Best 22lr for small game hunting?

Since you have a 10/22 already and looking for a auto loader, I would look at a Remington 552 Speedmaster. I have a older 552 that PO'ed my son in law when my 552 and it's 22 scope was almost shooting as small groups as his spendy heavy barreled 10/22 with it's monster scope.

If you want to save a few $, find an old Winchester 190. I understand they were good shooters for what they were.

Also you might test different 22 ammo to find out what your rifle likes. They all shoot a little different.
 
Grab a bull barrel by Butler Creek and a Hogue Overmold stock.

I remember reading it in this book that the set up yielded the best accuracy:

http://www.amazon.com/Customize-Ruger-10-James-House/dp/0896893235

Also install a drop in trigger assembly if you don't like the trigger.

It'll be accurate, reliable, and you can stick with a platform you are already accustomed to.

Or you can get the Marlin 795 and add tech sights or a scope. Mine shoots about 3/4" at 50 meters
 
Looking at a Remington 597, its a little more modern than a 10/22 and some have new gun problems but I think most of them are fixed now. Good to go out of the box. I have a target 10/22 and a plain Jane carbine 10/22 and both work well but for a lot of reasons I still prefer my nearly 50 year old Marlin 60.
 
All that to get 1/2" groups at 50 yards? That's just the beginning of sporter accuracy.
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Internet myth #2: .22 sporter bolt actions from the likes of CZ and Savage will consistantly shoot sub MOA at 50 yards with great ammo let alone hunting grade ammo.

Sub MOA is generally reserved for the upper end target guns and the bench rest records prove that. I just love post claiming these great groups from sporter rifles that are better than world records. :rolleyes: NBRSA World Record for 5 combined 5 shot groups (25 shots) with a sporter is .5369". Top that off with the fact that bolt actions rimfires are as boring as watching paint dry.

sRankens, I hear what you're saying but I prefer to have my hunting rifle be the same as my plinkin rifle. Like I said, you don't need to attach long bull barrels to achieve the accuracy you seek. Many mods that you do to the 10/22 actually make it a better plinker. Guess what I'm saying is if you're gonna spend $150 or so you might as well put it into your 10/22 instead of buying a sub par gun that isn't as well built or won't do anymore than your existing 10/22.

My hunting, plinkin and occasional target 10/22:
DSCN0756.jpg


But hey, don't let me talk you outta a second gun. The 597 is a solid recommendation and are generally more accurate than a box stock 10/22. It may still need some work to get consistent hits on the little ground squirrels at 75 yards though. Like I said the CZ semi is a winner but pricey. A new/different 10/22 build might actually cost less.

LK
 
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"Sub MOA is generally reserved for the upper end target guns and the bench rest records prove that. "

A mere sub-MOA gun - 0.4" or so - won't get you anywhere in rimfire benchrest. It's got to be way under.

As far as what sporter rifles will do, I have a Mountie, a Rem 541-S, a Sako Finnfire (the older Stoeger imported one, not Beretta's & a 1.5 ounce Jewell trigger), and a Cooper Custom Classic, so I'm not just repeating things I heard on the net or elsewhere. The Mountie is the worst of the bunch and it's no slacker, but it has had great sentimental value since my uncle gave it to me in the early 1960s. I have a CZ American too, but it's a WMR.

Speaking of rimfire benchrest, one of the ranges I belong to is owned by a man in the USRA Hall of Fame. Now there's a man who can shoot and build a gun.
 
John, you'll note that I edited this into my last post:

NBRSA World Record for 5 combined 5 shot groups (25 shots) with a sporter is .5369".
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World record for ONE 5 shot groups is substantially less (around .13 for a sporter IIRC) but doing it consistantly is another matter.

LK
 
Check this out: http://proveit.www8.50megs.com/cgi-bin/i/submissions/22lr/Picher-6-12-2000.jpg

The target shown in the above URL was shot with my 10-22 Deluxe in factory stock, Shilen barrel, trigger stop screw; otherwise, it's got all factory parts, many modified by me.

This shows what a 10-22 can do with some creative modifications. It can actually shoot with many good target rifles and still be a great plinker/hunting rifle. The average group size for all ten groups was .37" and was the best shot by a semi-auto and recorded on the "Prove-It" website for quite a while.

Instructions for doing the modifications can be found on RimfireCentral.com
 
I vote for the Marlin 60. It is essentially the same rifle as the 795, except with a 14 round tube magazine that does not interfere with how you hold the rifle, as the detachable magazine does on the 795. If you are not going to put a scope on it, I recommend Tech Sights aperture sights.
 
@75 yards I'd go with .17hmr (less drop and more down range energy)
If you are set on .22lr then go with a scoped bolt action. $200-$300 on the rifle and $200 on scope and rings

I have a Marlin 981T tube fed bolt action with a bushnell elite 3200 scope. Rifle costs about $200 and shoots sub MOA out of the box with subsonic match ammo. Leaves money left over for a quality scope.

IMAG0080.jpg


This is a 1"x1" square at 50 yards with remington bulk. RWS match is alot smaller group
IMAG0079.jpg
 
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Top that off with the fact that bolt actions rimfires are as boring as watching paint dry.
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Ignorance at it's finest ;) Nothing boring about taking an animals life. I do like the stock on your ruger though.

FYI... you don't have to be a pro to shoot sub moa groups with a sub $400 rifle.
 
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FYI... you don't have to be a pro to shoot sub moa groups with a sub $400 rifle.
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No, but it helps. It also helps to know how to tweak rifles to get the best out of them.

Or, maybe you could shoot "sub" moa groups from a "sub" $400 rifle, inside a "sub"marine? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
 
http://nbrsa.org/sites/default/files/rimfire_records.htm

Looking at the NBRSA sporter records, I see Don Geraci shot a single 5-shot group in 2001 that measured .131".

I actually called him one evening at dinnertime (by accident, different time zone, etc.) because a man on benchrest central gave me a phone number and said this guy he knew probably knew the number of a guy who was selling a Jewell trigger for a Sako Finnfire. Great guy, he knew the man and I bought two Jewells.

Dang, look at the group Bill Myers shot in 1997. Five 5-shot groups at 100 yards... .7415"

I wish I could find the number he posted years ago. It was the world record for one 5-shot group at 100 yards. He was using a Rem 541-S.
 
I'm not sure my 10/22 would bring home that many mere squirrels now that it wears a 20" butler creek barrel and a hogue stock wwiith a 3x9 scope than it did stock with a 2.5X scope.
I'd either do a bull bbl and trigger to your 10/22 or get a Savage bolt and throw some good glass on it and spend money on glass not gadgets when buying a scope. As to ammo with a 22 they are so finicky there's just not always ryme or reason to what a gun will like. Try a few different brands.
 
Best 22lr for small game hunting?

i believe a person has to be prejudiced to reply, for the older semi-autos i have a 1953 Remington M-550-1 with a little 4X scope on it, it cycles CB's just fine, off hand i can hit a ground squirrel in the head at 40 yds.

then, my more modern rifles the vote goes towards the M4 style carbines, first i have a TacSol dedicated carbine upper that is a tack driver, and two S&W M&P 15-22's, very accurate out to 50 yds., open/iron sights (actually a very hard plastic) with me as the shooter. :D
 
Regarding the NBRSA records: They are particularly relevant because they were done at sanctioned shooting matches.

My shooting on the Prove-it target with the 10-22 was done on a particularly calm morning with almost no wind or mirage. Still, 0.37" average for 10 consecutive 5-shot groups is remarkable for a semi-auto with a cheap 4.5-14X scope and factory (modified) trigger, etc. The Shilen barrel was fairly new and I doubt whether it would shoot as well now, since it's seen hundreds of thousands of rounds.

It was the only Prove-it target I'd shot with that rifle and I found it grueling to shoot that many carefully-aimed shots at one sitting.

JP
 
have you checked out any of the AR variations in .22lr. The S&W version can now be had at most wally worlds for cheap and should be able to handle what you are wanting to do. Glad you have found an excuse to give the wife for buying a new rifle and I hope that whatever you choose you shoot the heck out of it. My new favorite .22 is an old Remington Fieldmaster my wife brought me home recently. It's a pump and not excatly what you are looking for but it is fun and mine is knocking caps off coke bottles at 50 yards with ease so it does fit your accuracy requirements and did I mention it is FUN.
 
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