The Best .22 Sporter Rifles For Hunting Squirrels

[teerex.otw]

I use a Marlin 60 with a Leupold 2x7-28 rimfire scope and sometimes a Ruger 10-22 Sporter with a Weaver 3x9-32 ao rimfire scope . I have a 452 American that has been sitting in the safe for about 10 years unfired . I have been trying to figure out what I want to do with it , hunt or 100 yard target shooting . One of my nephews will probably get it unfired one day . I had the privilege to shoot a guys model 52 one day . He had an aperture sight on it and just had bought it used about 9 years ago . It was the most accurate .22 that I have ever shot . I made one hole at 50yards with 5 shots the first and only time that I shot it .

Glad I’m not the “red-headed-step-child” here !
The woods here are very dense, most shots are under 50 yards, so my go-to is a Marlin 60 with a 4x Leupold and CCI Mini-mags.
On occasion (read: in the mood) I’ll take a Remington 521t with 4-12x a.o. same ammo, or Super-x h.p.
Have tried others, but somehow always end up with one of these two.

 

[Seamaster31]

If the weather is nice I like to take my Remington 541 T, otherwise it is a 10-22. Both have the same model of 3x9 scope on top, and a silencer screwed onto the barrel.

On rare occasions the choice is a Ruger Mk 4.

 

[hawg]

Just about any .22 makes a good squirrel gun. Even a bone stock 10/22 will make head shots. I don't hunt squirrels anymore but if I did it would come down to a Marlin model 60 or a Marlin model 25.

 

[.38 Special]

Though it is probably my least accurate .22, this Taurus knock-off of the Winchester 62 is perhaps my favorite rimfire rifle for woods walking and squirrel shooting.



On the whole, though, I've had more enjoyment of the game with my flintlock squirrel rifle than with any of the more modern guns.

 

[hawg]

Though it is probably my least accurate .22, this Taurus knock-off of the Winchester 62 is perhaps my favorite rimfire rifle for woods walking and squirrel shooting.

I'd like to find one of those. I looked at one of the new ones and it was junk.

 

[.38 Special]

I'd like to find one of those. I looked at one of the new ones and it was junk.

Mine is from the late 80s or early 90s and is no prize. It functions reliably - although the safety has never worked at all, not that I care on such a piece - but the trigger is crummy, the sights primitive, and accuracy worse than some of my better handguns. It somehow is still a joy in the woods, though.

 

[.45Coltguy]

I like hawg's mention of the Marlin 25. A mighty good bolt .22. Mine is a favorite desert plinker.

 

[I6turbo]

Mine is from the late 80s or early 90s and is no prize. It functions reliably - although the safety has never worked at all, not that I care on such a piece - but the trigger is crummy, the sights primitive, and accuracy worse than some of my better handguns. It somehow is still a joy in the woods, though.

I didn't realize Taurus had made those until you posted here.
If any of the shortcomings you mentioned bother you enough, you can buy a vintage Remington 121 (like the one in my post #19 above) in nice condition for not much more than the Taurus sometimes brings. My 121 is very accurate, has a nice trigger, and of course they function beautifully. On the day I made the two photos above, I was out-shooting the CZ with the 121 -- which really shocked me!. (With a scope installed, that CZ will shoot less than half-inch groups at 50 yards, so the old Remington is doing very well for itself. The Remington bead-in-u-notch works a little better for my eyes than the CZ Tangents, so that might account for the difference.)

 

[.38 Special]

I didn't realize Taurus had made those until you posted here.
If any of the shortcomings you mentioned bother you enough, you can buy a vintage Remington 121 (like the one in my post #19 above) in nice condition for not much more than the Taurus sometimes brings. My 121 is very accurate, has a nice trigger, and of course they function beautifully. On the day I made the two photos above, I was out-shooting the the CZ with the 121 -- which really shocked me!. (With a scope installed, that CZ will shoot less than half-inch groups at 50 yards, so the old Remington is doing very well for itself.)

I suspect the Taurus is a Rossi, or vice-versa. They almost certainly came out of the same factory.

 

[hawg]

I suspect the Taurus is a Rossi, or vice-versa. They almost certainly came out of the same factory.

I was mistaken it was a Rossi I looked at.

 

[GooseGestapo]

CZ 452 American.
Mine has a Leupold Compact VariX II 3-9. 50ys parallax setting.
The question isn’t how accurate is the rifle. It’s how accurate is the ammunition.
With Fiocchi V320 match or Federal GoldMedal match (1990’s vintage) it’s 1-hole @ 50yds.
I typically use CCI subsonic hollow points. It’s about 3/4” 5-shots at 50yds. Good enough for head shots to 60yds.

 

[WVRJ]

Back in 1980 I made the switch from a shotgun to a 22 because my Grandma liked squirrel brains and I hated to have to skin out the heads.I got a stern warning about making head shots and ruining what she considered a delicacy,so I started shooting them right behind the head.I still have that much customized Remington 541S.I kick myself in the butt for modifying what is now a pretty valuable rifle.Back then they were pricey but I saved up the money to buy the rifle and not long after that I added a second bedding bolt,shortened the barrel to 18 inches and refinished the stock in hand rubbed oil to make it less shiny.I still have it and it still shoots very good.Good like less than half an inch at 50 yards.The last squirrel it shot was in 1991.It'll go to my grandson when his arms are long enough to shoot it,but for now,his Chipmunk is the right size for him.

 

[1SG Ret]

Remington 514 single shot. I got it for my birthday 53 yrs ago next month. I still got it!

I still have my Remington 514 that I received for Christmas in 1964.

 

[d2wing]

I still have my Remington 514 that I received for Christmas in 1964.

I wish I still had mine from the late 50's. My dad traded it for something else when I was at college.

 

[Thomas Mayberry]

For the last 35 years it's been my 10-22.

 

[hdbiker]

My favorite squirrel rifle I got as a 16th birthday present. A Remington model 514 single shot .22, I had a gunsmith install a cheap 2x7. scope on it. I can't begin to count the small game I've taken with it over the years. I still own it and I'm now 78 years old. I always shot standard velocity ammo, seemed more accurate and less tissue damage if I didn't get a good hit.

 

[IndianaBoy]

CZ 452 American. 16-inch threaded barrel.

I love my CZ 452 Lux for squirrels. I enjoy the challenge of iron sights, and the 22 inch (if i recall correctly) barrel makes for great sight radius.

It's a tack driver with CCI subsonics, and the long barrel makes it almost as quiet as a suppressed 22. Not quite, but close enough that it doesn't alarm all the squirrels in the woods. It is hearing safe with subsonic ammunition, which is all I use for squirrel hunting. It would be wonderful if an ammo company would offer subsonic ammo for the same price as bulk pack, but that seems to be a pipe dream.

 

[bigpower491]

Best squirrel 22 rifle.........

Something light you don't have a problem humping up and down some ridges all day long with.
I've gotten lots and lots with an old Glenfield 60 and a Marlin 882 22wmr. With basic Bushnell optics.

That is a wide open question with several good answers, but 1 thing is certain.....you show me a good squirrel hunter, and I'll show you a good woodsman...