Springfield Armory Rimfire 2020: Shut Up and Take My Money

Early in the year I got hints that Springfield Armory was going to have a great year with a ton of new products. Those hints were not exaggerated. I’ve got my FFL on speed-dial and my wallet wide open. In this episode of “What Did Springfield Armory Release This Time?” we have a little brother to expand their popular Waypoint series of rifles. No, not the Waypoint Redline series that dropped a couple weeks ago (which are very cool). I am talking about a Rimfire 2020!

Springfield’s newest addition to the stable is imported from the premium Turkish manufacturer Retay, arguably one of the best Turkish gun houses—they could teach some American manufacturers a thing or two about quality control. Out of the gate, the 2020 Rimfire Rifle is going to be offered in six different options, with price points and taste options for everyone. The MSRPs start at just $434, but if you’re the sort of VIP whose home is redolent of rich mahogany and leatherbound books, you’ll get into the low four figures with high-end Turkish walnut (that’s triple AAA grade wood). Described as having “exceptional figure and depth,” the AAA stocks are truly a work of art. The select A and double AA walnut stocks are very fine pieces themselves with prices at $529, $690, and $839 MSRP.

One thing that the 2020 Rimfire got right is using the ubiquitous 10/22 pattern magazine. Arguably one of the most popular .22LR magazines available, the rotary magazine has long been proven to provide reliable feeding. I am sure that in a bolt action, reliability will only get better. (Would it be tacky to put a drum magazine in a grade triple AAA rifle and do a bolt-action mag dump? Wait, I don’t care.)

The barrel and receiver boast a fine blued finish that gives it a classic look, feeling like the Waypoint Rimfire has been around forever. The hard chrome bolt not only is actually a blessing in disguise. That’s because .22LR ammunition is notoriously dirty and will practically glue itself to all working shooting surfaces. The hard chrome is slick and naturally easier to clean without having to scrub all day.

On top of the receiver Springfield included a detachable Picatinny rail. The bonus of this is significant since most rimfire come with minuscule 22-sized rails. A Pic rail allows you to mount any full-sized scope, rings, and mounts on this rifle.

The trigger on the 2020 Rimfire rifle is one of the most crazy-smart things Springfield and Retay could have done. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they used the ubiquitous Remington 700 pattern trigger. You can easily install the same match trigger that your larger 2020 uses. I am a huge fan of the Trigger Tech Diamond Trigger and this will be my first upgrade. Springfield has an accuracy guarantee of 1 MOA or less at 50 yds (with match-grade ammo and a competent shooter). I bet I can do better with the help of Trigger Tech.

Out of the gate you are going to have to choose if you need a threaded barrel or not. If you love shooting suppressed like I do, the choice is going with the polymer stock Target versions of the 2020 Rimfire rifle. The Target versions feature a heavier bull barrel with the standard 1/2×28 threading on the muzzle. The Classic version weighs almost a pound less and uses a shorter counter barrel that is not threaded. Speaking of threading, Springfield threaded the bolt knob lever with 5/16-24 threads, the same as the Badger Ordnance bolt knob spec, meaning that there is a whole host of available options.

If I’m going to be super critical, I’d say the 2020 Rimfire is not very tactical. Usually tactical rifles will have double sling attachment points on the forearm. One is used to mount a bipod and then there is a back up for attaching the sling. The other alternative is utilizing a Picatinny rail. (The underside of the 2020 Rimfire Target is flat and is just begging for me to install one.)

The other thing that’s disappointing is the lack of QD attachment points like my larger 2020 Waypoint has. Using a QD attachment point means I can use one expensive sling across multiple firearms. Now in all fairness the Classic 2020 Rimfire is meant to have classic styling, where multiple attachment points do not make sense. And on the Target version they are advertised as Target…Not specifically tactical. Plus, at that price, you have to pick and choose what extra features are not needed.

So now that Springfield has expanded the 2020 rifle series twice in one year, I am looking forward to see what’s next in store for the 2020. While the Redline is slightly cheaper than the Waypoint series of 2020. A $2299 bolt action rifle is still a premium price for a premium product. The cheapest Ferrari can hardly be called a budget car … same with the Redline. I would like to see a budget line that’s aligned price-wise with the Ruger American or Remington 700. Since the Target Rimfire now associates a polymer stock with the 2020 brand, it is not far-fetched to imagine one on a larger-caliber 2020.

I am excited to see how the Rimfire series takes off, more so than any other rifle. Only a .22 can fill the role of gathering small game like rabbits and squirrels that would be obliterated by larger calibers. It is hard to find a shooting household that does not own a 22 rifle, and that is the market that Springfield will be there for.

–James the “XDMAN” Nicholas Mr UnPewFessional Himself!