Rob have you priced 410 ammo in the last couple years? I bought a 20 gauge instead but always go back to my 22's for grouse.
OP - CZ 455/457 or Tikka T1x. I have both but prefer the mags on the CZ's
.22 for new grouse hunter?
- Thread starter MD
- Start date
Rob have you priced 410 ammo in the last couple years? I bought a 20 gauge instead but always go back to my 22's for grouse.
OP - CZ 455/457 or Tikka T1x. I have both but prefer the mags on the CZ's
The Savage 64 started life as a Cooey Mod 64, which was reliable and accurate.
UNTIL THE PLASTIC MAGAZINE started to crumble.
Replacement mags didn't seem to exist and the whole rifle got a very bad reputation because of it. It was a Winchester inspired design
Several different manufacturers bought manufacturing rights and Savage FIXED the magazine problem by making up a POT METAL replacement.
Savage also offered a kit to replace the original magazine system on the Cooey model.
There were a couple of different magazine systems other than the original and Savage. Why they just didn't go with a generic model????
I have no idea why people on here call the accuracy of the 10-22 garbage . I have shot many of them and I'll admit they were scoped ones and they shot just great for me . why I don't like the Cooey 64 and some of the Mossberg 22 rifles if the small ejection port and they foul up a lot easier than the 10-22 rifle with the larger ejection port . tell them to get a Ruger 10-22 and put a decent 3x9 scope on it and be done with it . I sat and shot cherry tomato's off a plant many years ago from a distance with a scoped 10-22 . and I have killed lots of groundhogs plus other critters . how small is the head of a grouse ? smaller than a cherry tomato ?
Lots of 10/22 rifles don't shoot well, for all sorts of reasons. Often neglect and extreme wear.
They can be extremely accurate with ammo they like and some changes, such as barrels etc.
Then again, for some people minute of gopher at 25-50 yards is plenty good enough for the girls they go with.
Others want more.
.22 works great, I use my 10/22 out to 60 yards ish, sometimes more. My absolute favorite is 17 HMR for grouse. Headshots out to 100 are easy and you can even stretch it out more. ( however grouse are usually closer shots )
Where I used to hunt grouse (Ontario) you'd be at a severe disadvantage bringing a .22. There have been times I could have used one (close/stunned birds) but mostly it's a shotgun thing. The season I shot the most, it was with a 20ga Wingmaster, 21" CYL bore barrel. Never had more than 3 pellets in the breast and believe me, I wasn't going for head shots. Aim/pull the trigger. Some birds had no pellets in the breast. Either way, when you clean grouse..it's easy to find the pellets in the breast. Anyhow, that had less to do with the gun=just a good year for birds. Felt like the gun was bringing me luck though. lol
For a 22-it depends largely on the budget. I'd always suggest a scoped bolt-action for the reasons noted in earlier posts, but WHAT 22 is the bigger question...and scope/no scope? Budget? young/strong shooter or younger/slight build? Not many inexpensive .22s I've held recently had decent iron sights. I've seen similar ones on $90 pellet guns.
There is a CZ452 Scout in the EE right now, allot can be said about the convenient size, accuracy etc. of a gun like that, etc. Sights are OK, but with a half-decent scope...no grouse should be safe inside of 50 yards, and shooters of any size could probably manage that thing. Granted, one person's idea of a "half decent" scope...
The 22 I shoot most is a 20" Tikka T1x, I use it more than my CZs now. They make a 16" barrelled version of that gun too, could be a stellar choice.
If economy is paramount, a used Savage or Marlin might be where to look. Shotguns-due to the scarcity/cost of .410 ammo...and..the fact that I can't seem to hit anything moving with .410
...I'd suggest a 20ga pump. We have an 870 Youth 20ga that sees allot of use, but if shopping new/used...I'd probably be looking at a Mossberg 500.Was feeling nostalgic...so I dug-up a photo
The 10/22 is popular because its good ! Just like the 870 pump 12 gauge.
Theres alway a bunch thatll talk some smak about em.. but in reality they didnt get to be popular because it was crap. The bonus is that if you want to customize it there is a whole other level you can take it to.
Ive never had a problem taking head shots on grouse ! If people cant do that with a 10/22 then dont blame the gun for their lack of skill.
Lol
Theres alway a bunch thatll talk some smak about em.. but in reality they didnt get to be popular because it was crap. The bonus is that if you want to customize it there is a whole other level you can take it to.
Ive never had a problem taking head shots on grouse ! If people cant do that with a 10/22 then dont blame the gun for their lack of skill.
Lol
DarkStalker
Regular
- Location
- Kebekistan
Always used a 20ga for grouse but I will try some 22 soon and find out if I like that choice better.. Really depends of the terrain.
I use a chiappa little badger 22lr ($199), threw on a longshot mfg 5.6” long top rail with a Leupold VX3i 3.5-10.
I’m currently at 49 grouse taken with this gun since Sept 1st when the season opened. It’s accurate as hell and the single shot makes it more challenging and fun.
I’m currently at 49 grouse taken with this gun since Sept 1st when the season opened. It’s accurate as hell and the single shot makes it more challenging and fun.
Thank you very much Sir . I'll never part with the old 10-22 . and a former friend has one of the even older ones that has the walnut stock with the checkering and an old Weaver scope on it . I am more then happy with the accuracy I am getting . someone mentioned some girls are happy with minute of gopher . well I stand and pee not sit down thank you very much . I used to have an old mini 14 many years ago and it was one of the original ones . I traded it off for something I wish I never sold . anyways it was very accurate . accurate enough for this GUY .
I picked up a newer one for a buddy to use on his farm and it wasn't nearly as accurate as the one I had . as far as I know my buddy wasn't a girl in disguise either . I seen someone say something of that comment to him one night and he knocked the guy out cold with one shot . looked like the Nestea ice tea plunge. LOL . anyways to the OP good luck in your choice .
You’ll note a theme in your commentary there… there’s a difference in an old reliable 10/22 and one of the more modern hastily produced models from the 90s to present.
I wanted to be a believer in the 10/22. I tried every ammo under the sun and every “affordable” upgrade I could manage. Yes, there are zillions of fancy new barrels and trigger groups out there, but if I have to invest the value of the gun or more back into it just to get it to shoot well, then that seems like a lemon to me.
My standards aren’t unreasonable by any means - clover leafs at 25 yards. (2-3 moa) But the 10/22s could never (consistently) do it. I picked up a Savage Mark II for half the price of the 10/22 and it cloverleafed right out of the box with almost everything ammo I tried.
I wanted to believe in the 10/22s, but I’ve fallen off the bandwagon. They’re fun! And I love the flush mag for hunting. But they’re not a head-shot-on-a-grouse-at-25-yards-gun unless you put some serious money into them.
Oh, and to your other point about tomatoes… grapes would be a better analog for grouse heads.
That’s a fallacy.
Popularity is not synonymous with quality or performance. Justin Trudeau is popular. Dodge caravans are popular. FFS, Cardi B is “popular”.
If you’re getting consistent head shots on grouse from 25ish yards, you’ve either done significant work to your gun, or you should go buy a lottery ticket before your luck runs out.
Any old Cooey I've tried was plenty accurate enough for grouse. I haven't tried one, but the relatively cheap Toz .22's seem to have a good reputation. You don't need to spend a lot of bucks, you just need to be able to hit a nickel at 30 yards. I aim for the neck so you have some latitude in the vertical, and only have windage to worry about.
I don't know what part of the country you're from, but locally, grouse are so scarce I could be hunting bigfoot with about the same chance of success.
I don't know what part of the country you're from, but locally, grouse are so scarce I could be hunting bigfoot with about the same chance of success.
I hear you on the neck shots, gives you a bit of leeway. I almost exclusively aim for the back/wing joint with hollow points. No meat or organ damage and it drops them quickly.
I use a CZ 457, with a scope mounted as low as possible. Found .22 ammo that shoots to the same zero at 25 and 50 yards. Just perfect for grouse. As a side note, the most inaccurate .22 I’ve ever owned is a 10/22 I bought a couple years ago. The new ones are not as good as the old ones.
I use a older 10/22 with a 4X weaver rimfire optic and it works just dandy. It is accurate for head shots at most reasonable ranges and the thing with grouse is that you can usually get fairly close. A quick second shot is nice when you're just a hair off.
I have used velocitor 22 as the rifle is very accurate with it but it is also maybe a touch more with SV
I have used velocitor 22 as the rifle is very accurate with it but it is also maybe a touch more with SV
Very nice. Was it hard to get the red dot to line up for close range work when mounted up there?
sillymike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
That would have gotten my vote also... Just recently learned that the Miroku BSS is/was available with double triggers
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As far as 22lr are concerned, I guess buy the best you can afford
- 9422/BL22/39
