help on small game rifle(update, is this a good deal?)

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bamayote23

New member
hello everyone!

i was just wondering, for my birthday i was thinking about getting a GOOD squirrel/rabbit rifle. the .22 i have now is INSANLY picky on ammo and not that accurate. i was wanting a .22 lr, but also taught about the .17 hmr. which would be better and why? also i wanted a bolt action that is accurate and doesnt cost all that much maybe 150-200$
GOD BLESS
Luke

a friend of mine just offered me a savage model 64f .22lr for 100$. it has a synthetic stock, semi-auto and he said it is accurate. i could probally get him down to 75$. he said it dont have alot of rounds through it. doesnt have accu-trigger. any experience with this gun? is this a good deal?
 
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There is a lot to be said for the 22 mag also and you can get them in a bolt gun with a tube magazine. The real question you need to ask yourself is about ammo cost because 22 is reall cheap for lots and lots of ammo and the 17 or 22 mag is ober $10. a box of 50. If you dont shoot lots the 17 is the most accurate. If you wanted a semi auto either the Ruger 10-22 or marlin makes a take down model that is kind of cool. Everyone should have at least one 22 because the ammo is so cheap but if every shot is a game animal Id go 17. The 22mag does a better job on coyotes as a 17 is too light.
 
ok thanks everyone! im not planning to use this on predators, but just small game like squirrels and rabbits. thanks for the link it did help alot! i like the .17 accuracy, but dont like the price of ammo.

does anyone have any experience with the rifle my friend offered to sale to me.
 
Everybody needs a 22lr to hunt squirrels and cottentails. But, I would give up a few of my centerfire rifles before I would sell me Savage 93fv 17hmr.
 
find a 17Hm2. You can still buy ammo for $5 per 50 online. I just bought a Contender pistol barrel and it's ridculously accurate. Not quite the punch of a 17HMR, but not half the cost either. At the price of 22LR and 22Win Mag ammo, the 17HM2 is right in there if not less.
 
22lr is better, cheaper ammo. I've been asked if I was gonna convert my 10/22 into a 17HM2, I always say sure I am, just as soon as I get get 525 rounds for under 20.00. I don't see that ever happening. Until that day I will keep it a 22.

t/c223encore.
 
If the .22 that your friend is offering you is accurate it is a good deal and I would take it. Definitly I would go with the 22lr over a 17hmr just for the price difference in ammo.
 
+2 for the 17m2.A 22 cant touch the versatility of the 17m2 and is wicked accurate and flat shooting to a 100 yds.$5 a box is a small price to pay for the performance u get.Great small game round.
 
Hey Luke,whats up? I also have a ruger 10/22.It is one of my most fun and accurate guns to shoot.Although it is a voquartson custom.But you can get a nice used one(ruger) for 125 or so...And you can always tweek it out at a later date.The 17mach2 is the best squirrel gun imho.The 17hmr and 22mag will be to much gun on those bushy-tails...The insides will follow the bullet out ! But with all that said the non accu-trigger savage your friend has,sounds just right for 75.00.I have a saying , save some money ,buy some ammo.Gary
 
hey thanks! i think i just might take him up on that gun! it is a nice one from the pictures he showed me.

what is the best 17m2 to get?
 
they had a savage 17m2 with a bull barrel at our local gun store for under $200. great price i have the same gun in 17hmr and 22 mag both of them shooters.
 
HM2 is a 22 stinger case with a 17 gr bullet. There is also a lead free 15.5 gr for the Kommies out west.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/quickdtoo/17hmrdp2.png

Check the pic. 80% of the trajectory, for less than 50% of the price. The best rifle is the one that does what you want it to. SuperSeal10 has a marlin with a nice stock he has been trying to sell for a while. If I like the 10/17 I bought while in Japan, I may be looking for a bolt action. If I like the round, and not the gun, I may be trading, or just converting the one I have back to 22LR. IF you like to tinker, get a 10/22. If you want a gun that shoots get a something else. Marlin has a 717 semi with a 7 rd mag or the HM2. i am told it hangs with most bolt actions. Kinda looking to get into one of them first.
 
Originally Posted By: Kzone+2 for the 17m2.A 22 cant touch the versatility of the 17m2 and is wicked accurate and flat shooting to a 100 yds.$5 a box is a small price to pay for the performance u get.Great small game round.

The .17m2 is an amazing, little cartridge alright but quite frankly pales next to the .22LR when it comes to sheer versatility. The .17m2 is more like a super accurate .17 version of the Stinger. If you're shooting ground squirrels and prairie dogs inside of 100 yards, it'd be pretty tough to beat. The original poster called for a small game rifle though. The .17m2 with it's varmint/pest bullet is a little on the explosive side for small game that, in all likelihood, is going to end up on the dinner table. The .22 LR DOES have some pretty potent hyper-velocity loads (i.e. Stinger, Yellow Jacket, Quik-Shock, Velocitor) but also has plinking loads like CB caps and bulk economy .22LR loads that are dirt cheap to shoot and practice with. The .22LR has subsonic loads that are extremely accurate as well as deadly on small game and QUIET! The .17m2 has nothing like the subsonic hollowpoints. While fully realizing that there are hunters who take squirrels and cottontails at ranges closer to 100 yards than say 50, truth is, most squirrels and cottontails are taken closer, much closer. I'd say that 50yds. and under takes in a good 90% of (tree) squirrel and cottontail hunting with a rimfire rifle. A regular high velocity LRHP is mighty hard to beat, cheap to buy and easy to find. A subsonic HP is perfect for those who want the QUIETEST, accurate, lethal load for small game hunting. It's perfect for the early squirrel season when the leafs are still on the tree's. The old, ubiquitous, .22LR is still mighty hard to beat for small game hunting. This is NOT to diss on the .17m2 by the way. Hopefully, the ammo makers will wise up and give a true small game load. A little more stout bullet at about 300fps less velocity would still kill cottontails and squirrels graveyard dead but not destroy so much meat.

As for the rifle, if the original poster is on a budget, I'd recommend a .22LR bolt-action clip repeater. Marlin and Savage make the best value for the dollar rifles in my opinion. I prefer a clip rifle (tubes get bent and can hide a shell sometimes when unloading...I like the simplicity of the clip). A .22 semi-auto with a great trigger CAN be hard but not without shelling out some extra money. I've read decent reports on the Savage 64's accuracy but the trigger is NOT going to be up to the standards of Savage's (or Marlin's for that matter) bolt-actions. And there's not really much, if anything, that you can do to a Savage 64's trigger. If the poster is still interested in his friend's 64, I think he'd be well advised to shoot a few shells through it first. Personally, if deciding between a 64 or one of the aforementioned bolt-actions, I'd go with the bolt in a heartbeat!...Mike
 
You really can't beat the 22 for the price of ammo and availability. You can usually always find ammo and you can bulk up on it too. I just shot a squirrel out of the backyard tree last weekend at about 25 yds with my .22 using a .22 short round, one shot right to the head he was done.

How far are your shots going to be? Whenever I hunt rabbits they are usually closer than 25 yds.

The Savage rifle are nice little rifles. My son has a Savage cub single shot rifle that is super accurate.

I still have the first .22 that I bought. It is a Remington Fieldmaster pump action that can shoot shorts, longs and LR's. It is accurate and is fun to shoot. When I go rabbit hunting this is usually the one I reach for.
The benefit of a single shot is it teaches you to shoot accurately. Semi auto's are fun, especially in the hands of kids. Me and my brothers would go thru about a 100 rds per day and only come home with about 4 rabbits.

Whatever you decide, enjoy yourself and be careful.
 


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