A Rifle Review: The MagTech Model 7022 (Aka Mossberg 702 Plinkster) .22 Caliber Rifle

Maximum Shooting Fun at Everyday Low Prices

This rifle review has languished unpublished on a sucession of my computer hard-drives for nearly a decade. Now, it's available via the miracle of Associated Content with a couple of updates. Fortunately, the rifle is still available under a new name.

Have you ever wondered just how good of a rifle you can get at a department store for $100 or less? I have. There is just something to be said for a rifle that can be bought for the price a pair of jeans and three shirts. When we saw the handy-looking Magtech Model 7022 .22 carbine at Walmart, my wife decided to buy it so she could come shooting with me. (Very cool). The 10-shot semi-auto carbine sold for the amazingly low price of $89. It is made by Brazil's CBC and was marketed by the ammunition company, MagTech. (The rifle is now sold as the Mossberg 702 Plinkster). After ten minutes of paper work, lectures from the sales clerk on the importance of background checks, and several storewide pages for "management to sporting goods for a GUN SALE!" we were finally escorted out with our new muchacho from south of the border.

A couple of weeks later, I finally took the gun down to the Arlington-Fairfax, Virginia, chapter of the Izaak Walton League for a first shooting session on their outdoor range. From the outset, I was impressed with the ergonomics of the little carbine. At a scant four pounds, it just fit and felt right. The single clip provided easily held 10-rounds of .22 Long Rifle. But, unlike many clips for .22 caliber firearms, the Magtech clip was easy to load without being rough on the fingers. In an hour and a half of shooting, the clip gobbled up the rounds without leaving a dent on my thumb. It was easy to seat the rounds and push them down into the clip. The left rear side of the clip also has an opening to allow the shooter to see and count how many rounds are loaded. Like nearly everything else with this carbine, it just worked comfortably.