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By The Editors
Although shotguns get the nod for a lot of small-game hunting when the quarry is moving through the undergrowth or among the treetops, rimfire rifles have their place as well. Hound hunters recognize the merits of a good .22 for collecting treed squirrels and circled rabbits. Stationary targets, such as a bushytail pressed tight against a hickory trunk or a cottontail pausing beneath an overhang of multi-flora rose, call for a precisely placed shot that doesn’t cause undue damage to meat. No one likes picking pellets out of a meal.
Modeled after Bergara’s B14 centerfire rifle, the B14-R is a full-size rimfire that has many features of big-game and precision bolt guns. For example, the B-14R action, which has a footprint similar to the Remington Model 700, is set into the same HMR stock Bergara uses in its centerfire line. The stock is adjustable for length of pull and comb height, and its integral aluminum mini chassis provides stable bedding. A modified B14 bolt feeds .22 LR rounds from an AICS-style detachable box magazine, which has the same external dimensions as a short-action centerfire AICS magazine. The heavy-contour barrel, available in either a conventional steel or lightweight carbon-fiber-wrapped version, is another feature normally reserved for centerfire precision rifles. Although the B-14R is designed as a complement to a centerfire for training and for rimfire competition, it’s also just the ticket for squirrel hunters who take nothing less than head shots.
$1,229 steel; $1,329 carbon fiber; bergara.online Christensen Arms applies its carbon-fiber technology to a rimfire to create the 5-pound Ranger 22. The rifle features the company’s carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel, as well as its carbon-fiber composite stock. Ending in a threaded muzzle, the barrel is hand-lapped and has a match chamber. The Ranger 22’s black-anodized aluminum receiver contains a bolt with dual lugs and extractors. It feeds rounds from a flush-fitting rotary magazine, and the action is compatible with Ruger 10/22 magazines. The rifle also has a Picatinny rail for mounting optics and a TriggerTech Remington Model 700-style trigger. Christensen Arms guarantees the Ranger 22 will shoot sub-MOA groups at 50 yards.
With a straight-combed Turkish walnut stock and a barrel that’s nearly 25 inches long, the CZ 457 American is a classic-looking rimfire for hunters who appreciate traditional style. There are, however, several improvements that CZ incorporated in its latest rimfire platform. For one, the safety is a push-to-fire configuration rather than the wing-style mechanism found in previous CZ rimfires. The bolt throw is 60 degrees instead of 90 degrees, and the rifle has a trigger that is adjustable for pull weight, creep and over-travel. CZ also removed about an inch of length from the action and flattened its sides to reduce weight. An 11 mm dovetail milled into the receiver accepts ring-style scope mounts.
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Looking for a budget semi-auto that’s ready for a day in the squirrel woods right out of the box? That’s what hunters get with the 702 Plinkster. Its low price tag will turn heads, but the Plinkster has other features that are just as noteworthy. The free-floating 18-inch barrel, for example, promotes accuracy, while the slender synthetic stock makes the rifle easy to handle. Fiber-optic front and rear sights are adjustable for windage and elevation. The Plinkster is ready for a scope as well, thanks to a dovetailed receiver that accepts 3/8-inch mounts. Magazine capacity is 10 rounds, and the magazine release is conveniently located just in front of the trigger guard.
Lever-action rifles have enjoyed a surge in popularity lately, and the Rio Bravo in .22 LR brings all the joys of a fast-handling lever gun to small-game hunters. With an 18-inch barrel, the Rio Bravo has a compact overall length of just 36 inches—perfect for staking out a tight spot while waiting for the beagles to push a rabbit through the tangles. The rifle is available with a beech or synthetic stock; the version with the wood stock comes with buckhorn sights, while the latter has fiber-optic sights. A push-button cross-bolt safety is located in the receiver just above the trigger. The tubular magazine holds 15 rounds.
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Finished in Go Wild camo, the American Rimfire’s synthetic stock features an interchangeable module that allows shooters to raise the comb for better eye alignment with a scope. The rifle comes with a factory-installed Picatinny rail on the receiver for mounting optics. Feeding from a 10-round rotary magazine, the American Rimfire has a 60-degree bolt throw. The safety is located on the rifle’s tang, and the Ruger Marksman Adjustable trigger can be set for a pull weight of 3 to 5 pounds. The stock has an integral bedding-block system that permits the barrel to remain free-floating. Protected from corrosion by a burnt bronze Cerakote finish, the cold-hammer-forged barrel has a threaded muzzle and comes with a muzzle brake.
The laminate Minimalist stock keeps the weight of this .22 WMR at less than 5 1/2 pounds while providing great ergonomics in the form of a heightened comb, pronounced pistol grip and widened forend belly. Savage gives the Minimalist the heralded AccuTrigger, which is user-adjustable from 2 1/2 to 6 pounds, and includes two-piece Weaver scope bases with the rifle. Like many new rimfires, the Minimalist’s barrel has a threaded muzzle for suppressor attachment. Savage also offers a Minimalist version of the 93R17 in .17 HMR and the Mark II in .22 LR, as well as a brown laminate stock option.
Winchester takes the popular Xpert bolt-action rimfire rifle it rolled out last year to the next level with the Suppressor Ready version, which has a shorter barrel with a threaded muzzle to accommodate a can. Measuring 16 1/2 inches long, the barrel minimizes overall length when a suppressor is attached. The Xpert features a button-rifled barrel, Winchester’s Rimfire MOA Trigger and a skeletonized polymer stock that accepts a spacer and riser to adjust length of pull and comb height. Chambered for .22 LR, the Xpert feeds from a 10-round rotary magazine and also accepts magazines that fit Ruger 10/22 rimfires. Dual, ambidextrous magazine releases on the sides and bottom of the rifle and an extended bolt handle aid in operation. A Picatinny rail molded into the underside of the fore-end makes it easy to attach accessories like a bipod, and it comes with a cover.
