Looking at getting a new 22 LR to hunt squirrels. Currently using my Ruger SS 77/22 LR with a Vortex Crossfire 3-9X40, which is more than enough to do what I need to do, but I am wanting to add another rimfire to my stock. I have my eye on a few and will probably top what ever I pick off with a Nikon buckmaster 4-12 X 40 because they are on sale at the local Academy. I know 4-12 is a bit much but where I hunt we do have some pretty tall oaks and cypress trees, plus I like the extra zoom for shooting at other critters. Looking for personal experience with these models I am eyeballing. Any info is appreciated.
Savage A-22 the stainless model
Ruger 10/22 sporter model with no sights
Browning T-bolt
Maybe a CZ 512
Maybe a Remington 572

572 is cool, but has a crap trigger.

CDNN Sports has very slick 10/22 SS Target Laminate models for $370. A range buddy has one and likes it pretty well. Quite fetching.

They also have some T-Bolts on sale.

Definitely give the tikka t1x a look. Very happy with mine and in the price range of those you mentioned

I have several fairly nice rim fires, but the one that I walk out the door with the most is a cz452.

No heavy barrel models though,

I have a couple CZ's . Honestly my ruger American is equally if not more accurate

My top pics in that catagory-

Bolts-

CZ 452 American
CZ 457 Americsn
Ruger American TALO edition with WALNUT stock.

Semis-
Ruger 10/22 Sporter Walnut (not birch) . It only comes with sights but a Green Mountain Sporter contour will fix that and also allow it to shoot as well as any gun on tbis thread..:)

Marlin 795 ot M60. For hinting rifles, these are VERY UNDERATED GUNS. Very accurate ,reliable ,trim and light.

Look at your screen name: Spend the $$$ SAKO Quad, You don;t have to buy all 4 barrels.
I have one in 22 with Leupold 2-7, love it, never misses,

You could build a 10/22 for hunting that shoots real well for around $600. I recently put one together that shoots as well as my CZ452 , well almost as good. I would recommend a Fedderson barrel. I used the 18" tapered and didn't take much work at all to slip into factory deluxe sporter stock.

Looks like you already have a nice bolt gun with that 77/22. If you don't have a 10/22 in your stable, I'd go that route. Everyone should own one. I have a couple sporters, one is all factory and one I decked out and also replaced the barrel with a 16in ss fluted green mountain barrel. It's one of my favs. They also make the sporter with a birch stock, so I had no qualms about painting it. If you are a wood guy, they have some french walnut models that are good lookin'.

My biggest conundrum when deciding to whack a tree rat is which ammo to use and the gun that goes with it. First problem, .17 or .22 caliber? RF or CF? Then it's BB/CB caps, CB shorts, Short Hollow Points? Solids? LR SV or match ammo? SS, bolts, autojammers, silenced or loud??? Scoped, or with peepers? .....it's a frickin' nightmare I tell ya....complicated by the fact they all shoot very well. If I don't do my part they all laugh at me.

+1 on the 10/22. They shoot well and there are lots of mods that can be done with them.

OP - Take a look at the Tikka T3X they shoot great out of the box, no modifications necessary unless you want to back out the weight of pull on the trigger, they will normally adjust to under 2 lbs with nothing more than backing out one screw. Amazingly good shooters with any ammo I have put through one. The downside to them is that the magzine is ugly but it holds 10 rounds and is in such a position that it makes carrying the rifle easy.
If you have a Murdochs Ranch Supply near you they have them on sale this month for $400.


drover

My 10/22 is last place in the precision department out of 6 racers. Best it's done on the 100 yard butt is 1/2" for 3 shots. Pathetic. And this was after bedding and a new trigger.

Based on my own experience with them, you can buy a CZ 512 and scope it for less than you can buy/build a 10/22, and it will shoot better straight out of the box than rebarrelling the Ruger.

I have a now discontinued Suppressor-Ready (still available at Grabagun), and it regularly shoots under a 1/2" at 50 yards with cheap ammo (Aguila SE-HV, $2.50/box at Academy). The trigger gets better the more you shoot it, too, without dropping coin on a trigger job or a BX trigger. They are a truly remarkable little gun.

I have a couple 10/22s, and they are nice enough little rifles, but the 512 kicks them to the curb, straight out of the box.


https://grabagun.com/firearms/rifles/semi-automatic-rifles/cz-512-american-22lr-16-5-sr-tb.html

Anyone have the Browning T-bolt?

Skip the .22 and get yourself one of the limited production RARs in 17HM2 that SAS has at Whittakers.

Their price for these rifles is less than $350 shipped to your local dealer, leaving you a couple hundred dollars left in your budget to optics and ammo.

Once you start shooting tree squirrels with a 17HM2, you will be a convert and will be singing its praises and driving your hunting buddies nuts.

Well, I like to throw a wrench in these types of conversations, so here goes-

If it were me, I would be looking at a vintage rifle like a Winchester 75 Sporter, Winchester 69A, or a Remington 541T or 541S, or something along that line... great handling vintage rifles that will outlast you and your children that also shoot extremely well, look good, and will retain their value and probably go up in value judging by their recent sales prices...

Bob

A fella could just go all haywire and kluge up a Contender with the proper barrel...


It can roll either way if you're that kinda dude.





10/22 at 100 w/factory barrel and an El Paso Weaver K2.5:


Same at 50....

That's a handsome 10/22, Dan.

If that is an untuned factory barrel, you ought to buy a lottery ticket 'cause it shoots like a CPC tuned rifle.

That RAR Talo edition is nice, would be alot nicer if it didnt have any sights on it.

Tuned? It ain't a guitar. Just a plain ol' early production Deelux that don't suck.

Do you guys prefer the 22 LE or 22 MAG?

.22 Magnums will not shoot with a .22LR for accuracy within 50 yards, and if you DID hit a squirrel, they are very destructive. The past few years, I've been monkeying around with both, a LOT, and for accuracy, I'll grab the .22LR every time. For killing stuff like coons, a Magnum is better, but for tree rats, I'll grab the LR every time, and I have a bunch of them. Get the LR, the ammo is cheaper and easier to find in variety, and you can shoot it a lot in comparison to the Magnums. I have a couple .22 Magnums, and they just can't shoot with the LR. I like them, for other purposes, but not for accuracy.
You asked about the CZ 512s, I have two, one is .22LR, and it's accuracy is something to conjure to. The other is a 512 Magnum, and while it shoots well for a .22 Magnum, it won't hold a candle to the LR version. Nice gun, but it's no target rifle.

One is a 22 LR one is a 22 Mag, can you guess which one is which?

There are always exceptions, but how many target (real target models, not something like the RAR "target" model) do you see in .22 WMR? Sure, now and then you'll see a real shooter, but take 10 WMRs versus 10 .22LRs, and tell me which are shooting better?

well I can agree to that.

Not all that enthused about the .22 WMR but have kept one, a Win 94/22M only because it shoots well. It will reliably put 3 into 1/4-3/8" at 50. Figured it was worth keeping around.

I wish I could find one that shoots that well! Mine are lucky to hit 3/4" at 50 yards, and that's a rare occurrence. They're good for killin' stuff, which is fine and dandy, I just wish they shot better regularly. I like 'em, but I'm not a huge fan.

The second pic of targets is from a SS ruger 77/22 WMR w/3-9X40 vortex crossfire scope at 50 yards with CCI 40 grain FMJ's Its for sure minute of squirrel all day, just need a better trigger.

Who says the .22 magnum isn't accurate ? I have a Marlin 882 that will shoot groups you can cover with a dime at 50 yards all day with a good lot of 40 grain Maxi Mag Hp's. It'll do a smidge better with the 33 gr. Remington v max's and just a smidge worse with the CCI 40 gr. FMJ's. The action is glass bedded, barrel free floated and trigger tuned to a perfectly crisp 2.5 lbs with overtravel stop screw. It has been responsible for the demise of a truck load of squirrels over the years as well as just about everything else that walks, crawls, hops or flies hereabouts.

Only had a hand full of magnums and they all seemed to shoot fine to me.

Here is what I like for hunting limb chickens.



This is a RAR I bought back in July. I put a Nikon P3 EFR 3x9 scope on board, and us CCI SV LR ammo.





This one, I've had for 6-7 yrs. and have shot close to 200 squirrels with it. Unfortunately, it's not made anymore. H&R Sportster single shot .22 LR, with a 2x7 Nikon scope on board. I also use CCI SV LR ammo in it.

CCI SV is my squirrel medicine of choice too. never had a problem killin squirrels with it. matter of fact it has killed all sorts of vermin. quiet report, too.

I agree about the trigger but they sure slay squirrels.

Put one of SAS's RAR Mach 2s on layaway. I'll have it in a couple weeks and see how it does. Still have one tag for xbow season, so may be a while until it gets blooded.

I highly recommend the Tikka T1x. It has the best trigger of any factory trigger I’ve ever tried, except for maybe my Browning copy of the Winchester 52. This is a 10-shot group of CCI Mini Mag 36 gr HPs at 50 yds. My other .22s shoot this ammo well, too, but not nearly as well. Standard velocity ammo even does better.

Damn!! that is some fine shooting there.

I like the SV ammo, so too do my rifles.

i hunt squirrels a good bit with 22LR, .17mach2, and increasingly with .22mags since hogs have moved into our favorite squirrel areas. Have a bunch of assorted squirrel guns, i like some variety now & then.
most wear midsize glass, 2.5-8's, 3-9's, an occasional 4-12....some of those that get packed around in winter when shots are longer have 4.5-14's, 6-18's, etc. i like bolt guns mostly, but do have a few autoloaders.

assorted kill pix...will see if i still have a bunch more that was on photobucket when it tanked.

anschutz 22LR, from here in the classifieds...2x7 on top, which was later switched to a 3x9EFR


Anschutz 22mag, 2.5-8x:



CZ 452, 3-9x compact with leupold dot reticle:


Kimber 82 Classic Stainless, 4-12x

CZ used to make a satin nickel finished rifle called a 452style, which they dropped...those have done pretty well for me & i pack them around fairly often:

bargain gun....Marlin tube fed 22LR; found it at a gunshow with safety lever broke...as i recall, fellow said since it didnt work right he'd take a hundred bucks for it. 2x7 Nikon on top.
cost about about $10 to order that new safety lever.





couple of kimbers, both in 17mach2



another Kimber Mach2, with one of those Burris German #4 illuminated reticles that Doug had on sale at Camerland a while back.

just stumbled into this one 2 weeks ago...541T-HB...previous owner had pillar bedded it, full length glass bedded the barrel channel, and reworked the trigger a bit. shot it a week ago when i went down to deer camp to check trail cams. Glass is a Sightron 4.5-14x :

first 5 shot group at 50 yards. with PM subsonic HP's..

I am a believer in the Tikka T-1X, for an out of the box plug and play squirrel rifle I don't know what would be better in its price range.

Three 10-shot groups shot a 50 yards with my Tikka T-1X 22 LR, ammo used was CCI Std Vel. Rifle is unmodified except for adjusting trigger to 1-1/2 lb pull.

The targets were shot using wind flags, the left and center targets were shot during a light left running wind of about 2 to 4 mph, the right-hand group was shot during a calm.

The large dark lines are one-inch apart and lighter colored lines are 1/4" apart.
All three groups measure right at 1/2" inch center to center - it would have been nice if I had not dropped one a bit low on the left-hand target but I am still happy with the results.

Huge fan of Tikka rifles. However the looks of that T1x is a major turn off to me for some reason. But with those groups you posted there is no argument on its cpabilities.

You have officially became my new hero in the gun world!!!!!!!!!!!! Very nice collection.

Actually this is the second T-1 I have owned, I sold the first one because I didn't like the looks of them either but a few months later I was in the store and they were on sale so I bought another one. I am still not fond of the looks but I am learning to love the way it shoots - the only rimfire I have that will outshoot it is my Cooper 57M in 22 LR.

drover

all them dead squirrels are making me want to get the oil & flour out

A Cooper is on my list to one day have for sure, they are some beautiful rifles for sure. So many I like, I may just have to get one of each lol

[/quote]
A Cooper is on my list to one day have for sure, they are some beautiful rifles for sure. So many I like, I may just have to get one of each lol[/quote]

Cooper does slip out some nice looking rifles too...like you said, get some of everything, that way you make sure your bases are covered. Too many is just right.

Cooper does slip out some nice looking rifles too...like you said, get some of everything, that way you make sure your bases are covered. Too many is just right.








[/quote]
DROOOL! what optics are those?

Those are some of the older Bausch & Lomb and Bushnell Elites...have used a fair number of those on assorted rimfires ...they can focus up close like the Leupold EFR's, & were made in several models.

I am thinking of going with a 4-12 or 4-14 AO for what ever i pick up next.