Hopping in this thread without reading everything. I have a happy story and a sad story. When I was a senior in high school I was deciding what gun I should get and was talked into getting a Ruger 10/22. I love that thing and it has been used for many a fun day of plinking. The sad story: While I was debating which gun to get, I went with the 10/22, right? Right. The other gun I was considering was the winchester ranch hand. It's a .44 mag lever action with an 18 1/2 in. barrel. I was talked into getting the 10/22 because it would be cheaper to buy and to shoot. I could always get the Winchester later. WRONG! A little later, Winchester was bought out and the prices shot up. I really enjoy the 10/22, but wish I had gotten the Ranch Hand. I also have a 22lr pistol that is bolt action single shot with an 8 in. barrel +-. That is fun. Not too reliable though.