It is somewhat of a novelty, as all replica firearms are to a certain extent.
At least you can still buy original Garands. My choice in a replica .22 rifle would be a GSG STG-44. Original Sturmgewehrs are NFA, exceedingly expensive, and rare. The replica at 10 pounds is actually slightly lighter than the original. Someone described it as a movie prop gun built around a .22 rifle. As such, it's fairly well done.
Check out CDNN. Lots of cheap .22’s, the StG-44 included.