# Ultimate 22 setup



## ErikGibb

Ok squirrel hunters. I'm looking for some ideas on building a 22 squirrel killing machine. I would like to get some ideas from you guys and some pictures of your setups. Since we have a few months till season this will get our blood pumping seeing y'all's ideas and give me time to set mine up.


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## Old Coach

If I plan to slip along thru the woods I carry my Clark 10-22 with the 2x7 RF Leupold scope with a canvas SKS sling.
If I plan to go sit under a big Hickory in a grove I usually take the Anschutz bolt with an 8X Leupold- SKS canvas sling.
Hunting with a dog I take the Savage 22Mag over 20ga.
It is scoped with a 4x Leupold RF. post reticle.

Three different guns for 3 different ways to hunt squirrels.

Also have a CZ 452 in 17MK2 with a 4.5x14AO Leupold VXIII that is good out to 100yds with a good rest.
This works well if you can catch squirrels out in open harvested corn fields while walking just inside the cover at the edge of the fields. The MK2 sighted in @25 is still good @100 and 3/4" high @50. Ammo can be hard to find right now.


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## PopPop

CZ, 22 LR. Aim for the eye. If you miss the eye, probably operator error.


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## cotton top

22lr. model- 69-A clip feed, topped with 3x9x40 Leupold vx-2 I have a leather variable sling on it. when fed Aguila 40 gr. solid copper plated long rifle bullets, it does a very good job on squirrels. For as a new gun they don't make them like this any more. probably around a lot more yrs. Good hunting and God Bless. Forgot to say it was a Winchester.


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## Shaun229

getcha a savage Mark II if you want the .22 but honestly,I love my savage 93r17 which is .17 HMR and its dead nuts.ammo easier to find too.i can shoot up to 315 yards dead on with it zeroed at 50.if you shoot any squirrels up a big tree,22 is gonna lose power.get the 17.a 22 mag is too much


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## Bonaire-Dave

Can't go wrong with any of the CZ's. Dave


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## chadf

My marlin has been a great gun with a ruff life.


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## 4x4

Shaun229 said:


> getcha a savage Mark II if you want the .22 but honestly,I love my savage 93r17 which is .17 HMR and its dead nuts.ammo easier to find too.i can shoot up to 315 yards dead on with it zeroed at 50.if you shoot any squirrels up a big tree,22 is gonna lose power.get the 17.a 22 mag is too much



Humbly disagree. I can take head shots on squirrels with my Savage model 93 bull barrel at 70 yds with a tasco 3-9x40. I don't attempt a shot on a live target past that, dont want to wound any animal.

If I gotta shoot an animal past 100 yds, a .17 or a .22 mag would be a last resort. Plus I believe I can get a wee little closer than that to kill a tree rat.


300 yards? Please....


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## 660griz

Ruger 10/22 4x Tasco Scope. Squirrel killing machine.


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## Dan DeBord

Cooper- Redfield 4x12 AO


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## deast1988

Cz .22lr full stocked deluxe 2x7 leupolf RF. Pretty gun tack driver.

Mine is a deluxe standard stock CZ .22lr wearing a 4x12 leupold. Add CCI quiet and it's a killing machine.


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## bfriendly

chadf said:


> My marlin has been a great gun with a ruff life.



^^^^^^^^^This


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## one hogman

Ruger 10-22 Walnut Sporter, 20" stainless barrel, 2X7 leupold scope , sling,  added a Volquartzen hammer for a  good trigger pull, 25 round Ruger Mag. CCI Mini mag ammo, it will GET R DONE!!


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## Shaun229

"Humbly disagree. I can take head shots on squirrels with my Savage model 93 bull barrel at 70 yds with a tasco 3-9x40. I don't attempt a shot on a live target past that, dont want to wound any animal.

If I gotta shoot an animal past 100 yds, a .17 or a .22 mag would be a last resort. Plus I believe I can get a wee little closer than that to kill a tree rat.


300 yards? Please...."




If you had ANY knowledge on ballistics on a 17 hmr you wouldnt be laughing at 315 yards.and i never said you would be taking a 70 yard shot or whatever.next time dont be so ignorant and put people down.


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## NCHillbilly

My favorite small-game .22 setup I've ever owned was an old Belgian Browning T-bolt with a vintage 2 3/4 Redfield t-post scope on it. I inherited it from my uncle when I was 12, and some meth head helped himself to it after kicking in my door and prying open my gun cabinet several years ago. I hope whoever has it now realizes what they have and appreciates it.


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## jonstarnes

Go with a CZ. By the way a 17hmr with a 50 yard zero is 36 inches low at 300 yards.


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## NCHillbilly

jonstarnes said:


> Go with a CZ. By the way a 17hmr with a 50 yard zero is 36 inches low at 300 yards.



I thought they had magical powers?  Zeroed at 50, the .17 HMR has got well over 30" drop at 300, regardless of load or bullet. Most loads are over three feet drop. Or at least that's what every single ballistics table I've seen out there says. That's a long, long ways from "dead-on."


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## T.P.

NCHillbilly said:


> I thought they had magical powers?  Zeroed at 50, the .17 HMR has got well over 30" drop at 300, regardless of load or bullet. Most loads are over three feet drop. Or at least that's what every single ballistics table I've seen out there says. That's a long, long ways from "dead-on."



Dead on a bull elephant.


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## NCHillbilly

T.P. said:


> Dead on a bull elephant.



Maybe its knee.  Looks like zeroed at 50 it crosses zero again at about 150, then drops like a rock.


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## smokey30725

NCHillbilly said:


> I thought they had magical powers?  Zeroed at 50, the .17 HMR has got well over 30" drop at 300, regardless of load or bullet. Most loads are over three feet drop. Or at least that's what every single ballistics table I've seen out there says. That's a long, long ways from "dead-on."



Surely you aren't calling bull doodie on the 315 yard claim, are you?  Heck, where I hunt, I can't see 315 yards.


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## DeepweR

30 yr old 10/22, tasco 3x9x40, cci stingers, nothin but head shots!


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## smokey30725

DeepweR said:


> 30 yr old 10/22, tasco 3x9x40, cci stingers, nothin but head shots!



Yes, but do you operate at 300 yard plus ranges? If not, you are simply a rank amatuer who doesn't understand ballistics.


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## DeepweR

smokey30725 said:


> Yes, but do you operate at 300 yard plus ranges? If not, you are simply a rank amatuer who doesn't understand ballistics.



If I'm shootn' 315 it's with my 25/06 or 7mag, both sighted in at 200 drop 6inchs at 300 can you see a squirrel at 300?


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## T.P.

Maybe it's those new helium filled anti gravitational bullits. They shoot level.


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## Shaun229

my bad I meant to put in the description i have a Nikon 3x9x40 with BDC redicle.but at its lowest drop point on the reticle it is 315 yards.miss comm


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## smokey30725

No problem bud, just yanking your chain. It's all in good fun.


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## The mtn man

I use a marlin model 60 with open sights, I don't need to shoot squirrels at 300 yards cause I can get to within 30 yards usually, if you can't sneak up to within 30 yards of a squirrel you need a dog. I usually aim center mass. When leaves are on I use a shotgun sometimes if I really have it out for the squirrels.


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## NCHillbilly

Shaun229 said:


> my bad I meant to put in the description i have a Nikon 3x9x40 with BDC redicle.but at its lowest drop point on the reticle it is 315 yards.miss comm



Gotcha. It sounded like you were saying it shot to the same point at 315 that it did at 50. If so, I was gonna PM you to buy your gun.


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## NCHillbilly

My favorite at the moment is my old Winchester 250 lever action with open sights. I've threatened to put a low-power scope on it, but I don't really want to.


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## ScottD

My kids squirrel hunt with a rifle I built for competition shooting.

CZ 452 American   it has been glass bedded and trigger work to get it down to about 1.5 lbs.  The scope is a weaver V series 4x16.  Also we use only SK Standard Plus target ammo.  A little expensive and hard to find, but it shoots dots.

I've seen the kids make some incredible head shots at up to 80 yards shooting off of sticks.


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## smokey30725

NCHillbilly said:


> My favorite at the moment is my old Winchester 250 lever action with open sights. I've threatened to put a low-power scope on it, but I don't really want to.



A friend of my grandmother's had one of those. I begged her to ask her to sell it to me but she never did. Would love to know where it went.


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## T.P.

NCHillbilly said:


> My favorite at the moment is my old Winchester 250 lever action with open sights. I've threatened to put a low-power scope on it, but I don't really want to.



My favorite is my ol Henry with arn sights. At 60 yards I do perty good on a skwerl.


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## The mtn man

T.P. said:


> My favorite is my ol Henry with arn sights. At 60 yards I do perty good on a skwerl.



Now that's a fun little .22 to kill skwerls wit.


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## Hunting 4 Him

My favorite is a browning BL22, its a blast to shoot with iron sights but my aging eyes made me put a Nikon on it last year and it made plinking fun again.


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## Darien1

I think any quality .22 rifle will do.  I have a Ruger 77, Marlin 39 and a few Ruger 10/22's.  I whole heartedly endorse the CZ's too.  Put a good scope on it, like a Leupold and go out and kill a mess.  I also HIGHLY recommend the SKS sling.  I buy them every chance I get and use them on all of my rifles.  Best sling money can buy.


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## rwh

henry with a cheap scope is what i've been using the last couple of years but this year i'm using a cz in .17 hmr with a bsa sweet 17 on it.


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## KyDawg

Hunting 4 Him said:


> My favorite is a browning BL22, its a blast to shoot with iron sights but my aging eyes made me put a Nikon on it last year and it made plinking fun again.



The eyes are putting a lot of us on the scope. I used to take pride in my iron sight shooting, but had to acknowledge that old age likes new optics. Still think shooting with an iron sight is more enjoyable.


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## UrbanSongDogSniper

one hogman said:


> Ruger 10-22 Walnut Sporter, 20" stainless barrel, 2X7 leupold scope , sling,  added a Volquartzen hammer for a  good trigger pull, 25 round Ruger Mag. CCI Mini mag ammo, it will GET R DONE!!



Swap out that scope for any red dot sight and you can hunt in the dim light under a dense tree canopy. You can even catch it as it runs through the branches. Very difficult to do that with a scope.


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## jigman29

Hard to pick a favorite.I have a lot of them.I usually grab one of my 22 mags in case I see a hog while out but you were asking about 22 lr. I have a ruger m77 stainless with skelton stock thats my go to for the most part. But I also like my browning lever or my cz. I guess if I had to pick a fvorite it would be my ruger.Deadly accurate and dependable as they come.But as for magnums I really have a soft spot in my heart for this guy.


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## padula54321

Ruger 77/22


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## jigman29

padula54321 said:


> Ruger 77/22



I have that same gun in a long rifle and a magnum. I love them!


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## WOODSWIZE

My little retro-look 10/22 with my late dad's 1960's leather sling I put on it.
Those are little see-tru mounts for the scope too, to quickly find those runners


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## HOBO

*SKS Sling?????*

OLD COACH,,,,

.....  Just what are you referring to when you recommend an "SKS" rifle sling??

Is the "SKS" supposed to be a brand name or are you referring to a generic sling for an SKS assault type rifle???

I looking foe a good functional and practical rifle sling..

---------<" ){{{{><


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## bowhunterdavid

22 long lr. would be my Remington 504 bolt action, but my cz 512 22 mag is my favorite .


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## Pavy

Can kill em all day long with my 10/22...mounted on a Tasco AR type stock w/ a cheap 4x optic...but doesn't get much more fun than toting a Winchester 1890 .22 l or lr...makes me nostalgic for the good ol days of before I was born.


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## Cleankill47

My favorite was my old Henry lever H001, but I had to sell it some years back.
Currently I use my hi-standard double-9 revolver an awful lot, can't wait to go after bunnies with it. As for rifles, I usually use my Marlin 981T. Love the thing. Might try a scope on it this year, but I'm still partial to iron sights.

My pellet rifle still sees more use than anything. I'd love to get out more places where I can shoot more than just a bow and a pellet rifle.


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## KLBTJTALLY1

My grandfather who was a gunsmith in the Tallahassee area and also the first to open a youth gun club in the 50's was a great shot.  His favorite squirrel gun was an old Thompson Center .45 caliber smoke pole with a 4x Leupold scope with a light load.  Back when he was just a boy, his dad would give him 1 - .22 short and said if whatever you kill isn't a head shot then you don't eat.  He quickly learned how to shoot.  He later went on to shoot competition in the Correctional circuit for officers winning many matches.


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## smokey30725

KLBTJTALLY1 said:


> My grandfather who was a gunsmith in the Tallahassee area and also the first to open a youth gun club in the 50's was a great shot.  His favorite squirrel gun was an old Thompson Center .45 caliber smoke pole with a 4x Leupold scope with a light load.  Back when he was just a boy, his dad would give him 1 - .22 short and said if whatever you kill isn't a head shot then you don't eat.  He quickly learned how to shoot.  He later went on to shoot competition in the Correctional circuit for officers winning many matches.



That sounds like some of the stories I have heard about my wife's relatives. They were so dirt poor that they bought 410 shells in groups of 3 or 4 from the local hardware store because they couldn't afford a whole box. Her uncle said that he remembers being told as a kid that if he took two shells out with him, he better bring back two animals to eat.


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## scott stokes

I like my little old pellet gun


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## robert carter

WOODSWIZE said:


> My little retro-look 10/22 with my late dad's 1960's leather sling I put on it.
> Those are little see-tru mounts for the scope too, to quickly find those runners



I Love the stock on this rifle. where did you get it? I shoot the marlin 22 auto with a 4 power scope and bust heads. RC


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