| It's one of the best rimfire bolt guns on the planet. Good luck trying to equal the impressive performance of the Marlin 925 and XT-22 series of rifles for their reasonable cost. Accuracy is amazing. Easily capable of one hole groups at 50 yds, maybe longer with very careful shooting and ammo selection, the Marlin 925/XT-22s impressed me with their capabilities after THREE YEARS of shooting them for this review. CCI Mini Mags performed with excellence and even Federal Bulk ammo produces acceptable groups. In informal paper punching competitions, like my "Circles of Death" drill and in shooting steel targets, these .22s bring high enjoyment levels. Recreational rifle is its first POU, followed by marksmanship trainer, introductory gun (check out those youth models!), critter getter, and as a replacement trainer for that uber-expensive-to-shoot centerfire bolt gun you have. As with other quality bolt gun designs, reliability is superb. Just make sure you don't short stroke that bolt like some rookie! Replacing the .22 925, the XT-22 brings a wider array of barrels/calibers/stocks/finishes and adds such improvements as a Pro-Fire® trigger, palm swells (yawn), less bolt resistance (love it), and a new design sythetic stock. Both the 925 and XT-22 are highly recommended and I find difffculty preferring one over the other. Some will prefer the now-special North Haven, CT 925s and I don't blame them. Fieldstrip and maintenance is a snap. While you have that bolt out, check out ... |
