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Which bolt action rimfire caliber?


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    39
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If you were thinking of getting one and you never owned one before which would you get.

Say you own plenty of semi autos in 22lr already.

Moving to the slow paced rimfire idea.

22lr is the least expensive, can get subsonic rounds, but is the least powerful compared to the others.

22mag, I'm not too familiar with. Guessing just faster than typical 22, can have better ballistics?

17hmr can be flat out to 150, great for squirrel, ok for yotes. Seemed to always be available even when there wasn't any 22.

17wsm. Like 22mag I don't know much about. Better than 17hmr? Why?

Vote up and list your reasons.
 
I voted for the .22LR...its the rimfire I have the most experience with and does the trick for what I shoot at and hunt.
( Mostly grouse and for "fun" plinking type of shooting )

At one time I owned a .22 magnum rifle or two...they were both fun and accurate.
I used them for "bigger" small game : raccoons , fox and the like...but I do not hunt those critters anymore.
The .22 magnum is a useful but underappreciated hunting round ... and , at least where I live , hard to find ammo for and expensive when you do.

I can't really say much for the various .17 calibers ...having only shot them a time or two at targets on a range...
Andy
 
I voted for the .22 Magnum because I've got a number of the regular but then again I've already got another Magnum. Looking at getting one of the Thompson semi-auto versions of the Subgun. Of course, I'd much rather it was the Subgun but that's not an option here.
 
Well. What do you want to do?

I own all three.

Each is best for some things
Ideally, not one if each lol.

Put in for my very first rim fire suppressor and it's been on my mind a lot.

Thinking of hosts.

I don't have a bolt action rim fire. Kind of want one for the can.

Kind of leaning towards something other than 22lr, but I don't mind getting one more.

Just generally up in the air with all gun related purchases lately.

Funny as I used to be much more impulsive.
 
I went 22lR. There's a lot of great guns out there for 22LR, which keeps the genre interesting. I'm already too invested into 22LR to start switching and stockpiling for another caliber.
This way when I see something kind of wacky and one off I can easily absorb it into my inventory.
(BTW, thanks again Reno for that Zip 22, it's awesome! Talk about a gun that compliments my personality, lol.)
 
I shoot my CZ455 "Tacticool" suppressed more than any other gun I own period. I have a suppressed savage 93r17 as well and it does not get near the action nor in my opinion is it as much fun to shoot.

If I was going to go shoot rockchucks at anything more than 100 yards the CZ is not ideal, but it is the most fun.
 
Tough choice between the 22LR and the 17 HMR, but I would take the 17 HMR. I really like the 22LR because they are so cheap and fun to shoot. But for varmints like sage rats and target shooting, the 17 HMR holds a significant velocity and accuracy edge. A really accurate 22LR is usually expensive and can require Eley and other expensive ammo to take advantage of that accuracy.

I'm afraid the 17WSM could be a short lived cartridge. A great idea, but the 17 HMR has such a head start on it, and most people like me that already have an HMR are not interested in buying yet another 17 caliber rim fire with what could be considered marginal ballistic advantages. Sure the WSM is faster and drop less, but 17 caliber bullets drift in the wind like cotton wood fluff.
 
.22 WMR. Excellent velocity and accuracy. Yes, not as flat as the .17HMR but you also get more than twice the bullet weight (typically).
 
I shoot my CZ455 "Tacticool" suppressed more than any other gun I own period. I have a suppressed savage 93r17 as well and it does not get near the action nor in my opinion is it as much fun to shoot.

If I was going to go shoot rockchucks at anything more than 100 yards the CZ is not ideal, but it is the most fun.
Interesting you mention the CZ. I've been eyeballing the scout in my selection process.

Would you say bolt action suppressed 22 is stupidly quieter than semi?

That's the one main advantage I'll give to the 22 is the silly quite part.

But that's only with subsonic ammo.

You still get a supersonic crack with regular and that is why I like the accuracy potential of the 22mag or 17hmr.
 
I'd vote for .22lr. My main reason is inexpensive and, right now anyway, plentiful, ammo (.22WMR is much more expensive, and can be harder to find). Plus lots of different types of .22lr ammo. Never owned a .17HMR, so can't speak to that one.

I owned the Ruger American Rimfire in both .22lr and .22WMR - both awesome bolt guns! Still own the .22lr model. Honestly, since I don't hunt, I didn't really need the .22WMR - so I got out of that caliber. For plinking, etc., it's hard to beat the .22lr and can be useful for small varmints.
 
I think I've got it narrowed down to these two.

CZ 455 Scout in 22lr.

Or a RAR stainless in 17hmr.

Anyone here got experience with 17 vs 22 suppressed? Noticeable difference I crack?
 
I think I've got it narrowed down to these two.

CZ 455 Scout in 22lr.

Or a RAR stainless in 17hmr.

Anyone here got experience with 17 vs 22 suppressed? Noticeable difference I crack?

I've heard .17 shot suppressed, but I don't think you can get subsonic ammo for the .17 Using subsonic .22lr it is substantially quieter.
 
I've heard .17 shot suppressed, but I don't think you can get subsonic ammo for the .17 Using subsonic .22lr it is substantially quieter.
Ya, no to sub 17, but in curious if 17 is a whole lot louder or just marginally louder than regular 22.
 
Interesting you mention the CZ. I've been eyeballing the scout in my selection process.

Would you say bolt action suppressed 22 is stupidly quieter than semi?

That's the one main advantage I'll give to the 22 is the silly quite part.

But that's only with subsonic ammo.

You still get a supersonic crack with regular and that is why I like the accuracy potential of the 22mag or 17hmr.

I'll put it this way. I can open the window in my bedroom and shoot my suppressed CZ out the window at the yellow-bellied marmots in my yard and my wife in the next room has no idea that I just off'ed a "cute little critter that's not hurting anything"

Its a far bit quieter than a suppressed 10/22. The above would not work with it.

I shot probably 800 rounds through it this year, it is a great little rifle. I wouldn't give it up. I really like it.

In comparison, I probably put 40 rounds through my .17 this year. I really don't care for the .17 much. For a few more cents a round I can shoot .223. Suppressed it sounds about the same and has a lot more "business" at the critter end.
 
I voted for the 22lr because its the cheapest and can be used for most general purpose small game. I have owned all 4 and must say the 22lr and 22 magnum were the most practical to me.

I've owned several 17hmrs over the years and they shoot awesome and are very capable for small game at 150 yards but no one makes ammo for it heavier then 20 grains, which makes it less then ideal to me for coyotes.

I bought a Savage on 17wsm a couple years ago and it was a shooter also, could easily punch paper at 200 yards and I'm sure if I would've shot a coyote with one of the 25gr bullets, it probably would have worked. Sold the rifle because the Savage Bmag was junk. The stock had a lot of flex and touched the barrel in a lot of spots, and the action itself felt cheap and would not always feed right. I'd buy another 17wsm if CZ would make one.

Bringing me to the 22 magnum. Can be used for anything a 22lr can shoot, and large varmints. Lots of available bullet weights and varieties if you can find them in stock. Definitely will be buying a CZ or a 77/22 in 22 magnum when I get some extra funds.
 

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