Thread: 22lr vs pcp

Hi

im looking at getting something for some training and possibly the odd pest (saves me having to go to the range for trigger time) i could setup something at home for about 80 meters with a decent backstop what would you go for, bit of hassle filling bottles with a pcp but would be cheaper to use once setup. i feel like the 22lr are a bit of a gamble regarding accuracy if i go for a 22lr i would likely get a semi auto, any other options you would consider?? tippman?

PCP air arms or FX...

22lr options ive looked at would be the bergara bxr or 10/22 with the bx trigger and the heavier barrel.

I don't think 22LR is a gamble with accuracy at all! Not if you choose the right rifle. Anschutz, CZ, Tikka etc BOLT actions. 80 metres would not be a problem. PCP looks fun, but mechanically more complex and expensive.

MB is dead right PCP can be problematic --bolt action if you really want accuracy in a .22 and plenty out there that really shoot - depends on budget - semi auto lot of fun -I had a ruger heavy barrel 10/22 shot well and I believe the Bergara target semi shoots well - an under lever cocking air rifle such as a weirauch while harder to get hold off would also be an option - but I would go bolt .22 Anshutz maybe

PCP is great fun if you have the right compressor or dive tank. That is expensive to buy and needs maintenance on top of already pricy rifle... For a 22lr you just need a brick of ammo and you're good to go.

I have a 22LR semiauto for sale now. No gamble with this one, 80m accuracy is a breeze!

This rifle is a Marlin 795SS Stainless with a near new Nikko Stirling Panamax scope with half mildots. I range test all my 22s carefully for accuracy - esp with hunting ammos - and this is a very good performer. Two of us have shot 3 group averages of around 0.48" at 50m, and my best 3 group average at 75m is 0.53" with CCI minimag High Velocity . It has a 10 shot magazine. Superb wee field shooter and bowls bunnies with ease at 100m. Very reliable with the CCI - its favorite food. Threaded.

This 795SS is the deluxe version of Marlin's basic 795 - and they sell at GC for $400-495 or so. This Nikko Panamax 3-9x40 is optically very clear, an excellent wee scope and $200-249 new. Only selling as another even more accurate 22LR has come back to me. Will sell this one complete for $475.

A note - from many decades as a sporting rimfire hobbyist (and 80-100 22s!) I can confirm you could spend 3-4 times as much and get less! This is a Mudz Special, polished and tuned - and a deadly wee shooter.

pcp is fun but maintenance and pump etc is a hindrance.
a bog standard 10/22 especially one of the older ones with the alloy action not the plastic and a decent trigger job done is great. mudgripz marlin is good too but i'm still a `10/22.
dont worry about the heavy barrel and bx trigger. and most of all cci ammo is your friend for consistency.
my FIL is handing in his license later this year and not renewing so there will be a 10/22 maybe available then.

@mudgripzThanks for the offer but not quite what I am after. I do prefer the flush mount mags. I had an older 1022 years ago, didn't really test much for accuracy but it was good fun. I'll keep doing some research. 22lr is sounding like the better option anyway. What's the maintenence on the pcps I'm guessing seals need replacing, how often? And what else is required.
Cheers.

22 PCP be hard to beat out to 50m with pellets and further with a pcp set up for slugs. Is expensive & need a compressor realistically look at 3g for a set up. Advantages once set up, cheap to run, controllable power settings for different applications.
22LR twice the grunt, convenient to feed but more expensive. + Can now buy variety of ammo for different applications ie, suppressed fragmenting- hopefully negates ricochet issues typical with 22lr.
Have both & now set up mostly use the PCP with night vision on lifestyle blocks, pigeons, rabbits & hares.
Day light hours buggers keep their distance so, HMR or 223 softly loaded with expoisive projectiles.

Rimfire is dead to me after getting a pcp

It also depends on how much you like faffing about with rifles, pcps can be fussy to get into tune, and also to maintain it. Once a 22 is sorted and you buy a brick of ammo its sorted untill ya need another brick!

Id love a pcp rifle but the cost of the pcp rifles means they are beyond my reach compared to a 22lr rimfire.
Unless buying second hand but maybe one day I will.

Many may advise buying a Ruger 10/22 as your semiauto 22LR - yet I would suggest caution with this. Especially if you are fairly new to 22s. As a rimfire hobbyist I've had/benched 5-6 Rugers over the years and frankly they were inaccurate in stock, standard barrel form. When buying and testing new makes/models I'll typically run up to 15 types of ammo through them to find best accuracy. I did this with our Rugers - but the very best of them managed just a 1.04" four x 5 shot group average at 50m. Others averaged 1.25 - 1.5", and that's poor. We did also have a very modified model but it was mostly Green Mountain, Volquartsen etc parts - no longer a Ruger. Shot alot better but someone had poured money into it, money you rarely get back when you later sell the rifle.

The standard Rugers tested were the least accurate of about 2-3 dozen makes/models we've had. Some causes - loose chambers, uneven rifling, poor barrel pinning. On one of ours I slugged the barrel - i.e. pushed a detached projectile down it - and it was tight, then sloppy loose, before tightening again = Inconsistent twist, poor inaccuracy.

The older 10/22s were better made than recent versions - some of which are poor. Yes you can buy the look/feel of the thing, but sooner or later everyone begins to prize accuracy - and in standard form they don't have it compared to other makes. To overcome this, Ruger fans often spend an extra $1000 or so on new barrels, stocks, triggers etc - but as noted, that's money they seldom get back..

Some were definitely accurate - but they were the exception rather than the rule. Fun little 22s but often with a flaw, a limitation. Some modified and heavy barrel variants could be very fine shooters.

Cheers Mudz. And PS if you have an accurate 10/22 - hang onto it

Used a factory 10/22 Competition professionally for the last few years. Only change I made is a soft bolt buffer. Tens of thousands of cci subsonic rounds through it, rabbit accurate all day. Haven't shot paper since I one-shot zeroed it, never grouped it.

Only issue I have is failure to extract sometimes, she's tight when it's below freezing.

Haven't shot my 1960s/70s 1022 since I got the comp, so can't even remember if it was good or not.

Originally Posted by mudgripz

Many may advise buying a Ruger 10/22 as your semiauto 22LR - yet I would suggest caution with this. Especially if you are fairly new to 22s. As a rimfire hobbyist I've had/benched 5-6 Rugers over the years and frankly they were inaccurate in stock, standard barrel form. When buying and testing new makes/models I'll typically run up to 15 types of ammo through them to find best accuracy. I did this with our Rugers - but the very best of them managed just a 1.04" four x 5 shot group average at 50m. Others averaged 1.25 - 1.5", and that's poor. We did also have a very modified model but it was mostly Green Mountain, Volquartsen etc parts - no longer a Ruger. Shot alot better but someone had poured money into it, money you rarely get back when you later sell the rifle.

The standard Rugers tested were the least accurate of about 2-3 dozen makes/models we've had. Some causes - loose chambers, uneven rifling, poor barrel pinning. On one of ours I slugged the barrel - i.e. pushed a detached projectile down it - and it was tight, then sloppy loose, before tightening again = Inconsistent twist, poor inaccuracy.

The older 10/22s were better made than recent versions - some of which are poor. Yes you can buy the look/feel of the thing, but sooner or later everyone begins to prize accuracy - and in standard form they don't have it compared to other makes. To overcome this, Ruger fans often spend an extra $1000 or so on new barrels, stocks, triggers etc - but as noted, that's money they seldom get back..

Some were definitely accurate - but they were the exception rather than the rule. Fun little 22s but often with a flaw, a limitation. Some modified and heavy barrel variants could be very fine shooters.

Cheers Mudz. And PS if you have an accurate 10/22 - hang onto it

Have you tested any since they went to their own manufacture of hammer rifled barrels? I've had 3 Ruger 22 barrels in a row that shot extremely well. . .

Not in last few years - if they've solved their barrel problems recently that's a big plus. Just have to buy near new.