Anschutz MSR RX22 Review

[OldJoe]

Anschutz MSR RX22 Review

Well I have had the Annie RX22 since Christmas and thought I would do a quickie review. I wanted to wait until I had shot it enough to get a feel for it. For those that dont know the RX22 is a 22lf semi that is supposed to look like a SCAR. Since I have never seen a SCAR I will say it looks very much like the pictures online. The rifle is about 33 inches long with folding stock fully extended and weighs about 8 pounds using the highly scientific heft test. I find it very heavy and since it is my first AR type rifle I find the way I need to hold my head very awkward. It has a precision barrel and an adjustable trigger. Comes with a very nice hard plastic case, a cd with manual and one 10 round mag.

I have approximately 5k rounds through it and have shot as many different ammo types as I could (not many given the situation). Majority have been Thunderbolts (yeah I know, thats all I can find now) and
after the initial break-in period have cycled very well. The first little bit I had FTF every now and then but after the first brick and lots of cleaning it straightened out. No issues at all now.

First shots were at the indoor range with iron sights which indicated that the rifle itself is quite accurate. My aging eyes dictated a scope however so I threw on a Vortex Diamondback 3-7 on fairly low mounts. While this worked I found my head position was horrible and I seemed to “hunt” to find the proper position. I decided to find a high mount and located a Burris AR-P.E.P.R Mount. Momma wanted a scope on her 22 so I bought a Vortex Diamondback HP 4-16x42 AO. Finally I can see the damm thing!

So its a shooter for sure. Very nice groups (bulls) at 50 yards and the gong at 100 yards got pretty boring since I could pick where to hit it. The red cap on a downy bottle at 75 yards was way too easy. I cant wait to see what it can do at the indoor range with match ammo. All in all a huge amount of fun.
I picked up a 22 round mag at Calgary Shooting Center and blasted away. Its a hoot too shoot, full marks for that.

Now for the down side.

I had put a small sling on it with attachments at the butt and forearm. This proved to be too much for the folding stock and I now have a very nice piece of black duct tape holding it closed. Crappy design and from what I have read very much like the real thing. No more slings for me.

Cleaning is a real bear on this rifle. I am one of those who field strip everything to clean after every outing and this is a pain in the ass. You need too remove the lower trigger group then the butt to get the thing apart enough to clean it properly. I imagine the bolts threading into pot metal will eventually require inserts of some sort.

As you can imagine Thunderbolts leave it pretty dirty but any 22 auto is never clean. I dream about field stripping like a pump shotgun or even my 60 year old Lakefield 64. Not to be however so I just grumble instead.

Final thoughts,

I give it full marks for looks (if you like tacticool), accuracy and the adjustable trigger is nice. It is not a bolt Annie for sure but plenty accurate for a semi and a tons of fun. All the younger guys love the looks and all who have shot it think its great.

I hate the cleaning part but not enough to stop shooting it so overall thumbs up.

[MadMarty911]

Thanks for the write up. I've had my eye on that rifle for some time now.

[OldJoe]

Originally Posted by MadMarty911

Thanks for the write up. I've had my eye on that rifle for some time now.

i havent seen many reviews on it at all. I shoot this thing weekly at the range since getting it so anything that was going to happen should have by now.
I shoot the ol' lakefield 64 better but thats cause its a traditional rifle. My boys love the tactical look but it doesnt do all the much for me. Lots of fun going through a brick in the bus. Fellow said it was more accurate than his 10/22 but thats not all that hard. Anyone in Calgary area want to try it PM me. I go to the CSC every week.