult-sized stock. Swapping them out is easy, so as you grow you can continue to comfortably use this pump-action rifle. Twelve rounds of .22 Long Rifle ammunition can be stored in the rifle. The action requires the shooter to pump in a fresh round between shots, but it’s one of the most reliable systems available today, particularly in poor weather. It comes with adjustable sights, a manual safety and wood stocks.

LEVER-ACTION

Henry Golden Boy

Henry’s Golden Boy Deluxe Engraved has a lever-action’s classic looks, but modern-day manufacturing that ensures it will last for generations. Available in .22 Long Rifle, it features American walnut on the stock and fore-end and unusual engraving that will most likely elevate it to the top of every family’s gun rack.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC

Taurus Model 63

Taurus’ Model 63 can hold 10 cartridges in a brass tube, and every time you pull the trigger a bullet is sent downrange. This semi-automatic blowback design shoots .22 Long Rifle cartridges and is designed after a very popular Winchester that quit being manufactured in 1958—so someone in your family may have a very similar-looking rifle hanging on their wall. It comes in either a blued version or stainless and optional tang-mounted peep sights are also available.

Ruger 10/22 Compact

It was 1964 when Ruger first produced its 10/22. It was an unusual design at the time, and the .22 Long Rifle market hasn’t been the same since. The 10/22 Compact model is an all-new version of the world’s most popular .22 autoloading rifle. It features a 161⁄2-inch blued steel barrel, a correctly proportioned wood stock with a 121⁄2-inch length of pull and flat buttplate, and easy-to-see fiber optic adjustable sights. Like all Ruger 10/22 rifles, it also comes with a unique scope base that accepts both Weaver-style and “tip off” scope mounts, allowing easy mounting of a wide variety of scopes, “red dot,” and other optical sights.

Caption1: The author’s Targetmaster may be more than 50 years old, and been used regularly for squirrels and rabbits, but it still shoots just as good as it did the day it came out of the factory.

SOURCE BOX

Charles Daly
Dept. IS
P.O. Box 6625
Harrisburg, PA 17112
(866) 325-9486
www.charlesdaly.com

Henry Repeating Arms
Dept. IS
110 8th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 499-5600
www.henryrepeating.com

Rogue Rifle
Dept. IS
1140 36th Street N, Suite B
Lewiston, ID 83501
(877) 743-4355
www.roguerifle.com

Savage
Dept. IS
100 Springdale Road
Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 568-7001
www.savagearms.com

Sturm, Ruger & Co.
Dept. IS
200 Ruger Road
Prescott, AZ 86301
(928) 778-6555
www.ruger-firearms.com

Taurus International Firearms
Dept. IS
16175 NW 49th Avenue
Miami, FL 33014
(800) 327-3776
www.taurususa.com