# .22 too small



## weatherby25 (Sep 10, 2007)

Is a 22 too small for coyote hunting? I know I am a bigger is better type guy, but just wanted to know what you guys think.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

A .22 is not too small. A .22 will kill anything with good shot placement and within decent range.

I'll stick with my .223 WSSM for the yotes.  

This discussion may go on forever.................Lot's of opinions on this topic.

sawsman


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## reb8600 (Sep 8, 2007)

A 22 lr is too small. Yes it can do it but coyotes are tough. It will more than likely just wound them. Stick to a center fire rifle on coyotes.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Here we go! :mrgreen:


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

I would probably take a yote with a .22...............................just add a 3 on the back. Heck I might even do it with a .20...................just put a 4 on the back of it. :wink:


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

Looking back, I've probably killed as many coyotes with my .22 pistol as I have with any other gun I own. It's not that I set out with a .22 pistol to use as a coyote gun, it was just what I had handy when I seen one. I think if you set out speciffically targeting coyotes, you'll be a lot more successful with a little more gun.


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## scattergunner (Sep 21, 2007)

We're talking centerfire .22 cal's, right? No, not too small at all. :wink: 

Just because you "can" do something, doesn't mean it's a good way to go about accomplishing whatever it is you've set out to do. Hypothetically speaking, of course. You "can" kill a coyote with a well placed air gun pellet, but you're chances of doing so will greatly increase if you use a better suited weapon.


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

They'll do to about 100yrds. But after that they won't be very effective. I have a 22-250, they're great for long range.


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## Desperado (Sep 27, 2007)

Are we talkin' .22 LR here? I think the distance suitable for shooting a coyote would be so close that a shotgun would be a better choice.


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## scattergunner (Sep 21, 2007)

Personally, I don't even like shooting pot guts and such with a .22LR at distance approaching 100 yards. That's why the good lord gave us the .22WMR and .17HMR! :wink: To say nothing of the centerfire varmint rounds... Anyway you slice it, unless you're offing a coyote you've found on your trap line, up close and personal like, it is a poor choice for a coyote gun. 

At distances approaching 100 yards, most bullets fired from a standard, stock .22LR rifle are going to be dropping like a sack of potatoes and likely to the left or right of where you'd hoped it would go. I don't know off hand what the energy loss would be, but I'll bet it's pretty substantial. There are a lot better ways to go for this sort of thing.


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## rifle666 (Sep 25, 2007)

to quote scattergunnerer


> unless you're offing a coyote you've found on your trap line, up close and personal like, it is a poor choice for a coyote gun.


amen!

a .22 is for potguts and kids in hunters safety.
i'll even say that a .17HMR is to small for the average coyote shot. yes it might provide a 1 shot kill 25% of the time but thats not good enough.

i've dispatched quite a few yotes on my trap line with my .22 ruger mkII. at a distance of less than 10 feet. one shot to the back of the head does the trick. but a dog at 100 yards? no way!

with so many good coyote rifle choices why would you even want to use a .22?


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## CC (Sep 8, 2007)

I have a .22 mag that I carry coyote calling, when I am accompanied by my buddy shooting something more substantial. I wouldn't carry it if I were calling by myself. The coyotes that I have shot with the .22 mag have been within 70 yards (usually less). If it is further than that, I allow my friend the shot. Less than that, he usually allows me to shoot first. When I go by myself, I carry a 22-250, or a 25-06.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

I'm with Rifle666. Only on a trap line! Even nasty old coyotes deserve an ethical side.


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## dunn_gary (Sep 11, 2007)

Hey Fatbass, in answer to your chumming question, I took my two boys fishing in the gulf of Calif. several years ago, off the coast of San Felipe. My youngest son got sick. He would fish for a while, throw up over the side, rest for a while, and go back to fishing. He caught most of the fish! We were fishing for corbina. I did hook a biggy, that broke my twenty pound test line, even with the drag set. Still, we brought home a cooler full of fine tasting fish. I am not sure what corbina (corvina?) is in English. Very similar in size and shape to red fish.

Sorry, not looking to highjack the post, so he's my point of view on the .22. I was out grouse hunting, and had a yote come in to me. I hit that sucker twice with the 12 gauge, rolled it, and knocked it down. It still got up and ran away. I say no on the .22, unless you are looking to kill it only and not retreive the pelt. Then the .22 will probably do the job, but not necessarily immediately. Most likely it would run off somewhere and die. I think a bit higher caliber would be more humane.


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## Huckleberry (Sep 11, 2007)

Lets stir the pot even more then... If a guy were to have only one gun for coyotes/varmits, what caliber would you choose, and why?


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## Desperado (Sep 27, 2007)

dunn_gary said:


> Hey Fatbass, in answer to your chumming question, I took my two boys fishing in the gulf of Calif. several years ago, off the coast of San Felipe. My youngest son got sick. He would fish for a while, throw up over the side, rest for a while, and go back to fishing. He caught most of the fish! We were fishing for corbina. I did hook a biggy, that broke my twenty pound test line, even with the drag set. Still, we brought home a cooler full of fine tasting fish. I am not sure what corbina (corvina?) is in English. Very similar in size and shape to red fish.


You got it right. Corbina is the English name too. They're part of the croaker family. My dad has a weak stomach too, and used that to his advantage. We were on a boat off the Farallones and they had contests far who caught the first, most, and biggest fish. My old man won all three prizes, even though he spent most of the trip throwing up over the side.

Back to the actual topic:



Huckleberry said:


> Lets stir the pot even more then... If a guy were to have only one gun for coyotes/varmits, what caliber would you choose, and why?


One of the centerfire .22s. If I were buying just factory ammo, then the .223. Even with the shortage right now, it is still cheaper and usually has more offerings than other cartridges. If reloading is added to the equation, then I would pick the .22-250 because the costs for loading either one would be pretty close to the same and the .22-250 has that extra umph to it.


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## rifle666 (Sep 25, 2007)

for only one yote/varmint gun.
i'd stay with my .223, because i love it, lots of reloading options, tons of factory ammo,accurate 
but.... i have been cheating on my beloved .223 with my newly scoped .25 WSSM, i finally got my VXIII on it and i am loving it more every time i shoot it.
downside. ammo. check out prices on .25 WSSM ammo, it is refrickindickulous! 27.99 for a box of 20!
reloading is still spendy but worth it.

so my vote still goes to the .223


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## rugerdogdog (Nov 18, 2007)

204Ruger, period, The End.


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## stick_man (Sep 10, 2007)

OK, since the pot has been stirred, I will chime in on the "one gun" question. If I were going primarily for small varmints and secondarily for yotes, I would stick with the .223 for several reasons. The main reason is that it is so much cheaper to shoot than the -250 or WSSMs. Even reloading, the .223 is probably the cheapest of the popular rounds out there to load for. I would venture to say it is about 15% cheaper to reload for than the .22-250 even though the bullets and primers are the same. The real savings is in the powder, shooting around 20-25 grains powder in the .223 vs 35-40 grains in the -250. Sure, the -250 will give you an extra 50-75 yards, but how often are you going to be shooting a coyote at that kind of distance and really have much chance of hitting it?

If I were primarily going for yotes and secondarily going for the smaller varmints, I would opt for the 6mm Remington or the .25-06. They are a little heavier and pricier to shoot, but will give you better knockdown power out at the longer ranges and can also double as a decent deer gun.


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

Ok what if I want to hunt varmints for the first time and I am not sure if I am going to have fun or be productive and the only guns I have are... 22.LR Pistol (walther p22) 22.LR Marlin (bolt action) 380 pistol (bersa) 12 gauge pump action shot gun (mossberg) or a 30-06 (model 700)? My Marlin can hit two liter bottles at a hundred yards, and my 30-06 has a scope that enables me to accurately hit a deer in the vitals at about 200 yards. Which of these weapons would you take if you intend to skin your quarry?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Not really too small, just of limited range.

I never got a coyote with a .22. Have got one with a .22 mag. I used a Savage 24 with a 22 mag over a 20 gauge several times coyote hunting. Some times I used a white sheet with antelope blood on it as a parka. Hunted the juniper/sage. They would come in real close. I would get them with a .22 mag. But most times they were out there too far and I wished I had my old heavy .22-250.


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## BIG-TNT (Oct 19, 2007)

22-250 period


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## James (Oct 7, 2007)

Many a critter, even up to the size of elk, has been killed with the 22 LR. Not necessarily because that was a good choice, but because it was what was handy when the opportunity was there. I am not going to guess how many critters have been shot and wounded with the 22 LR, but know it is a plenty. 

Now if I were to set out to hunt coyotes, I would take my .222 Rem. Ya, a 22 LR can kill a coyote, but your odds for a hit and a kill are much better with one of the centerfires. 

222 Rem, 222 Rem Mag, .223, 22-250, all excellent choices for varmints.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

I'll probably be the odd one here but here goes.... I'd shoot a yote with a 22 because its the only rifle I own and financially, I can't afford anything else at this point. I consider myself a really good shot with that 22 (I've had it forever) but I don't go out targeting yotes specifically with it. Truth be told, I've only shot at two yotes with it. Once shot over the yotes back, and the second was just winging a shot as the yote dodged down the gully I was rabbit hunting. I'm not real disappointed that I missed either time.  I've seen my friends 223 and what that does to jacks, so I'd imagine that would put a yote down quite nicely. I don't have the money for one though and probably won't set aside the money for it either, since my primary focus is birds and elk. 8)


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## mr_sweeten (Nov 13, 2007)

Lot's of opinions, but most are on the same track. Now, for myself-

I've dumped half a dozen coyotes with a .22 LR, though most took 2 or three shots to anchor. One took a full magazine (10 rds), broadside between 15-50 yards while running. Each shot was a hit, though not too well placed. Not very proud of that one.  
Since, I acquired a Savage 24F .22 Hornet/ 20ga. That gun is a coyote/bunny slayin' fool. I've never gone out specifically hunting for coyotes, though have seen them while rabbit or chukar hunting. I've killed five or so 'yotes with that gun, and thirty-something rabbits. It was a real hoot to shoot, and I felt quite confident out to 250 yds or so with that caliber. I say WAS, because someone decided they needed it worse than I did while out deer hunting. Came back to camp and found my camp fuel gone, cooler empty, and mod 24 stolen from my jeep. :evil:  
They can still be had for around $350-400, used. Just out of my price range for a while.
Note- the .22 Hornet is ridiculously cheap to shoot if you handload. Case life is quite long, though does require trimming due to flow characteristics of most brass.
Now, I have a break-open Savage Mod. 219 single shot in .30-30. It's my deer gun, but I'd love to draw a bead on a 'yote when stoked with 29 grs of 3031 and 110 Speer spire point. Kills dogs dead, in theory. A very accurate load.
In summation- High intensity rounds with heavy barrels and scopes that double as astronomical observation equipment are great if you have the dough. In practice; a Hornet, .223 rem, .44 mag (cheap handload through a lever gun) .357 mag (ditto) are cost- effective coyote slayers . If you like to do a LOT of shooting on the cheap, without regard for great accuracy, try an SKS in 7.62X39 or Moisin-Nagant carbine in 7.62X54R. Ammo can be found for $3-$5 a box, and they've got quite a bit of reach. Plus, a bullet that big puts a coyote's d*** in the dirt quick, fast, and in a hurry.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

p.s.- with a little tinkering, some surplus guns can be quite accurate, especially if you hand load. And, they usually run in the neighborhood of $80-$150, depending on model. 8)


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## americanforkdude (Sep 13, 2007)

If you can get close enough, it is PLENTY big enough. Good luck trying to get in range though.


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## woollybugger (Oct 13, 2007)

.22 LR, or .22 mag is great for foxes! I like my .243 for coyotes. A .243 70gr Speer TNT is pretty hard treatment for a fox. :twisted: (can you say poof!!! where did all of that fur come from!!!)


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## mr_sweeten (Nov 13, 2007)

Word.


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## Farmboy (Sep 22, 2007)

A hunderd yards? hmm :?:


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## James (Oct 7, 2007)

> Anyway you slice it, unless you're offing a coyote you've found on your trap line, up close and personal like, it is a poor choice for a coyote gun.


What he said.

I would use my 222 Rem. Excellent up to 200 yards. Those little 55 grain bullets going out at 3000 fps do a number on things the size of coyotes. Flat shooting and accurate. I know the 222 has lost popularity, but the 223 is the logical choice these days. Very similar characteristics. Inexpensive to reload too.

Another thing I like about the fast bullets, when they hit turf they disintegrate. They are not going to richochet off and hit something you don't want to hit.


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## foxhunter (Oct 8, 2007)

.22 LR works fine. If you have a semi auto just plant 4 or 5 in and it should do the job.


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## ChiefAutoParts (Sep 20, 2007)

We owe it as ethical hunters to the game we hunt to give it a clean death. I don't think that a .22 is enough to put a coyote down humanely, unless it's at point-blank range.

I, for one, would probably pass on the shot if all I had available to me at the time was a .22. There are too many variables and conditions that would have to be "just right" in order for me to take a shot at one with a .22. I'm not being preachy, just voicing my opinion, that's all. :|


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## milenine (Nov 25, 2007)

I have avoided getting in on this conversation, but after shooting a cow elk this last week my perspective has changed a little. I think if you can hit the coyote with a .22 in a vital area, and then finish the job quickly, it is just a humane as shooting an elk or deer with a high powered rifle. Sure the yote is not going to instantly explode and die like it might with a bigger gun... but either do large game animals. I hit the cow elk 2 times in the vital area and it kept on living (and suffering) for a long time till I could get close enough for a head shot. It seems silly to debate the ethics of gun size and suffrage. The fact is that getting shot sucks for the animal weather it suffers for a long time or a short time. Most hunters, myself included, have made a conscious decision that the suffering of animals is an acceptable trade off for the enjoyment and benefits of hunting. I am not saying that letting animals suffer is good, but simply that getting shot with a small gun sucks a alot, and getting shot with a big gun sucks a lot too.


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## foxhunter (Oct 8, 2007)

I am not trying to stir the pot, and I have nothing against bow hunters, but I think using a .22 instead of a bigger gun is like using a bow instead of a rifle. They both can kill depending on where shot. Just my opinion.


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## mr_sweeten (Nov 13, 2007)

Y'know,
Bullet construction and placement are the key factors here.
one 'yote I dropped, one shot- standing broadside, nailed him just above the elbow at 70 or so yards with a CCI Stinger. Bullet expanded perfectly and buried itself in a rib on the other side. For a .22, that's textbook performance. Shooting prone, with a log as a rest.
Another (the one that took a full magazine), I was using Remington Thunderbolts (solids). the first three rounds caught him off guard at 15 yards- he stumbled, then took off. Finally brought him down at about fifty yards with a shot to the spine (right behind the shoulderblade). When I skinned him out, I saw that one had hit him in the neck (through the windpipe), lower jaw (knocked out several teeth), two through the lungs, a couple through the paunch and pericardiem, etc. All were poorly placed, hurried shots that plowed straight through and exited. Very little tissue damage.
So, a .22 can be effective under good circumstances. But NOT always. They usually need a follow up shot to be sure. I love .22s for foxes, though. Never needed a second shot if the first went where it belonged.


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