Small Rifle help

[MarkV]

I have to start by saying I do not know very much about guns so feel free to talk down to a beginner’s level with me. Or I should say, please talk down to me I don’t understand the calibers and terms very well.

We have a minor problem with muskrats and beaver in our pond at times. The game warden said shooting them was the best way to deal with it and there are no restrictions, seasons or license requirements. I have a Ruger 10-22 carbine that was given to me and has been a fun little rifle to shoot. It has also been effective to a point dealing with my problem. It doesn’t have much stopping power for some of the longer shoots though, which for me are about 100 yards. Not wanting to leave a wounded animal suffering I am thinking of getting a rifle of the next size up from the present 22 long rifle.

Can someone help me understand what the next size caliber is that will do the job? What are the no frill dependable model rifles in that caliber to look at? And I don’t have great eyes so I am interested in models that will accept a scope. If it makes a difference I have always shot left handed.

Thanks in advance,

MarkV

 

[Sigarms]

Keeping it in the rimfire family next step up in size would probably be the .22 magnum, .17HMR and .17 Hornady Mach 2.

By the way, a rimfire cartridge is "ignited" by having the firing pin strike the "rim" of the cartridge. You also have centerfire cartridges which use a primer to ignite (again, by having the firing pin stirke it) the powder in the cartridge.

Most of the major gun manufacturers (Remington, Marlin, Savage...)I think make some "economy" grade rifles in the calibers listed in bolt actions with the ability to mount a scope.

I'd suggest going to your local gun store, looking around and asking questions, and if you don't have a local gun shop, I usually don't reccomend it, but worse case scenerio, you could probably even find one of these calibers at Walmart.

Might be hard to find one for a "lefty".

 

[Egon]

After several days you will have advice on many different calibers/guns.scopes. Take your pick.

My choice would be a Rugger Mini 14 semi auto in .22/6mm caliber using hollow/soft point type ammunition to reduce ricochets.

Ranch rifle site.Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle

 

[LMTC]

I don't think the 10-22 has an equal, for what it is designed to be. Stopping power and killing power are different. The vast majority of small game you hit in the body with a 22 will die, but may well not stop when hit. I have no experience with the 17 calibers mentioned, but have used 22 magnum extensively, and have a high regard for it. A Marlin bolt action 22 magnum used to be very reasonably priced. I have one with a good 3-9 scope (and you can get by very well with a medium quality 4x scope on one) that I used to shoot groundhogs in one particular location...high grass, and the only shot you ever got was a head or neck shot when they stood up, average range app. 75-100 yds., and not an area where I wanted to be shooting my .243. It was very, very seldom that they did not drop dead on impact. Even a body shot with the 22 magnum was profoundly more damaging than a 22.

 

[HGM]

Mark,
I'm far from an expert, but I have always been around guns and have a little info for you..

The caliber is basicly the diameter of the round. .22= .22", .45 cal= .45" and so forth.. When you get into rifles, you'll find the .223 might suit your needs well. Its a readily available round(military round used since Vietnam) and fairly accurate and flat shooting in a decent rifle. For varmint shooting I have heard of guys using the .22-250(250 refers to the case length) pretty commonly because of the range and accuracy, carying much more velocity and energy than the standard .22... Take a look here, or here for a little info(from a quick search of varmint rifles..

There is also some really cool info here and here... On the Hornady site, you can select the round you are interested in and check the ballistics of it to give you an idea of the energy, velocity and tragectory of the round.. This will also help you determine what caliber makes sense for your needs...

I could spend all day looking at this stuff and researching it, its kinda fun to me..If your just looking for a recomnendation, I like Savage rifles myself, and would probably go with the .22-250...

Happy shopping ..

BTW, the .22Mag is also a great recommendation for the "next size up" if thats all you need..

 

[Sigarms]

My choice would be a Rugger Mini 14 semi auto in .22/6mm caliber using hollow/soft point type ammunition to reduce ricochets.

I could be wrong, but I believe the Mini 14 uses the .223/5.56mm round (5.56mm "military" which the M-16 uses as well). Only reason why I mention this is perhaps to a novice, a .22 size caliber may indicate that it's a .22 rimfire round (such as the Ruger 10-22) which the Ruger ranch rifle isn't.

Ruger also has a ranch model that takes the 7.62x39 round (AK-47/SKS round) as well.

That ranch rifle would be a good choice, particulalry being semi-automatic for quick follow up shots, although with a scope, probably would be twice the cost of an "economy" .22mag/.17 with scope.

 

[MikeD74T]

MarkV, My experience with beaver eradication is that beavers present a small target usually in poor light. While I like & appreciate precision shooting, beavers usually get 12ga. 00 buckshot. If I wanted to shoot them at longer distances I'd look for a low velocity round for better water penetration. On Myth Busters 30-06 & 50 BMG penetrated water only a few inches before disintegration and had considerable deviation on impact. Big splash - no kill. 9mm & 38 pistol had much better penetration (over 4 feet) with adequate force to get a good kill. If you like to shoot & want longer range you might consider a muzzle loader. Cheap to buy, fun to shoot, heavy slug that is more forgiving & effective in semi-submerged targets. MikeD74T

 

[Egon]

LMTC:

Put some 65 grain hollow ponts in your .243 and then shoot gophers!

Remember fellows the original post indicated a person who shoots left handed.

 

[RobertN]

I would look at an entry level bolt action rifle with a low power scope. A .223 or .243 bolt action, with a 4x scope would be perfect. Simple operation, not too expensive, and easy to maintain. They both have plentiful ammo selections(and .223 practice ammo is cheap). You should be able to get a reasonable deal on a used on too...

You could step up to a more expensive model, and get a .22-250 or other specific varmit round. For 100 yard shot though, IMHO a .223 or .243 would work very well and would be less expensive.

I have had a Mini-14 Ranch with a scope. It was a fine rifle with good accuracy. They are a little more complex to tear down and clean than a bolt action rifle, and the prices have really gone up since I had mine.

When you buy ammo, you can get bullets made just for varmit. They are made to shoot flat, and rapidly expand on contact. If you hit the varmit, they expand immediately, killing the varmit, but not going past it. If you miss, and hit the dirt or water, they deform or break apart and lose thier energy; they are less of a hazard since they won't travel like a more solid bullet.

This seem to be a good case for keep it simple. A basic bolt action with a low power scope in a common cartridge. One of these should be easy to find on the used rack at the gun store for a reasonable price. They can be fired easily by a "Lefty". Or, if you go new, you can get a left handed rifle.

A Remington model-7 in .223 or .243 would be nice.

 

[LMTC]

LMTC:

Put some 65 grain hollow ponts in your .243 and then shoot gophers!

Remember fellows the original post indicated a person who shoots left handed.

I've reloaded more than most people have ever shot....used to go through 500+ rounds monthly in pistols, probably 100+ in rifle, all target, and then some additional just plinking. The area I referenced just didn't have the downrange safety factor IMO to justify a center fire caliber. I felt safe with the 22 magnum. Even with a 65 gr HP the 243 has far greater range than the 22 magnum. I used to shoot groundhogs at 300-400 yards over larger fields with the 243 and a bipod. Before that I used a 22-250...loved it's inherent accuracy, but it was too subject to windage and even clipping a leaf could make that tiny, amazingly fast, bullet lose trajectory.