hunting with a .22 lr

[hoghunter2]

what game do you all hunt with your .22 lr. What are your thoughs on uses them on coyotes.



                                                 thanks


when in doubt empty the magazine

[Fullchoke]

I hunt rabbits and squirrel with my .22. Shoot my .22's most just plinking around.

IMHO you're undergunned for a coyote with a .22LR. A .22Mag would be better. I use my trusty little A-Bolt II in .243W. I am not interested in the hides. Even a coyote deserves a quick, clean death. And as a hunter, you owe it to yourself to make quick, clean kills. :wink:

[Lawdog]

hoghunter2,

A .22lr is good for critters up to say 15 lbs. within it's range.  I have had coyotes take a good hit with a .22 Hornet and take off for quite a distance.  Just because it CAN kill a larger animal doesn't mean you SHOULD USE IT on larger animals.  Use a caliber appropriate for the job.  Lawdog
 

[JohnClif]

There's KILLING and there's STOPPING.   Any coyote shot through the body with a .22 LR will eventually die... but it might take a few days.  To me that is unacceptable.

I think that the minimum rule for cartridge effectiveness is that it must penetrate the game animal completely on a broadside chest shot AND it must be sufficiently powerful to destroy the lungs completely with a broadside chest shot.  A .22 LR will fail both tests.  A .22 WMR will fail at least one test most of the time (damage lungs fatally but not destroy them immediately) thus the coyote will get away to die over a period of time... or maybe recover in a crippled state.  The .17 HMR will, I think, do more internal damage but will not exit... meaning the 'yote will most likely take off running and will die but it might take up to a minute.

Coyotes are tough.  I personally think that if you are TARGETING coyotes specifically your caliber choices start with the .223 or similar (.222, .222 Mag, .17 Rem) as a minimum for an all-around coyote rifle out to 250 yards or thereabouts.  Now, if I were a farmer and I happened upon a coyote at close range when I had a .22 lever-action or semiauto, I'd probably be tempted to open up on it.  I'm sure I'd kill the coyote but if I couldn't shoot accurately or didn't choose the right target area it might take the whole magazine and would be an ugly business.

One thing I have learned... if you have to wonder whether you have enough gun, you don't have enough gun.  Use something more powerful than a .22 LR unless there is a compelling reason.

[Stock02]

what game do you all hunt with your .22 lr. What are your thoughs on uses them on coyotes.


Squirrels.  No not to be used on yotes.

[Graybeard]

I have shot lots of critters with them. More squirrels than anything but have used it on coon, possum, rabbits, a variety of birds to crows in size, feral cats and dogs. It works generally if shot placement is proper.

BUT on the larger animals head shots only are best if you want a reasonably quick kill. An HP thru the lungs on a broad side shot is a fairly quick killer but the animal will run some way leaving no blood trail so you may not find it if that matters to you.

The .22 Magnum is a far better killer and what I generally use for pest control around the house. It has proven very effective on critters to the size of coyotes but again I'll generally take only head shots on anything larger than a feral cat. Otherwise it will run for some distance.

GB

[Glen1]

Use it for squirrels, woodchucks,etc.  Not for coyotes.  Glen

[Rickster]

I try to limit my 22 LR shooting to animals no larger than jackrabbits. I don't think I would attempt a shot on a coyote or similar sized animal unless I could deliver a head shot.  I would probably follow the same advice with a 22 WMR and they have much more steam than even the hyper velocity long rifles.  I've had two coyotes escape me after being solidly hit. One was early in my reloading days when I used a match hollow point out of a 222 Remington and the bullet did not expand. The other was a 38 Special +P load with a 158 grn SWC loaded to 950 fps. Both incidents serve as reminders to me that coyotes can take a lot of lead and still make their escape if you're not very quick with a follow up shot... I prize my 22's as much as anything in my firearms collection and have shot countless hundreds of critters with them. Still I've learned one is best served limiting their use to smaller varmint or game animals. In my experience this includes ground squirrels, cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, sparrows, crows, rattlesnakes, magpies, tree squirrels,  and others I can't remember at the moment.  You'll enjoy your 22's more if you match the gun to the game. Good luck and good shooting...