Which .22 to buy - target/hunting combo?

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ILoveBigRacks

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Got bored with the .410 as a chicken gun so am looking at a .22 for head shots for a bit more challenge and a lot more fun (not to mention cheaper ammo). Also, it will double as a range gun for playing with while the barrels cool on the bigger rifles.

Am looking for something very accurate and also short coupled for easy handling. Have been looking at the CZ452 Varmint or American as well as the Buckmark Classic Target. The Buckmark is a full 6-6.5 inches shorter than the other two and weighs a bit to a lot less (though the weight is less important to me than the length).

Is the Buckmark worth the extra $200 over the CZ's? Any feeding issues? I'm more partial to the bolt action now as I've gotten fed up over the years with trying to find just the right ammo a certain semi might or might not like as far as feeding reliably and accuracy. The semi is definately better as far as follow up shots hunting but don't know if it's worth the headache or not.
 
My Ruger 1022 semi is no headache and eats what I feed it without complaint. My old Cooey 64, well that was another story...Bolts are generally good anyways and simple-oh yeah and cheap. Lots of them around. Me, I would be hard pressed to spend more than $300 on a 22 since, after all it is just a 22. Fun and cheap to feed and hell on grouse too and wabbits. The new guns are usually all pretty good these days I think. Check the Rifle Exchange and have a look. Read the threads too-valuable info. You can also email the people writing them and ask questions. Knock yourself out. And then there is the 223
 
Big racks, have you thought about a .22 mag or a 17HMR, at least with these guns at the range you can be shooting at the 100 yard target and still be quite deadly on grouse. Stevens now make a heavy barrel 17 that retails for $269.00 and there is a very nice savage .22 mag that goes for around $350.00, both guns well below what you are going to pay for a CZ .22 and argueably more fun to shoot IMHO. FS
 
For what you are doing I'd go with one of the heavy barrel Savages like the Mark II FV (synthetic) or the BV (laminated). Both are very accurate guns and come with the accutrigger. They sell for between $260 and $350. I have the same gun in .17HMR and my son has a Mark II BV .22LR on the way. They have enough weight to them that holding steady while shooting without a rest isn't hard but they arent so heavy that they are a pain to carry. They are very reliable and deadly accurate. You could get either one with a good scope for what you'd pay for a CZ and never know the difference except from what you saved in $$$.

Tim
 
In direct answer to your question: The buckmark is fantastic! Compact, accurate, light, and dead-nuts reliable. Coming from a guy who has owned at least 75 different .22's....the BMC (mine is the "sporter". Non HB) is the only one I still have, and will have indefinitely. I have a scope on a set of QR rings for paper, and a holosight for chickens/bunnies.

They are not cheap, but in this case you really do get what you pay for.

Edited to add: AMMO! Mine has fed everything I've fed it...from Eley match to stingers to yellowjackets to Walmart dynapoints. In fact, it LOVES the cheapy dynapoints! The only issue I've had was firing the aguila hyper velocity 1700 FPS monsters. They slamed the slide back so hard it threw the extractor right out of the gun. Funny part was that after the extractor went sailing off into the grass, I continued to fire another 100 or so rounds without a stoppage!
 
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The CZ will probably more accurate (paper wise)... But the fun factor is probably much higher with the Buckmark rifle :evil:

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