Double D your reply on the hello from the other day is what started me thinking about what would be a good gopher gun and was wondering more why you use the one you do more than what you use.
Your question is a good question.
I use the Martini because it is a good accurate rifle and it is single shot. The Martini has a far superior trigger when compared to the others.
My Remington 581 is a magazine gun. Unfortunately its magazine can not be loaded while in the gun. I have put in the single shot adapter and use it as a single shot. It trigger is horrendous. But it is a very accurate rifle in .22LR. If I could find a good trigger for the 581 I would build a 17 Hornady Mach 2 on it.
The 10-22 is of course magazine feed. As it comes from the factory it has sloppy spongy trigger. If you are shooting just a few rounds through a clean barrel then it is just fine. When the magazine is empty it needs changed or loaded. Right now between the two 10-22’s we have we have 10 magazines. I guarantee that if you fire all 10 magazines you experience failures to feed and failure to eject. I also guarantee you in any gopher shooting session with me you will fire all 10 magazines.
The one constant complaint people using 10-22’s make when hunting gophers with me is that I am shooting gophers while they are either loading or clearing jams. In fairness, the Martini has issues with full extraction when the chamber gets dirty, but is quickly cleared, and I can still clear the jam and take a shoot before the 10-22 can. The Martini also has issue with clearance for loading. I have learned routine and seldom miss a beat chambering a round.
The 10-22 crowd also touts quick follow-up shots. And I will give them the advantage on multiple targets. But missed shot follow-ups are generally rushed and miss also. I find with the Martini, I have far fewer missed shoots and still can load and get a second shot in plenty of time.
I use the 17HM2 because it is a good accurate cartridge and a kills good. Gophers are generally shot in the 25 yard to 50 yard range with some close and some further. A 100 yard or greater shot on gophers does occur, but are the exception and not the rule. If price were equal I would probably shoot the 17 HMR. But 17 HMR ammo cost twice what 17HM2 ammo costs. The 17HMR has greater range than the 17HM2, but the advantage is not great enough to justify to me twice the cost and 50% less ammo.
The bolt guns in center fire with fixed magazines are a good way to go. They can be single loaded or magazine loaded without taking the gun out of action like detachable magazine rifles. They all have adjustable triggers which is great. Bigger calibers than .223 are over kill on gophers, but frankly watching the .22-250 vaporize a gopher is cool. On the other hand because of recoil you can’t normally see the effect unless you are shooting beyond 75 to 100 yards.
If I were to design one basic gopher gun it would be bolt action, magazine feed, with 3 lb trigger, 6 X scope. The magazine has to be able to be loaded from the top or the gun has be able to be load into the chamber and fired single shot. Caliber would be 17 HMR.
