Hello,
I just posted a new thread asking about what shotgun to buy for a new hunter.
I also plan to buy a .22 for target shooting and small game.
I am not sure if I want a scope or if iron sights are the best option.
Recommendations for targets and game?
For guns I was looking at the Savage FXP .22 and the Remington 597.
Are these good guns? Suggestions for better/cheaper choices?
First lets consider what elements a rifle must have in order for the marksman to exploit it's accuracy potential. The essentials of a good rifle include a convenient way to hold the piece, sights you can see, and a trigger you can manage.
The rifle stock should fit the shooter. A stock that is too short results in eye relief problems if the rifle is scoped, and if extreme, causes some difficulty in holding and trigger control due to the cramped condition of the firing arm. Too long a stock makes it slow to get into a satisfactory shooting position, results in difficulty in manipulating a manually operated action, and in the case of a centerfire rifle, increases felt recoil. Since human beings come in all sizes,the approximate nature of the factory stock's dimensions might fit you, but chances are it will have to be manipulated to fit correctly. Since its easier to do good shooting with a rifle whose stock is a bit short than one that's a bit long, suggests that the stock should be fitted to the shooter when he is dressed for cold conditions. In this respect, a wood stock has the advantage over plastic, in that it can be cut or lengthened easily enough with tools commonly found in the home.
The trigger is perhaps the most important element of the rifle. The trigger above all other elements is what allows the marksman to exploit whatever accuracy and precision his rifle has to offer. A quarter minute rifle with a soft spongy trigger is more difficult to shoot as well as a 2 minute rifle with a 2 pound trigger that is free of creep and over travel.
A rifle can have good sights or poor. Good sights are a pleasure to use, while poor ones result in frustration, and the eventual loss of interest of a shooter who comes to believe this shooting business is simply beyond him. The cost of the rifle is seldom a guarantee the sights will prove adequate. In broad terms there are three types of sights you'll consider, open sights, aperture sights, and scopes. Opens sights can be quite good, but are also among the most awful sights ever to be mounted on a rifle. Open sights are the slowest to use since the eye must focus on three different points individually, rear sight, front sight, and target. Since we cannot focus on any two points at different distances simultaneously, we rapidly shift our focus between all 3, then shift focus to the front sight as the shot is fired.
Aperture sights have the advantage of speed and precision. The rear sight is essentially ignored, you look through it, but pay no attention to it, thus your focus only has to shift between the front sight and the target. Provided you consistently place your cheek on the stock from shot to shot, the shot dispersion on the target will be minimum. You will benefit from a rectangular post front sight, since a round bead provides no index of elevation. The top of the front sight is placed in the center of the target, and is analogous to the horizontal wire of a scope's cross hair. The center of the front post is easily discerned, and is analogous to the vertical wire of a cross hair. When target shooting, if you make up your target with a round bulls-eye that appears to be the same width as the front post at the distance you shoot from, the post will appear wider than the bulls-eye if placed anywhere but in the center.
Scope sights have become ubiquitous on sporting rifles, both rimfires and centerfires. Their primary advantage is that the target and the reticle (cross hair) are on the same focal plane, so are in simultaneous focus. Magnification should be considered a means to better see the target, and not the primary advantage, since field of view diminishes with magnification, and field of view is as an important element of rifle sighting as the apparent size of the target. Another advantage the scope has is it's ability to produce a clear image in reduced light, making shots possible that would not be with irons.
Scopes are also the most expensive sighting equipment, and not only must the scope produce a clear image, it also has to have predictable adjustments. The scope also needs mounts that hold it securely to the rifle, and these can also be relatively expensive. Beware of cheap scopes, these will fog up in cold damp weather, the adjustments will be neither consistent or predictable.
The scope sight also has disadvantages. If shooting in the cold, your breath will ice up the ocular lens, and the scope's image is deteriorates in rain, snow, and fog. The rifle is not as convenient to carry at the balance when a scope is mounted. The diameter of the objective lens will determine how high above the bore the scope must be mounted, and the diameter of the ocular lens can lead to problems cycling the action. Until you gain experience using a scope, shooting quickly will be slower than it would be with irons since you will be constantly moving your head around in order to get a good sight picture, but once onto it, it will prove faster since you won't have to deal with the focusing issue that irons have.
The semi-auto action has the advantage of continuity of fire. This is code for, you'll burn up more ammo if you shoot a semi-auto, at the cost of marksmanship. While this might not apply to you, it requires more self discipline to make each shot count from a self loader, than it does from a manually operated action. While not universally true, the quality of the trigger pull of a semi-auto rifle tends to be inferior to manually operated rifles of similar quality. We've already discussed the importance of trigger quality, but the semi-auto trigger has to do much more than simply release the sear. Once you press the trigger and the rifle fires, the trigger must reset when pressure is released from it. This means that travel is built into the trigger's design, whereas a bolt action trigger can have almost no apparent movement when the sear is released, and it is reset when the action is cycled.
The pump action is essentially a semi-auto you have to work yourself. The primary advantage of the pump action rifle is that it is the only action that allows repeat shots without the shooter having to break his shooting grip. At this period in time, the Remington 572 is I believe the only pump action .22 of reasonable quality that is available.
If you like lever actions, they are available from Winchester, Marlin, Henry, Browning, Mossberg, and Rossi.
To my way of thinking, the bolt action is the best platform to learn to shoot on. Triggers tend to be good, and the novice is encouraged to place precision over speed; yet a bolt gun can be fired fast enough. A good example is a pleasure to both own and shoot. A good bolt action rifle can become a multigenerational heirloom, and good quality .22 rimfire rifles can't be shot out, since the heat generated by the small powder charged isn't sufficient to erode the throat; far more damage can be done with a cleaning rod, than by shooting.
I'll make 2 recommendations, first is a CZ 452 or a 455 with a spoting weight barrel. A .22 rimfire does not normally require a heavy barrel for accuracy, particularly if the rifle is for small game hunting, plinking, and informal target shooting. Walking around for a day with this rifle will make you appreciate a sporting rifle profile. I would upgrade the sights to a NECG apurture rear sight and a Patridge brass faced post front sight.
My second recommendation if the CZ is too expensive, or even if its not, is to purchase a used rifle from Tradex, their link is at the top of the page. Since there is no concern about a rimfire barrel being shot out, give them a call and explain that you want a good quality sporting rifle, with a good bore, ready to use out of the box, that is within your budget. I have absolute faith that this will provide you a rifle you'll be very satisfied with.
Once you have your rifle, purchase a variety of ammunition to see what it likes best. Once you've determined what it likes, purchase a case (5000 rounds) of it. This is when your learning will really begin.
