In many ways, a .22lr bolt action rifle is the perfect firearm. Ammunition is cheap and plentiful, recoil is almost nonexistent, and the gun is inexpensive enough that any mistakes in care and maintenance are easily forgiven. It’s perfect for new owners, occasional shooters, and even those of us who are on a first name basis with the RSO at every local range but want to save some money. One of the finest examples of a bolt action .22lr rifle I’ve ever fired is the Zastava MP 22 R, also produced for a time by Remington in the United States as the Model Five.

Most of the guns in my collection were new when I bought them, but this one has a bit of a sordid history with a happy ending. The previous owner was a friend of a friend and a bit of a drug addict. And by “a bit of a drug addict” I mean he snorted his life savings up his nose in a single night. Broke and scared, the very next morning he decided to sell off his firearm collection in order to finance a trip to rehab. I handed him $250, he handed me a .22lr rifle the make and model of which I had never heard of before in my life, and he’s been clean ever since. If memory serves it’s been about three years.

After giving the rifle a VERY thorough cleaning, the next thing I did was start to look up exactly what this thing is.

The MP 22 R is made by Zastava Arms, a Serbian arms manufacturer, and imported by KBI Imports in Harrisburg, PA for Charles Daly. After 2006, remington Arms started importing the barrels and actions from Zastava and slapping on an American made stock, selling it as the “Model Five.” While the stock changed between the models, the action, barrel, and even magazine are almost identical to the MP22R.

Remington discontinued manufacture of the Model Five within the last few years, and Charles Daly hasn’t restarted their importation yet. In other words, there aren’t really many of these guns out there.

The scarcity of these firearms really is a shame. Everything about this rifle is polished and sleek, from the polished blue barrel to the absolutely beautiful stock. Even the triggerguard is smooth and aesthetically pleasing. The quality reminds me of the Weatherby Vanguard, a highly polished and sleek appearance at a cheap price. The only differences are the caliber and the fact that the MP22R’s stock is wood (and less craptacular).

The action itself is, to me, perfect for the .22lr caliber: cheap and simple. The firing pin is cocked as the bolt is pushed forward (much like the Lee Enfield series rifles), meaning that the “forward and down” motion is a little tougher than normal. Ejecting a case, however, can be accomplished in one fluid movement of the weapon hand. The action is so smooth that it feels like I’m back behind my 1960’s era Anshutz target rifle.

The other reason this feels like my old Anschutz is the heavy barrel. Despite being a .22lr rifle, the thing weighs as much as the Weatherby Vanguard’s .30 cal barrel. It gives the rifle a little more heft compared to something like the Marlin 980, which decreases recoil, increases accuracy, and in my opinion makes for a better balanced and more solid firearm.

Something that separates this rifle from my “college sweetheart” is the trigger. Which sucks. There’s a very noticeable “stack” in the trigger, and by that I mean it hits the stack and then acts like a set. It doesn’t move forward if you release pressure on the trigger, instead it just sits there and waits for you to continue your pull (if those terms confuse you, check the Trigger Terminology article for some help). The look and feel of the actual trigger paddle is very nice and smooth, but the mechanical bits could use some TLC.

The rifle ships with a set of iron sights (IRON SIGHTS!) already in place, but these are pretty clunky to use. The rear sight is a flip-up square notch that the shooter can adjust by loosening two screws and then moving around. There’s no nice and simple adjustment screw (like on most rear sights), just a bit of metal with some lines on it. The front sight is a hooded post, easy to see but fixed in place. The iron sights aren’t horrible, but they’re no “globe and diopter” setup.

Thankfully the rifle also has a weaver style rail milled into the receiver so a scope can be mounted on top. With a good scope, this thing is an absolute tackdriver (well, at least as far as .22 rifles go). At 50 feet it’s almost as accurate as my old Anschutz, putting one tiny jagged hole in the target. At 50 yards the pattern opens up a little, but it’s still probably 1.5 MoA at most.

The rifle comes with a 5 round detachable magazine, which is a nifty feature but causes the vast majority of my complaints with this rifle. Beyond the standard “cycling the action shears off some of the bullet!” complaint (which is inherent with staggered magazines, rimmed ammunition and non-jacketed bullets) more often than not the bullet will fail to properly feed into the chamber from the magazine and instead faceplant directly into the top of the receiver. This is why, when training new shooters with this rifle, I usually have them load one round at a time rather than worry about the magazine and its special issues.

Despite the issues, loading from the magazine is definitely faster than loading each round by hand. The small cutout in the receiver makes cycling the action a little easier, but makes loading a lot harder. The squared off edges don’t help much either, as it reduces the visibility of the chamber and feeding areas. Most times, when feeding the chamber by hand, I just have to do it “blind” and hope for the best.

Everyone needs a good cheap .22 rifle, whether for keeping the cost of a range trip down, keeping the noise to a minimum, or training new shooters. And for that purpose the Zastava MP22R is the perfect rifle. The sad part is that the only sites I found that still sell these rifles are in French, so the used gun market is your best bet in the States to find one.

Zastava MP22R (Remington Model Five)

Specifications
Caliber: .22 Long Rifle
Barrel: 22″
Weight: 6.2 lbs.
Operation: Bolt action
Finish: Glossy blue
(Rifle DOES NOT come with bipod or scope)
Capacity: 5+1
MSRP: $525 (EU Price, used USA price about $200-$250)

Ratings (Out of Five Stars)

Accuracy: * * * * *
For a .22 caliber bolt action rifle that I picked up for $250, this thing is remarkably accurate. Like, “minute of G.I. Joe figure at 50 yards” accurate.

Ergonomics: * * * * *
I have no complaints whatsoever. The stock puts your eye at the perfect position to look down a scope, and everything about this rifle feels solid and smooth.

Ergonomics Firing: * * *
The awful trigger and the finnicky magazine feeding issues led me to mark it down a little. In terms of recoil and “feel,” however, it’s just dandy.

Reliability: * * * *
There aren’t many things to go wrong with a bolt action. Except the feeding issue (which knocked off a star).

Customization: * * *
Other than putting a new scope on top, there’s really nothing to do.

Overall Rating: * * * *
It’s not the best .22 rifle I’ve ever fired, but it’s amazing for the price I paid. If I could only have one gun this would probably be the one I choose. Cheap to buy, cheap to operate, easy to clean, accurate, and so fun that even my anti-gun sister loves to shoot it.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

47 COMMENTS

  1. Excellent review. I’ve been in the market for a nice .22LR bolt action. Too bad these things are nonexistent…

    • CZ 452 is what I’m looking at (Seems someone below has also suggested it). It’s a bolt action 22 for under $500. I just don’t want to spend any more money on guns for a few months. When I finally do pull the trigger (heh) on a 22 rifle it’s going to be the CZ or the Ruger 10/22 which everyone seems to have.

    • I love the look of this thing. It reminds me of the old classic hunting rifle. Unfortunately, some of the problems described are a bit of a turn off and frankly, something of a surprise. I am well familiar with Zastava being a collector of Yugoslav military rifles. Zastava is located in Kragujevac in Serbia (formerly part of the now divided Yugoslavia) the long time home of Yugoslavia’s military arms works founded in the 1800s. They have known hard times before. In WWII it was completely taken by the Nazis. As the war ground down and they were being driven out, the stripped the works of everything they could haul off, demolitioned everything else, and executed the skilled workers. For 5 years, the best they could do was to manufacture barrels and refurbish parts on existing rifles such as the German K98k and Yugoslavian M1924 Mauser rifles manufactured by FN in Belgium or at Kragujevac prior to the war. It wasn’t until 1950 that they were able to manufacture a whole rifle (the M48 series) and quality suffered the first 2 years until the works became skilled at their tasks. In the following years, they perfected production of both military and sporting arms and reestablished their reputation for quality firearms. Then in the break up of the former Yugoslavia and the civil wars that attended it. In the process, it was bombed by NATO forces. As before, they recovered and again produced quality firearms.
      I too enjoy the bolt action .22 rifle. My gem is a Browning “A-bolt” .22 LR. Not much to say about it besides being a beautiful and excellent shooter. On the flip side, is a rifle my father bought while I was yet a child. (I am 63 now.) It is a Marlin Glenfield .22 Sh-L-LR. It sold new for $75 and used still around $100 more or less. For decades it sat in a plain wood stock coated with a brown… half stain, half paint call it. I finally got tired of it and stripped it off and to my surprise found a beautiful birch stock within. Unlike this Zastava, it looks like the cheap .22 plinkster it is. But, it shoots well and has taken a good many rabbits and squirrels and God alone knows how many tin/other cans and (plastic) bottles. Inflated those make a nice BOOM when hit. MUCH cheaper than tannerite!
      That’s it. Sorry for writing a such a long winded comment! I at least hope somebody appreciates and gets something from it all!

  2. The .22 bolt-action seems to be a vanishing breed, at least if you’re looking for a mid-grade rifle. The Marlin .22 bolts are still plentiful at the lower end of the price range, but I’ll carefully test anything Marlin before spending any money on one. I’ve got to spend more time with Joe Grine’s CZ .22.

    • Agreed. My little ‘vag will put 10 rounds of wolf match inside a dime at 50 yards, the trigger is amazing, and it feeds like Precious at Golden Corral. Basically its as good or better than the reviewed rifle in every way, and can be had for around $275.

  5. I agree with you when you tout the virtues of the .22Lr. Because of the economy, I’ve cut way back on the amount of .308 Win I’m putting downrange, and instead have been mostly shooting my .22 LR CZ 452 America and my “Bi-Mart Special” Savage 93R17 BTVS. Both are superbly accurate, although I really like the refinement of the CZ over the relatively crude looking Savage.
    One thing I’ve noticed with most (if not all) .22s is that accuracy results tend to be highly dependent on the brand and velocity of ammo you are using. There is a HUGE difference between the accuracy you will get from bulk Wal-Mart ammo (whether it be Remington, Winchester, Federal or CCI) versus something that is categorized as “match” ammo. Anyone who wants to improve the accuracy of their .22 should really try out Lapua, SK Ind., Eley (one common variety often found in the U.S. as “Remington Target” etc), and my favorite for the price : Wolf Match Extra (Yes, you heard me.. Wolf… It’s actually made by SK Ind. in Germany, which explains why it doesn’t suck). Granted, a box of 50 rounds of the good stuff will cost $7-10 (or more in some cases) as opposed to say $1.60, but I find that the accuracy improvement is dramatic. For example, the CZ will shoot sub-dime sized groups with many of the match ammo brands at 50 yards, whereas “Wal-Mart” or “Bi-Mart” ammo only yields quarter sized groups in the same gun. I hear a lot of guys complaining about the “waxy” or “lubricated” feel that you get with a lot of these brands of Match ammo, but that lubrication is one of the things that make these round so accurate.

  6. Diagnosing a feeding problem from an article is iffy at best, but you might try squeezing the feed lips together ever so slightly on the magazine. That should keep the round lower and correctly oriented in its magazine to chamber path. You may also need to do some work on the extractor to get that to happen. Sometimes too much extractor tension keeps a round from getting seated all the way on to the bolt face as it travels towards the chamber.

  8. A friend of mine has one of these, and likes it – except for the difficulty of buying spare magazines. It came with one, and he had a tough time finding any more.

    Personal recommendation: Ruger 77/22 bolt action. Takes Ruger 10/22 magazines, available nearly everywhere, probably including your local convenience store.

    Or if you have a freakish taste for high-end .22s, get one of the Kimber bolt-actions.

    At the lower end, I have seen several Russian straight-pull bolt action .22s (can’t remember the brand name) that were ugly, but excellent shooters (made for biathlon competitions). Again, magazine availablity was an issue with these.

    And anyone who doesn’t have a Ruger 10/22 semi-auto is probably not prepared for TEOTWAWKI, or even FEMA’s predicted Zombie Apocalypse. (Hey, gotta have something to shoot the zombie ground squirrels, right?)

    • Speaking of freakish taste for high-end .22s, have you checked out the Cooper Arms LVT (Light Varmint/Target)? Want!

  9. My personal 22LR bolt action is a Canadian Lakefield , now sold as the Savage MkII. It’s a brilliant little gun, and has far better manners than you describe. The action is smooth and reliable and not at all prone to jams (a ten round single stack mag helps). Trigger is light and has a nice progressive feel. And it is damn accurate; I mounted a cheap 10x Bushnell scope and it will shoot tight groups out to 50 plus yards easy, and that’s with bargain American Eagle rounds. I got the rifle when I was 16 as a gift from my dad, I think at the time he paid about 150$ in lightly used condition (that was 10 years ago). I still use it to practice my marksmanship.

  10. I’m shocked that the reviewer believes that the performance of this rifle merits such praise.
    There are many CZs out there that will shoot the pants off this rifle and not jam while feeding.
    My ancient ($89.00 new) 10-22 will doubtless match it’s performance, without jamming.

  12. looking for a magazine clip for remington model 5, wondering if anyone knows where I can find one, most places I looked they are out of stock

  14. Excellent rifle for the money. Accurate, beautiful wood and superb metal finish. Definitely a keeper to pass down to the youngin’s.

  15. I bought one of these at a Pawn Shop about a year ago…. mine shoots great, less than 1/2″ at 50 yds., especially after I put some good glass on it. I found the “hard to find” extra mags at Hoosier Gun Works” for $25. After a good cleaning I have had absolutely no feeding problems at all. Actually, I enjoy shooting the Model 5 as much as I do my Ruger M77/22, and that is saying alot!!!!

  16. I just picked up one at my LGS for $250.00. With 711B GMT I can hit golf balls at 100 Yds with a 3×9 Bushnell scope mounted. It passes my test my Winchester 75 Sporter now goes in the safe. Extra mags can be had at Cabella’s. Looking for the Mannlicher stocked one now.

  17. I bought a Remington No. 5 a few years ago for target practice. Your review is spot on, right down to your complaints regarding the magazine and loading single shots when teaching others.

  18. Anybody know if and where I could buy a larger capacity mag for a Remington Mod. Five?

  19. I would choose a zastava, because it’s a .22 (obviously), it can be dissassembled and stored in the stock (so you can store it in a backpack or duffel bag), it weighs 2.5 lbs., and it floats in water (so if you drop it in a river by accident, you won’t lose it underwater), unlike other rifles which can sink in water.

  21. that picture doesn’t have the whole layout because that’s a different deal from a different shop (that one only comes with a torch and scope)

  22. The drop at the comb is not sufficient to use the iron sites. In order to view down the site line you have to hold just the bottom corner of the butt against the top of your shoulder. I just mounted a Leupold 4X to my new MP22 and, with medium or tall mounts, it seems to be just fine.

  23. The trigger mechanism, easily accessed by removing action from stock, has TWO set screws for adjustment. Very simple to get a very good light and short trigger pull. Just do not adjust either too far OR you get a dangerously light pull , or the firing pin will not cock at all.

  24. I’ve been using my MP22 for almost a year now. It is just excellent. It required some minor emery cloth work to clear up the feeding problems, The wood is great as is the metal finish. Accuracy of 1/2″ at 50 meters with CCI standard velocity ammo. I am Totally Pleased with this Rifle.

  25. I too am totally pleased with my Remington Mod 5, except for the quality of wood in the stock. But, I am a gunsmith and have recently finished restocking mine with a high grade of walnut in Mannlicher style. WOW, the level of accuracy actually increased, but I did change the way the receiver was held into the stock. Rather than just the front retainer screw, I added a rear receiver screw and full length bedded the stock. It now shoots well under 1/2″ at 50 yds. This truely is a GREAT RIFLE. For those of you looking for extra magazines, Hoosier Gun Works had some when I last checked.

    • Just seeing if this goes anywhere after so very long of time.

      Came across your comments on a Remington 5 22 rifle and have a question for you.

      D.H.Wakefield

  26. I spotted these about 5 years ago on sale at Cabela’s advertised as a Remington Model 5 for 129.95. Then, as usual Cabelas had the old bait and switch going and didn’t have nary a one. (They pulled the same crap with the Russian made 22 Winchester Wildcat around that same time frame) Anyhow I came to the conclusion that this was a nice sleeper and a bargain. Finally nabbed a Charles Daly variant for 200 bucks. Beautiful polished finish, lovely walnut, a very nice gun. Gave it to my son and he loves it. Today I seen one on GB. Guys asking 395.00. I would like to have one with the Mannlicher stock as I have a CZ-452 FS and it is absolutely my favorite 22 rifle. It points perfectly.

  28. I was looking for another backup detachable magazine for my Zastava 22 at a gun show and noticed that the little “Linda” semiauto handgun magazine looked identical except it held 8 rounds instead of 5. Further examination revealed the Zastava had a shallow file line that the clip used to keep it locked into the gun. I gambled 12 bucks and took it home, filed the shallow notch into the magazine, and it works perfectly. Good luck with your magazine search. I found mine and it was inexpensive and held more ammo.

  29. Because of the economy, I’ve cut way back on the amount of .308 Win I’m putting downrange, and instead have been mostly shooting my .22 LR CZ 452 America and my “Bi-Mart Special” Savage 93R17 BTVS.

  30. I just bought one brand new here in Australia!
    They are still importing them here.
    some go by “zastava cz99” others go by the mp22, but they are the same gun.

  31. this rifle has an adjustable trigger which I didn’t see mentioned in the article. when it is set up properly it is awesome. mine is set to less than two pounds and is very crisp with no travel. I have the Remington version in 17 hmr, and it shoots 1/4′ out to 50yds all day long when I do my part. one ragged hole at 50 and sub moa at 100 for a $350 rifle is unbelievable . this gun is the best value in the entire rimfire world.

  32. Great review. I just picked up the full stock version and want to mount a scope on it could you let me know which rings you used?

  36. With regards to the Zastava 5 Round Magazine chewing grooves in the following round, Take the spring out & replace with a ZC 452 steel magazine spring. Part No. 60 on the exploded view diagram. Part ID:-315817255620. Now the old Zastava spring can most likely be used in the front end of a Kenworth. The trigger, a good tech talk on Heritage Farms on U Tube, works well. Get that sorted & you will have the best .22 Rifle for your money anywhere.

  38. Spot on review. I picked up my remington model 5 around 8yrs ago. By far my favourite rimfire ever. I did buy it in the .17 hmr and ive been looking for another eversince but have struggled to even find it in a .22. I did book ‘her’ in to the gunsmith who worked wonders for trigger and mag.

    • bought the remington model 5 in 17hmr , love the gun but mine has the standard groved reciver for the tip off rings/mount and also is drilled and taped for weaver style bases BUT I cant seem to find out witch bases fit the gun can any of you guys help ??

  39. This is to M.L.Cory

    My question to you on the model 5 is!!
    Just where did you put the 2nd. mounting screw? Mine is a Daly one put in a Remington 5 stock.

    I had a Weatherby Marl II 22 bolt on the last run they made. Has the Annie B-64 action nice gun good shooter.
    But for almost a $1,000 it should be. But trusty Charles Daly Mini Mauser shoots as well if not a bit better.
    So sold the weatherby.
    Just my thoughts on a very nice rifle that shoots and dose not break the BANK!!

    D.H.Wakefield
    Hibbing,MN

  40. Can’t review operation because I’ve never shot it. It’s still brand new but it looks great and the bolt is very smooth.

Comments are closed.