As to the lever-action versus semi-auto question, it is simply a matter of taste. I prefer lever-actions, but a good semi-automatic can be lots of fun also. What you really need to do is have one of each. I recommend the Marlin Model 39 and the Ruger 10/22, that way you will have the best of both types.
Now about the ammo. Don't ask us, ask your rifle.
Go to several stores stocking ammunition in your area and buy a box of as many different brands and types of .22 LR ammo that you can find. Then go to the range. Using a shooting bench, and paper targets, carefully shoot groups with each different type of ammo. When you decide which load produces the best accuracy, go buy a brick or two of that load.
For .22LR, the cost difference for bolt versus semi-auto is very little. Which ones to get - that's going to be hard to answer because every major rifle maker make both semi-auto and bolt action .22LR model, including Ruger. The best way to go about this is to actually handle one and see how it fits you - the length of pull will matter to you much more than anything else. Look into Ruger, Marlin, and Savage - just to name a few good ones. I'm not in California, but you can get a decent .22LR for between $250 and $400 where I live. I could be wrong, but I thought extended magazines were not available in California so the largest capacity mag you can get would be the 10 round mag. Still, all you have to do use carry extra mags. If you really want a .22LR that is fine, but I personally prefer a large caliber when dealing with wild animals even a coyote. Have you consider maybe a .243 or there abouts?
a lever-action seems like an awful lot of work for the little .22., however my all-time favourite .22 is the Remington pump-action, the forward working of the slide seems to get me back on target quicker and more precisely. Most .22 ammo is lead round-nose, great for practice, but for hunting use a jacketed hollow-point The remington JHP rivals their target load for accuracy. Other brands target loads have not proven themselves in this gun, and some of the more expensive ones were positively dismal, while the less costly soft-lead remington shoots phenomenally, despite a tendency to leave strips of lead in the barrel.
.22 rifles are a strange sort. Each rifle seems to have a favorite ammo and there is no ammo that is best for all .22 rifles. What you will have to do is to buy a box of each of several different brands and velocities. Take the ammo out to the range and fire five rounds of each box at five targets. You average the group size for the five targets for each kind of ammo. This average will represent how well that particular ammo will work in your rifle. Do this for each different brand and velocity of ammo and when you are through you will be able to look at the average group size for each of the different ammos and tell which one your particular gun prefers. It is a lot of shooting and data collecting but that is how it is done.
semiauto, they are less expensive and equally accurate, if not moreso. Also, the ruger 10/22 is a semiauto and it is the most common .22LR gun out there, which means it has the most available accessories and bells and whistles.
lever actions are often hard to mount scopes on, and the lever can it difficult to shoot from the bench off of sandbags.
In general, lever action .22s are marketed at people going for that old-west flavor, whereas semiautos are marketed at people looking at performance and cost, not at flavor.
Of course, if you really want accuracy, you turn to a bolt action .22LR rifle.
As far as what ammo, just shoot whatever is on sale. If you want to get down to it, each specific firearm tends to like certain types of ammo better than others. You might have a ruger 10/22 that likes federal ammo, my 10/22 might like remington yellowjackets etc etc.
Comments
I prefer a lever action or bolt action for my rifles.
As to the lever-action versus semi-auto question, it is simply a matter of taste. I prefer lever-actions, but a good semi-automatic can be lots of fun also. What you really need to do is have one of each. I recommend the Marlin Model 39 and the Ruger 10/22, that way you will have the best of both types.
Now about the ammo. Don't ask us, ask your rifle.
Go to several stores stocking ammunition in your area and buy a box of as many different brands and types of .22 LR ammo that you can find. Then go to the range. Using a shooting bench, and paper targets, carefully shoot groups with each different type of ammo. When you decide which load produces the best accuracy, go buy a brick or two of that load.
Doc
For .22LR, the cost difference for bolt versus semi-auto is very little. Which ones to get - that's going to be hard to answer because every major rifle maker make both semi-auto and bolt action .22LR model, including Ruger. The best way to go about this is to actually handle one and see how it fits you - the length of pull will matter to you much more than anything else. Look into Ruger, Marlin, and Savage - just to name a few good ones. I'm not in California, but you can get a decent .22LR for between $250 and $400 where I live. I could be wrong, but I thought extended magazines were not available in California so the largest capacity mag you can get would be the 10 round mag. Still, all you have to do use carry extra mags. If you really want a .22LR that is fine, but I personally prefer a large caliber when dealing with wild animals even a coyote. Have you consider maybe a .243 or there abouts?
a lever-action seems like an awful lot of work for the little .22., however my all-time favourite .22 is the Remington pump-action, the forward working of the slide seems to get me back on target quicker and more precisely. Most .22 ammo is lead round-nose, great for practice, but for hunting use a jacketed hollow-point The remington JHP rivals their target load for accuracy. Other brands target loads have not proven themselves in this gun, and some of the more expensive ones were positively dismal, while the less costly soft-lead remington shoots phenomenally, despite a tendency to leave strips of lead in the barrel.
.22 rifles are a strange sort. Each rifle seems to have a favorite ammo and there is no ammo that is best for all .22 rifles. What you will have to do is to buy a box of each of several different brands and velocities. Take the ammo out to the range and fire five rounds of each box at five targets. You average the group size for the five targets for each kind of ammo. This average will represent how well that particular ammo will work in your rifle. Do this for each different brand and velocity of ammo and when you are through you will be able to look at the average group size for each of the different ammos and tell which one your particular gun prefers. It is a lot of shooting and data collecting but that is how it is done.
semiauto, they are less expensive and equally accurate, if not moreso. Also, the ruger 10/22 is a semiauto and it is the most common .22LR gun out there, which means it has the most available accessories and bells and whistles.
lever actions are often hard to mount scopes on, and the lever can it difficult to shoot from the bench off of sandbags.
In general, lever action .22s are marketed at people going for that old-west flavor, whereas semiautos are marketed at people looking at performance and cost, not at flavor.
Of course, if you really want accuracy, you turn to a bolt action .22LR rifle.
As far as what ammo, just shoot whatever is on sale. If you want to get down to it, each specific firearm tends to like certain types of ammo better than others. You might have a ruger 10/22 that likes federal ammo, my 10/22 might like remington yellowjackets etc etc.
semi-autos are cheaper than the lever actions in most cases, and are fun to shoot.
as far as ammo, whatever floats your boat. unless you're doing competitions no need for match grade ammo. if you're hunting use hollowpoints.
I have Winchesters of each type, models 9422 and 63, respectively. The 63 gets the bulk of the use.
As others said, you feed it what it wants.
Personal preference. Use whatever feeds well in the gun.
semi auto, and use caliber.