Any suggestions on a good but relatively low cost (under $175) .22 rifle? It can be new or used; bolt, lever or semi-auto; box or tubular mag. Easy mounting of a scope is a small plus. I just want something decent for squirrel-popping and rabbit-banging.

-Blast

Run the budget up a touch, and go for the Ruger 10/22. Ruger also makes a bolt action rifle that uses the same magazine. 10/22 probably $220 or so. No questions asked the best for twice the price.

I would suggest you strongly consider something with a tubular magazine. You can't lose it, and it's very unlikely to fail. It also usually carries a lot of rounds, and you can mix all kinds of 22 ammo--long rifle, CB longs (very quiet lower-powered "stealth" rounds), shorts, whatever you can scrounge. I have a Marlin bolt action with a tubular magazine and a Weaver 3-6X or so variable scope that is a tack driver and tough. It came with a real black walnut stock.

The first thing that would come to mind is the little Chipmunk .22's; right around $170 new, but i've seen them as low as $100. They're accurate, simple, safe, compact, and light weight. The nice thing about them too, is since they are youth sized, you can use it to teach the little ones to shoot. Here is a review on them:

http://www.gunblast.com/Chipmunk.htm

Now, if you're looking for an adult size .22 then you might have to bump up your price range a bit if looking to buy new.

For an inexpensive bolt action .22 I like the Marlin 981T. It's a tube fed bolt action rifle with a 22" inch barrel and synthetic stock. The nice thing about being tube fed is it can use .22 shorts, .22 long, or .22lr ammunition; and because it's bolt action it's very reliable and it can be rendered very safe (take the bolt out and lock it up separate). It also has iron sights, as well as being drilled and tapped to be able to easily accept a scope. Price is right around $200 msrp.

Finally, the old standby, the Ruger 10/22. It's a bit more expensive than the other two options, but it's semi automatic with a removable magazine. This is probably the most common .22 people buy and it has a huge aftermarket. It can only shoot .22lr though, and it prefers higher velocity ammunition to properly cycle. Basic model is around $250 msrp, but you can find typically find them for less.

All are fine choices depending on what you're looking for.

if you can find one (they have been out of production for years) get a winchester model 77. it came in both clip and tubular mag, i loved it more than the ruger 10-22 i have now. sorr 'bout the lack of caps, typing one handed for a while...

Yup, 10/22. Just a little higher than your budget, but...
Lots of accessories if you want to pimp it out a little bit later.

+3 for the 10/22, you can't go wrong, reliable, well made, extended mag releases and bolt buffer are two upgrades worth the small investment.

One reason I don't like tubular magazines is that, in Nebraska anyway, you can't transport a loaded rifle in a vehicle. So unless you are shooting in your back yard (which I can't inside city limits) you have to unload to get to where you are going and unload again to get home. Or if you drive over to the next field, etc. Lots easier to just pop the mag out than to empty the tube and then refill it again, one at a time. Maybe I'm just lazy? All I know is that my buddy slows me down :p

I choose the Savage Arms 64FVXP over the Ruger 10/22 as much for asthetics as anything. Both rifles are well made and cost about the same (~$200.00 new) although the styling of the Ruger has never really appealed to me -- kind of an AK versus AR thing I guess. With the black synthetic stock and absence of barrel-mounted iron sights, the Savage has always reminded me of a mini Winchester 700.

The 64FVXP comes with a reasonable scope (Simmons 4 x 32) although unlike the photo shown on Savage's website, I had to purchase and add the sling attachments to mine separately.

If you plan to evently trick the rifle out with a bunch of aftermarket accessories, the Ruger would be a better choice.

Jim

I like the Marlin Papoose. Not cheap though. Barrel is removable for small storage/transport. Stainless steel.

nomad