Small Game Hunting - 22LR choice?

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ColtPythonElite said:
I doubt if the typical Henry will shoot better groups than the typical CZ bolt gun....With a CZ that hole (group) will stay the same size.....If your hole gets bigger and bigger the more you shoot your Henry, you hardly have a "tack driver."
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lol and your not getting the point I can keep one ragged hole by cutting the sides of the hole, I bet that CZ won't do it any better!!
 
I have been shooting sporter benchrest in local matches for years. I see a lot of CZ's, a few Remington 541S's, a Cooper every now and then and a few other bolt guns. . I have yet to see a Henry in a match.
 
I love rimfire leverguns and have three of them but they'll never touch a good boltgun. Plus he wants a threaded barrel.

Barrel length has no bearing on raw accuracy.
 
CraigC said:
I love rimfire leverguns and have three of them but they'll never touch a good boltgun. Plus he wants a threaded barrel.

Barrel length has no bearing on raw accuracy.
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https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/frontier-model-threaded-barrel-24/ and heres the threaded barrel version, and I disagree on barrel length as longer barrels do have some effects on accuracy if that wasn't so they why are there no rifle barrels 8-12in length if longer didn't have an effect!!
 
ColtPythonElite said:
Oh, if a Henry was competitive we would all
be shooting them in the sporter matches.
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I sure would and if you guys would try one and get the right ammo you might find something you thought was impossible! remember people judge books by the cover but there maybe much more underneath than given credit for!
 
Exactly what kind of groups in a measurement other than a "ragged hole" are you saying your Henry does at 50 yards?
 
midland man said:
https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/frontier-model-threaded-barrel-24/ and heres the threaded barrel version, and I disagree on barrel length as longer barrels do have some effects on accuracy if that wasn't so they why are there no rifle barrels 8-12in length if longer didn't have an effect!!
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CraigC is right about barrel length not affecting accuracy. Intrinsic accuracy has nothing to do with barrel length. Barrel length increases velocity not accuracy. As barrel length increases, "barrel droop" can come into play which affects accuracy, which is one reason so many tactical centerfire rifles have a 20" barrel. I personally tend to like longer barrels though. If one is using iron sights then a longer barreled rifle can be shot more accurately but that has to do with the sight radius, not the actual accuracy of the barrel.

Henry makes excellent rifles. If I were a betting man though my money would be on CZ rifles being on average more accurate than Henry.

Below is just one of many articles I've read refuting the maxim that longer barrels are more accurate.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.thet...rrel-length-muzzle-velocity-and-accuracy/amp/
 
midland man said:
https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/frontier-model-threaded-barrel-24/ and heres the threaded barrel version, and I disagree on barrel length as longer barrels do have some effects on accuracy if that wasn't so they why are there no rifle barrels 8-12in length if longer didn't have an effect!!
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Because that would be an illegal short barrel rifle and would require an atf tax stamp. My father in law just got a Henry lever as a retirement gift to himself. His is a nice gun but not as accurate as my savage, at least with the ammo we tried. I believe you that yours is a great shooter.

I forget what it's called but he used to shoot a 50 yard rim fire match where you had to shoot standing, sitting, kneeling, and prone at 50 feet and the bullseye was 1/4 inch. He was ranked 50th in the country. He shot a Winchester 52b from I think 1927 with a 16x unertle. He also shot rimfire silhouette with a contender.
 
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midland man said:
I still say the henry leveractions will out perform all the rifles listed as my henry hoo1 model loves the Winchester M-22 ammo I can cut the same hole out bigger and bigger infact henry has a new one out called the frontier model with 24in barrel I bet that one would be a even more of a tack driver!! https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/lever-action-octagon-frontier-model/ check this one out, you can put a scope on it!! :)
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That's not my experience. Between the Henry rimfire lever gun, Marlin rimfire lever gun, CZ 452 bolt gun, and Zastava rimfire bolt guns I have hands on time with . . . the bolt guns outshoot the lever guns with a wider variety of ammo choices. Using each gun's most accurate ammo choice, the bolt guns in this instance still come out on top.

I still love the lever guns, but I don't look at them as being bench shooting target punchers.
 
I researched 22LR a year ago for squirrel hunting. Looked at everything in the >$700 price range. I bought a CZ-455 and put a 2-7 Redfield on it. I looked for a 452 but couldn't get one here thru a dealer. Nice clean trigger and as far as accuracy goes, she's on a nickel at 50 yards. Probably better but I think it's the nut on the butt. Never was much of a rifle shooter, just not enough trigger time and my eye sight isn't the best these days.

Ruger triggers need help but are an easy fix. I changed the sear out in my 77 and it works great. I think ammo has a lot to do with 22LR accuracy. With CF you can find a load that works if you build it. With RF you are at the mercy of the ammo companies. I've found CCI std velocity to be a good all around choice to hunt with.
 
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midland man said:
I still say the henry leveractions will out perform all the rifles listed as my henry hoo1 model loves the Winchester M-22 ammo I can cut the same hole out bigger and bigger infact henry has a new one out called the frontier model with 24in barrel I bet that one would be a even more of a tack driver!! https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/lever-action-octagon-frontier-model/ check this one out, you can put a scope on it!! :)
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What kind of distances are we talking? I've never considered lever actions...
- Plus I get a discount from Henry as a supplier.

My only concern is the semi-auto loading action... does it hang up? can it? Does it deform the end of the round if it hangs up? Thats one reason why I dont like my current savage 64F...
 
You can get semi's that jam but I believe the good models are very reliable. My Model 60 doesn't jam and neither does my CZ 512 .22 Magnum.

Henry's are very good rifles, and accurate. I don't believe the average Henry to be as accurate as the average CZ, but believe they are plenty accurate enough for squirrel hunting.
 
I have a CZ453.Varminter with a 4-14x40 VX-3. It consistently shoots .25-.4 groups @ 50 yards with Wolf Match Extra. It has a single set trigger which is awesome for target. Dunno that it's made anymore.

My S-I-L has a Savage target model. Accurate, but not as accurate as my CZ. Gotta check on pricing, as I suspect it may be slightly above your budget. But worth it IMO. if I get a really good .22 (and I did) it's a lifetime investment
 
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I have a Savage FV-SR that I really like. I really don't think you have to drop an extra $150 into the stock, though. I like the factory stock, but the comb is admittedly too low for use with a scope. I solved that problem with a $20 lace-on cheek pad that I think looks quite nice. I added a Vortex Diamondback rimfire scope with Burris rings. Since I'm particular about triggers, I bought one of the Apachee trigger upgrade packs and installed the parts myself. I have between $500 and $550 in the rifle, and it's one of the most accurate rimfires I've ever owned.
 
AFAIK, the only way barrel length affects accuracy is if you're using iron sights. Then the increased sight radius contributes to greater precision in aiming. Long barrel + receiver-mounted rear sight = most precise non-optical sighting system.

But I could be wrong. It has happened before once or twice.
 
olkowsr said:
What kind of distances are we talking? I've never considered lever actions...
- Plus I get a discount from Henry as a supplier.
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If you do a lot of off-hand shooting while walking around, the lever is really hard to beat. The tube magazines hold a lot of ammo and levering a rimfire cartridge into the chamber is easy breezy fast. I love levers for plinking over an auto-loader all day long, for off-hand shooting.

As far as what lever action rimfire to get, I think it would be hard to go wrong with a Henry. The price can be reasonable and the triggers are usable right out of the box.

The other lever action rimfires tend to be fairly pricey in comparison, which doesn't mean they aren't worth the money because they usually are. But a Marlin 39 with the crossbolt safety needs a trigger job to bring it up to snuff, IMO. I can't speak to the Browning or Winchester variety as I have no experience with those.
 
I guess I'm going to have to poke around at my local gun club and see if anyone has a lever action 22 they are willing to let me shoot at the range. I've never shot a lever action 22 or any rifle caliber for that matter... just a replica / knock off 1887 12GA and it felt like it nearly took my arm off.

I still think I want a bolt gun and the Savage FV-SR seems like it would be a great upgrade from my old 64F Semi loader.. ???

Also I just put in a form 2 and bought a rebel SOS 22 supressor...

Soooo....... for a grand total of like $550-600 I can have a relatively accurate, reliable, and quiet 22 with a 6-20x50 scope that I already have... should put a hurting on some chicken coop invaders....
^ ^ ^ ^
Does my thinking above sound reasonable?
 
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