.22 sportster field report

[Brett]

Seems to me I read an article years ago that stated tests showed .22lr hollow points did not expand much if at all in game taken at average hunting distances.  So the author concluded that the choice of ammo should be made based on accuracy out of you particular gun.   Now keep in mind this article was written at least ten years ago so .22lr ammo design/materials may have changed some since then.

I recall that at least one company sold a "jig" that you dropped a .22lr solid round nose bullet in then you would shave or file the round nose off creating a flat nosed bullet which supposedly delivered more shock upon impact.  I also recall buying factory blunt nosed .22's years ago but don't recall who made them and have not seen them in the stores in quite some time. 

[ironglow]

  CCI made what they called the SGB (small game bullet) for some years, then quit. Apparently due to demand the SGB is back < www.cci-ammunition.com/  >

   The E. Arthur Brown Co. makes a hollow pointing tool which I may just purchase yet . < www.eabco.com/holoptr.html  >

  Paco has a tool that compresses and reforms the point into a hollow, flat or nasti-nose point  < www.leverguns.com/ >

   I made my own Paco style tool and found that this tool helps 2 ways..reforms the nose and compresses the bullet, so it is a tighter fit into the rifling in most rifles.
   The tool I made however, crowds the rifles with Bentz chambers a bit much. They do seem to have a bit more zap than comparable solid points when used on an
   inanimate medium.

   All the target shooting and tests don't prove a thing to me as much as 60 years hunting..hollowpoints have more punch
   
  Now, in subsonics 1000-1050 fps if you reach beyond 50 yds, they may not upset very much, but if a .270 goes far enough before it hits, it won't deform much either..
  Most .22s fired from a short handgun barrel lose enough velocity that they may not open either..

  My experience with solid vs hollow points is primarily with woodchucks at moderate ranges (up tyo 75 yards) and shooting coon out of trees. I have used same brand & style in many of these hunts, with solid or hollow points being the only difference..and I KNOW the hollowpoints hit harder..
 
          Either one is good for squirrel, esp for head shots..

  Below is a pic from the CCI website showing their SGB. They say it is ideal for squirrel and other edible small game, because it doesn't do as much "damage to the meat" as the hollowpoint does.
   In varmint hunting (e.g. woodchucks & PDs... meat damage is just what we want !

[Scibaer]

well , either way CCI has reissued an ammo style that i will have to try out.. how can that be a problem ?
 ultimately, what works best for any one individual  is the best choice, ofcourse.
 i doubt that i will ever reform any .22 bullets looking for more performance, but its interesting that someone else cared enough too.
 i did think about using a drill and open the hollow of a hp, but thought better of it.

ironglow, have you ever recoved a hp that showed any signs of mushrooming ?

[ironglow]

 
  While coon hunting, I had many opportunities to try ammo side by side. I once climbed a tree and fired solid point Winchesters from my 4.5" ruger auto at a coon
  about 7 ft from me. He just seemed to "absorb' several shots. I do recall that at the time I wished I had carried hollowpoints, the extra smack would have helped to dislodge him.

  Last summer I tried those new CCI Gamepoints in .22 mag. They are designed for penetration..like a solid, but with a small BB buried in the point. If I were going to use brain-shots on somewhat larger animals, I would choose the Gamepoints, but for woodchucks..no.
  Using chest shots from 75 to 100 yards, the gamepoints gave me "crawloffs", that I had to use a second shot on. In the same field next day CCI HPs, essentially the same round but for the point, gave me one-shot stoppers at the same distances.
   Examining the dead chucks, I found that the Gamepoints went clean through small hole in..small hole out !

   Hollowpoints almost always take a decent chunk out of the other side..
 
   Still; there is a great variety of .22 ammo out there and you can tailor your gun to it's preferred ammo...My Sportster liked Stingers..a very efffective .22 round..

[greg916]

Glen,
The 22 short HP, does expand.

[greg916]

Glen,
sorry about the short post, was under pressure to get off the 'puter.

The bullets i have recovered were all mushroomed, or flattened. I can't remember ever having a passthrough on a 'coon with a HP.  A solid will zip on through. Most of my shots were probably around 20-25 yards, maybe 20 to 40 feet up, just far enough away to get a proper angle.

The hp will exit a squirrell, the exit wound makes it obvious they are expanding.

I do sight in at 25 yards, and will not shoot much past 40 yards.

I can also say that a CCI Stinger, and Winchester Xpeditors will expand well on groundhogs all the way out to 50-75 yards. I shot my last box of xpeditors this past summer and can't find anymore, guess they stopped making them.
 

[ironglow]

Greg;

  I like my CCIs, but I also use a fairly good variety of ammo. Yes, the Win expediters have been out of production for years..but Winchester has a newer round
    called the Power Point. The power Point is a full 40 grains that zips along at 1350 fps, and has a gaping hollow point.
  These rounds from what I understand, were developed in Australia to cope with their "bunny problem". Just a bit more than the usual 37gr HP @ 1280 fps was needed.
  the number is#10217. They are quite effective, having a bit more "whump" than the regular HPs.

        A good info spot for rimfire ammo < www.22ammo.com/ >

[TNT]

Is it ok to shoot 22 shorts in a Sportster labeled 22lr?

[Scibaer]

i shoot, 22 shorts, longs cb's lr, high velocity lr, and colibri's and supers in my .22's
 the sporter is a single shot with a 20 in barrel, and i have yet to have a problem.
 i have even shot the bird and rat shot  out of mine once or twice..
 i still have nice tight 50 yard groups wiht no noticable rifling or crown wear

[ironglow]

TNT;

   Go ahead and use shorts. longs and long rifles..even the longer ones like Stinger, Quick-Shok and the Aguila hyper..no sweat ! Yup; I use CBs where the situation warrants.
   
  No; I don't use bird shot in my .22 rifles...mainly because I don't use much bird shot ! The manner of making shot, that is droplets quick-chilled in cold water..I suppose
   makes the shot a bit harder (and perhaps more abrasive) than the regular .22 bullet..so I just prefer not to use it !
    I have no proof that shot will actually harm a rifle..just don't want to chance it !