Johndog, my Marlin is a sweetie. Recoil is minimal and I can bench it all day long. But you're right, a .22 would be a bit less... traumatic, shall we say, to the bunnies.
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"If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."
-- Samuel Johnson