Seeing all the fun discussion you guys are having with the .22 thread, I thought I'd jump in with a question of my own (without hijacking the previous one).

We've got a severe problem with gophers in SW Saskatchewan. BTW that "gophers" not "golfers" for you Caddyshack fans! Richardson's ground squirrel is the actual name but gophers is the common word. The reason they are a problem is that they create holes and mounds that cause havoc with farm machinery. The are actually going to let the farmers go back to using poison for these pests. Poison was outlawed years ago because it is a non-discriminate solution. The poison also works on other small animals and gets into the food chain and kills other animals that prey on the gophers like owls, falcons, fox, etc.

So with all these little critters hanging out, I am going to volunteer (like many others) to walk out into the fields and do a little target shooting and population control. A .17HMR is probably the best ticket for the fun-factor although not as cheap as using a .22LR What would you recommend for a rifle? Is there a take-down version on the market? FYI, a rim-fire rifle can have any size magazine here.

Secondly, I am left-eyed and right handed but I prefer to handle a rifle as a lefty so a right handed bolt action is awkward to use. So either a semi-auto or a lever action is the preferred type. What type of round is preferable - a fragmenting 17gr bullet or a 20gr?