advise on .22lr semi autos

charlie 1

Well-Known Member
Gents I am after your advise on .22lr semi autos, I already have a .22lr cz bolt action that shoots fantastically, but I have just got a variation for a .22 semi auto. Starting off budget will be £400-£700 it will be used for plinking and rabbits up grading as budget allows, what kind of groups should I expect? I have seen some on line 10-22, smith and Weston 15-22, colt M4 I have to admit that I like the AR look. But it’s always better to hear from people with hands on experience.So my question is what’s the out there?

charlie
 
Do you want it for target shooting or sporting use? If for sporting use have a look at an Anchutz or possibly even the new CZ semi-auto. I haven't seen the new CZ myself yet but what appeals to me is that you can use the the same magazines as your CZ bolt action rifle.
 
i grew up using a browning semi auto, then anshutz then 10-22 style. I now have a Sako Quad bolt action (not bought for its bolt! more for the 4 calibre barrels)
unless you are aiming at hitting head shots at 100yds (in which case you have the wrong rifle calibre in mind IMO) then the groups you get should be insignificantly different.

the browning is 40 years old and has had literally 1000's of rounds through it. to my knowledge the barrel has never been cleaned. I clean and strip the action occassionally when it gets a bit sticky...but I can count on one hand how many times that has happened as well.
it happily puts clover leaf groups in at 50 yds. The Sako can (when I do my part) put them in the same hole, but at the end of the day if you hit a rabbit in the eye it doesn't matter if it went in the pupil or the iris!!
I have said it before but if it is hunting it is used for you will have more issue in judging the rainbow trajectory of .22 subs than worrying if your rifle is grouping.

that said choose your brand of rounds. some rifle like winchester and not Eley, some like Eley and not winchester.
I use a range of Eley RWS and Win in subsonic and HV.

action choice is as much about personal preference and aesthetics as it is technical specifications IMO
 
I own a lot of .22 rifles because it's easy for me to do so. I have a Brno 581 and five Ruger 10/22s. I never take the autos into the field. I used my old Brno bolt guns for their superior accuracy and reliability. If I was in the market for a 22 auto it would be a Ruger. They are the best with regards to upgrading and servicing.

The AR look a likes are silly and if you're concerned about accuracy, to be avoided. I shot the S&W a few weeks back and got 1" at 25M from a rest with ammo it likes.~Muir
 
There's an article on Anschutz semi-auto's in this weeks Shooting Times that might be worth having a look at. I know their b/a's have earned a good reputation for accuracy.
 
I own a lot of .22 rifles because it's easy for me to do so. I have a Brno 581 and five Ruger 10/22s. I never take the autos into the field. I used my old Brno bolt guns for their superior accuracy and reliability. If I was in the market for a 22 auto it would be a Ruger. They are the best with regards to upgrading and servicing.

The AR look a likes are silly and if you're concerned about accuracy, to be avoided. I shot the S&W a few weeks back and got 1" at 25M from a rest with ammo it likes.~Muir

I know you like your 10/22's Muir but have to say the reason that they are the best with regard to upgrading is because they need it.:lol::stir:
I bought a 10/22 for my daughter some years ago and after a little bit of tweaking, nothing too radical just lightening the trigger fitting an extended mag release and converting it to bolt auto release it shot fine. In fact it shot and functioned much better than most of the custom jobs I've come across.
The Anchutz however is in my opinion a much better made semi-auto. I just don't understand why they aren't more popular. The CZ or BRNO semi autos that I've seen and used in the past are also a good gun but once again not very popular in the U.K. I would certainly be interested in trying one of the new ones that uses the same mags as my bolt action CZ rifle.
 
There's an article on Anschutz semi-auto's in this weeks Shooting Times that might be worth having a look at. I know their b/a's have earned a good reputation for accuracy.

i was told that anchutz dont make their Semis! its contracted out!
 
I know you like your 10/22's Muir but have to say the reason that they are the best with regard to upgrading is because they need it.:lol::stir:
I bought a 10/22 for my daughter some years ago and after a little bit of tweaking, nothing too radical just lightening the trigger fitting an extended mag release and converting it to bolt auto release it shot fine. In fact it shot and functioned much better than most of the custom jobs I've come across.

I'm not saying they don't need work! Very few semi's come in a form that satisfy a shooter weaned on a good bolt action: accuracy is mediocre and the triggers are crap. If you MUST own a 22 autoloader the Ruger is the one that allow Joe Lunchbox to do the work with his check book and a common screwdriver! I have had people show me their custom Rugers only to find that the only thing "Ruger" left is the aluminum receiver! ~Muir
 
I went out rabbiting backalong with a neighbour and I took my brno no2 but used his semi (to be honest I cant remember what it was but I think a 10/22) and it jammed, jammed, jammed ,jammed. Only one serious shot that I took actually worked. Bolt action every time for me.
 
south yorkshire shooting supplies do a big range of aftermarket parts for the 10 22 but have to agree with the comments on the ruger- out of the box they are very mediocre with a trigger pull sometimes approaching 6 to 7 pounds of pull,not exactly set up for accurate shooting.some of the rifles on the above website are truly a world away from an out of the box 10 22 but as you say the only thing kept is the reciever!
 
I've had a couple of 10-22s over the years. I'm left handed so they eject across my face which is anoying. these days i like to keep everything as simple as posible so it's bolt's all the way but if i wanted a semi then it would be a Ruger and probably a 10-22T as they come fairly well apointed from the box. I had a full custom Volqartson that i bought second hand, i dont think any ruger was left at all but it must have been thrown together as it was as unreliable as hell no matter what i did with it.
I do love the Houge rubber stock though. They are good fun but no advantage when rabbiting. a 10-22 magnum might be fun though!!!
A lad that used to come out with us on the golf courses used an AR copy and it was quite good but he got a lot of stick for playing rambo (he had a .410 Saiga arms AK copy as well).

Ezzy
 
The AR look a likes are silly and if you're concerned about accuracy, to be avoided. I shot the S&W a few weeks back and got 1" at 25M from a rest with ammo it likes.~Muir

The S&W 15-22 is a great little rifle. It seems to digest any ammo you put through it and you can drop in an after market AR trigger if you don't like the factoty one. It's also easy to strip down and clean unlike many of the other clones.

Yeah, accuracy isn't going to be as good as a bolt action, but it's certainly a lot more fun. You can get sub 1" groups at 25 yards if you find ammo it likes and spend some time with it.
 
I used to have a Remington 597 but traded it in for a cz 452 b/a as I found the frequent misfires/failures to cycle with it too distracting. I have many shooting friends that use the Ruger10/22 which you can get loads of custom bits for, what about the latest cz s/a? atb Tim
 
The S&W 15-22 is a great little rifle. It seems to digest any ammo you put through it and you can drop in an after market AR trigger if you don't like the factoty one. It's also easy to strip down and clean unlike many of the other clones.

Yeah, accuracy isn't going to be as good as a bolt action, but it's certainly a lot more fun. You can get sub 1" groups at 25 yards if you find ammo it likes and spend some time with it.

For firing fast it's nice, sure, but my kind of .22LR fun involves hitting empty .22 casings at 50M empty 12 ga hulls at 100M. I'm prejudiced tho. I have an AR-10 if I want an AR15 look alike to shoot....~Muir
 
For firing fast it's nice, sure, but my kind of .22LR fun involves hitting empty .22 casings at 50M empty 12 ga hulls at 100M. I'm prejudiced tho. I have an AR-10 if I want an AR15 look alike to shoot....~Muir

Yeah, I agree about personal prejudice, we are all biased, and these rifles are like Marmite, you either love them or hate them.
 
look up weihrauch hw66. ive one myself and cannot fault it. it will head shot rabbits at 100 yards all day long off a bipod. a wee bit pricey but accuracy is on a par with an anschutz and has one of the best 2 stage triggers ive come across. i wouldnt have a semi auto for love nor money.
 
I was out lamping rabbits last night (with my trusty bolt action BRNO) with my neighbour who was using his KRICO semi auto. Dont buy one of those. Very accurate on the rare occasions it actually puts a round in the chamber, but last night something horrible went wrong and we spent ten minutes extracting an exploded case from in there. No-one was hurt but it could've been nasty. Needless to say we carried on with the BRNO no problems all evening and I'm not sure what Andrew has found today on dismantling the Krico.
 
The older CZ511 & 581 I have used/owned are almost as accurate and reliable as the CZ bolt-actions - BUT finding magazines for them is a PAIN

.22FN Auto - little take-down, great fun to use, but a limited capacity tube mag

10/22 - jamma-matics - LOVE to shoot against guys using them in club speed comps as they are usually jammed within a mag worth of ammo & out of the stage.

AR15 types - quite a lot to choose from. Mine is based on a genuine AR15 lower receiver, so in theory a quick FAC variation (hark at me, "quick" used in regard to a variation) would see a centre-fire upper on the same lower.
Not as impressed with the S&W and Colt makes - but they seem to work ok for the folk I know that own them

Best idea - if you can - TRY a few of the models you narrow your choice down to and ASK folk that own them what they think/would they buy them again, etc.
 
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