.22 bolt action or semi auto?

[gbal]

It's a rare find, but possible to get a bolt action semi auto. I saw a beretta at a local gunsmiths, I believe walther made one too.

 

http://www.gunauction.com/buy/7980686

Never seen one,but as I recall, a prewar Walther design,sold to Beretta-maybe produced by Beretta in the 60's. Doubt that it ever sold very well,hence rare indeed,in UK. The semi auto action could be 'locked out' and then the rifle reverted to a 'standard' bolt operated mode...

Of course, intrinsic accuracy would be set by the barrel,and changing the loading system would have very little effect...

NIce one for the FLO to classify,though hardly likely to be a problem in these more enlightened times; the Franchi SPAS shotgun-semi or pump-is a more familiar dual system production example.

gbal

[DL.]

This looks like it might be one of the semi/bolt models.

 

http://www.guntrader.co.uk/Guns-For-Sale/Walther_Rifle_Semi-Auto_For-Sale_140226101108001

[baldie]

If you are serious about rabbit control, there is only one way to go.

 

Bolt action, fitted with a good moderator and use subsonic ammunition.

 

You have reliability, near silence and if you stick with one gun and learn the ammo,s trajectory, you will have a very capable 100 yard gun.

 

.22lr ammo will ricochet regardless of whether its subsonic or high velocity.

 

Ignore the 17hmr. One shot, and the warren will clear.

 

It will go the way of the 17hm2 within 10 years. People are dropping it like Jim,l, fix it medals.

 

A semi , even moderated is still relatively noisy. Partly because its a blowback action and some of cartridge gas exits the breech, and partly the bolt slamming the next round into battery,

 

A well moderated bolt gun will be quiet enough to hear the firing pin go.

 

Silence , good cover and accurate shooting , puts more rabbits in the bag .

[dannywayoflife]

When I did a lot of bunny control I went from a semi to a bolt gun. I now own a lovely old BSA century 5 shot target rifle (cost me £100) it's the most accurate .22 I've ever owned! I love it. There's some lovely old rifles out there for peanuts

[FGYT]

if your getting one gun for rabbits then a Bolt action 22 with subs and a moderator

 

if more than one then you can branch out a bit

I have a 17HMR Bolt gun and a semi auto (customised 10/22) 22 for Subs both moderated etc (you can massively reduce the action noise on a 10/22 with some work still not as good as a bolt version there are also action lock bits you can get to stop the Action cycling not sure how much they effect accuracy)

 

different guns different jobs both fun

 

Im adding a 6.5x47 L to that to make a trio that covers everything to shoot in UK

[stillair1]

First .22lr I would go for a bolt action. Later may be add a semi . Don't forget you might want to add a nv unit to a .22lr, so that gives you good reason to acquire more than one, funds permitting. Try to shoulder as many rifles as you can. They do vary in the stock size and barrel length.

[stillair1]

First .22lr I would go for a bolt action. Later may be add a semi . Don't forget you might want to add a nv unit to a .22lr, so that gives you good reason to acquire more than one, funds permitting. Try to shoulder as many rifles as you can. They do vary in the stock size and barrel length.

[stillair1]

First .22lr I would go for a bolt action. Later may be add a semi , but if you buy a semi that needs work at least you have a reliable bolt .rifle to fall back on. Whereas if you buy a semi first and its a jammer, you will curse the day you bought it.

Don't forget you might want to add a nv unit to a .22lr, so that gives you good reason to acquire more than one, funds permitting. Try to shoulder as many rifles as you can. They do vary in the stock size and barrel length. Accuracy wise a good semi will group 1/2" @50yds, but you may have to pay more to get there compared to a bolt rifle.

[outandabout]

I'm still waiting for my certificate to arrive, and the anticipation is palpable!

 

All the advice given has helped me to make the right decision for my needs, which will be either a CZ or BRNO bolt action in .22lr.

 

I'll let you know what I've got, when I've got it

[Gooner]

If you are serious about rabbit control, there is only one way to go.

 

Bolt action, fitted with a good moderator and use subsonic ammunition.

 

You have reliability, near silence and if you stick with one gun and learn the ammo,s trajectory, you will have a very capable 100 yard gun.

 

.22lr ammo will ricochet regardless of whether its subsonic or high velocity.

 

Ignore the 17hmr. One shot, and the warren will clear.

 

It will go the way of the 17hm2 within 10 years. People are dropping it like Jim,l, fix it medals.

 

A semi , even moderated is still relatively noisy. Partly because its a blowback action and some of cartridge gas exits the breech, and partly the bolt slamming the next round into battery,

 

A well moderated bolt gun will be quiet enough to hear the firing pin go.

 

Silence , good cover and accurate shooting , puts more rabbits in the bag .

Totally agree, I have a CZ bolt action and a Ruger. The CZ cleared 35 rabbits the other week in ome night at all sorts of ranges very quietly. I love the ruger but it is a bit noisier and jams occasionally. Its also always loaded so make sure the safety is on if you are walking across fields etc

CZ all the way for me

 

Gooner

[Dunc]

I'm still waiting for my certificate to arrive, and the anticipation is palpable!

 

All the advice given has helped me to make the right decision for my needs, which will be either a CZ or BRNO bolt action in .22lr.

 

I'll let you know what I've got, when I've got

As this is likely for you to be a long term 'relationship', can I suggest that you look at other brands as well. While the CZ rifles are popular, well priced and work well, I wouldn't have one. I don't like the 'agricultural' feel of the ones which I've seen and used.

 

If your budget could stretch a bit, have a look at other makes while you're waiting for your ticket to arrive. I'd certainly rather have a second hand Anshutz than a new CZ!

 

But in any case, make sure you see one and play with it before you buy.

[Toby]

The reason he suggested a semi auto is so you don't have to take your head off the stock to reload.

 

I think a bolt action would be a much better option for me.

 

You don't need to take your head off the stock to reload with a bolt gun if you practice, same with centrefire.

I agree that a bolt action Sako or CZ in 22LR i the way to go.

[outandabout]

As this is likely for you to be a long term 'relationship', can I suggest that you look at other brands as well. While the CZ rifles are popular, well priced and work well, I wouldn't have one. I don't like the 'agricultural' feel of the ones which I've seen and used.

 

If your budget could stretch a bit, have a look at other makes while you're waiting for your ticket to arrive. I'd certainly rather have a second hand Anshutz than a new CZ!

 

But in any case, make sure you see one and play with it before you buy.

 

Unfortunately my funds won't stretch far enough to consider a new sako or anschutz along with other things on my shopping list. well... I could stretch to it, but I might get into trouble with the missus

 

I got the chance to have a go with a CZ 452 .22 the other night, and thought it was fantastic. I liked the weight and handling, the trigger pull felt good, the gun operated perfectly and felt solidly built. The only thing I could really criticize were the the plastic mags. I'd prefer metal but I suppose plastic is cheap to replace?

 

If a sako/anschutz/weihrauch comes up second hand I'll definitely go and have a look first.

[Dunc]

I got the chance to have a go with a CZ 452 .22 the other night, and thought it was fantastic.

 

If you like it, that's all that matters

[Dunc]

I got the chance to have a go with a CZ 452 .22 the other night, and thought it was fantastic.

double post.... apologies

[David Hancock]

For my money, starting out and learning your field craft, IMHO I would go for a bolt action rifle. I once experienced a little rambo with a semi auto just popping at rabbits with absolutely no respect for achieving a humane kill, leaving wounded animals and bullets going everywhere. The farmer I was with thought it was OK but it was frankly sickening. A one off I must add. The guy should never have had a ticket.

 

It takes time and experience to learn range and your craft. Hit a rabbit in the back or gut at the wrong range / angle with a .22LR and you have a wounded animal.

 

Secondly, a second hand Weihrauch HW60 J would be worth a look - metal mag, stunning bolt and trigger. I've never had a CZ but they are not for me.

 

I wish I had never sold my Sako Finnfire - original version - but would not spend £880 RRP on the new version, or a Sako Quad for that matter. The new Brownings are nice but my preference is for the Weihrauch 66 Production, the 66 Jagd-Match or the Anschutz XIV. Different price bracket but try a couple out and buy what you like.

[outandabout]

For my money, starting out and learning your field craft, IMHO I would go for a bolt action rifle. I once experienced a little rambo with a semi auto just popping at rabbits with absolutely no respect for achieving a humane kill, leaving wounded animals and bullets going everywhere. The farmer I was with thought it was OK but it was frankly sickening. A one off I must add. The guy should never have had a ticket.

 

It takes time and experience to learn range and your craft. Hit a rabbit in the back or gut at the wrong range / angle with a .22LR and you have a wounded animal.

 

Secondly, a second hand Weihrauch HW60 J would be worth a look - metal mag, stunning bolt and trigger. I've never had a CZ but they are not for me.

 

I wish I had never sold my Sako Finnfire - original version - but would not spend £880 RRP on the new version, or a Sako Quad for that matter. The new Brownings are nice but my preference is for the Weihrauch 66 Production, the 66 Jagd-Match or the Anschutz XIV. Different price bracket but try a couple out and buy what you like.

 

I agree, people like that shouldn't be shooting full stop, let alone live quarry. Sadly I don't think a lot of farmers care as long as they can see some sort of reduction in numbers.

[outandabout]

Something special happened today... My firearms certificate arrived

 

So after yet another look on guntrader and gunshop websites within a sensible radius, I couldn't find anything that interested me second hand.

 

After a while thinking about it, I couldn't resist a trip to my nearest RFD.

 

They didn't have much second hand, but they had 2 new CZ 455s, the varmint version and the synthetic. The varmint was lovely, but cost a bit more and had a heavy barrel.

 

I went for the synthetic, and a SAK moderator - plus a couple of brands of subs to try.

 

Thanks to all again for the help and advice

 

[snc_2010]

Congrats. I've bought mags from http://riflemags.co.uk/ when they were czmags. Not sure if cheapest but service was fine.

[outandabout]

Cheers I've bookmarked that site, I bought a 10 shot mag today but will no doubt want another in the future.

 

I'm looking forward to getting out with it, but have got to wait till monday to phone and make sure my permissions have been deemed suitable. They have my permissions on file, but haven't told me if or what they're passed for.

 

Sorry for drifting off topic!

[17 Rem]

I am sure that you'll be served just fine by the bolt action. It'll be less troublesome than getting a semi auto to cycle sub sonics, more accurate and devoid of clattering cycling noise. Good choice.

[David Hancock]

Looks nice. Enjoy.

[outandabout]

Thanks, it's basic but really accurate!

[outandabout]

A quick update: I ditched the junk nikko scope you can see in the picture, and fitted a 6 x 42 schmidt & bender.

 

I deliberated over the choice of scope for a while. I almost went for an mtc, then a vortex with all the bells and whistles which seemed appealing... Nothing wrong with those choices, but for my needs the s&b made more sense. It's brilliant. No buggering about with the zoom or parallax, just point and shoot (if safe, of course!).

[gbal]

Good choice-one of the very best low light hunting scopes...not cheap,but impeccable quality at the price.

 

You are right too-rabbiting is about fairly short range-with a 22rf- maybe zero 50y ,and if lucky you might get a second reference point on the scope thick reticule at some (increasingly unlikely) range beyond that.

As you say,you do not want to be fiddling with turrets and focus and mag-'bells and whistles' don't aid shooting-within the limits of the cartridge....and dusk is your friend,with the S&B ....good 'aim and shooting' !

gbal