Rimfire Rifles

About

Rimfire rifles in .22 LR, .22 WMR and .17 HMR — bolt actions, lever actions and precision trainers from CZ, Sako, Bergara, Ruger, Tikka and Lithgow. A rimfire is the rifle most Australian shooters should buy first. Marksmanship is built on round count rather than calibre, and a rimfire is the only firearm most people can afford to shoot often enough to actually get good with — quiet enough to use around sheds and yards where a centrefire would be a problem, and with little enough recoil that you can see your own shot land. Choosing the cartridge: .22 LR is a rabbit and small-vermin round, lethally precise inside 50 metres and dropping hard past about 75. .22 WMR is the honest fox round, good to a bit over 100 metres. .17 HMR is far flatter and excellent in still air, but the very light bullet drifts badly in wind. In NSW a rimfire rifle that is not self-loading — bolt, lever or pump action — is Category A, the broadest licence category. You still need the licence and a Permit to Acquire for the specific rifle, and since 1 July 2026 a safe storage inspection comes first. Scope it low and modest: past about 9x you are buying a shaking picture, and a rimfire-specific scope is set parallax-free nearer 50 metres rather than 100. We mount and bore-sight at the counter.