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.22 bolt action rimfire rifles review

Official review in Australian Shooter August 2001

Five of these rifles were chambered in the popular .22 long rifle rimfire, while one was in the more powerful .22 Magnum rimfire calibre.
As in past rifle reviews, the accuracy testing was undertaken benchrest style. The rifles were shot from rests, with the targets at a distance of 50 metres. Various scopes were used and in fact interchanged between rifles during the day, however, all rifles are depicted ‘bare’.
We selected three types of readily available rimfire ammo for the conventional chamberings and four types for the magnum. In rifles that shot particularly well, some ‘match grade’ ammo was tried in an attempt to wring out all of the accuracy potential.
Certain aspects of this test require some clarification. Firstly, when testing brand-new rifles, it must be appreciated that everything is stiff and, in the case of triggers, set somewhat heavier than the average shooter would prefer. Secondly, barrels need to be thoroughly cleaned of any factory rust preventer and then run in (yes, even with rimfires) and this we did during the sighting-in period. Thirdly, before firing any new firearms, check them over.

Two of the rifles supplied were very loose in the stock, and one required three complete turns of the main takedown screw to bed the rifle in. While this may seem unacceptable to some, one would expect that any good gun shop would perform this service before releasing a firearm to a buyer. No attempts were made to correct any bedding faults.
It should also be pointed out that the rifles tested ranged in price from just less than $200 to just less than $1000 dollars. This was taken into consideration when the reviewers chose their ‘best all-around value for money’ winner.
The accuracy section of the test represents 20 per cent of the overall point score. Unfortunately, the test day was wet, windy and cold and although the reviewers were all experienced target shooters, some groups were no doubt affected by the conditions.

The range
SSAA Monarto State range, South Australia

Scoring procedure
Rifles were scored out of a possible 20 points, which was broken down into the following:
A maximum of five points for all-around accuracy
A maximum of three points awarded for:
• price/value
• design
• weight/handling
• maintenance (cleaning/assembly/disassembly)
• loading

The review team
Brendan Atkinson
Review Chairman: Brendan Atkinson - Technical advisor to the Australian Shooter magazine and national benchrest champion in 1990, 1991, 1999 and 2001.
Garry Wood
Garry Wood - Currently, benchrest captain at Para Range in Adelaide. An accomplished metallic silhouette shooter, Garry has competed successfully at the state level and has been the state rimfire champion for A grade in this discipline on several occasions.
Stuart Tapp
Stuart Tapp - An SSAA member for many years, Stuart is an active competitor at the Adelaide Target Shooters Club and has considerable experience in hunting with both rimfire and centrefire rifles. He owns and uses a number of quality firearms.

Stirling Model 1500 Magnum
Stirling Model 1500 Magnum
Supplied by: Highland Sports Pty Ltd
Calibre: .22 Magnum
Weight: 6lb 13oz
Magazine capacity: 5 shots
Stock: Wood
Sights: Open sights supplied, grooved for scope mounts
Safety: Locks trigger
Score: 16
Although this rifle has a ‘plain Jane’ look about it, you get what you pay for and the accuracy potential was its saving grace. The 1500 Magnum performed best on Federal 50-grain HPs, which would have permitted headshots on rabbits out to about 70 yards (63.9m) in the hands of a skilled marksman. The Federal Premium ammo shot particularly well in this rifle. Shooters using the jacketed ammo would be wise to clean the barrel every 20 or so shots to prevent a fouling build up. Ammo is about three times as dear as ordinary .22 rimfire. A heavy, but crisp trigger was fitted to this rifle. We used a 6x scope, which is about maximum practical power for a hunting rimfire.

Ruger 77/22 Stainless All-Weather
Ruger 77/22 Stainless All-Weather
Supplied by: Highland Sports Pty Ltd
Calibre: .22 LR RF
Weight: 5lb 10oz
Magazine capacity: 10 shots
Stock: Black synthetic
Sights: Open sights, plus integral scope mount bases on receiver
Safety: Three positions - can lock trigger and bolt or just trigger
Score: 17.5
This is a nice rifle with several user-friendly features and is priced accordingly. The three-way safety is a good idea, as is the integral scopes mount bases. The 77/22 shot well with most ammo and produced a couple of excellent groups with the CCI Standard Velocity. Power Point also shot well in this outfit. One of the reviewers did not like the ten-shot rotary magazine, which is standard on most Rugers, saying that it was fiddly to load. Certainly for spotlighting at night it would probably pay to have two or three of these loaded before starting. In fitting a scope to the rifle, we could not remove the rear sight on the barrel and therefore had difficulty in finding a scope with a small front housing to clear the metal. We eventually fitted an old model Weaver 2.5x7, which only just cleared the bolt handle at the rear. This may have been an isolated case, as these sights usually come off using a brass drift to shift them.

Marlin M880 SS
Marlin M880 SS
Supplied by: Nioa Trading
Calibre: .22 LR RF
Weight: 6lb
Magazine capacity: 7 shots
Stock: Black fibreglass filled synthetic
Sights: Open sights fitted, grooved for scope mounts
Safety: Locks trigger
Score: 17 Best Value For Money
“Accurate and light,” said one reviewer. Another felt it would make an excellent ‘carry around’ rifle. It certainly shot well off the bench using a 6x scope and showed a distinct preference for the Winchester Power Point ammo. Unusual features for this rifle include a micro-groove barrel and a seven-shot magazine. A very comprehensive owner’s manual is included with this unit.
One reviewer remarked that he wouldn’t mind having this rifle in his gun safe at home. All three reviewers liked it and eventually agreed that this rifle gave the best value for money - all things considered.

Sako P94 S HB
Sako P94 S HB
Supplied by: Beretta
Calibre: .22 LR RF
Weight: 7lb 14oz
Magazine capacity: 5 shots
Stock: Wood
Sights: Receiver milled for scope mounts
Safety: Locks both trigger and bolt
Score: 19 Highest Scoring Rifle
This rifle uses the same action as the sporter version, but the stock is a heavy wooden target type with a wide fore-end. The barrel is a heavy target type with no sights fitted. All reviewers liked this rifle and it performed flawlessly throughout the test. Some quite remarkable groups were shot and this rifle would not be too far off the pace in the custom class benchrest matches now shot.
Interestingly enough, some of the over-the-counter ammo shot nearly as well as the outright match grade rounds that we had brought along for comparison. A competition type rifle deserves a good scope and the 12x Leupold from Brendan Atkinson’s sporter class benchrest rifle was fitted.

Sako P94 S
Sako P94 S
Supplied by: Beretta
Calibre: .22 LR RF
Weight: 5lb 13oz
Magazine capacity: 5 shots
Stock: Wood
Sights: Open sights supplied, milled rib for scope mounts
Safety: Locks bolt and trigger
Score: 18.5
This is a very classy rifle, with a price to match. Sako has a reputation for quality and we could not fault the workmanship on this example. The hand-cut chequering on the stock is flawless.
We fitted a Meopta Artemis 2000 4x32 scope to the Sako and proceeded to shoot excellent groups. This rifle really performed with the CCI Standard Velocity and shot numerous groups less than half an inch at 50 metres. With a bit of fiddling to the bedding and some ‘match’ ammo, this rifle would be right at home in a field rifle competition.

Remington 541-T 5-Shot
Remington 541-T 5-Shot
Supplied by: Raytrade
Calibre: .22 LR RF
Weight: 5lb 12oz
Magazine capacity: 5 shots
Stock: Wood
Sights: None supplied, receiver drilled and tapped for mounts
Safety: Locks trigger
Score: 18
Two of the reviewers already own the 541-S model and were keen to see how this one would perform. As expected, the bolt was very stiff to use, as the Remington multiple lug system takes a while to run in. The bolt is difficult to extract and replace and requires a bit of patience. Also, the cheap looking plastic magazine seemed out of place on a quality rifle such as this. The trigger was particularly heavy, but we know that this can be adjusted down to a more manageable weight. The rifle shot well and produced good groups with most brands of ammo. Power Point and CCI produced a couple of very good groups. Garry Wood said he would happily have gone into a field rifle or metallic silhouette competition with this rifle. The scope used was a Leupold 4x on Weaver mounts, straight off Brendan’s own 541-S. Unfortunately the 541-T rifle is now out of production and you will have to be relatively quick to find them in stock at gun stores or on the secondhand market. An alternative is the pump action version of this rifle which is still in production but as yet unreviewed by us.

Final comments
One of the things that should be obvious from this review is that you only get what you pay for. Some may say that we should not be putting $200 dollar rifles up against $1000 items. That was not the object of the exercise. Each rifle was assessed on what you get for your dollar and these are all rifles that one can walk into a gun shop and purchase. What the shooter must decide is what level of accuracy and quality he/she requires.
Bear in mind that a rimfire, looked after properly, will probably last a lifetime for the average buyer. Therefore, buy the best rifle that you can afford and enjoy it for years to come.