Best 22lr for hunting small game?

Appreciate all the replies- I will make the correction on my question.

What is a great budget friendly 22l rifle, all in with scope at $1500-2000, that will need to shoot off of a steady platform, as I will be attaching a triggercam 2.1 to film hunting/cooking content, mainly looking to hunt small game and filming pov hence why a rifle and not a shotgun.

Im also looking to buy a second rifle, my wife to use, as we would like to compete in nrl22 and similar style competitions.


Would appreciate any advice I am completely new to this all.
 
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CZ 457 with 2-7 Rimfire Vortex Scope for hunting (local dealer had suggested this for me). If you want a target rifle get target barrel CZ and a higher end optic.
 
I would love to say my CZ452 American in 17HMR. Thing is a freaking laser beam..... BUT..... my F-i-L does pest control for a couple RM's around his town and has probably taken more gophers, rats, raccoons, porcupines and skunks with a 50yr old 64 22lr with a $20 scope he zero'ed some time in the 70's then I've ever seen so I'm gonna go with "whatever rifle you enjoy and works for you". ;)
 
CZ American is light, and has a nice streamlined stock, 5 and 10 round mags available. No iron sights. That's my go to for small game hunting. I also have a varmint, but it doesn't shoot any better than the American.
 
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Another vote for cz.
I have a cz453 and three 452s.
Last time out gopher shooting we got 99 before the storm hit. I got 67 out of the 99.
Excellent accurate firearms that you can hand down to the kids or grand kids.
Cheers
 
I got a savage 93 .22mag with scope, cz455 .17hmr scoped, bunch of semi .22lrs, some bolt 22lrs with scopes, some with irons.

I think my favorite is the Henry h001 small game carbine.

Nice and light to carry all day, Skinner peep sight, accurate and slick little lever gun.
 
Its a hard question because there are several quality options within those parameters. It would be hard to disappoint with either a Tikka, CZ, or Anschutz bolt action. All 3 are accurate, built strong, and high quality. If I was in your shoes I’d go test all 3 to see which fits your personal geometry and user preference best.
 
I would agree with 99s, Handle as many as you can , weight stock, geometry etc may make a difference in your level of want / need. There are a lot of options in the price range you noted.
Maybe some friends have a few for you to try out as well?
 
Pretty much anything...

That being said, I would go with a warm wood stock for the fall, iron sights for grouse, a nice scope setup you can pop on for gophers, and something that has a nice action and is a pleasure to use.

My choice that fits the bill is a CZ 452 Lux. I am a bolt action dweeb, but would not shy away from a lever henry or semi 10/22 if those float your boat.
 
Karimi said:
Appreciate all the replies- I will make the correction on my question.

What is a great budget friendly 22l rifle, all in with scope at $1500-2000, that will need to shoot off of a steady platform, as I will be attaching a triggercam 2.1 to film hunting/cooking content, mainly looking to hunt small game and filming pov hence why a rifle and not a shotgun.

Im also looking to buy a second rifle, my wife to use, as we would like to compete in nrl22 and similar style competitions.


Would appreciate any advice I am completely new to this all.
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I responded regarding the hunting question, but got more comments now.

If you are getting two rifles for two different disciplines, I would consider getting the same platform so that you can swap parts back and forth (chassis, triggers, scope bases, etc...). NRL 22 will tempt you to upgrade and customize your set-up. You will also want to focus your money on the NRL 22 rifle and not the hunting rifle.

I would suggest a CZ 457 Varmint with the wooden stock for hunting as you are going to use a scope cam anyway (so irons are out) and if you ever want to make a second NRL rifle, that barrel action would work well in a chassis.

For NRL, a CZ 457 MTR Match or LRP or 457 Manners or the 457 MDT XRS that Tesro does up. Anything with a match chamber that your budget can handle, lol.

Keep the hunting scope basic and prioritize clarity of glass for your scope cam, for the NRL scope pour your budget into that and get a scope with all the bells and whistles like an Arken EP5 or Match Pro ED.

Edit: That 457 Varmint would also work well as is for NRL and after a few matches you would know exactly what features you wanted to get in that rifle.
 
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AlbertaGrizzly said:
Personally love the Tikka T1X MTR. It’s a great gun and extremely accurate. Only consideration is it is a bit pricey compared to other 22LRs.
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^my suggestion as well. Considering the camera detail/filming, a very good option would be a 457 Varmint as well. The extra weight (shooting from a bench or prone) might help steady things or at least, not hurt. T1x MTRs seem to top-out at about $825 before tax and as much as I love them, to me they're really a $700 all-in rifle. (no scope)

Might also add, I've never considered 22LR the best option on groundhogs. It'll work, but what works far FAR better is 22WMR. (22 mag, also a rimfire) If your wife will only be shooting now/then, I'd make one of the rifles a 22WMR instead. More $ for ammo, but plenty of oomph to anchor a groundhog out to 125 yards. To me, about the practical/ethical range for decent shot placement on a big groundhog. PM me if you want me to be specific about why. Might be some non-hunters in the crowd.

And no, 17HMR is not as good. I spent 2 years and used 2 rifles trying to disprove that. lol
 
Id suggest buying one high quality gun with a high quality FFP optic. Just cuz your going to hunt with the gun doesnt mean you require a different firearm. I hunt with my comp rifles all the time. I fire more rounds out of my comp guns than all the hunting rifles combined so Ive just started using my comp guns for all my hunting as I know them well and have confidence with them in my hands. I also have much higher quality glass on my comp guns. Just my opiniuon
 
I see no one is adding the Ruger american 22LR with a 16 inch barrel for a hunting gun . Are they worth buying ?
I sure like its 10 round mag that does not stick out .
 
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