Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

This seems to be a religious war for many on the Interwebs. From what I have gathered, the Ruger 10/22 is the Erector Set of the .22 market, with an AR-15-like catalog of parts.

The Marlin 795 is an accurate and reliable OOTB shooter.

The price for a stainless 10/22 locally is about $239. Dick's has the Marlin for $98 - throw in the $25 rebate, and it's very inexpensive.

I'm looking for a .22LR as while .223 ammo is not too expensive, it's still a lot more than .22LR.

Thoughts?

My guess is that you'd be much happier with the 10/22 in the long run. I really like mine. I don't have much feedback on the Marlin, but it's pretty tough to beat that price!

Haha, I asked some other people. Answer, as has been the case with everything, "Buy both!"

I have a 795 and it's great. I have never shot a 10/22 though.

I'm thinking of picking up a 795 soon myself. I have Marlin model 60, which is the same as the 795 except it is a tube fed magazine instead of 10rd detachable mags. I've had that model 60 for 15 years or so and it is one heck of a shooter.

I've read a lot about them as well, and what you said seems to be the general feeling. The Ruger is great if you want to customize it and add stuff to it, but the Marlin 795 is more accurate right out of the box.

Here's a little more now that I've slept.
I bought the Marlin just to have an inexpensive shooter around, I didn't really plan to customize it. Sports Authority where I used to live had them for $99 so I picked it up. My other choices had been Savage 64 or theMossberg plinkster.
I picked the Marlin up and headed to an indoor range. Literally, just out of the box, I ran 200 rounds of Federal bulk through it, with 2 malfunctions. Both were failure to extract. I bought a $40 scope from walmart and now its a ton of fun. My wife and daughter like it too. My particular rifle doesn't like the Remington Golden Bullet bulk, but Winchester and Federal have been great so far. My biggest gripe is that I would like a larger magazine so I don't have to reload so much. I would also like a wooden stock, but that is available.

I got the 10/22 a couple of months ago and bought some Tech-Sights for it. They are military style peep sights and are awesome. I love this little gun.

Here is mine after I put the sights on it. I plan on using it at an Appleseed in November...

http://vagunforum.net/rimfires/tech-sig ... t5673.html

Well have a 10/22 and I really like it.

Marlin fan here. Congrats on your choice. I have a few model 60's. I hear the 795 is nice and a great shooter for the price. Seems that extra magazines is the norm. Pretty good board/resource below.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/fo ... .php?f=217

Much of the Model 60 info applies to the 795 too...or so they say.

Never fired the Marlin, so I can't comment on that. However, I have fired the 10/22 a lot, and it's a really fun gun to shoot.

The actual answer to your question: shoot both and buy whichever one you want.

I've got a Marlin 982 in 22 WMR and its a great shooter only its a bolt gun...also have a tricked 10/22 that is very sweet...one of the folks here (nickf829) put it together and did a fine job...with the right ammo you can put 10 shots in a space you can cover with a dime...

This is kind of like the AR15/ Mini 14 discussion reversed (almost). The 10/22 is definitely the more expensive of the two, but like the AR has all the easily found accessories. I even found this kit at Brownell's to make it look like a Thompson:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=2748 ... ERSION_KIT
Unlike the AR and Mini 14, the Marlin may very well outshoot the factory 10/22. I personally don't have a 795, I have it's close brother, a Model 60, tube fed rifle that is otherwise similar to the 795. I have shot the 10/22, there are so many different models of with 5 distributed by Ruger and 30+ distributor exclusive rifles, heck just focusing on the 10/22 variations would get you a huge collection. My lasting impression of the 10/22s, were they functioned great, shot decent, I prefer a tubular magazine to the 10/22's rotary magazine and if it has a traditional Ruger buttplate (flat metal that wraps over the top and bottom of the stock), it bugs the crap out of my bony collarbone. Either of the rifles will serve you well and be able to be passed on to your kids.
Have fun with whichever one you choose

Well I like my Ruger 10/22 and all but this was after i changed everything but the receiver and bolt. Even then i still ended up polishing bolt and receiver. If you like modifying i would say the Ruger but if you don't wanna mess with it go with a Marlin.

Also have you ever consider a Savage?

I have a Savage Mark II TRR and that thing shoots dead on accurate out of the box. The Ruger has about $800+ into it to make it shoot like the Savage. This is comparing apples to oranges because on is semi and the other is bolt action.

10/22 would be my choice hands down.

To resurect an old thread, I like the Marlin 795. I see alot of Ruger 10-22s and a lot of Marlin 795s. The Marlin is more accurate than a stock Ruger. If you want to Barbie the gun, go Ruger since there are many more accessories for it. The marlin is just a shooter. Neither comes with good sights. Go Techsights or scope on either one.

For the sake of saving a new thread, I'll continue this old thread from years passed, considering it is currently my dilemma as well.

Sadly, of my present assortment, I have yet to bite on a .22 rifle. My anticipation for picking one up is growing at a steady pace, which means that one will be mine in the near future.

For reliability and accuracy, I have narrowed it down (through rigorous research, of course!) to the OP's topic line. Of all that has been said about each rifle, I understand that either choice would warrant no regret. Based on the fact that I have an AR to customize to my ever-adapting wishes, I will most likely settle on the 795 for it's modest price point, as well as the immediate accuracy.

Going in a different direction, the wildcard would be an HK MP5 22 variant. These are also highly accurate, although exponentially more steep in price (badassness has a cost, I suppose).

Having worked with both rifles extensively, I much prefer the Ruger. Performing regular maintenance on the Marlin is a PITA, always requiring great care not to bend the bolt recoil spring, and disassembly of the trigger/hammer group for cleaning is an even bigger PITA involving several C-clips and oddly-shaped springs that can easily bend (and a bent spring is ruined). I do not find the Marlin significantly more accurate than the Ruger. The Marlin's trigger is simply awful and it cannot be upgraded to anywhere close to the improvement you can get with an upgraded Ruger trigger.

The only things I prefer about the Marlin are the bolt release lever and the dual extractors.

If I wanted to buy a 795, I'd look for a used one made before the Remington acquisition of 2008.

Thanks for the reply, Bob.

Surprisingly, I had not heard of the trigger issue on the Marlin. However, I had been made aware that cleaning and maintenence were a bit trickier than on the 10/22, which I suppose was something I was content in dealing with. I agree with you that the bolt release is something of a coveted option, although I'm sure installing one on the Ruger wouldn't be too difficult, given it's extensive barrage of modification options.

My issue with the Ruger is that, while not bank-breaking, is roughly 2-3 times what a 795 goes for, but I suppose the masses would say it's warranted for the quality of the firearm.

I'll be sure to pop in to your website and verse myself with the experience you've gathered on the rifle.

2-3 times the cost? You can get a basic 10/22 for under $200 today. Yes, the ones with nicer stocks or the Target or LVT can cost up to $300 or a little more. You can modify the Ruger bolt release for slingshot release for $0 with a small file, or an aftermarket one is under $20.

On the Bud's website, a basic 795 is $144 and a stainless one is $205. BTW, don't even consider the Marlin package with a scope - the scope is junk. I have one with the scope in my safe right now.

I'm not saying the Marlin is a bad rifle. It is a good little rifle at its price point. But from what I've seen in the past few years, I wouldn't buy any Marlin rifle made by Remington and would seek out an older one in any case. For similar reasons about quality control, I'd rather buy a pre-2010 Ruger than a new one. Still I find the total ownership experience of the 10/22 better than the Marlin. YMMV.