There are probably more bullets fired shooting wild rabbits in the UK than at any other species of animal and the vast majority of them will be .22 rimfires. I would further venture to suggest that the majority of those will be sub sonic, shot through a silencer (moderator) for maximum stealth. It’s a marriage made in heaven: just the right ballistic performance to consistently kill quickly, allied to inexpensive, widely available cartridges.
If it has a downside through, it would be its relatively short maximum hunting range. From experience I’ve learned that headshots are the humane way to go and that to make a good one you need to stay within 75-yards. Hitting a 1 ½” target at that distance isn’t easy, especially with a lightweight sporting rifle with a rudimentary stock. These are often very slim and can have a rather short pull length, perhaps better suited to junior shooters learning their skills rather than a large adult. {% video_player “embed_player” overrideable=False, type=’scriptV4′, hide_playlist=True, viral_sharing=False, embed_button=False, autoplay=False, hidden_controls=False, loop=False, muted=False, full_width=False, width=’675′, height=’378′, player_id=’49265105267′, style=”, conversion_asset='{“type”:”CTA”,”id”:”16b1b9a3-e0f1-4d18-a675-93c2d6d08525″,”position”:”POST”}’ %} This made me wonder if a .22lr rifle designed as a target gun, would allow the max range to be stretched by getting a better interface between the rifle and shooter, to make the ultimate long range rabbit shooting rifle. This idea is everywhere now in the full-bore world, where adjustable stocks rule the roost in competitions and some of those oh-so-desirable features have crossed over into the sporting world too. With this in mind I had a look around at what was on offer and one very interesting model caught my eye. It comes from the ever-reliable Ruger American Rimfire range in the form of their LRT (Long Range Target) model, which ticks a lot of the boxes on my wish list. The obvious thing is the target style stock that has a vertical pistol grip that promotes the very best trigger pull. By placing your hand at 90-degrees to the trigger blade’s movement, you greatly reduce unwanted muscular tension which means that the rifle is less disturbed as the trigger breaks. This alone can be a big help to improving accuracy.Check out the Ruger Rimfire LRT
Bedding the action perfectly into the stock’s inletting is big news in the centrefire world, but less often discussed for rimfires, but if you’re taking everything to the limit, it’s certainly a worthwhile consideration. Any unwanted movement between stock and action has a negative effect on ultimate accuracy. Ruger understands this and employs their Power Bedding System which is an integral bedding block that can be torqued down on consistently, locking everything securely together. You can’t shoot what you can’t see, so adding a high-quality scope will be a vital part of long-range performance. Today there are many scopes that offer high magnification and a fine reticle that won’t obscure too much of the rabbit’s head as we aim. Clarity and light transmission will also be very important because the best time to shoot rabbits is often in the evenings. It’s legal to shoot rabbits all year round, so gloomy, overcast winter days also need good optics to make long shots work.
Perhaps the biggest challenge in any long-range rifle sport, but especially when .22 hunting rabbits, is that you need to learn to ‘read’ the wind, as it always has an effect on where your shots land. Even a gentle breeze will have some input into the bullet’s path, which can be hard for some people to accept but just because you can’t see it, don’t think it’s not a factor. Always think about this on the practise range and learn to understand just how much each wind speed has affected the shot at it hits your paper targets. This is vital information for success in the field.
As for the question of what is the maximum range for .22lr hunting rabbits, only you can answer that, by which I mean that there are many factors that add up to YOUR answer. If you bear in mind that you need to hit a target of around 1 ½” diameter, you’ll see from the target cards that you retrieve from your practise range just how far away that you and your rifle/scope combination can make that happen. Some talented shooters who have done their homework, claim to be successful right out to 125 yards.
UK law is very relaxed and generous when it comes to shooting rabbits, perhaps because they’re one of the biggest pests to farmers across the country. You can shoot them all year round, both day and night provided that you have permission from the landowner and the correct licence for your gun. During the summer the population usually explodes, with millions of young being born, each of which will breed tremendously quickly themselves, which is why one pair can soon become thousands. Because of this, they can eat huge areas of farm crops and valuable grazing which costs farmers millions of pounds a year.
.22lr rabbit shooting is a great sport and provides a valuable service to the farming community. It also provides free-range, organic meat to your dining table. As rifle and optical technologies move on, our ability to reach further in the field has grown too and we’ve never been as well off for technically advanced hunting kit as we are today. If you’ve ever thought about getting into this excellent sport, then now is the time. .22 lr rabbit hunters have never had it so good.
![Ruger American Rimfire LRT Rabbit]()
Check out the Ruger Rimfire LRT
