my first rifle was a 10/22 so maybe im a little biased but imho it is the best .22lr semiauto platform and just as versatile as the AR platform for in the future when u have more money. put a $30 walmart scope on it(if you want to save money) and sight it in. there are a lot of people who say you cant do certain things with a particular firearm...but just because they cant or dont do it doesnt mean you cant. im not trying to step on anyones toes but you can shoot a .22 accurately to 150yards on small game. just make sure you practice shooting at targets at the distance you plan to hunt and are accurate so unnecessary suffering is avoided

here is a link to some very knowledgeable people shooting .22lr to their MAX
http://www.longrangehunting.com/foru...-impact-82776/