I am looking for a new .22lr. I was wondering what gun manufacturer makes the best one. But there also is the choice of buying a .17HMR. I will be using it on rabbits and squirrles mostly. Would it be to powerful, and totally rip them to shreds. I would like some advise
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Country by the grace of God...and remember..GIT-R-DONE
The .22 is SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive to shoot than .17. As far as I am concerned, you have two choices: 10/.22 (semi) or Marlin 25n (bolt).
Good Luck.
CE
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"A hunter should not select a caliber and bullet that will kill when everything goes right, rather,
should choose ones that will kill when everything goes wrong."
"Recoil lasts a second, but gravity lasts forever."
for good old rabbit and squirrel hunting the tried and true .22LR is cheap and worthy as anything you can use. To it's range which I consider 35 yards it's extremely accurate and powerful enough to do small game very well.
I have a Marlin 60 semi auto that's very accurate and reliable but the 10/22 crowd is very high on that gun as well. Look the field over....there's some very fine bolts, autos, as well as leveractions and pumps and the used racks present a plethora of bargains as well.
I just had to take a look, and according to Midway, you can get a brick of .22 for the same price as 50 .17!?!?!?!?! That makes it a no brainer to me.
Kev, how does that .17 shoot? I have seen a bunch of guys shooting it at my range, and they love the caliber. Have you hunted with it much? I didn't have it in me to buy a .17 rimfire, and ended up with a .204. Give us a report, please.
Good Luck.
CE
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"A hunter should not select a caliber and bullet that will kill when everything goes right, rather,
should choose ones that will kill when everything goes wrong."
"Recoil lasts a second, but gravity lasts forever."
I have a marlin bolt topped with a straight 4 power and love it. I have been shooting this setup for ten years and a couple of thousand rounds. It is very accurate and will do the job well. I even use it for woodchucks out to a 100 yards
good luck
If it's any consolation, when the .17's came out, I bought one of each in a Savage 93. A .17, and a .22 mag. I kept the .22 mag if that says anything. You didn't say how much you want to spend. If your on a tight budget, a Savage MKII is a good choice. If you can afford a little more luxury, than my choice would be a CZ american. It's beautiful, shoots very well, and are really not to costly. If you want a semi auto, than the ruger 10/22 will be the most reliable. I also have a Marlin model 60. It is, without a doubt the most accurate rifle I have ever had the pleasure of owning. But, it is not nearly as reliable as the Ruger.
They aren't the prettiest gun on the market, and their triggers stink. If you are going to pay for a gun in that league,I would still recommend the CZ. And don't even consider the Remington 504. It's gross in all kinds of ways![:'(]
a good .22lr
