Need .22 rifle + scope advice please

[bradleyheathhays]

I'm looking to put myself together a little close range varmit elimination package in the form of what I would imagine to be a .22 caliber rifle. Requirements are that it be just powerful enough to kill squirrel and rabbits with a well placed shot, accurate to within a quarter's diameter at 100 yards (I'd prefer some type of adjustable scope) and quiet (suppressed?)(Edit: Should have measured this out before posting, but I'm actually looking at a distance of 40-50 yards, not 100). Even though most .22 rifles are relatively quiet I believe the sound would still stir the neighbors a bit, and I'd like to try to avoid that.

So I've come here for help. For now I just need advice on what type of .22 and scope to look for. It need not be anything fancy or expensive, just good enough to get the job done. Just looking further into the suppressor issue now but it would need to be capable of having a suppressor mounted later when all the paperwork is done and it finally arrives. Anyone have a suggestion for a good model .22 rifle and scope I should look for?

I'm all ears. Thanks.

 

[BryceChambers]

My suggestion is a Ruger 10/22 reliable, pretty cheap, come any way you want it and tons of aftermarket parts. Scope, what I use for squirrel hunting is just iron sights, but for shooting or HD I have a red/green dot scope with like 1x or 2x magnification.

 

[BCRider]

Have you ever shot with CB caps? Shooting them from a bull barrel of around 20 to 22 inch long is super quiet. Not quite as quiet as a suppressor and subsonic ammo I imagine but darn quiet by most folks standards. The CB's won't reach out to 100 yards though. At least not with enough power to take down the pests. But out to around 30 to 40 yards? I'm pretty sure that it'll get the job done within that range. If you have any sort of .22 already I'd suggest getting a box of CB's and try them for both distance and hitting power by shooting at some wood boards as comparison to regular .22 ammo to see if it'll do the job for you.

I'd also suggest that a quarter size or slightly smaller groups at 50 is more realistic for accuracy unless you're planning on a snazzy and expensive target or bench rest rifle.

As for keeping the cost down I'd suggest a Savage Mk II in some form. The BTV or BTVSS actually work superbly with a scope by having a high enough comb that my eye is placed nicely for scope use with a good high cheek weld. But you would need to get the barrel threaded for the suppressor.

A Ruger 10/22 with a Tactical Solutions barrel might be another option. The TS barrels come with a pre-threaded muzzle and cap. So it's suppressor friendly. And the barrel itself is a nice upgrade over the stock barrel for accuracy.

For a scope you can go from mild to wild. The Nikon Prostaff seems like a good scope for reasonable price. Another great bang for the buck is a Simmons rimfire scope. I like the Simmons myself because it has non-capped turrets. I don't hunt or shoot in the rain so I don't need protective caps that get in my way when changing distances or adding in windage to account for cross winds.

 

[tuj]

My take: CZ452. More accurate and better fit and finish than the Savage (and I should know, I've shot both and own the Savage MKII).

Scope: Check out Mueller for good scopes that won't break the bank. The APV 4.5-14x is a great all-arounder.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

For 100yd accuracy and killing power go .22 magnum my tube fed bolt action Marlin .22 mag will hit a quarter at 100 yds with CCI Maxi Mag 40gr fmj. For quiet or suppressed just shoot subsonic ammo in 22LR. It will kill an armadillo out to 50yds. and my neighbors never heard the shot and I was 30yds from their front door

 

[ColtPythonElite]

CZ 452/453/455 American, Leupold scope of your favorite power with AO and good standard velocity ammo the gun likes may get you close to the quarter sized 100 yard groups. You probably won't need a suppressor with SV...If you absolutely have to have it CZ made threaded 452s.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Much as I absolutely RAVE on the .22 WMR, if the sound a .22 makes is a concern due to neighbors, this is NOT the round for you. Stick with a .22 LR. You can even get sub-sonic ammunition for .22 LR, though I'm not sure how effective they would be at 100 yards.

By experience, nearly ANY decent .22 LR bolt action will be capable of the accuracy and power you need out to 100 yards. And also by experience, nearly ANY scope you buy will be capable of doing what you need with this, including the cheap $10 scope available at Walmart. You do NOT need to spend a lot of money for this.

Personally, I'd up the scope a little bit to the $30 one at Walmart, though.


Although everybody will have their own opinion on this with respect to every little aspect of what rifle and what scope, it sounds to me like you're not looking to invest a lot of money in this. And there are plenty of good choices for you.

I have a Marlin 881 bolt action .22 LR, plenty accurate for this. Marlin's modern equivalent are there ST series. I just bought my wife a Savage Mark II-F bolt action .22 LR this summer, also plenty accurate for this. Plenty of .22 LR rifles are available for $200 range, give or take. My personal preference is bolt action, but there are good semi-autos out there as well.

 

[osteodoc08]

CarJunkie brings up a good point of stepping up to 22Mag, however, you cannot shoot 22lr in a 22Mag. Just to clear up any possible confusion.

Personally. I'd suggest a bolt action 22LR.

 

[tuj]

Do you really need to be accurate to within a quarter's width at 100 yards? Because being quiet and achieving that level of accuracy is pretty difficult. The 17HMR and 22mag can do the accuracy part, but are significantly louder than a 22lr.

I know of virtually no 22lr that is *that* accurate at 100 yards consistently. Nor are most shooters. You are talking 4" of drop on a SV 22lr round at that distance, more if you go subsonic. I shoot smallbore benchrest at 50 yards and even with wind-flags, its hard to place every shot within that level of precision if there is any substantial wind.

 

[jmr40]

That type of accuracy is probably unrealistic from a 22 rimfire. At least consistently. On a dead calm day, with a very accurate rifle and target quality ammo maybe.

A 10/22 should give you that type of accuracy or better at 50 yards. The CZ bolt rifles will generally beat it by a bit. Assuming decent ammo. You won't do it with the cheap bulk pack ammo.

I generally use one of my big game scopes. A 2-7X is generally enough for 50 yards, but nothing wrong with a 3-9X or even larger if you want. Since 22's don't have to deal with a lot of recoil and aren't usually hunted in harsher conditions one of the cheaper budget scopes will usually be more acceptable than I'd use on a big game rifle.

 

[Picher]

I have a marlin 39A lever-action that is the quietest .22 LR I have. It also fires/ejects all types of .22 LR (CB Long, Short, Long, and LR). CB Longs are great for around the house, but CB shorts are not very accurate IMHO. Look for a long-barreled rifle for quietness. Peak velocity in a .22LR is about 16", so barrels that are 24" or more are pretty quiet.

If you use subsonic target ammo, you'll probably get the best accuracy with low sound. The biggest problem with the .22 LR ammo is the amount of drop beyond 50 yards.

A .22 WMR, with the right ammo for the rifle, will shoot close to 1" groups at 100 yards, but drop is not as great, so point blank range is extended. Ammo brands/types vary in accuracy in my rifle, so don't give up on the cartridge until you've tried several, especially the plastic-tipped ones.

The .17 HMR gives flat trajectory and better accuracy than either .22 LRs or .22 WMRs, but tends to be a bit pricey to shoot. Noise is probably similar to, or perhaps a bit less than the .22 WMR.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Off topic but what is the norm for a .22 mag accuracy at 100yds?

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Off topic but what is the norm for a .22 mag accuracy at 100yds?

Well...

Accurate enough for me to take head shots on squirrels with it using my Marlin 783 bolt action and that cheap Walmart scope I mentioned earlier. That was back in my earlier squirrel hunting days, when I was a teen and in my 20's.

Is that accurate enough for you?

 

[Coyote3855]

Take a look at the NEF or H&R Sportster break action single shot in .22 LR. I think you can get one new for around $200. I have one in .17 HMR. I can't shoot quarters at 100 yards but that's not the gun's fault. With all due respect to RetiredUSNChief, I'd spend another $200 on a decent scope. My .17 was bought used and came with a cheap variable. I was disappointed in the rifle until I put Leupold 3.5X10 on it. HUGE difference. Death from a distance on ground squirrels.

http://www.hr1871.com/Firearms/Rifles/sportster.asp

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Take a look at the NEF or H&R Sportster break action single shot in .22 LR. I think you can get one new for around $200. I have one in .17 HMR. I can't shoot quarters at 100 yards but that's not the gun's fault. With all due respect to RetiredUSNChief, I'd spend another $200 on a decent scope. My .17 was bought used and came with a cheap variable. I was disappointed in the rifle until I put Leupold 3.5X10 on it. HUGE difference. Death from a distance on ground squirrels.

http://www.hr1871.com/Firearms/Rifles/sportster.asp

No worries, Coyote3855. There is truth to the saying "you get what you pay for" when it comes to scopes, as well as the saying "whatever floats your boat". There is a world of difference between a $10 - $30 scope and a much higher end scope, no argument from me.

If it "need not be anything fancy or expensive, just good enough to get the job done", then what I mentioned would certainly fit the bill. Absolutely nothing wrong with upgrading later, when more funds are available; and it wouldn't be the sticker shock it would be to lay out a total of $500 to $600 all at once for a squirrel/rabbit rifle/scope setup.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Yeah that's accurate enough I was only asking because I won a $20 bet by hitting a quarter 3 times in a row with my Marlin 22 mag. Someone said a 1 inch group is about as good as you'll get. I beg to differ and wanted to others experience with them.

 

[Bhoffman]

Well, given those specs .... I have a gun that will do that, .5" groups at 50 yds... 1" groups at 100 yds on a good windless day (Bench Rested).
A Kidd Innovations Custom built 10/22 Super Receiver w/ Thredded Bull Barrel, McMillan Thumb Hole stock (adjustable pull and comb), and a Leupold 4X16 VX II Scope. Cost around $3,000.00. You got to really want to kill a squirrel really bad.

However, if you can live with 2.5" accuracy.... A Ruger 10/22 Target model with a good scope (I would use a 3X9 with adjustable parallax or parallax set @ 75 Yds. Most non 22 rifle scopes have terrible parallax a 22 ranges) would do well. You can get one for around $550.00 not including the scope.

A bolt action would be better (quieter) if you are really going to suppress it. Is it legal to shoot that close to a neighbor? Is hunting with a suppressor legal in your state? If the answer to either or both of those questions is NO...Then I guess I know why you want a suppressor. Watch out...Many states, even though use of a suppressor for hunting and target shooting is allowed, have SEVERE penalties for use of a suppressor for unlawful purposes (like too close to an occupiable structure).

 

[bradleyheathhays]

Thanks for all the quick replies! I'll have to find some time later on to read everything and give a proper reply. Thought I'd better mention now that I just took an accurate measurement of the distance I'm looking at and it seems like my target distance now is only going to be 40-50 yards, and not the 100 yards I anticipated the distance to be in my original post. Original post has been edited to read the updated distance.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

For 40-50 yds and quiet get a 22lr rifle (model your choice) and shoot subsonic ammo in it. I kill armadillos fairly often with my Ruger 10/22 and subsonic ammo range is 20-50 yards.

 

[kimbershot]

i had 2 cz's a 452 varmint and trainer. both tack drivers. the varmint--to pretty to cut. the trainer--with the long barrel and subsonics--not bad noise wise.

the coolest i had was a t/c contender with match barrel cut and threaded to 16.5 inches with bipod--scoped with 16x cheapo bsa. with the suppressor and std. or subs--dead on nuts quiet to 50yds. of all the guns i sold--the t/c is most missed. :banghead:

 

[Odd Job]

If you are going for 50 yards, you can get a second hand CZ452 with a threaded barrel.
Even a modest Weaver V-series 6-24 x 42 Varminter scope will be all you need on that rifle.

 

[Sniper66]

I would suggest, as have others, that a Savage or CZ will do the trick nicely. The 10/22 and Marlin are decent rifles too. I have a Leupold VX III 2.5-8X on my .22 after trying less expensive scopes (Redfield and Bushnell). It makes a world of difference.
But, here's the thing….get what you want. Dozens of guns have passed through my hands that I have bought, traded, and sold. After awhile you will prefer some features over others. Once bought a brand new, beautiful Benelli Legacy 20 ga from a young man who said the gun was just "too pretty" for him. He got himself a beater for his duck boat and spent the balance on his wife for Christmas. We are both happy. So, be good to yourself and buy a gun you really want and like.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

That type of accuracy is probably unrealistic from a 22 rimfire. At least consistently. On a dead calm day, with a very accurate rifle and target quality ammo maybe.

A 10/22 should give you that type of accuracy or better at 50 yards. The CZ bolt rifles will generally beat it by a bit. Assuming decent ammo. You won't do it with the cheap bulk pack ammo.

I somewhat disagree with this post. I have found that as long as the ammo is packaged in 40 (mmmm...Am Eagle 38gr Copper ) or 50 round boxes (ie not bouncing around in a big 'ol box) that groups of one MOA at 100 yards are perfectly achievable with a CZ452. In fact, I am able to maintain this level of accuracy to 200 and sometimes 300 yards when conditions allow. I have a CZ452 Trainer with a SWFA 16x42 on top.

As others have said, a cheaper bolt-gun with a long-ish barrel is what you are looking for. My CZ has a 24.8" barrel and with CBs it is VERY quiet. You can still find the CZ Trainers for $320 or so, plus now they come with a 300m tangent sight instead of the older 200m version! That right there is enough reason to buy one in my opinion...who else makes a 22 with sights calibrated for any range from 0-300m?!

One last thing. A buddy of mine has a cheap ($160 with tax AND cheap-o 4x scope from Dick's) Savage bolt action with no accu-trigger that shoots almost as well as my CZ. It is easily minute-of-three-inch-plate at 200 yards. He recently had a gunsmith work on the trigger for $50 so it's a pretty slick-shootin' gun for just $220.

Side-note: My post count is now 452...only adding to my credibility, I'm sure

Good luck!

 

[22-rimfire]

Bolt Action: If you want out of the box accuracy, I would suggest a CZ bolt action 452/453/455. Something less expensive is the Savage Mark II.

Semi-auto: The Marlin M60 should give you the accuracy at 50 yds and be fun. You can get the detachable mag version if you prefer. The Ruger 10/22 is a fun gun but won't give you the accuracy at 50 yds that you want without some customization. But a surpress 10/22 would be a bunch of fun. You are limited to mostly shooting 22LR ammo however with the semi-autos unless you want to shoot them single shot.

Scope... hard to beat a Leupold 22 rimfire scope. I like the Weaver rimfire scopes a lot personally which is what I buy for a number of rifles. For more maganification, look at a Mueller scope as they are very cost effective.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Well, given those specs .... I have a gun that will do that, .5" groups at 50 yds... 1" groups at 100 yds on a good windless day (Bench Rested).
A Kidd Innovations Custom built 10/22 Super Receiver w/ Thredded Bull Barrel, McMillan Thumb Hole stock (adjustable pull and comb), and a Leupold 4X16 VX II Scope. Cost around $3,000.00. You got to really want to kill a squirrel really bad.

However, if you can live with 2.5" accuracy.... A Ruger 10/22 Target model with a good scope (I would use a 3X9 with adjustable parallax or parallax set @ 75 Yds. Most non 22 rifle scopes have terrible parallax a 22 ranges) would do well. You can get one for around $550.00 not including the scope.

3 grand only got you half inch 50 yard groups?

You are pretty spot on about the larger groups with the factory 10/22 like the Target....It's refreshing though to have a guy post real world results instead of some of the results lots of guys claim they get with their 10/22 rifles.