.22 Target Rifles

Guns Magazine, Nov, 1999 by Clair Rees

These rimfires from Marlin and Savage offer competition quality without an Olympic-sized price tag.

During my youth, I burned through a lot of rimfire ammo. The first rifle I owned was a single-shot Remington .22. Later I graduated to a Model 69 Winchester with aperture sights. Plinking and hunting were my favorite pursuits, and I practically wore these rifles out.

By the time I entered Kenyon College, I considered myself a pretty fair shot. Full of confidence, I signed up for the ROTC smallbore rifle team. I could roll a running jackrabbit at 40 yards. Shooting paper targets seemed like a cinch.

I thought my peep-sighted Winchester was the last word in accuracy until the instructor handed me a bull-barreled bolt rifle with a heavy, hand-filling stock. The rifle wore a micro-adjustable receiver sight, along with a globe front sight sporting interchangeable post and aperture inserts. The globe sight was new to me -- I didn't know aiming equipment this sophisticated even existed. The trigger was unbelievably crisp and clean, putting my old Model 69 to shame.

I was issued a restrictive, thick canvas jacket with leather shoulder and elbow pads. There was also a left-hand, heavy suede-leather glove with exposed fingertips. For the first time, I learned the proper use of a rifle sling.

It wasn't a carrying strap, but a surprisingly effective accessory to help steady my rifle on target. The sling felt awkward at first, but I quickly overcame my reluctance to strapping myself tightly into prone, sitting, kneeling or standing positions. After more than a decade of hunting and plinking, my shooting education was about to begin.

Getting Off On The Right Foot

Most young marksmen today begin as I did -- shooting lightweight plinking rifles. That's a great way to get started, but it's difficult to develop hard-edged skills with such equipment. To learn serious marksmanship, you need a serious rifle.

These days everyone wants a fast-firing autoloader, lever rifle or a fancy sporter. Specialized target .22s have become increasingly scarce. Anschutz offers a stellar lineup, but most match-grade Anschutz rimfires are beyond the financial reach of young shooters.

Fortunately, two American gunmakers offer a pair of very affordable target rifles complete with most of the trimmings. Savage's Model 900TR lists at $415, while Marlin's Model 2000L sells for $656 -- not cheap, but bargains compared to the European competition.

How much target rifle does that kind of money buy? To find out, I acquired a set of these guns for myself.

Savage Shooter

The Savage Model 900TR Target Rifle wears a 25" stepped-down barrel that measures 3/4" across at the muzzle. The forward part of the barrel is free-floating, while the rearmost 5 1/2" are solidly bedded to the stock.

The stock itself is of uncheckered, walnut-finished hardwood. The deep, heavy forend is flattened at the bottom, with an aluminum rail inlet in the underside. This rail serves as a track for the adjustable hand stop and forward sling swivel.

Behind the rail, the stock is recessed to accommodate a removable five-round magazine. The hand-filling grip features a Wundhammer swell and is relieved at the rear to fit the shooter's palm. This stock is not ambidextrous, but a southpaw version is available for the same reasonable price.

Aiming equipment consists of a Lyman Model 90 MJT receiver sight with 1/4-minute click adjustments for windage and elevation. This is paired with a tubular globe-style front sight with seven interchangeable aperture discs.

While the front sight is sturdily constructed, I later found it fit loosely in its dovetail -- moving sideways under only slight finger pressure. A shim or dab of Loc-tite would solve the problem, but this is something Savage's quality control people should have caught.

Terrific .22s

The Model 2000L Marlin features a 22" bull barrel that floats freely in its channel. It is mated to an attractive black-and-gray laminated birch stock that is fully ambidextrous (the action isn't). The forend is both deeper and wider than the Savage's, and sports a full-length guide rail and adjustable stop and swivel sling. The rail also accepts other shooter accessories.

I found the Marlin's comparatively slender grip better suited to a young shooter's hand. Too, the Model 2000L sports a 11 3/4" length of pull (compared to the Savage's more conventional 13 3/8" length). If that sounds overly abbreviated, bear in mind the buttplate is quickly and easily adjustable for height, angle and length of pull. This outstanding feature allows you to tailor fit the rifle to any shooter's frame.

Another feature I like is the oversized bolt knob, which measures a full inch in diameter. The bolt handle is longer than average to provide better leverage, facilitating rapid operation. This is something you may not need on a single-shot target rifle like the Model 2000L. It's more useful for the kind of rapid repeat firing with which Biathlon shooters contend.

Not coincidentally, a Summer Biathlon Kit is available to convert the Model 2000L one-shooter into a clip-fed repeater. The kit consists of a removable five-shot magazine, a magazine release button and a new slide rail featuring a magazine well. The kit is easily installed with the help of the provided rail wrench.