Rimfire rifles have been a staple among shooters since the .22 Short hit the hunting and plinking fields in 1856. Before that, scaled-down rimfire rifles for shooting indoors were popular as “parlor guns” firing the 6 mm Flobert cartridge in Europe, and here, too, as the BB Cap. Choices in rimfire rifles today are extensive and sometimes confusing; here’s our top picks among the most affordable rimfire rifles today.
BOLT-ACTION RIFLES
Savage Arms Mark II
.21 Sharp, .22 LR
Among bolt-action rimfire rifles, Savage Arms’ Mark II series offers the best combination of quality, affordability and accuracy. Among 18 different factory models of the Mark II, an even dozen have MSRPs less than $500, and all but one features Savage Arms’ adjustable Accutrigger.
At $199, the Walmart Exclusive basic Savage Arms Mark II F has the lowest retail price—this is the one lacking the Accutrigger. Moving upward in price yet still spending under $500 will get you synthetic, wood or laminated wood stocks—a couple sporting thumbhole configuration—heftier barrels, or the Mark II FV-SR presented here (MSRP: $309), with a 16½-inch barrel threaded for a suppressor and sporting a Pic rail for scope mounting. Additionally, the Mark II is one of only two rifles available at this time chambered in Winchester’s new .21 Sharp rimfire cartridge.
Though comparatively low-priced, the Savage Arms Mark II offers excellent accuracy, enough so that CMP offers at a discount to shooting clubs the Mark II FVT mounted with Williams target sights as a Smallbore competition entry level/training rifle.
Winchester Xpert
.17 HMR, .17 WSM, .21 Sharp, .22LR, .22 WMR
Winchester chambers its Xpert rifle for the most popular rimfire cartridges, and the Xpert is the only rifle other than the Savage Mark II offered in .21 Sharp at present. Starting with a $330 MSRP, the Xpert is available with a synthetic stock and comes with an adjustable trigger. The wood-stocked Xpert Sporter model here features an unusual soft plastic bedding at the receiver rear and under the barrel nut, as well as a small recoil lug, and the barrel is free-floated—all factory accurizing enhancements.
Also unusual, the Xpert features a second locking lug to augment the typical rimfire arrangement of the bolt handle serving as the lone locking lug, a welcome safety measure in the event of overpressure caused by a bore obstruction or other unpleasantness. The plastic front and rear sights are easily removed with a screwdriver, and inexpensive Weaver #16 top mounts with 6-48 screws (that didn’t even need shortening for this rifle) fit the drilled-and-tapped receiver for scope mounting. In a smart move, Winchester designed the Xpert to accept common Ruger 10/22 flush-mount magazines.
Wearing a satin oil finish and showing flawlessly executed eight-panel cut checkering, this wood-stocked Xpert Sporter is a good looker and an accurate shooter in .21 Sharp, shown here temporarily mounted with a 24X scope for accuracy testing. At five pounds sans the big scope and factory fitted with sling swivel studs, the Xpert Sporter is an easy field carry, and purchased for less than $400, it’s easy on the wallet, too.
SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES
Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22
.22 LR
With the continued unflagging popularity of the AR-15 modern sporting rifle over the years, a clone chambered in .22 Long Rifle was inevitable, and Smith & Wesson’s M&P 15-22 Sport rifle is among the best. Features include a CAR-15 style collapsible buttstock, which can effectively reduce the adult-size .22 to youth-training size, a full-length Picatinny rail providing a wide latitude in mounting optical sight options, Magpul M-Bus folding sights, M-Lok fore-end and controls identical to those found on the AR-15.
A traditional M-16 “birdcage” flash hider protects the muzzle crown of the 16½-inch barrel, and with an empty 25-round magazine the rifle weighs-in at less than five pounds. Smith & Wesson’s M&P 15-22 Sport is designed to swing the needle of your plinking Fun-O-Meter into the green, and it makes the less than-$500 cut at a $499 MSRP (though a bit of shopping will turn up retail prices less than that).
Ruger 10/22
.22 LR
Certainly, the most ubiquitous among .22s in America, Ruger’s 10/22 is the Barbie among carbines in having a nearly endless wardrobe. Beyond the many factory models for plinking or hunting, aftermarket parts and drop-in upgrades abound for the little semi-automatic rifle that can turn it into a genuine competition carbine. It helps that the 10/22 is easy to work on with only basic hand tools, so those drop-in upgrades—even barrel changes—are a snap for the average DIY person.
Still made in the U.S. since 1964 and with a $379 MSRP for the basic, no-frills model, nine other of the 21 factory models offered also come in less than the $500 mark. As a side note, Ruger also makes several interesting “dealer exclusive” 10/22s at higher cost, such as one that replicates the M1 Carbine and another fully stocked to the muzzle in the Mannlicher style.
LEVER-ACTION RIFLES
Savage Arms Revel Classic
.22 LR
Savage Arms combines modern manufacturing with traditional good looks in its Revel lever-action .22, and it may well be the smoothest, slickest lever action rifle you’ve ever handled. That tight, oiled-glass action is enhanced by a light 2½-pound factory trigger, and accuracy is further augmented by a heavier-than-sporter contour barrel and the rifle accepting a Pic rail for scope mounting. Stocked in Turkish walnut, the Revel is unique in disassembling into two halves by merely pushing two captive pins out to one side. Easy removal of the action cover and bolt permits cleaning the rifle from the chamber end.
New for 2025, we covered the Revel in detail in the May 2025 issue of Shooting Sports USA. Offered chambered only in .22 Long Rifle for now, Savage says .22 Magnum and .17 HMR versions are on the horizon. For the lever-action .22 fan, the Revel Classic (there’s also a DLX model for another $100) is well worth its $439 asking price.
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