Small game rifle

[Birddog5150]

I am wanting to buy a small game rifle/ fun gun..
Looking at .22 wmr, .17 and .22lr. I like the ruger 10/22 but am torn between .22wmr or .22lr, also looking at a .17 for the speed and its different..Any input from people who shoot any of these caliber rifles would be great..

[Pappy]

if you are shooting for fun then get the 22

if its game smaller then foxes get the 22mag

if its bigger then a fox the new .17 is awesome. the ammo runs about $11 a box so that negates it being used for shooting beer cans all afternoon.

[Birddog5150]

ammo price is a factor somewhat, but no the deciding one..It is a nice thing to shoot an afternoon for under $10.00.Is the .17 that much better than the .22wmr?? Also forgot about ruger's new 204 , heard good or bad about it??

[Pappy]

no info from me on the ruger.


the 17 is fast and accurate. when we tested the round at a local farm we took 10 good size deer(doe's) with 1 shot each. (crop damage) none went over 30 yards. the round wasnt designed for that but what better way to see what she would do. the hornady round has been by far the best for us.

its a bit better then a 22 mag IMO.

[Birddog5150]

Thanks for the replies, looking for all the input I can get..Leaning toward the .17.

[250EXking]

you dont want the .17 hmr. that'll blow stuff up. we have a bolt action marlin 22 lr and a marlin 22 lr auto. both good guns. if shooting squir's and rabitt's and small game like that i would go with a 22lr auto witha scope.

[ghak99]

I am with pappy one the 17, I love it. But if you are planning on keeping the skins from the small aminals you might want to get a 22, The 17 tears up too much fur to use it in this type of hunting. I have had a 10/22 for years and you can't beat it for it's window accesibility...lol...if you know what I mean. If you buy a 10/22 hurry up and buy a couple big round clips for it, the 50 and up clips are getting hard to find, at least in my state. To some it up I would get the 17 unless you are planning on just burning bullets or killing for pelts.

My .02

[redroost85]

Here's my .02. I got a beautiful Marlin .22 mag. Stainless steel, with a light natural brown wood stock. It is a tube feed and bolt action. I absolutely love this gun. I have taken everything from squirrels to groundhogs to rabbits. I use the good Federal ammo too. I put a scope and sling on mine too. I shoot it almost a couple a times a week. I like it better than all my other guns!:D

[beak7707]

I would go with the 22 lr. I have a 10/22 and a few remington nylons and i love them both. You cant go wrong with a 10/22, also theres a lot of aftermarket stuff you can get for them. But ghak99 is right some of it is getting hard to get ahold of. I'm glad i bought my 50 round drums before the ban on large cap. mags. The 17 is a great gun, but if you just want a shooter I'd go with the 22lr.

[LTandRaptorider]

yep, the Ruger 10/22 is a good gun. On cheap ammo, resist buying Remington Thunderbolt ammo... very dirty and will foul a semi-auto up real quick! ..22's are great fun! :D

[Martin Blair]

rugger 10/22 is good for fun, if your goign to do both hunting and fun i would go with a remington .223 like a rugar mini 14 or a AR 15 or mini 30, you can get 1000 rounds for 100 bucks and its a good accurate round for anything up tp the size of a cyotoe

[Diedrich]

a 22-250 is a pretty good small game rifle..i've shot groundhogs with it on up to deer..its a small/cheap all around good gun

[AndrewRRR]

The 10/22 is hard to beat for bang for the buck if you want a .22lr semi auto. We were into varmint hunting for a few years. .22's are fun and cheap to shoot. If you want something with more "oomph" that is a tack-driver at long distances, .221 fireballs are hard to beat. I have a couple worked over .221's with bull barrels that are scary-accurate. .22 hornets aren't bad either. .223s are nice too. Mini-14 and AR-15's are sweet coyote guns. If you get a AR-15 resist the urge to get a shorty like a CAR or A4 style and go for a 20" bull barrel one unless you aren't shooting over 100yds.