If you're looking to plink and hunt small game then a .22 should do you just fine. It's been an effective game dispatcher for many, many years. Poachers even use it to take deer.

The .22 is a very accurate round. And you won't have any problems dispatching any small game with it. Rabbits and squirrel can easily be taken with the .22. However, they can get pretty old if you're eating them on a regular basis. However, if you're looking to cut your teeth for a season or two before moving onn to larger game then it's a good way to go about it.

Cost wise it is about the cheapest to shoot. For plinking I pick up 550 round bulk packs for around 10.00 dollars give or take. I own 3 .22 rifles, and 4 .22 pistols and they all digest the bulk packs pretty well. My hunting ammo generally runs me about 5.00 dollars for 100 rounds; cheaper if I can find a good price on it in bulk.

The .22 wmr, and .17 are going to cost you a bit more pricewise to shoot. However, .17 has come down in price a lot. And you're not really going to see an advantage of the .22 wmr over the .17. Plus I personally think that the .17 damages the meat a little too much.

I really think that the advantages that the .22wmr and .17 have are in distance shots. Out of a rifle I consider the .22 to be a 75 yard round. Some types of ammo shoot very well out to one hundred yards or so, and a lot of others are good inside of 50 yards. So if you split the difference you've got 75 yards. You'll do a little better with the .17 and wmr. But it'll also cost you more to shoot.

As far as a rifle goes. You can get a marlin model 60 for about 100.00 dollars. Or a ruger 10/22 for about 150.00 dollars. I own neither but they both have good reputations. And they won't break the bank if you find that hunting isn't your game. In addition your rifle can really get knocked around and beaten when hunting.


Hope it helps
Jerry