Rimfire Recommendation

Cass

Looking for a little guidance, some recommendations and some personal experience if any.

I have an Anschutz 1710 D. It's a brilliant, and seriously accurate .22lr. I have not got it threaded and have no intention to. I use it for bunny bashing, and some target work. I share this rifle with my Father, but want something for me alone that i can have the same fun with as with the Annie, but without the worry of damaging or scratching it.

What i'm looking for is a rimfire rifle, no specific action, but something "fun". By this i mean something that i can hunt with, do some targets (informally/non competitive), and something i can enjoy having some fun with. Maybe something that i can tinker with down the road. A gun that won't cost the earth, and can be dragged through a ditch (to a degree).


The Ruger 10/22 comes to mind. I see a lot of them and the craic lads have with them on the range and in the field. The customisation that can be done to them. Turning them from an informal plinker into a fairly serious competitive gun without remortgaging the house.



So what i'm looking for is your recommendations, including Rugers, aswell as other makes/models or even types of rimfire. I've done the .223, and most other C/F and have a .243 and .308 so not interested in them. Plus i want to stay away from odd calibers or wildcat calibers. I'd ideally like to stay rimfire for something that is cheap to run.

The Aussie

Cass wrote: »

ut something "fun". By this i mean something that i can hunt with, do some targets (informally/non competitive), and something i can enjoy having some fun with.

My first suggestion for the Fun bit would a open sight Lever Action .22.

For tinkering a 10/22 is hard to beat for aftermarket tinkering.

vapour_trail

From what I believe , dont 10/22's take a lot of work to get accurate?

Id go for a .17hmr if I were you. More than capable for bunnys at any distance you can shoot. Stretching it out to 150 and 200 yards on coke cans is a serious addiction :eek:

lb1981

Sako quad .17hmr, i am seriously impressed with it,great craic and can pull off some lovely shots,i have a grs stock for it on the way so it will pimp it up a bit and you can always have your choice of 4 calibers with it , little bit more pricey than the other .17hmrs but the build quality is far superior...ammo 16 quid a box for the hornadys

rowa

cz bolt action, great value second hand.

The Aussie

lb1981 wrote: »

Sako quad .17hmr, i have a grs stock for it on the way

So you were waiting for the inlet to become available as well, I've been waiting for months for them to start the production only to be told I have to wait a few more months until they start the Left Hand stock (should be starting the lefty stock the next week or two) then Jacksons say it should be 12 weeks after they start, it's a good thing I'm in no rush.

clivej

Well Cass I have owned the CZ .22 in both the Style and Varmint versions. I always liked the heaver rifle.
I customised them both up 'cos I could with trigger kit then Timmey, stock, picatinny rail, firing pin spring.
Both shot very good and cheap to run, brick of ammo @€;45 or less if you shop around.
Accurate out to 130y on rabbits, and clays @300y.

I see dev on here is winning the IS benchrest comps. with his CZ so you don't have to pay big money for accurate shooting.

I now have the pimped out Ruger 10/22. used mainly now for competition gallery shooting and the best hobby and test of skill you can shoot, IMO. Again cheap to run for the amount of pleasure you get back.

My recommendation would be to get the Target 10/22 with the bull barrel and a trigger that's a little lighter. But as with all 10/22's change out the trigger ASAP with either a kit or the KIDD replacement.
The best dealers in the country to see/buy from are Harbour Guns (.ie) and Gunshop (.ie) as they are the main agents here for all the KIDD upgrade parts as well as selling 10/22's both new and secondhand.

Harbour Gun had and sold a full Volquartsen 10/22 in .17 only last weekend. Fab bit of kit.

lb1981

The Aussie wrote: »

So you were waiting for the inlet to become available as well, I've been waiting for months for them to start the production only to be told I have to wait a few more months until they start the Left Hand stock (should be starting the lefty stock the next week or two) then Jacksons say it should be 12 weeks after they start, it's a good thing I'm in no rush.

Yep 12 week wait but worth it, seriously impressed with the one Moby30 got for his Tikka 243.The wait is a bit of a killer but i think it will be worth it.The stock on the quad is a little short for me and i have foam inserts to bring my cheek up so the grs was the best option.
I can see a lot of lads buying them soon enough.
I think sports den have a quad in stock and Atlantic shooting have one as well Cass.
Moby 30 got the Cz .17hmr and he done the trigger on it and he is delighted with it as well.

Cass

I was considering a .17 before but dismissed it (prematurely) as i thought the .243 would would cover anything of longer range that i wanted to shoot, and the .22 would do all the rest. However reading what ye are saying it seems i was mistaken to dismiss it. I mean it does what the .22 does as well as what a .7 can without the running cost or hassle of a C/F.

The Ruger has been mentioned to me by most people. Not surprising and was expecting it. I have to say it does interest me as gun that does the job for little money, and has endless options in terms of what you can do to it without much money. I know of the "drawbacks" about their lack of accuracy, etc. but this rifle need only keep "minute of bunny".


As for lever action it's something that never even occurred to me. I genuinely would not have thought of one had it not been mentioned. Definitely something to look at. Any particular makes to look for or to avoid?

silverfox1

I have a sako quad hunter in .17. Its a very well made rifle and it is very accurate and great for rabbits and crows, but if i was going again i would get the 22 for no other reason than its what i started out with and i had great craic with it.

BattleCorp

I'd go with a .22 if it is only for bunnies and a little bit of plinking. .17 ammo is costly enough compared to the price of .22 ammo. Yes, the .17 will give you that bit further range but is it worth it "cost wise"?

I had a CZ .22 and there was nothing wrong with it but now I have the Ruger 10/22. Great little gun and good fun to shoot. And as you already know, the pimping up that can be done is pretty much endless.

They are plenty accurate enough for pretty much everything except benchrest.

vapour_trail

The .22 is good for close range stuff and yes ammo is dirt cheap but that doesnt always mean its well made or accurate. The HMR is €17-18 for 50 yet your getting a round thats capable of plinking accurately out to 300 yards and capable of rabbits to 150 or 200 yards and even foxes at 150. The accuracy of the HMR at these distances is actually unreal. It doesnt drop off like a lead balloon like the .22

Think about it....a tin can at 200 yards is a small target for a rimfire... But the HMR will turn it into a sieve!!!

Im tellin ya once ya go 17 ya never go back :cool:

MarkWolff

Sako Quad,
Brilliant little gun and if you want a little extra accuracy Leija do drop in barrels in .22 & .17 for them.
Get one with a .22 & .17 barrel, two scopes (one zeroed for each barrel) and quick release mounts,,best of both worlds.

cushcam

MarkWolff wrote: »

Sako Quad,
Brilliant little gun and if you want a little extra accuracy Leija do drop in barrels in .22 & .17 for them.
Get one with a .22 & .17 barrel, two scopes (one zeroed for each barrel) and quick release mounts,,best of both worlds.

and two licenses !!

MarkWolff

cushcam wrote: »

and two licenses !!

And ...?

eireshot

You are used to the quality of Anschutz, so just get yourself one of these.
you wont regret it.

http://www.sportsmanguncentre.co.uk/product/854c644567c03f8994935920/ANSCHUTZ+1517+ZG+Heavy+Barrel+Thumbhole/

Cass

Thanks very much for the help so far lads.

@ eireshot - That Anschutz is a lovely rifle, and if i were looking for another it would definitely be top of the list. However it is basically the same as what i already have albeit in a slightly different configuration. Appreciate the link though.


A good friend contacted me, and told me of a Ruger 10/22 he has, but is not using. His license is due to expire shortly so he was going to sell it. It is the 10/22 Target with bull barrel, and he has a spare "hunting" barrel for it. He has modified the mag release, and done a little work on the trigger and action. I've known this lad for a while, and his other stuff is immaculate. So it looks like a solution might just have presented itself.

Going to meet up this weekend, and all going well do a deal on it.


Thanks again to everyone that has posted so far, and please, if you have other ideas, keep them coming.

cw67irl

Go for the 10/22 Cass you wont regret it! If you are fitting custom parts go for Kidd you wont be disappointed!!

One shot on kill

Did you look at the ruger today cass.

Cass

Afraid not. Bit of a complication.

My mate had the gun stored. He went over to get it. Dealer told him that he has it sold for months, but it was not collected (not sure about if it was paid for). The dealer sold it as a first gun to a young lad. So if the young lad is still going ahead with it then i told my mate to let him off. Better see a young lad into the sport than me with a new toy.


These things happen for a reason. So i'll continue to search for something.

FISMA

Food for thought

http://www.coolguyguns.com/Rifle-Supergrade-_p_59.html

021CRETE01

Hi Cass,
Hope this helps. I recently bought (March '13) a rifle package from Patrick Carley in Wexford (great guy to deal with). This included a new .22 CZ 455 Delux with a Hawke 3-9x50 HD Illum Sport scope and a Sak moderator, all for €599 plus 100 rounds thrown in. The reason I chose the CZ was because I previously owned (30yrs ago) a CZ 452 and was happy with it. The main difference between the 452 and 455, besides the option of changing barrels is that the 455 has a shorter (fully floating) barrel by 4''.This I prefer as it makes the rifle more compact, especially with the mod fitted. Accuracy -- zeroed at 75-80yds (done laying across a ditch awkwardly with a 'dodgy' back and 53year old eyesight)my best grouping was 1&1/4''. At 140yds approx. my best group under similar conditions was 4&1/4''. I was quite pleased with these results, so to make a loooong story short I would highly recommend some version of the a/m.
Good Luck in your search.
CRETE

Cass

That's excellent value lad, thanks for the heads up.

Getting my head together then heading off shortly so even if i don't make it today, i'll arrange a trip to cover him, and other dealers in the area while on the trip.


Thanks again.