Small Game Hunting - 22LR choice?

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olkowsr

olkowsr

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Good Morning THR Members,

I'm in search of a new accurate 22LR, preferably bolt action, for small game hunting. I would like to be at $300 or less for the firearm alone and of course I have some "basic desires" I'd like it to have.

Ideally I want something that is:
- Bolt action
- Good trigger
- Pictinary rail or able to add one without adding much height to my scope setup.
- Bi-Pod ready (or sling).
- Threaded barrel

Most of my shots are 35 to 70 yards, some out to 100, but not very often. I hunt in a wooded area in Michigan for typically Coon, Squirrel, sometimes coyotes that attack my ducks, etc.. My scope is a 6-20x50 redfield illuminator if that matters, my favorite scope ever made...

I did some research on some applicable choices and I stumbled into a savage mark ii fv-sr. I've never used one, but it has good reviews and videos. Before I make any choices I'd like to see if anyone has some other suggestions as I am not very knowledgeable of the 22 market.

Also.. Thinks I dont want....
- 17HMR
- 22 Mag (already have one).
- Semi Auto (Nothing makes me more mad than a "click" or mis-feed when hunting.

Thanks everyone!
Ron,
 
I have a savage mark II classic. They are great little guns with a phenomenal trigger. Mine shoots about a 1-1.25 inch group at 50 yards with most ammo like bulk remington, federal, or mini mags. I've never tried any of the expensive match stuff. My personal favorite is CCI standard velocity which is subsonic. With the long 24" barrel its as quiet at a 22 pistol with a suppressor and shoots about a .75" group at 50 yards. I have taken a few dinners with it at 75-100 yards.
 
I was looking at some of the Savage 22 LR models a few months ago because from what I've seen they really shoot well. The CZ rimfire stuff also does and I finally narrowed it down to a Savage or a CZ. ... Wound up getting a CZ-455 thumbhole, laminated, fluted in 22LR because I got a good deal on it and that thumbhole stock is proportioned so well for my hand. Could have got a nice Savage for less but the CZ fit me so well and they gave me a great deal on it. ( the thumbhole stock model I got had been discontinued) . I really like the CZ but I had never really crossed Savage off my list because they also really shoot and I could have gotten one for less even after the good deal I got on the CZ. Bottom line is, IMHO, they're both sweet and both would be a good pick; so take your pick. Edit to add: P.S..... The bolt action CZ has a very crisp 3 lb. 4 oz.. trigger, I put a picatinny/ weaver rail from Diversified Innovative Products on and, it already has studs for sling and/or bipod use, but it doesn't have a threaded barrel, per the OP's criteria.
 
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The Savage is excellent, I dropped mine into a Boyd's "tacticool" stock and mounted a Burris rimfire 3-9x. The Ruger American Rimfire is also a great choice.

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I have a Savage Mark II FV-SR and replaced the stock with a Boyds Rimfire Hunter stock in Forest Camo and love it. Its nice to carry around with the shorter barrel, and adding a suppressor to the end it still is very manageable in the field. The downsides to the Savage are the crude magazines, flimsy stock, but despite these shortcomings which can be remedied they are great accurate shooters.

If you go the Boyd's route you will need to order it with the bull barrel channel as the FV-SR has a larger profile barrel. I had to get a dowel and some sand paper and lightly sand the barrel channel to full float it, but that only took 15 minutes of light work to get done.

Another thing that I did is get some polishing compound with some very light grit in it and polish up the bolt and bolt raceway, about an hours easy work with applying some compound (staying away from bolt face and lugs) and cycling the bolt in and out and some hand rubbing, and the bolt is really smooth. One can achieve the same thing with use, however it gives me opportunity to familiarize myself with the firearm while I'm making it more enjoyable to shoot for the first time. The bolt wasn't all that bad to begin with, but man after a little time polishing and then cleaning it up and oiling it, it is really slick running now.

What I have in my FV-SR so far is:

1. Savage Mark II FV-SR = $200.00 (online on sale)
2. FFL Fee = $20.00
3. Boyd's Rimfire Hunter Stock = $90.00 (they've gone up since I purchased mine to $130)
4. DIP Bottom Metal = $25.00
5. Burris Timberline 4.5-14x32 (parallax adjustment from 7 yards to infinity) = $265.00
6. Triad Tactical Buttstock Pack (carries my extra magazines, bore snake) = $45.00
7. Compensator (for looks, place holder for Gemtech GM22) - $25.00
8. Sling = $25.00
TOTAL = $695.00

Really you would only need to spend ~$450.00 to get it setup in a Boyds stock and a decent rimfire scope and you would have a nice .22.
 
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I was just about to tell you to check out the Ruger American Rimfire, as CraigC mentioned. They have the best magazine known to man for rimfire, and I hear good things about them, no personal experience.
 
6-20x50 is way too much scope and magnification for a .22. Too long(16") and heavy(24 ounces without the rings and bases) as well. You really would not want to be hauling that big thing around when small game hunting. Usually not done from a blind. Ditto for any kind of bipod.
A threaded barrel will be very unlikely on a .22 hunting rifle. The whole idea of a suppressor is too new.
"...Pictinary rail..." EGW makes one(Picatinny) specifically for the Savage Mk II. Isn't stupid expensive either. http://www.opticsplanet.com/egw-savage-mark-ii-picatinny-rail-scope-mount.html
 
I have been very happy with the accuracy of all the Savage rifles that I have owned. My favorite is my Mk II BTVLSS bull barrel.
 
Sunray said:
6-20x50 is way too much scope and magnification for a .22. Too long(16") and heavy(24 ounces without the rings and bases) as well
Click to expand...
That's the same way I feel about 22 LR.... However; some guys who do a lot of target shooting from a solid rest use some real high magnification optics on rimfire guns, but I'm more of a squirrel hunter, plinker, general small game etc. and over the years have settled on a decent rimfire scope of about 2-7x which will do whatever I need with a 22 LR, put a Vortex 2-7x on my CZ-455 and have a BSA 2-7x on a 10/22. Not to knock the 6-20x scope but I've always said I don't need the Hubble Space Telescope on a .22 because if I need that much magnification then I need more gun, at least for the type of shooting I do with a 22 LR.
 
I understand using the 6.5-20x if that's what you have. A 2-7x or 3-9x I think is more ideal for field use but I do pretty much leave the 3-9x on the Savage above on 6x for squirrel hunting.
 
Everyone,

Thank you for your comments!

I'm going to look into what CZ has to offer as well as Ruger.. I personally only knew of the 10/22 but wasn't all that impressed with my friends takedown version. Glad to learn about different options.

Also my scope / magnification.. I know that seems like alot of scope for most, but I love being able to place a shot exactly where I want it, the magnification also helps to watch them afar and try to get in closer.
- For my 300WM I use a Vortex Viper HS-T 6-24x50, now that scope is overkill on a 22, but the Redfield works great on my 22mag, except the only problem with a 22 mag is the volume when hunting at night... typically once you shoot your done for the night cause everything within my 100 acres tends to run and its harder on the ears.

Thanks again,
Ill post my findings on the a CZ vs Ruger vs Savage.
 
Can't go wrong with a Savage, except for a problem with the ejector. Mine always had problems, even after Savage sent me a new extractor. But it was deadly on grouse doing head shots. Then on a whim I bought a Marlin 725 semi auto. It is just a accurate and never any hangups. To the OP I wouldn't completely dismiss a semi auto because it may go click on you. If you are really a bolt gun fan then I can understand. Just enjoy what you get.
 
Spent the past 45 minutes doing some reading on the CZ and Ruger. They are really nice firearms that offer some great features, which do come at a much greater cost (150 to 200$ more depending)...

Honestly for my level of skill I think the Savage may be best AND my level of cheapness. I watched a video on how to fix the "mag issue", which didn't seem so bad.

I'm not going to pull the trigger on it today, but I need something better than my old semi auto marlin by mid May.

Thanks again guys.
Ron.
 
well I don't have a bolt action 22 but if I may offer I own a henry leveraction 22lr model h001 and I have a 4x32 scope with raised mounts so I can use the Williams fire sights I put in place of the factory sights and with using Winchesters new m-22 ammo it shoots super tight groups so I use this gun for my go to squirrel hunting machine!! :)
 
Here is mine. I also have a 6.5-20 on this which is rather silly but fun. I stole the scope off this one to put on something else and this was the only other scope I had free to put on it. On 20 power you can watch subsonic bullet arcing through the air to the target at 150 yards. Great fun. When I stumble upon a nice older burris with a gloss finish I will swap it out. I glass and pillar bedded this one and also drilled and tapped the recoil post on the barrel to add a third bedding pillar. Trigger has been worked down to about 4 ounces. I like the savage magazines alot, they are very easy on the thumbs to load compared to a ruger rotary mag and carry well in the pocket.

 
My younger son chose a Marlin XT-22 for his first rifle.

No picatiny rail and no threaded barrel, but the rest of your list is included.
 
CZ or Ruger American for me. They may cost more but better accuracy and you don't have to fix them out of the box normally. My Ruger did have a faulty bolt which Ruger fixed free. Savages and Marlin are nice accurate field rifles for the price. They are all pretty good .
Really a CZ is a rifle you will not regret buying.
 
My 16" Savage MK2 with a 4x Nikon and suppressor has been remarkable. Great results with subsonic Aguilar and Remington hollow points.
 
There are many bolt action 22 rifles (many are very accurate) out there, older remingtons, marlins, savage, stevens, Mossberg,some with tubular magazines(my favorite). many of these older guns can be had used for less than half the cost of a new CZ. I own a CZ 527 in 223 and it is an amazing rifle. So if you can swing it the CZ would be a buy once --cry once option!. Now the newer savages, rugers and marlins with the plastic stocks really seem cheap to me. I don't doubt they are accurate and well made. I have a marlin xt-22 22 mag with plastic stock that is OK but I haven't shot it since I acquired the CZ 527. CZ accuracy is less than 1 moa at 100yds. Marlin was 1.5 to 2 moa at 100 yds on a good day.

Good luck with your decision, shooting and hunting with 22LR is what makes America Great!!

Bull
 
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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