10/22- Best most modifiable 22 ever. You might opt for a stainless version, they tend to weather what we put these duece-dueces through a little better. You cant go wrong w/ any of the 10/22s though.

 

10-22 all the way. I have them all the way from a Winchester 9422 ( my personal favorite, way past your price range ) to a Remington Nylon 66.

If I could only buy 1 today, it would be a 10-22, I have a 1964 model that shoots great.

 

My first choice would be a Marlin 60, Had one for about 15 years and who knows how many rounds, and it's still very accurate. No problems, clean it every 500-1000 rounds (that's about when it starts to jam.) The ruger 10/22 is a great choice too, my brother has one and it shoots great, it's the better choice if you want to modify it, and it has a removable mag, something I wish the marlin had, but I prefer the marlin, it just feels better in my hands. Best bet is to go to walmart or a gun shop and handle all the guns you are looking at and make a decision based on what you like. Also I would stay away from the remington 597, it was talked up real big when it came out, but my buddy has one and the rate of fire is signifcantly slower than my marlin or the 10/22, and it's super picky about what ammo it'll shoot, and remington just recalled all the 597 .17hmr's because they said they are unsafe to shoot, I don't think I'd want anything to do with that platform after that. Make your choice based off what you like, not what is cheapest though, or you'll soon regret it. Let us know what you decide on.

 

My vote is for the 10/22. Check out this site for prices near you. www.galleryofguns.com
Keith

 

Marlin here , but mine is an RCMP mountie model with their scope from 1922.
cannot get more reliable but the 10/22 is best bang for the buck- no pun intended...well, maybe a little...

'Barbie' says that my bushmaster .22 carbon 15 is a ton of fun!!! (ar-15/M16 lookalike that i got myself for Christmas)at 300 even.


heheh heidi actually.....nice that you are shooting with your son! getting to be a lost art/bond...

 

One of the nice features of the 10/22 is the removable magazine making for easy loading/unloading and capacity upgrades. That may or may not be important to you but it's something to consider.

 

ruger 10/22 and walmart has them under 200.00

 

My Dad has his Dad's .22 bolt action. I have no idea what make or model it is but I shot it a ton as a kid. Its been in a closet for 15+ years. I think I might ask him to pass it down so my son can use it. Fourth generation weapon means more to me than a new rifle.

 

Ruger 10/22. Period.

Kurt

 

I have both the Marlin and the Ruger, it would be the Ruger if I had to choose.

 

Someone else that likes those old rifles..The 22 I shot when I was growing up was around 40 years old...It was a very nice rifle...

 

I have my Dad's old bolt action Steven's with a 5 round mag. I like the small mag. as you tend to shoot each round and not just blast away.......although that can be fun.

 

This one is a single shot, no mag. Dont know who makes it but my Dad told me my grandfather bought it on his 21st birthday for $21 in 1946.

 

the ruger 10-22 is a great choice. but my personal favorite is by for the Henry lever action rifle. not quite as cheep but your great great grandchildren will be able to use it to hunt with. plus its made rite here in the USA.

 

Its a Winchester Model 67.