6 Best Rifles For Small Game Hunting That Preserve Meat Quality
Choosing the right rifle for small game is key to preserving meat. Explore our top 6 picks that offer the ideal balance of power and precision for a clean harvest.
You’ve stalked patiently through the hardwoods, and a gray squirrel presents a perfect broadside shot on an oak limb. You raise your rifle, but a thought crosses your mind: will this shot harvest a clean meal or just create a ruined mess? For the small game hunter who hunts for the table, choosing the right rifle and caliber is just as important as choosing the right hunting spot.
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Choosing Calibers to Minimize Small Game Damage
The goal when hunting for the pot is simple: a quick, humane harvest that leaves the maximum amount of usable meat. This all comes down to managing energy transfer. A bullet that is too fast or expands too violently will create a massive wound channel, destroying the very meat you’re trying to collect.
The top contenders for this task are the venerable .22 Long Rifle (.22LR), the speedy .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire (.17 HMR), and modern, high-powered air rifles. The .22LR is the undisputed king of small game, offering low recoil, affordable ammunition, and just enough power to get the job done without excessive damage. The .17 HMR shoots much faster and flatter, making it excellent for longer ranges, but its high velocity requires precise headshots to avoid meat destruction.
Ultimately, shot placement is more important than any specific caliber. A well-placed shot from any of these options will be effective. The key is to choose a rifle and caliber combination that allows you to consistently hit a target the size of a quarter, ensuring your bullet strikes the head or upper neck, leaving the rest of the animal untouched.
Ruger 10/22 Carbine: The Versatile .22LR Standard
If you could only have one small game rifle, the Ruger 10/22 would be on the short list for almost any hunter. Its legendary reliability, semi-automatic action, and rotary magazine have made it a staple in the woods for decades. For a hunter tracking multiple squirrels in a treetop or needing a quick follow-up shot on a running rabbit, the 10/22’s speed is a significant advantage.
The biggest strength of the 10/22 is its unmatched aftermarket support. You can customize everything from the stock and barrel to the trigger, transforming it from a basic, dependable carbine into a tack-driving precision tool. This makes it an excellent choice for both beginners who need a simple, effective rifle and experienced hunters who want a platform they can build upon. The trade-off is that out-of-the-box accuracy is simply "good," not "great," but it’s more than enough for typical small game distances.
CZ 457 American: Unmatched Bolt-Action Accuracy
When your hunting philosophy is "one shot, one kill," a bolt-action rifle offers a level of inherent accuracy that semi-automatics struggle to match. The CZ 457 American is a premium example, known for its exceptional build quality, smooth action, and phenomenal accuracy right out of the box. This is the rifle for the patient hunter who values precision above all else.
The CZ’s superb trigger and high-quality barrel allow you to place shots with surgical precision, making it ideal for taking headshots that instantly dispatch game without a hint of meat damage. The trade-off for this accuracy is speed; follow-up shots are much slower than with a semi-auto. It’s also a more significant financial investment than many other rimfires, but for the hunter who sees their rifle as a long-term tool for ethical harvesting, the cost is easily justified by its performance.
Savage Mark II FV-SR: A Precise, Budget-Friendly Rifle
Imagine getting premium accuracy features without the premium price tag. That’s the promise of the Savage Mark II FV-SR. This bolt-action .22LR packs an incredible amount of performance into a highly affordable package, making it a favorite for hunters who want precision on a budget.
Its standout features are the user-adjustable AccuTrigger, which allows for a crisp, clean trigger pull, and a factory-threaded heavy barrel. A good trigger is critical for preventing you from pulling the rifle off target during the shot, and the heavy barrel helps with stability and heat dissipation for consistent accuracy. The primary trade-off is in the rifle’s aesthetics and feel; the synthetic stock feels basic, but it’s lightweight and durable. For the hunter focused purely on performance-per-dollar, the Mark II is nearly impossible to beat.
Henry Classic Lever Action .22 for Traditional Hunts
For some, hunting is as much about the experience and connection to tradition as it is about filling the freezer. The Henry Classic Lever Action .22 captures that feeling perfectly. Its smooth, satisfying action and classic good looks evoke a sense of nostalgia, making any walk in the woods feel a little more special.
Beyond its charm, the Henry is a capable and practical hunting tool. Lever actions are famously reliable, and the tubular magazine can handle .22 Short, .22 Long, and .22 Long Rifle cartridges, giving you incredible versatility. This is a fantastic rifle for teaching new shooters or for the hunter who enjoys a more deliberate pace. While it’s not as easy to mount a scope on as a modern rifle and it’s slower than a semi-auto, its reliability and pure fun factor make it a worthy choice for any small game pursuit.
Savage A17 for Flat-Shooting .17 HMR Performance
When your squirrel hunt involves longer shots across a field or you’re targeting prairie dogs on the open plains, the arching trajectory of a .22LR can become a challenge. This is where the .17 HMR shines, and the Savage A17 was built to harness its power. It was one of the first semi-automatic rifles engineered specifically to handle the pressure of the zippy .17 HMR cartridge reliably.
The A17 gives you the best of both worlds: the flat trajectory and extended range of the .17 HMR with the speed of a semi-automatic action. This makes it a devastatingly effective tool for open-country varmint and small game hunting.
However, this power comes with a serious responsibility for the meat-conscious hunter. The high velocity of the .17 HMR can be extremely destructive with the wrong bullet or poor shot placement. To preserve meat, you must use non-expanding, full metal jacket (FMJ) or solid-point bullets and restrict yourself to headshots only. A body shot on a squirrel with a polymer-tipped .17 HMR bullet will result in a total loss.
Benjamin Marauder: The Quiet, Powerful Air Rifle
Don’t mistake a modern Pre-Charged Pneumatic (PCP) air rifle for the Red Ryder from your childhood. The Benjamin Marauder is a serious hunting tool, capable of launching a .22 or .25 caliber pellet with enough energy to ethically harvest game like rabbits and squirrels out to 50 yards and beyond. Its greatest asset is stealth.
The shrouded barrel makes the Marauder incredibly quiet—often, the sound of the pellet hitting the target is louder than the shot itself. This is a massive advantage when hunting in areas close to civilization or when you don’t want to spook other game after your first shot. The lack of recoil also makes it supremely easy to shoot accurately. The primary trade-off is the support system; you need a special high-pressure hand pump or a scuba tank to charge the rifle’s air reservoir, adding to the initial cost and complexity.
Ammunition Selection for Maximum Meat Preservation
Owning the most accurate rifle in the world won’t matter if you feed it the wrong ammunition. The bullet itself is what does the work, and choosing the right type is the final, critical step in ensuring a clean harvest. Your choice will depend on your rifle, your target, and your priorities.
For preserving the most meat, especially with the potent .17 HMR or high-velocity .22LR rounds, your best options are those designed for minimal expansion.
- Solid Point / Full Metal Jacket (FMJ): These bullets are designed to punch a clean hole without expanding. They are the absolute best choice for minimizing meat damage but require perfect shot placement in a vital zone (the head) as they transfer less shock energy.
- Subsonic Hollow Points (.22LR): For .22LR shooters, subsonic hollow points offer a great compromise. They fly under the speed of sound, making them quieter and often more accurate. Their lower velocity causes the hollow point to expand less violently than a high-velocity round, providing effective terminal performance on a headshot without turning a body shot into a catastrophe.
- Polymer-Tipped / Varmint Rounds: Avoid these for any game you plan to eat. They are designed for explosive expansion and are intended for pest control where meat recovery is not a goal.
Ultimately, the rule is simple: aim for the head. A headshot with any of these ammunition types will be instantly fatal and preserve 100% of the meat. Practice at the range until you can confidently hit that small target every single time.
The perfect small game rifle isn’t the most expensive one or the one with the most features; it’s the one you can carry comfortably and shoot with unwavering confidence. Spend less time worrying about having the "best" gear and more time at the range and in the woods. Master your chosen rifle, and you’ll be rewarded with many successful hunts and delicious meals.
