Looking for .22 Recommendations
- Thread starter FlyM0de
- Start date
OkayShooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Savage MK II, MDT Field Stock, 3-9 scope with rings. All this can be bought for around $1000.
The MK II doesn’t have the smoothest bolt, but it’s reliable and accurate, and the MDT Field stock will be nicer than most factory stocks. For a scope I personally would suggest going for a Vortex Crossfire/Crossfire HD/Diamondback 3-9 or any other budget brand name scope.
My personal build is a Savage MK II FV, MDT Field Stock ODG, MDT 20 MOA scope base, MDT Premier scope rings, and a Trijicon Huron 3-9x40 scope.
I love the setup and it’s one of my favourite rifles, 1000’s of rounds through it without any issues and I absolutely would recommend every part of the build.
The MK II doesn’t have the smoothest bolt, but it’s reliable and accurate, and the MDT Field stock will be nicer than most factory stocks. For a scope I personally would suggest going for a Vortex Crossfire/Crossfire HD/Diamondback 3-9 or any other budget brand name scope.
My personal build is a Savage MK II FV, MDT Field Stock ODG, MDT 20 MOA scope base, MDT Premier scope rings, and a Trijicon Huron 3-9x40 scope.
I love the setup and it’s one of my favourite rifles, 1000’s of rounds through it without any issues and I absolutely would recommend every part of the build.
CZ452, 453, 455 or 457 or the Tikka T1x. You may actually like a really nice airgun too. I live on a farm and use a variety for pesting rifles. Use my CZ452 mostly plinking, use my Tikka T1x .17HMR for longer pesting duties, using my AirArms TX200 .22cal airgun for English Sparrows, Starlings and other non-native birds. When I need to dispatch something quick in a hurry around the yard, I actually usually use the CZ452 Scout rifle. My semi-auto rimfires I just use for plinking mostly.
Look for a used Anschutz with a long barrel and shoot sub sonic target ammo. Quiet,extremely accurate and deadly out to 100 yards for your purposes. Many of the SK variants will give you the desired results but not only the gun can tell you what it prefers!
I was looking also for a new 22. With a clip. Just got tired of unloading a Browning lever 22 every time I jumped back into my truck
My choice was either the cz or tikka. With the plastic stock
I did not like the cz for the reason there base model comes with a pencil barrel and they sell it in the same stock a heavy barrel comes on. So there is a large gap around the pencil barrel which does not look good. Maybe this is why some people buy different stocks after they buy one . The bolt was not very smooth. But smoother than a Ruger bolt action .
The tikka t1x. Base model in a plastic stock has thick to thin barrel and is fitted nicely in the stock
The bolt is very smooth.
You can get both of these in a 16 inch barrel or 20 inch or longer
I picked the 16 inch as it swings out of the truck so much easier than my browning with the 18 inch barrel
I would never buy anything longer than a 16 now for hunting
It's very accurate at 50 yards. Bullets on top of each other at 50 yards I just do head shots on gophers and grouse.mist shots are 5 yards to 30 yards with a scope
Draw back on a 16 inch barrel is it's alittle louder than a 20 inch
But if you want it quieter you could try sub sonic rounds or shorts.
I paid $599 Cn on sale in 2025 for my tikka in Bc at reliable guns Cabelas has them on once in awhile also in Edmonton where I live
Next you will want a scope.
It's a must that you want to buy one with adjusting parallax on the side of on the front of the scope.
It was a learning curve for me this year. I learnt alot , people have bad groups with out it , if they don't place their cheek 100% on the same spot on their stock. Even if off 5% your group will be big groups
A fixed 22 scope parallax is set at 75 yards. 150 for a hunting rifle scope. But you can change that easily if you want. (Just message me ) So if your shooting at 25 yards and move your head up and down while looking threw your scope. The cross hairs will move off your target , not good !
With an adjustable paralax knob you can adjust it to 25 yards and it will be steady and not move
Hopefully this helps you.
Let us know what you bought.
I have a leuplold vx3 3.5-10x40 on my tikka. I reset the fixed parallax from 150 down to 20 yards
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I have a number of .22 bolt actions. Mostly left handed, so my pool is limited.
That being said the Savage MK-2 heavy barrel or similar B-22 is very accurate for the money. I also have a few CZ-452 and an older BRNO 3rd model with the heavy target barrel. It's really hard to top one of those, but you'll be going through the classifieds.
And my rifles all get CCI Standard, when I'm wanting to get my best from them. Your quiets will shoot similar I'm sure.
For under a grand and off the shelf I'd go Savage, because I assume your budget also includes a scope
That being said the Savage MK-2 heavy barrel or similar B-22 is very accurate for the money. I also have a few CZ-452 and an older BRNO 3rd model with the heavy target barrel. It's really hard to top one of those, but you'll be going through the classifieds.
And my rifles all get CCI Standard, when I'm wanting to get my best from them. Your quiets will shoot similar I'm sure.
For under a grand and off the shelf I'd go Savage, because I assume your budget also includes a scope
My choices would be the Tikka T1X or the CZ457. Shop around and you will find one under $1000.
Too many times I have seen a Savage in a combo package and the scope is not reliable.
CCI SV is probably the best ammunition made in the USA.
My Tikka T1X will group both CCI SV and Blazer at 100 yards not much over one inch. The scope was around $500 for a 4-16 power with stadias that allow for sighting in at 50 yards then play with the different stadias til 100 yards is found.
MOG - Minute of Gopher for my purposes.
Too many times I have seen a Savage in a combo package and the scope is not reliable.
CCI SV is probably the best ammunition made in the USA.
My Tikka T1X will group both CCI SV and Blazer at 100 yards not much over one inch. The scope was around $500 for a 4-16 power with stadias that allow for sighting in at 50 yards then play with the different stadias til 100 yards is found.
MOG - Minute of Gopher for my purposes.
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/threads/cz-457-synthetic-20”-bundle-new.2557050/unread
Here is one in the EE that I would jump on quickly.
Here is one in the EE that I would jump on quickly.
I would echo the T1x recommendation (20" barrel) for a lot of reasons, none of which are political. My love on with the T1x precedes that development with CZ and most of us are content to sing their praises on merit alone.
And...
Maybe it's because I've recently been looking @ rural properties where I can live/shoot....putting calls into bylaw people in the townships we're considering, etc...but I think I'd need a real good reason to share the same discretionary concerns if I'm allowed (lawfully) to discharge a firearm on my own property. Maybe it's the property size/proximity of neighbours (?) but I think my first step would be to go knock on my neighbours doors and have a chat. Introduce myself, and a few minutes into that friendly chat say "oh btw, I have a groundhog issue on my property so from time to time, you might hear me discharging a firearm to address but no worries=I know what direction you live in-any shot I take will be in the opposite direction!"
No permission being requested, no opinion being invited.. I would answer any questions and even be willing to call/text ahead when I plan to be out shooting if I sense a concern.
Guess I'll add one more thing-I've shot a lot of groundhogs over the years. I really don't think 22LR isn't an awesome choice, I'd say the suggestion of CCI Quiet-22 is even worse. The stuff isn't consistent enough shot-to-shot to make zeroing a scope with it even make sense, and the idea of an imperfect shot with that stuff? Neighbour might even hear the results from a distance if you catch my drift. An ethical 50-60 yard shot with a Tikka T1x is very easy even from an improvised rest on a target of that size. My T1x just happens to like CCI Velocitor (hurray for me/boo-hoo from western gophers) and if I were going to pop a groundhog with a T1x that's exactly what I'd reach for. CCI Mini Mag or Stinger with a hollow point=I'd have almost as much faith in those too.
While I've never shot a groundhog with 17WSM (didn't exist when I was on them hard) I did try 17HMR and then ultimately 22WMR before moving and staying with centerfire for the job. Most effective rimfire caliber I've seen used was 22WMR by a huge margin. If I needed a dedicated, groundhog-worthy rimfire, zero doubt in my mind it would be a 22WMR.
And...
Maybe it's because I've recently been looking @ rural properties where I can live/shoot....putting calls into bylaw people in the townships we're considering, etc...but I think I'd need a real good reason to share the same discretionary concerns if I'm allowed (lawfully) to discharge a firearm on my own property. Maybe it's the property size/proximity of neighbours (?) but I think my first step would be to go knock on my neighbours doors and have a chat. Introduce myself, and a few minutes into that friendly chat say "oh btw, I have a groundhog issue on my property so from time to time, you might hear me discharging a firearm to address but no worries=I know what direction you live in-any shot I take will be in the opposite direction!"
No permission being requested, no opinion being invited.. I would answer any questions and even be willing to call/text ahead when I plan to be out shooting if I sense a concern.
Guess I'll add one more thing-I've shot a lot of groundhogs over the years. I really don't think 22LR isn't an awesome choice, I'd say the suggestion of CCI Quiet-22 is even worse. The stuff isn't consistent enough shot-to-shot to make zeroing a scope with it even make sense, and the idea of an imperfect shot with that stuff? Neighbour might even hear the results from a distance if you catch my drift. An ethical 50-60 yard shot with a Tikka T1x is very easy even from an improvised rest on a target of that size. My T1x just happens to like CCI Velocitor (hurray for me/boo-hoo from western gophers) and if I were going to pop a groundhog with a T1x that's exactly what I'd reach for. CCI Mini Mag or Stinger with a hollow point=I'd have almost as much faith in those too.
While I've never shot a groundhog with 17WSM (didn't exist when I was on them hard) I did try 17HMR and then ultimately 22WMR before moving and staying with centerfire for the job. Most effective rimfire caliber I've seen used was 22WMR by a huge margin. If I needed a dedicated, groundhog-worthy rimfire, zero doubt in my mind it would be a 22WMR.
