I've found that, for hunting small game, it depends..........
If YOUR small game hunting consists of mostly Squill sniping, while a BA is just fine, and accurate too, I find that a semi-auto to be an advantage in closer Squill groves, where the motions of cycling a bolt is enough to drive the game into hiding for another half-hour or more. (With a semi, only your trigger finger moves
)
I've used both 10/22's and BA .22's out to 75+ yards, so it might be a option to buy one of each USED, so your hands-on experiences can help you.
Of course, if you're like most of us, it'll be no help at all
- since you'll most likely use one gun for one type of hunt, and the other for another type and/or plinking.
.