Hey I 'm a young guy (13) And want to get a rimfire rifle. I'm thinking .22 mag. I dont have a whole lot of money to spend and i was thinking about the NEF ultra varmint .22 mag any help would be great.
P.S- I know my way around deer and turkey hunting but I'm new to this Boz
Boz, welcome aboard. It may be helpful if you tell us how you plan to use this rifle (i.e. shooting crows at 50yds or prairie dogs at 200) and just how much you are willing to spend. If you plan to shoot past 100 yds on larger size varmints, there may be some better choices out there for you (17 HMR, 223).
Posts: 445 | Location: Connellsville, PA | Registered: 25 April 2002
Well I want a gun that I can do a lot of just-for-fun shooting. My main target would be groundhogs and mebey crows...I live in ohio so there arent any praire dogs. I probly would only be shooting 150 yards max. I really dont want to spend over 300 dollars on a scope and gun.
Bozzer, WELCOME!!! Now go get yourself a 17HMR!!! Groundhogs out to 150 will be easy!!! And you won't have to guess about where the bullet is going!!! You can get yourself a Savage 93/17 wood stock blued model for somewhere around $200.00 and still have enough to get a TASCO 6x24 varmint scope and keep in your budget! The 17HMR deserves a good peice of glass but you've got your limitations!($300.00)! The 17HMR is an inherrently accurate rimfire with enough "Umph" to handle the varmints in the range you are talking about! I have measured witnessed groundhog kills out to 237 yards using the 17 but I don't recommend the 17 for that kind of distance as a rule!! 100-150 yards with the right glass and practice and you can call your shot.....(eyeball, ear, neck) Anything in the body and you're going to get a "crawl off"!! For that matter, a 350 yard body shot with a 30-06 will probably get you a crawl off!!! Groundhogs are tough!!! I witnessed a 490 yard "crawl off" from a Remington 300UltraMag, last Thursday shooting 180 grain projectiles at 3500fps!!! Get yourself te 17HMR and don't look back!! Practice and know your limitations!! Later!!! GHD
Posts: 2495 | Location: SW. VA | Registered: 29 July 2002
I agree with GHD's recommendation though I lean more towards the .22 mag. A neighbor has the NEF in .17 and loves it. I have never shot it so can't give personal experience. I also suggest looking at the Simmons ProAir and 44 Mag scopes instead of the Tasco. Just personal preference.
Posts: 262 | Location: PA & VA, USA | Registered: 26 June 2003
Tree Farmer, My recommendations for the Tasco was in trying to keep within this young man's budget. I have used th Simmons Aatecs on a few of the 17's for people and I've used Nikon 4.5-14 Buckmasters with great success.(The 4.5-14 Buckmaster with the mil-dot reticle is a great choice for this little numbe as well as the Burris choices with their fancy reticle!) another choice would be the BSA "Sweet 17" scopes with their graduations made for the 17 trajectory! As far as comparison to the 22Mag.....different beast!!! Flatter shooting, energy so close it doesn't matter out to 150, accuracy...no contest!!! GHD PS: I'll probably ruffle some feathers with the last comment....that's ok! I've been on the receiving end of comments before!! "Let's take 'em to the bench boys!" We'll shoot 50,100,150,200!!!
Posts: 2495 | Location: SW. VA | Registered: 29 July 2002
I'm with GHD on this one. I don't have a 17HMR, but from what I have read and seen at the range, these are some amazing little rimfires. I have a 17 Rem and have killed groundhogs out to 200yds with it. It's pushing quite a bit faster than the 17HMR, however I still have to aim for the upper chest/head for a clean kill. Anything in the gut or down low and he'll be in the hole before I get another one off.
GHD, what does ammo cost for the 17HMR? If it's relatively expensive, he may also look at the 223. Bulk ammo is cheap for plinking, probably not as accurate, but he can also buy some good stuff, which is still inexpensive, for the serious shots. Besides, if he hangs around here long, we'll have him reloading in no time .
Posts: 445 | Location: Connellsville, PA | Registered: 25 April 2002
17hmr ammo costs from $7 to $10 a box of 50, several online stores have it for $8 right now, sometimes for $7 on sale. The regular price locally is $8-$9.
Posts: 1615 | Location: Washington State | Registered: 27 May 2004
Quote: Bozzer, WELCOME!!! Now go get yourself a 17HMR!!! Groundhogs out to 150 will be easy!!! And you won't have to guess about where the bullet is going!!! You can get yourself a Savage 93/17 wood stock blued model for somewhere around $200.00 and still have enough to get a TASCO 6x24 varmint scope and keep in your budget! The 17HMR deserves a good peice of glass but you've got your limitations!($300.00)! The 17HMR is an inherrently accurate rimfire with enough "Umph" to handle the varmints in the range you are talking about! I have measured witnessed groundhog kills out to 237 yards using the 17 but I don't recommend the 17 for that kind of distance as a rule!! 100-150 yards with the right glass and practice and you can call your shot.....(eyeball, ear, neck) Anything in the body and you're going to get a "crawl off"!! For that matter, a 350 yard body shot with a 30-06 will probably get you a crawl off!!! Groundhogs are tough!!! I witnessed a 490 yard "crawl off" from a Remington 300UltraMag, last Thursday shooting 180 grain projectiles at 3500fps!!! Get yourself te 17HMR and don't look back!! Practice and know your limitations!! Later!!! GHD
I agree 100%
Plus they do make the H&R/NEF in 17 HMR Varmint barrel....$150
Posts: 3865 | Location: Cheyenne, WYOMING, USA | Registered: 13 June 2000
Bozzer, I just saw in a little shop today, a Savage 93/17, heavy barreled, blue with wood stock, 17HMR and the tag said $229.95. I'm betting it can be had for $199.00 or so and then your scope can come into play. If you go with a large objective scope (42-44mm) then go ahead and get yourself a pair of WEAVER #46 bases to put on instead of the factory bases. They will give you enough room to mount the scope. They should only cost you 5-6 bucks! Good luck with the 17!!! A word of caution on the NEF 17HMR. Today I encountered the 3rd speciman of one that was having mis-fire problems.....poor machining!! This one was at the 3rd different shop. Albeit the other two got sent back and were returned working perfectly but for another 40-50 bucks....go the Savage bolt action route!! GHD
Posts: 2495 | Location: SW. VA | Registered: 29 July 2002
A year or two ago, I went out and bought a plastic stocked Savage for $165 or so, just to see what all the ruckus over the 17 was about. They're still near that, from what I see locally. Mine shoots like a laser. Best hardware store gun I've ever bought. Aside from the crunchy trigger and less-than-beautiful finish, it's a bargain. Get one soon!
Redial
Posts: 1121 | Location: Florence, MT USA | Registered: 30 April 2002
I bought my son a NEF 20ga every time he shot it the blasted gun would break open. Took it back to Wal-Mart and got my money back. I have several good H&R's but will avoid the NEF's like the plague.
Quote: I bought my son a NEF 20ga every time he shot it the blasted gun would break open. Took it back to Wal-Mart and got my money back. I have several good H&R's but will avoid the NEF's like the plague.
There have been a few of those that I have seen but they are few and far between, for the most part, NEF/H&R have put a lot of smiles on shooter's faces. NEF/H&R usually have a quick turn around on warranty work, unlike their acc barrel program which usually takes longer. Any mfr can have a QC problem from time to time, for the cost of the NEF/H&R they represent a fine firearm. You may have cut your nose off to spite your face in returning the NEF, I"ve had a 20ga pardner for ~10 yrs, works fine and has killed a lot of grouse. I would highly recommend the NEF/H&R singles for anyone for an entry level firearm. FWIW, NEF/H&R are one in the same, now and owned by Marlin
New V. Welcome! Although I've got 32 yrs. on you I'm also new to varminting. I had a very similar decision to make 2 yrs. ago with a much fatter wallet and went with .223. For me it's added about 200 yrds. to the very reasonable 150 yrd.s you've set as a goal. If you can find a good one used it might still be an option. My Rem shoots cheap Ultramax 50 gr. reloads the best of the dozen or so factory loads I've tried. Even cheaper .223 is available.
But, I've also recently hunted with a 10 yr. old who let me shoot his .17 and the thing is awsome out to at least 150. You could find a new Savage that would do just fine inside your budjet. You might even find on used.
I'd probably go with a better scope (Leupold, Nikon or one of the better Bushnells) than some have suggested, even if I had to buy it used to stay inside the budjet. I've got a Tasco on .22 squirrel gun that works fine out to 50 yrds. but I'd need better glass for my aged eyes at 150 yrds. I'd consider a better scope well worth the money for your intended purposes. Trying to get a look at a groundhog popping the top 1" of his head in and out of his hole at that range is really tougher than I would have thought, and you just can't shoot any better than you can see.
Be safe and enjoy!
Posts: 621 | Location: Commonwealth of Virginia | Registered: 06 September 2003
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