Best 22lr for small game hunting?

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sRankens

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Any opinions on the best 22lr rifle for hunting? To me, a rifle for hunting has to be accurate, reliable, it has to be very strong but somewhat lightweight, and preferably semi-auto. It has to be able to hit a gopher(thirteen lined ground squirrel) at 75 yards, theyre trying to take over my field! I have a ruger 10/22, all stock, and from what Ive heard, it's definitly not the greatest 22 for its price and I don't want to have to put in an extra $500 to make it as accurate as a $300 or $400 dollar rifle out of the box. Im willing to pay up to $700 or $800.

On a side note, what do you think is the best hunting ammo, and by that I mean what ammo has the best combination of stopping power and accuracy.
 
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I know you said semi-auto, but if you are looking for extreme accuracy, dependability and top quality, then buy a CZ---
 
I have always done well with a 10/22, especially when I used the heavy target barrel. Even with the heavy barrel it is still not a heavy gun.
 
The 13 striped ground squirrel @75 yards?!?!?!/

You are talking about a vital zone of maybe 1"x 3/4", that has a harder time holding still than a tweaker that just got a fat insurance settlement!


If you want to eradicate them, get a water trailer, a hose and a box of Tide.

If you just want to plink at them, enjoy the practice, with the .22 you have!
 
CZ's are nice, very nice, and a bolt action 22 isnt completely off the table, but if I was going to get a bolt action as nice as a CZ, I would get one in .17HMR. I do like the fact that bolt actions are more reliable and easier to clean which is a huge plus considering how much I shoot 22. I will look into CZ more though.
 
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Haha, I should Probaly clarify the thing about the gophers, it's about 75 yards from the porch, and somewhere around 40 to 50 yards when you try to get close to them. And a bringing a 5 gallon bucket of water and a bat for 1 or 2 gophers can be a hard job by yourself. My small game quary is not limited to just gophers though, I hunt chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits, they're my primary target.
 
My self-accurized 10-22 is a really fun rifle to shoot at various targets and critters, but I seem to shoot more critters around the farm with my Marlin 39A and CZ455 in .22 WMR than with anything else. The CZ is pretty light and easy to carry around the woods roads and fields. It will even take down an Eastern coyote up to 125 yards.

I could also pick up a .17 HMR barrel for the CZ, but like the .22 WMR with 30 grain CCI V-Max bullets. Got three woodchucks with it this week.

The 10-22 dragged me to the range yesterday and made me put out my small silhouette targets at up to 50 yards. It was really fun mowing down those critters offhand with that baby!!! It wasn't the only gun in the truck, however. I had the 39A, a Rem 504, two 22 LR handguns and a couple of .45 ACPs. Great day to shoot and we had the range all to ourselves!!!
 
Marlin 795.

<$140 very accurate and as dependable as a model 60 (same action/barrel) synthetic stock so it can take a lot of abuse and even if it does get mucked up you're only out $140 bucks or less.

plus it weighs <5lbs
 
Big Internet Myth #1: You have to spend $500 on a 10/22 to hit itty bitty targets!

For $150-$200 plus some elbow greese you can make a 10/22 as accurate as most if not all sporter .22 rifles available. Doesn't take bull barrels, doesn't take $200 trigger groups, doesn't take fancy stocks, doesn't take big high magnification scopes. My main hunting 10/22 has a $100 GM sporter barrel, a factory DSP (sporter) stock, a $40 VQ target hammer and a Redfield centerfire 2-7x scope and will shoot 1/2" 50 yard groups with hunting grade ammo (mini-mags and velocitors) off a bipod.

On the flip side if you're just looking for an excuse to buy/own another gun the CZ semi's are nice (allthough they will cost you and their triggers still need work IMO) and both the CZ and Savage bolt actions have a great, well earned reps.

LK
 
Either a early series Ruger 77/22 or a...

pre-Remington Marlin M39! both accurate.

Need to find the best grouping ammo for either.
 
Can't say enough good things about the Savage MkII TR's in 22LR ... amazing accuracy out of the box. I've been shooting a fair bit of .22LR in target comp lately and have been trying a few different makes from Brno, CZ, Anschutz and I'm about to buy a Savage MkII TR myself.

Tiki.
 
"For $150-$200 plus some elbow greese you can make a 10/22 as accurate as most if not all sporter .22 rifles available."

All that to get 1/2" groups at 50 yards? That's just the beginning of sporter accuracy. Why not just buy a good gun to start with and do a little ammo testing to find a good brand and lot number? :)
 
For Semi-auto, I would recommend the Marlin 795. Plenty accurate out of the box, and lower cost than many, if not most other options.

Savage, CZ, Marlin, etc. all have good options if you want to go bolt action. Bolts have the reputation of being more inherently accurate than semis, so if that is the main concern, I would go with a bolt. Which one? Whichever one you like the best. Check out a couple and see which one feels right and makes you smile the most - that is likely going to be the best one for you.
 
if youve already tested the 10/22 and know its not up to the task, then id go with a used marlin 60 and get a trigger job on it with the savings if you are stuck on a semi auto. If you go bolt then savage mk2 or the cz's are pretty sweet just cost a bit more.
 
I like my Marlin 39 in .22LR.

I got a cotton tail at about 75 yards from sitting last time I had it out.:D

For general pest eradication, I like my Marlin 25, .22 Magnum and a $8 Simmons Scope.

I am up to 13 muskrats with it so far and several cotton mouths.

One of the muskrats was swimming left to right at 135 yards down hill braced on the deck railing, headshot.

Well, technically, second shot was, 1st was a little high and behind, not enough lead, hill compensation.:cool:
 
Man I wish this here internet had of been around when I was a kid so I'd have known my 10/22 wasn't accurate enough to kill all the critters I killed with it :rolleyes:
 
@L_Killkenny, I don't want to put money in it until i play the field on 22's, i don't have many friends who shoot, let alone who shoot 22's, so i don't have anything to compare a stock 22 to. And i kind of just want a new gun... plus it seems more reasonable to have your plinking rifle and match/hunting rifle separate
@mavracer, I've killed many'a varmint with my 10/22, i just don't know how much i might be missing. Don't get me wrong, i love my ruger, i use it everyday.
 
My Ruger 10/22 and Savage Mark II have taken many gophers past 100 yards with iron sights while shooting prone, but I have killed many more within 25 yards while stalking. Yeah, gophers are bigger than ground squirrels, but the hunting method is the same. If you walk very slowly, look closely and listen, you will be surprised at how many are within 50 yards. Sometimes they are within 10 feet.

I like the iron sights of the 10/22 over the Savage Mark II. I do not care for the iron sights on the Marlin 795.
 
Big Internet Myth #1: You have to spend $500 on a 10/22 to hit itty bitty targets!

For $150-$200 plus some elbow greese you can make a 10/22 as accurate as most if not all sporter .22 rifles available. Doesn't take bull barrels, doesn't take $200 trigger groups, doesn't take fancy stocks, doesn't take big high magnification scopes. My main hunting 10/22 has a $100 GM sporter barrel, a factory DSP (sporter) stock, a $40 VQ target hammer and a Redfield centerfire 2-7x scope and will shoot 1/2" 50 yard groups with hunting grade ammo (mini-mags and velocitors) off a bipod.
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