Small Game Hunting - 22LR choice?

[cdb1]

I live in the middle of a mountain hollar surrounded by a long horseshoe shaped ridge covered in oak and hickory trees. It is very dense and well stocked with everything from tree rats to coons and 'possums and bobcats and coyotes. Typical ranges for hunting run 30-75 yards. My preferred small game rifle is also my most accurate one. It out shoots both my Ruger 10-22 and Marlin 1897 CB.

I hunt small critters with a Browning T-bolt Sporter .22 LR. It is made from good satin finished walnut and blued steel, just like a classic Hunting gun. I use a M1907 brown leather military sling adjusted so I can slip my support arm through the loop for a rock steady hold. No cheap plastic stock here. It has the lines similar to a Ross sporter. Very svelt and sexy. Don't need a rail, and my scope of choice is a fixed power compact 1" tube Nikon 4x32 Rimfire Scope with 50 yard parallax correction. This scope is light weight and sized appropriately for rimfires. It is a hunting scope.

With this combination, I can lead and pot squirrels on the run up a big oak tree. The T-bolt is incredibly fast cycling from the shoulder with no loss of sight picture. It is a straight pull bolt action that cycles almost as fast as a Ruger 10-22. It is perfectly balanced and handles well. The 4x scope has a wide field of view making shots in foliage easy. This is a fast system.

Most folks over scope their rimfire rifles to the point that over magnification reduces field of view and missed opportunities. You don't need big behemoth scopes with microscopic accuracy except maybe to competitively punch paper targets at a range from a benchrest. Waaaaaa too bulky to tote up and down mountain ridges. There you want the lightest, most compact package possible. I don't bother with bipods in deep woods for that reason. Hunting wide open plains would be different.

A buddy of mine had a Marlin 39 that he put a 14x scope on and couldn't see what he was shooting at until he dialed back to the lowest magnification. Plus the abomination was heavy, bulky and was a centerfire scope. After he shot my rifle, he ditched his scope and ordered a Nikon 4x32 just like mine from Midway USA. Bigger is not always better. Just sayin'.

I also agree. My Marlin has a 2-7 and my CZ has a 3-9. That's more than I've ever needed for hunting and I'm not a paper puncher.

 

[Crowman]

I have always wanted one of those T-bolts but the price is more than I can stomach for a 22. I think the last one I saw was $650.

Yeah, they are pricy, but worth every penny.

 

[olkowsr]

I've got an update.

The wife "approved" my budget of $200 for a new gun and I just sold my savage 64F for $80 to a friend with a bunch of "starter" goodies.

Like most opportunities in life, if you don't take them quickly, you will lose out.... So I ordered a mark-ii FV-SR. Cost $249.71 after tax and the guy at thumb gun in Romeo MI said he would give be a box of CCI quite for free.

Soooo looks like I've made the jump from a wannabe range plinker to an actual plibker.

I'll keep everyone updated once I get it and sight in my 6-20x40 on it. Also going to look into how to get a rebel screw on suppressor for it, only $115 out the door ain't bad at all.

Thanks again for everyone's help,
Ron

PS: no I haven't shot a CZ yet, but maybe one day.

 

[olkowsr]

I also agree. My Marlin has a 2-7 and my CZ has a 3-9. That's more than I've ever needed for hunting and I'm not a paper puncher.

I just love magnification myself, sometimes I just use it to look at song birds*, etc, etc...

*know that I don't ever shoot song birds, I like them too much.

 

[Captcurt]

Well I guess I am just going to have to go pick up a model 60 and put a set of Skinner peep sights on to find the truth for myself. Darn you high road!

It is a shame that a
cheap rifle like the Marlin has such a following. I wonder why? Oh, that's right, they shoot pretty darned good right out of the box. Might have to do a little trigger job, but I usually have to do that on any gun.

 

[Captcurt]

Did you try adjusting it? I have Power Custom innards in several of mine and wouldn't be without them. The trigger is fully adjustable for let-off, pre-travel and over-travel. Their magazine and bolt releases are the best available. I adjust let-off down to around 2lbs.

I shot it for a little while and sold it at a gun show for what I had in it. Was happy that I broke even. It was a neat little full camo rifle with a camo scope and rings. I have a anniversary model now that I just put a Vortex on, but haven't shot it yet.

 

[olkowsr]

Here she is

Going to file the form 2 here in the next week.

 

[<*(((><]

Nice! I took my bolt apart and polished it up to a silver shine and polished the bolt race as well and it really slicked it up for cycling the bolt. There are tutorial pictures on the web detailing it, bit it does make a big difference for an hours worth of work.

 

[olkowsr]

Nice! I took my bolt apart and polished it up to a silver shine and polished the bolt race as well and it really slicked it up for cycling the bolt. There are tutorial pictures on the web detailing it, bit it does make a big difference for an hours worth of work.

Happen to have a link?
- I'm pretty sure I could figure it out but why reinvent the wheel.

I'll be pretty busy this weekend with the kiddos but I might get her zerod in to my scope in the back yard if time allows.

Thanks!

 

[<*(((><]

Happen to have a link?
- I'm pretty sure I could figure it out but why reinvent the wheel.

I'll be pretty busy this weekend with the kiddos but I might get her zerod in to my scope in the back yard if time allows.

Thanks!

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78552#/topics/78552?page=8

http://www.savageshooters.com/showthread.php?37057-Mark-ii-polishing-the-bolt

Here are a couple of links I can't seem to locate the one I followed but they all talk about the same thing. It does make a big difference. And I'm sure polishi ng up the cam pin area might help some with any potential wear at that point as mine was pretty gritty there.

 

[salt&battery]

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 was just about to say the same thing about the scope

 

[salt&battery]

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!!

long barrels on 22's I think were only for a longer sight radius on target rifles.the most accurate 22's besides target rifles had 16-18 inch barrels. after 16" you start to lose velocity if that matters

 

[olkowsr]

This by far is the best 22 I've ever used.....

Shot off a lead sled with 2 ratchet straps holding it to the cemented table....



It is an aluminum target I've got that's 1/2" thick. After sighting it in at 50 with 10 rounds she's a nail driver! The hole was existing and drilled with a 0.25" carbide drill so probably 0.2509" in reality. That's only 0.015" clearance per side if directly on center.

Again this is off a sled that I've rigged to normally sight in my 300 win mag at 200 yards and test to 600 yards (end of my range).

I'm nowhere near that good of a shot without it.