Walther G22

[Guest Brownbear]

For 200 yards a .22 would be as useful as a catapult, and a .17hmr not much better. Also they make a hell of a racket even with the moderator on. I think you need either a .17 Rem or a .222/.223 with a 40-grn bullet if you're shooting over those ranges. If noise is a serious issue, you might want to use a .22 from a hide or hides - any other round, being supersonic, is going to make a crack regardless of how well you muffle the muzzle. I would suggest the .22 Hornet if it were not for the absurd cost of the ammunition.

[Geoff.C 0]

Baldie, many thanks for the tech info on your custom rifles. They sound very extensively reworked,and I think they are probably out of my price range just now. Do you really "bin" the removed parts or save them to use for repairs to similar uncustomised models?

[mole trapper 1,693]

Shropshirelad, generally people new to FAC in my experience seriously either over or under estimate ranges but more often than not the former rather than the latter, the 17hmr will humanely dispatch rabbits at 150 yds + providing you are capable of putting every round within a 40 mm circle consistently, the added bonus with this round over the centrefire rounds suggested by our new friend brownbear is the greatly reduced risk of ricochet, plus it is an imminently quieter report than any of the centrefires plus far cheaper ammo, the other major consideration is that if you are new to FAC it is rather unlikely your issuing police authority will allow you to step straight into the big stuff especially to shoot rabbits in a domestic premises, but admittedly stranger things have been known.

As for where to go for your purchase, you are well situated, either Sportsman or Sportarm of Dorchester, there is a reasonable shop in Westbury.

17 hmr does not require special fitting mod,s, but you deffinetly get what you pay for, as with anything, better the quality, better the results.

 

Regards MT.

[Guest baldie]

Hi Geoff, yes we do mate, the stocks are burnt , though i did have one chap ring up once, and waste half an hour of my time arguing with me, that because we burnt them, then i should send him one, free of charge, and also pay the postage.Yeh, right. The barrels, we cut a few down, and rethread, which incidently, ALWAYS improves their accuracy beyond belief, the rest get handed in for destruction. The sears, triggers, bolt handles, bolt releases etc, get put in large plastic buckets, and scrapped, unless a customer coming to the shop, wants a spare or two, but we DONT post them out without charge.Ruger dont even want these parts back believe it or not.We cant keep all the barrels etc, there just isnt space, when you consider, in a week, we will build possibly ten guns.

[Guest Brownbear]

I'm still undecided about the .17HMR. The bullet's very light, and they still make a loud report, sending everything underground for a while, but on the ohter hand there is as you say an increased range plus a great reduction in ricochets. On the ground of one of my bunny customers, any misses ping off the flinty ground like the soundtrack from a cowboy film.

 

I understand Baldie also does a good chopped Ruger .17HMR bolt gun, so if I decide to take the plunge that will be my rifle of choice. I know opinions are divided on the round, but in my mind the equation is range and safety on the plus side, and noise plus windage on the tiny projectile on the negative side. I still can't quite decide.

[Guest Macnas]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that at 200 yards a .22lr is no more use than a catapult. There are many here who, as have I, shot and killed rabbits cleanly at 200+ yards with .22's.

 

It's not ideal by any means, or advisable, but it is possible. If most of your shots are within 100 yards then a moderated .22 will do fine I think. You can always stalk those that are to far from your tower to shoot.

Careful of ricochets though.

[Guest baldie]

I had one of the very first .17hmr,s in the country, and i have to say i liked it. However, now with hindsight, for the noise they make, i would use a small centrefire like the .204 [which i do] if your gonna make a bang, make one with a 500 yards capability. I can probarbly reload 50 .204,s for not much more than a box of hmr,s . Something i have noticed though of late, is the large amount of .22 magnums we are selling again, and i think its maybe folk have found the little .17hmr a bit susceptible to wind, and lacks knock down power on longer range foxes.

Cut down a cz .17 a few weeks back for a guy, to 14"! and yes, i did ring him up and question it, but he was adamant, and he rung back and said it was excellent, and in real terms hadn,t lost that much velocity, but had a much handier truck gun.

I have to agree with mcnas i think, although i dont do that much anymore, rabbit wise, i would rather take a handfull of long range shots[120-150 yards] with a modded .22, than have the noise of the .17.

[shropshirelad 0]

Many thanks for all useful info.

 

I may have over-egged the distances, although not by a great deal. Anyway, as mentioned if something's out of range I could always get off my arse and move closer to it...

 

I should have mentioned wind is often a factor here, straight of the Marlborough Downs, so perhaps that coupled with my wish for 'quiet' may well make .22 the right choice.

 

So, could you experts offer some further advice on the .22 WMR as an alternative, and why or why not this could be an option??

 

Thanks again!

[Guest baldie]

The .22wmr is only a better option for knockdown power on foxes buddy. Its still supersonic, like the hmr, though not as badly affected by wind, but has a trajectory like a rainbow. If its long range rabbits, go for a .17hmr, foxes [rimfire] the wmr is a better bet, but both are noisy.Personally, if your shooting in daylight, i would put some range time in, use a rangefinder, and a dialable scope on a .22 long rifle. 150 yard shots are doable with the correct range , and the correct dial on the scope, and silent with a mod.

[Guest Brownbear]

I've just put Eley subsonics through a ballistics calculator, and if zeroed at 75 yards, the bullet drop at 200 would be almost 50" (23.7MOA), and with a 10mph crosswind the windage would be nearly 20" (8.8MOA). Although this is perfectly 'doable' on a range and with time to measure distances and adjust scopes, I doubt it would be a practical proposition for rabbit shooting, unless the bunnies were catatonic or off their faces on cannabis. If one were hunting three-toed sloths, on the other hand, you'd have time to do the calculations, go to the bog and make a cup of tea before shooting.

 

I would however agree that up to 100 yds the modded .22 (7.5 MOA if zeroed at 50 yards) is the tool to use. Apart from anything else, the gimpy little .17 bullet gets blown off course by a breath of air no heavier than an angel's fart.

Edited October 29, 2007 by Brownbear

[Geoff.C 0]

Thanks to brownbear and baldie,for the excellent info from them both. As someone who has only done a little bit with borrowed rimfires,it is all useful stuff!

As most of my anticipated rabbiting will be at 25 ish to 100 yards, a .22 will do me nicely. I have in the past had to stalk to 25-30 yards using a 3" loaded .410. It did the job but one small bang and all potential targets were gone!! I would be using subsonics anyway,as there are some dwellings down one side of my ground. Just for interest brownbear,and while you have a ballistic calculator handy,if you put in a full power .22,what sort of adjustment would a 200 yard shot need then?

[shropshirelad 0]

Yes thanks all.

 

I think I need to experience some noise levels for .22 and .17. By the way how do you determine a 'modded' .22?

 

 

Thanks again, sorry for all the questions.

[Guest baldie]

A subsonic .22 round, fired from a modded bolt action will have roughly the same noise as a silenced airgun, the real noise comes from the bullet strike, which is a lot louder than the shot.Semi auto,s sound a little noisier, as some gas is vented out of the cycling bolt, but in reality, its very little, and doesn,t affect the quarry,s mates.

[shropshirelad 0]

righty oh, now where do I get me one of these modded .22's? And does there need to be an amendment to my FAC?

 

Cheers!

[Geoff.C 0]

righty oh, now where do I get me one of these modded .22's? And does there need to be an amendment to my FAC?

 

Cheers!

 

Hi shropshire lad, although a newbie,I do know this. If your FAC doesn't have permission to buy a moderator along with the rifle,then you'll need a variation,to do so. I have applied from the outset to buy a .22 rimfire with moderator.(Haven't got it yet of course,but have had the visit).

Us newbies need to remember too,that when the experts talk about "modded" rifles,they usually mean moderated (silenced) rather than modified rifles,which I suppose customised like baldie produces could be called.