Squirrel rifle?

Yoteless in Ohio

New member
I am planning to take my little boy squirrel hunting is fall. I will be hunting, he will be watching.

He's not huge on loud noises, we have earmuffs for him, but I thought we might try using a rim fire instead of a shotgun. (that and I'm less likely to hit anything which keeps me from have to skin them)

I would like to pick up an accurate 22 lr with a good stock trigger. I am thinking of savage because of the accu trigger. What other guns should I look at? I suspect in two or three years it will get handed down to the boy, so something kind of nice might be in order here.
 
get a cz455, extremely accurate, great trigger, beautiful gun! you also at a later date get a 22mag barrel or a 17hmr barrel. then you will be PROUD to hand it down! i have one, very easy to change barrels.
 
I would go with the CZ 452 or 455, use Subsonics and you'll have no issues. Subs will be more accurate than you think if you haven't used them before. Adam
 
Originally Posted By: ab_bentleyI would go with the CZ 452 or 455, use Subsonics and you'll have no issues. Subs will be more accurate than you think if you haven't used them before. Adam

It would be hard to look any farther...
 
Cant go wrong with CZ or Savage.I have the Savage BV with a Weaver 4x scope.Great for hunting small game.The accutrigger is great right out of the box while most CZ triggers require a little work.With CZ the Yo Dave kit is the go to fix.
 
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Yeah, I don't want to scare him with the noise. I didn't think about 17. Is the m2 the "slower" of the 17's? I have a 17 but I think it is an hmr and it is pretty loud. I imagine it will tear a squirrel to pieces. It will be strictly a squirrel gun so that might be just right. Until I put the 22 mag barrel on that is.

Can the cz trigger be adjusted yourself? I always did my own Remington triggers.

22 subs are great. I have used them in my yard, but only close range. Good killing power? I don't want to have to chase a wounded squirrel all over the woods.
 
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17 hmr is a 22mag case necked down to accept a 17 caliber bullet

17m2 is a 22 LR case necked down to accept a 17 caliber bullet

It is slower than the hmr.

Here are some pics of the damage the 17 m2 can do

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Here is the loaded cartridge
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Body shots leave guts hanging out pretty bad but headshots work great.

It's a flat cartridge to, you can really reach out and touch'em.

The best thing for the 452 is the yo Dave kit. It's cheap, like 18$ IIRC

'my m2 had an automotive solutions sear kit from brownells that was really nice. Pricey though compared to yo dave
 
Originally Posted By: Yoteless in OhioYeah, I don't want to scare him with the noise. I didn't think about 17. Is the m2 the "slower" of the 17's? I have a 17 but I think it is an hmr and it is pretty loud. I imagine it will tear a squirrel to pieces. It will be strictly a squirrel gun so that might be just right. Until I put the 22 mag barrel on that is.

Can the cz trigger be adjusted yourself? I always did my own Remington triggers.

22 subs are great. I have used them in my yard, but only close range. Good killing power? I don't want to have to chase a wounded squirrel all over the woods.
The 453 has a nice adjustable trigger but bumps the price a bit.IMO get either the 452 or 455 and the YD kit.
 
There is a good deal on a 453 right now in the used rimfire section at whittakers guns.

429$ comes with a 4-16 AO scope. Brand unknown
 
For fun, try a .32 traditional muzzleloader.
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For practical use, a Browning BL-22 or Marlin 60 would be tough to beat IMHO.

Ben
 
Good ideas. My quick search does not result in a CZ in 17 m2. Ill look a little harder later. The little cartridge intrigues me.

I think anthing at or below the crack of a .22 will be fine. He has been deer hunting when my wife shot a slug gun near him. He had his ear muffs on, but in hot september woods I dont want to burden him with them if I dont need to. I can have him put them on if I am getting ready to shoot.

He has seen dead and gutted stuff but I dont want to tear the animal up too badly. Honestly, I might be best to just take him and the gun for a walk and not kill anything in front of him.

Price isnt the first concern. Anything under $500 will be fine if its worth it.
 
Why spend the money on a savage or Cz ? If its just for squirrel hunting, get a cheap single shot or something. Depending on how small he is, check into the "cricket". Or check online for a good used 22.
 
Originally Posted By: EasternPredHunterWhy spend the money on a savage or Cz ? If its just for squirrel hunting, get a cheap single shot or something. Depending on how small he is, check into the "cricket". Or check online for a good used 22.

I have a small single shot 22 youth Rossi combo. He won't be hunting, it will be me hunting with him watching. He is just under four. In a few years he will be big enough to shoot his Rossi.

And I just want a new toy. I'll wait until this summer to get one. Might find a nice one used one then.
 
I am a big fan of Cz 452. My 17 hm2 is a crazy squirrel killing machine. Dropped a 91 yarder in the eye. Pretty cool to be able to squirrel hunt and make use of a laser range finder.

You wont be dissappointed.
 
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