.22 rifle for hunting

1
I "need" another 22, this time oriented towards clambering around the woods hunting small critters.

Goals:
- Light weight
- Short, threaded barrel (will have a can on it, maybe the Q El Camino? It's light and rugged, or so the internet seems to think)
- Accurate, of course
- Stainless is nice in case it gets wet since it will be used in the field

The T1X: https://www.tikka.fi/en-us/rifles/tikka-t1x/t1x. Prices in the wild at around $470.
Pros:
- 5.3 lbs with a 16" barrel
- Tikka receiver has an integral dovetail so you can have rings clamp directly onto that to save a few ounces (e.g. https://warnescopemounts.com/product/1t ... tte-rings/)
Cons:
- New, unproven rifle, but it'll probably be great if it's anything like the much-loved T3X
- Bolt is stainless but barrel is not

CZ has their new'n'improved 457 with a synthetic stock for about $550 (https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-457-prova ... sor-ready/) or adjustable AT-ONE for about $600 (https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-457-varmint-at-one/).
Pros:
- 16.5" barrel
- Proven 455 action
- The AT-ONE stock, while heavy-ish, is something I've considered for one of the 22s I already have (Savage) because its stock is more youth sized...
Cons:
- No stainless parts
- 7.3lbs synthetic, 7.7lbs adjustable

Ruger American Rimfire for about $400: https://ruger.com/products/americanRimf ... /8348.html
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Has a scope rail built in
Cons:
- 6.7lbs
- The internet seems to think it won't be a tack driver like the CZs
- No stainless parts

Ruger 10/22 Tactical for about $300: https://ruger.com/products/1022Tactical ... /1261.html
Pros:
- Really inexpensive
- 4.3lbs
Cons:
- Fugly
- Likely less accurate
- I'm just not as excited about semi auto 22s for this application

Ruger 10/22 Target Lite for about $500: https://ruger.com/products/1022TargetLi ... 21186.html
Pros:
- 5lb
- Probably more accurate than the 10/22 Tactical?
Cons:
- Not huge on the stock
- Again, not in love with a 10/22 for this

O internet, what say you?

.22 rifle for hunting

2
Just my opinion. While I love 10/22s and have a couple with 16.5 in barrels that shoot better than one MOA and weigh less than 5 lb sans optics, you would be lucky to get one like them out of the box. I have a lot of money in my 10/22s and most of them have no Ruger parts. Since you are not that interested in the 10/22 platform, they are probably off the table.

That said, I have bought two CZ .22s in the last six months and previously had one in .17 HMR. All shoot very well out of the box. I can’t be quantitative because I have not had enough range time with them but they are quite impressive. I have a trainer and an Ultra Lux. Both have relatively long barrels and are pretty heavy so they might not be best for scrambling around in the woods.

That Tikka sure looks cool though. Are they available now? Buy one so you can tell us all about it.

Edit - one more thing: the CZ has interchangeable barrels so you can swap to a .17 HMR so you can vaporize squirrels at longer range.
Image

Re: .22 rifle for hunting

3
Good to know. I have 10/22s also but I just enjoy bolt actions. I only see the T1x for sale outside the US so far but it should be making its way to the states soon enough... I'm leaning towards the Tikka. The CZs look great, and maybe I'll get one for non-hunting use at some point, but at 7+ pounds that's more than a centerfire hunting rifle, which just seems excessive.

Re: .22 rifle for hunting

5
If a 10/22 is under consideration, consider a Marlin 795. They are more accurate out of the box than a 10/22 (4 shots in a ragged hole at 25 yards), the ones with the plastic stocks are very light (about 4 1/2 pounds), and threading the barrel is trivial. It's a very capable rifle and can be had for about $145 in blue and about $240 in stainless.

Re: .22 rifle for hunting

7
I have a Mark II FV, and it's accurate, but that's the only good thing I can say about it. It rusts despite being kept oiled in a dehumidified environment, the safety is placed so that it's easy to flip it while working the bolt, the tapped holes for scope rings were so far out of whack I had to get adjustable rings in order to be able to zero a scope, the stock is garbage, etc...

I've heard terrible things about Marlin's quality control lately post acquisition by Remington, who has also had egregious quality problems. 🤷‍♂️

I intend to put an optic on the rifle, so while I'd love to have a Scout for other reasons (introducing young folk to shooting), its short LOP would be a problem for me -- somewhere north of 14" is where I want to be -- and the irons would get in the way.

Re: .22 rifle for hunting

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polymath wrote: Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:13 am Argh. It looks like the shorter barrel T1X won't be available in the US, at least not easily, as it's 400mm = 15.7" and therefore an SBR. Unless SBR doesn't apply to rimfire?
SBR does apply to rimfires. Would not be suprized if there is a US Version with a 16"+ barrel. I have a CZ 452 (predecessor to the 455) and its a nice rifle. I would also look at the Tikka.

Re: .22 rifle for hunting

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juliadavid wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 1:09 am It's been many years that my father went hunting before my mother's death. Now I'm planning to take him on hunting and surprise him. I'm not into this that's why I need your help guys. What hunting equipment and esssential gears do we heed for hunting. And please help me out in finding a good online store where I can get all the required stuff. And if you people know about any discount sale on hunting accessories or coupons site then this would be great.
:hmmm:
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: .22 rifle for hunting

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juliadavid wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 1:09 am It's been many years that my father went hunting before my mother's death. Now I'm planning to take him on hunting and surprise him. I'm not into this that's why I need your help guys. What hunting equipment and esssential gears do we heed for hunting. And please help me out in finding a good online store where I can get all the required stuff. And if you people know about any discount sale on hunting accessories or coupons site then this would be great.
Welcome home. Pull up a stump and set a spell. If anyone were to try to give you advice based on just what you posted I would be shocked.

If you are really thinking about taking your father hunting tell us what you would hunt, what the environment would be, what time of year and season you would go and if you are not simply trolling for game.
To be vintage it must be older than me!
The next gun I buy will be the next to last gun I ever buy. PROMISE!
jim

Re: .22 rifle for hunting

17
Resurrection of a zombie thread just to ask a generic question completely unrelated to the thread itself. That should be enough to nail suspicions this user is not genuine.

I say tie up the suspect and dunk them in the water to see if they float. Bots float, don’t cha know.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: .22 rifle for hunting

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it's fine, maybe you'll get the thread back on track. some of us... well, me, any way... i have a hobby of outing spammers. i try to get to them first, but i have to sleep and eat now and then and sometimes someone else gets to them before me.:crazy:
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: .22 rifle for hunting

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Mainiak wrote: Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:21 pm I have a 10-22 and also an old JC Higgins with a weaver scope. I gave $150 for the JC Higgins with scope, and that is my 22 hunting rifle.

LOL I should have read back to see what was going on before I posted that!
Which JC Higgins do you have?
To be vintage it must be older than me!
The next gun I buy will be the next to last gun I ever buy. PROMISE!
jim

It is much easier to make an accurate bolt action .22LR

22
Accurate semi-auto .22 LR rifles are possible, but are much more difficult to find commercially, will be much more expensive, and will probably be rather particular about the ammo they will shoot well. It is easy, and cheap, for a manufacturer to make an accurate bolt-action .22 LR rifle. Much of it has to do with the chamber and throating of the barrel.

Sub-sonic "Standard Velocity" .22 LR ammo is generally much more accurate than super-sonic "High Speed" ammo.

Most semi-auto .22 LR rifles are set up to function reliably with High Speed ammo. They can be made to function reliably with Standard Velocity, usually, with a lot of fiddle-bitching around. There are two threads here where I have written about doing it with a Ruger 10/22, and a lot more threads on the Rimfire Central forum.

Just because something is made from Stainless Steel does not mean it will not rust. Stainless is in many ways a miserable material to make things from, giving all sorts of problems with finishing and wear, and the grades that are generally easiest to make things from are the ones that are more likely to rust a little.

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