Good General Purpose .22

[warren5421]

I ended up with a Greenfield/Mossburg single shot that buba cut the stock and added a rubber recoil pad. He did keep the barrel clean as can't see any pitting. Open sights but will get a scope as old eyes don't work will with the open sights

[FergusonTO35]

Henry H001T or Ruger American Rimfire with receiver sight loaded with Winchester Power Points. I have both and they are awesome.

[15meter]

Any bolt action with a clean bore and the capacity to accept a scope should do ya. I wouldn't do an autoloader out of desire to shoot more quiet ammo that might not cycle one.

I've got single shot and clip fed bolt action 22's, clip fed and tube fed semiautomatics. I'll shoot everything from CB caps to the fastest in any of them.

If the action doesn't open on a semiautomatic, is it any different to pull the charging handle manually then operating a standard bolt gun?

Sounds like a straight pull bolt gun to me.

Or am I going to cause the downfall of western civilization because I'm doing irreparable damage to my semiautomatics?

[trapper9260]

I see no one said about the Savage Mod 24 in 22/410 . That would work also. I got one and like it .

[rintinglen]

As has been said, there are scores of suitable gun. About 4 years ago I got a Norinco copy of a Browning 22 Autoloader for a hundred bucks that has proven to be a real fun little gun to shoot. T'is a bit awkward to scope, but mine shoots well enough for headshots out to 40 yards.

[Texas by God]

I ended up with a Greenfield/Mossburg single shot that buba cut the stock and added a rubber recoil pad. He did keep the barrel clean as can't see any pitting. Open sights but will get a scope as old eyes don't work will with the open sights

Got pics?
Sounds like a sound choice.

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[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I am looking for a good general purpose .22 LR/.22 mag rifle to dispatch tree rats. The reds have pushed the grays out and are becoming a pest so I want to decrease the population and have some good eating. Longest shot would be 50-60 yards but most for a time will be more like 50 feet. My .45-70 Sharps is just a little over kill. I do have a .25-20 Marlin that works will but don't want to bang it up keeping it in the truck or on the tractor.

I suggest a CZ, look on the used market.

I know they are sort of expensive, but a CZ452 is fantastic. There is/was a 452 trainer for sale on this site for the last several days. Super good iron sights and solid with a scope. I picked up a used 452 Varmint a couple of years ago. It shoots solidly sub minute at 100 with the right ammo and I have shot inch groups at 200 with it on a good day. It's minute of squirrel eyeball at 50 yards.

The cool thing about the sporter is that it is an excellent gun for CMP Sporter Rimfire competition just the way it is.
Another thing I really like about the 452's is they are solid steel and wood. Well made and extremely rugged.

Years ago, I had a CZ452 American...while it functioned great, something about it, I didn't like, maybe the stock just didn't fit me?

Fast forward to 3 months ago, at the local gunshow. I was surprised to see a fella carrying a older (1990s) CZ452 Lux for sale. While it showed some age, it shoots like a dream...best $400 I ever spent.

[truckjohn]

I would say look at the specific squirrel hunting you will do and buy according to that need....

For example, shooting squacks off a feeder from inside the house. Ranges are short, but not making a mess on the carpet is key. Weight is not a consideration but precision is. Neither is scope magnification, as the range and spot is basically fixed. Pick a scoped bolt action that rides well in your bags. Bolt action means it won't fling burning powder/brass onto the carpet. Long barrels cut the racket, which can be deafening in the house.

Tromping around in the dark squirrel woods... You'll be carrying a gun on top of your kit. Weight and comfort carrying is a premium, as you'll be moving around a lot. Many shots will be offhand or from hasty field positions. Ranges are often fairly short - under 25 yards, but the exact distances are all over the place from 10-feet to thirty yards. Shots could be up or down depending. Squacks move around a lot. Optics - not so much. I like hi-viz iron sights, but a bright 1-3 scope with thick crosshairs would do. Semi-autos rule here, as a quick follow up shot is welcome as is not fumbling with a bolt. Levers and pumps are good here, too. Short barrels don't tangle or snag quite as badly, and weigh less too. The noise and flinging brass isn't an issue. So they tend to win.

So you see how it goes. Figure out what you're going to do, then work your choice to fit that.

[15meter]

I am looking for a good general purpose .22 LR/.22 mag rifle to dispatch tree rats. The reds have pushed the grays out and are becoming a pest so I want to decrease the population and have some good eating. Longest shot would be 50-60 yards but most for a time will be more like 50 feet. My .45-70 Sharps is just a little over kill. I do have a .25-20 Marlin that works will but don't want to bang it up keeping it in the truck or on the tractor.

45-70 ought to work, knew a dude who used 338 Win Mag with a light cast load.

He claimed he waited for them to be on the back side of a 2-3" branch. You know, the kind where you saw fur on both sides of branch. Center up the branch and pull the trigger.

But he's a strange dude.

The strange kind of dude that takes the battery out of his car every night during the winter and takes it in the house. Makes his battery last longer.

That kind of strange.

And that's one of Rick's more normal stories.

I've been questioned on the veracity of the "Soybeans in Skeet Loads" story.

There are somethings you just don't need to embellish.

[robertbank]

No one mentioned the Marlin Papoose. I read about this model years ago and kinda always wanted one. A bit like a bad back itch it just never was going away. Ran into one on one of our gun forums up here last summer. I think paid a bit north of $600Cdn for it. The gun turned out to be as NEW. What a fun little shooter. Reliable as tomorrow's sunrise. The darn thing runs every type of LR I can find. Dirt cheap stuff to Match. I now use it for 22 Rimfire matches up here. I put a Vortex Crossfire red dot on it and away I go.

A bad back and a tired body limits walking any distance these days, so I tend to stick to action shooting competitions that don't require a lot of running about and the rimfire events fit that to a tee.

For the younger crowd <40 try to find one, you won't be disappointed.

Take Care

Bob

[Eddie Southgate]

Remington m24 or 241
Winchester 63

[ddeck22]

Another vote for the Marlin 60. I have one in stainless steel with a synthetic stock. Won't matter if it gets wet or dinged. This was a model from the early 2000's (60SSK)

[Rodfac]

This one works for me...a Marlin 39 Century Ltd with a 2x Leupold Alaskan up top. It's accounted for grackles by the bushel. Best regards, Rod

[Rusty Goose]

I have a little Browning BL22 that is a kick shoot. The crazy short lever throw is really fun. It is so different than my 39A. Just a flick of the fingers, the trigger moves with the lever.

I'll add one to the NOT list. The Stevens M70 Visible Loader (miserable loader). Mine continually lives up to its moniker. Beautiful to look at, fun to cycle and shoot. But when you need it for an important shot, it'll choke every time.

[farmbif]

I had a visible loader. it would only fire about 1 out 10 trys. the way the end of the chamber is angled to a sharp edge it is very prone to chipping if dry fired. I'm guessing thats what had happened to the gun I had before I got it. many of them were used as gallery guns in carnivals and fairs. fixing one is not easy to begin with, and very expensive unless you can do it yourself, parts unobtainable. I was very lucky to find someone who really wanted that gun and made a trade where I came out about $600 ahead more than the less than $100 I paid for it.
I would not recommend the visible loader to anyone
as far a knock around 22's. there are lots of options. I guess my all around favorites are the 39a mountie, marlin 60 and 10-22, Remington 572's are a lot of fun too and the Henry is very smooth operating. but its pretty hard to beat the old Winchester slide action 22's, like the 1906, the 61 and 62,.
22's are kind of like potato chips it hard to settle with just 1

[scattershot]

Hard to beat a 10/22. Although, my buddy has a Marlin 60 that he shoots prairie dogs with out to 200 yards plus. I’ve seen him do it.

[uscra112]

It's mighty surprising that the M70 "Risible Loader" stayed in the line as long as it did.

[stubshaft]

IIRC - They make an insert for the Sharps to shoot 22lr's. My general go to 22's are an old Marlin 39 and a Remington 552.

[Texas by God]

The Stevens Miserable Loader earned the nickname- by earning the nick name. It would malfunction just sitting in the gun rack, it seems. The Marlin model 38 .22 pump was also badly designed- a shell carrier that has to climb a ramp to work? How drunk was that designer?
10-22s are great guns, the trigger and accuracy are usually so-so in my experience ( I’ve owned three).
Marlin/Glenfield model 60 is very good, accurate and reliable.


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[FergusonTO35]

No one mentioned the Marlin Papoose. I read about this model years ago and kinda always wanted one. A bit like a bad back itch it just never was going away. Ran into one on one of our gun forums up here last summer. I think paid a bit north of $600Cdn for it. The gun turned out to be as NEW. What a fun little shooter. Reliable as tomorrow's sunrise. The darn thing runs every type of LR I can find. Dirt cheap stuff to Match. I now use it for 22 Rimfire matches up here. I put a Vortex Crossfire red dot on it and away I go.

A bad back and a tired body limits walking any distance these days, so I tend to stick to action shooting competitions that don't require a lot of running about and the rimfire events fit that to a tee.

For the younger crowd <40 try to find one, you won't be disappointed.

Take Care

Bob

I have the non-takedown version, the model 995 and it is an excellent little gun. Put untold thousands of nasty cheap-mart bulk ammo through it as a kid and she still runs to this day.

If your budget is really tight, look at the Rossi RS-22. It's a clip fed Marlin copy and shoots great. So far mine has been just as accurate and reliable as my 10/22 and eats cheap ammo no problem. The fiber optic sights take some getting used to but work surprisingly well and are fully adjustable. Tech Sights for the Mossberg Plinkster fit perfectly and are reasonably priced.