Looking For a Cheap .22

kowloon

Im looking for a cheap .22 rimfire rifle to start on, i plan on getting something with a bit of punch later on for the foxes but reckon something that costs a grand and a euro a round is going to make for some expensive target practice.
I was thinking of something second hand that either has or i can put a cheap scope on, and that i can sell when i want to move on or keep as a rabbit rifle if it isnt an issue.
I have fired shotguns before but never a rifle so id be looking for somewhere to learn in North County Dublin or Meath.

Anyone know of such a rifle or have any suggestions?

Sparks

If you can find an old BSA martini action rifle, that should do you fine. The UK would be the first place I'd look for a second-hand one though. One shouldn't set you back more than a hundred or so euro. Hell, they've been literally given away in the past to free up stock room in gun dealers' lock-ups.

North County Dublin/Meath for learning to shoot? Wilkinstown comes to mind immediately, though it's more target shooting than hunting. If you're planning on learning to hunt, the first piece of advice, as always, is to join your local gun club.

civdef

I'm not sure that the Martini would be ideal given that the OP has rabbit shooting in mind, and seems to be looking at target practice rather than competition target shooting.

The Martini is a big lump of a rifle, though undeniably accurate, mounting scopes will be tougher than on newer rifles.

With these in mind, I'd lean towards a bolt action, with first thought as always for the CZ/Brno, though there are plenty of other makes out there (I played with a Zastava .22lr last weekend, first time I had one in my hand, and I was very impressed, for example).

Clean second hand 22s tend to be good value, if you get one and sell it on later, you are unlikely to lose much money, and they're damn near impossible to wear out.

Sparks

The Martini is a big lump of a rifle, though undeniably accurate, mounting scopes will be tougher than on newer rifles.

True for the international and the model 12-15, but a model 6 would be fine - it's basicly a light sporting rifle. True about the scope, though from the OP it looks like kowloon's never fired a rifle before. For someone starting ab initio like that, I'd want to start them shooting on a chunky rifle like the model 12-15 or the international BSA with iron sights at a paper target 25 yards away and teach them the basics that way, then move on to shooting with a telescopic sight at a variable range. Besides which, at the price you can get most BSAs at, it's not like it's going to break the bank. Hell, he/she might actually spend more on the ammo than the rifle inside the first year...

kowloon

Doubt i would get into any competition shooting for the time being!
How much would your average bolt action cost me?
Ive seen CZ Varmint rifles but they were .223s and the cost of the ammo would put me off them until i can make the shots count.
Anything under say €200 is easily affordable without having to worry about selling it on, how much would a cheap scope set me back? (but not so cheap as to be useless)

civdef

One problem is that there just aren't many of the Martinis on dealer's shelves in Ireland, and buying from the UK will mean extra hassle. If a person wants to trade up later on, they have near-zero resaleability.

I know traditionally rifle shooters always started off on iron sights before moving to scopes, myself included, but I'm not certain that's really necessary any more. If a person wants to shoot rifles primarily for hunting, they won't be using irons much, indeed probably at all. This is why so many rifles now are available without irons and with stocks purely designed for scope shooting.

civdef

You'd need to spend at least 75-100 to get a workable basic scope, and unless you really know and trust the seller and are getting it very cheap, don't touch secondhand budget scopes. The new ones come with a guarantee which is frequently needed.

civdef

If you want to stay under €200 for the rifle, you'll probably struggle to find a clean CZ, but there are plenty alternatives. If you locate a secondhand bolt action Krico, Marlin, Savage or Voere, to name a few, it'll probaby fit inside your budget range, and will provide you with a decent rifle.

kowloon

My budget could cover more if i was still getting good value for money, but my thinking is that its difficult for me to be ripped off if im not spending much to begin with, I dont want to go out with a bundle of cash and bring home a donkey.
Wheres a good place to shop? anyone looking to get rid of something that would fit my requirements?

Sparks

civdef wrote:

One problem is that there just aren't many of the Martinis on dealer's shelves in Ireland, and buying from the UK will mean extra hassle.

Sadly that's the case. Though it's not that much extra hassle.
Of course, if a gun dealer was to start carrying second-hand BSAs here, they could probably do a good line on the beginner's smallbore market...

If a person wants to trade up later on, they have near-zero resaleability.

I don't know about that, they seem to hold their price rather well (mainly because they're already at the bargain bin level ). But then again, few enough people trade up and don't regret it later - I know at least one ISSF shooter up north who traded in his BSA for an Anschutz and has always regretted it!

I know traditionally rifle shooters always started off on iron sights before moving to scopes, myself included, but I'm not certain that's really necessary any more. If a person wants to shoot rifles primarily for hunting, they won't be using irons much, indeed probably at all. This is why so many rifles now are available without irons and with stocks purely designed for scope shooting.

I don't agree with the idea of not starting someone off on iron sights though I do see where you're coming from. Thing is, if you're learning to shoot, the scope is just one more thing to fiddle with and have to learn. Once you can shoot, yes, it's a good thing - you can see shot placement immediately, you can watch your hold and recoil easily and so on. But before that point, you're just watching a target bounce around a lot and you overcontrol the hold and it's very fustrating - whereas with iron sights at 25yds, the sight picture is far more static and you can work more on safety, position, technique and so on.

I've tried training students in the college on both light sporting rifles with scopes and on Anschutz 18-series prone rifles with iron sights, and it's always been easier on the iron sights.

Umiq88

Buy a cz "best bang for the buck" you'll probably find cheaper stuff and if it will do but a cz is a quaility accurate rimfire and isnt all that expensive prices from around 300 second hand maybe cheaper depends on the condtion

if you can find an old brno pre 1982 and its in good condtion go for it