{"id":2303,"date":"2020-11-19T20:21:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T20:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammoforsale.com\/ammo-club\/?p=2303"},"modified":"2020-10-14T20:22:53","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T20:22:53","slug":"what-can-you-hunt-with-a-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammoforsale.com\/ammo-club\/what-can-you-hunt-with-a-22\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can You Hunt With A 22?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The majestic elk. The brutish grizzly. The man-eating tigers of Laos. These are all animals which you absolutely must not<\/em><\/strong> hunt with a 22 LR, unless your goal is to (A) inconvenience your quarry, or (B) get killed. While you’re limited to small game, there are certainly some animals you can legally and ethically hunt with a 22 rifle.<\/p>\n

Let’s be clear, the 22 is theoretically capable of killing pretty much anything. Hunters have taken plenty of deer with the old rimfire cartridge. (Though hunting deer with 22 long rifle is illegal in many states<\/a>.) Plus, more than a few ranchers have put down hogs and cows with a judiciously placed 40 grain bullet. In 1953 a trapper named Bella Twin famously killed a grizzly with a 22 rifle, although she certainly didn\u2019t set out to do so. Her situation boiled down to either getting incredibly lucky or winding up a bear\u2019s hors d’oeuvre.<\/p>\n

But you shouldn\u2019t bank on surgical accuracy while you\u2019re hunting. Obviously, you don’t want to cause your quarry to suffer any more than it has to either.<\/p>\n

I once spoke to a hunter who tried to take a coyote with a 22 rifle. While he is plenty skillful it still took him three shots to get the job done. He told me the pained canine shrieked so pathetically that he lost the heart to hunt coyote for a long while afterward.<\/p>\n

Why Hunt With a 22 LR?<\/em><\/h3>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 22 is one of the smallest cartridges on the market. A standard 22 has a .223\u201d diameter 40 grain bullet, and loaded to a muzzle velocity<\/a> of 1,200 fps it delivers a muzzle energy of 131 ft lbs. Compare this to the much larger 223 Rem: Its bullet is the same diameter, but at 55 grains and a muzzle velocity of 3,250 fps it delivers nearly ten times<\/em> as much muzzle energy.<\/p>\n

The 22 is so <\/em>weak that it can get away with a rimfire primer<\/a>. This type of primer is built into the case, so the brass that covers it must be thin enough for a firing pin to dent through. If you put a rimfire primer in a much more powerful cartridge, its case would have to be so thin that it would burst apart in the chamber.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the appeal to the 22? For starters, it\u2019s inexpensive. This alone has probably made the 22 the most popular cartridge in the world, even if you didn\u2019t take into account other countries\u2019 strict firearm laws. The little 22 offers negligible recoil and its report isn\u2019t offensively loud, so it\u2019s great for comfortable plinking and teaching the ropes to youngsters. (You will still want to wear hearing protection when you fire a 22.)<\/p>\n

Yet the 22 is also more than capable of putting dinner on the table. While you can reasonably put venison out of your mind while you\u2019re hunting with a 22 rifle, you can still fill up a cooking pot after firing only one shot. A 22 is also sized just right to deal with many nuisance animals that you\u2019d rather not waste a fifty cent cartridge on.<\/p>\n

What Kind of 22 Ammo Should You Hunt With?<\/em><\/h3>\n

\"Winchester<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going after very small game, a simple lead round nose (LRN) bullet ought to do the job. This type of bullet may deform a little bit as it penetrates soft tissue. However, it\u2019s not going to expand to create a wound channel significantly wider than the bullet\u2019s original diameter. Still, terminal expansion isn\u2019t all that necessary when you\u2019re dumping about 100 ft lbs of energy into a one pound body.<\/p>\n

As you go after larger game, a hollow point (HP) bullet becomes more advisable. The mere impact and penetration of an LRN may not be enough to kill a larger critter right there on the spot. I don\u2019t believe any game which a 22 is suitable for hunting could ultimately survive a torso shot. Of course, there\u2019s no sense in having the thing go off to nurse a wound for several hours before bleeding to death when an HP would have dusted it pronto.<\/p>\n

Not sure where to turn? Winchester’s Super-X line of 22 long rifle ammo<\/a> is a solid choice.<\/p>\n

What Can You Hunt With A 22?<\/em><\/h2>\n

Rodents<\/u><\/h3>\n

As a general rule of thumb, the largest animal you\u2019d want to hunt with a 22 is a nutria. Basically a big, swimming rat, the average nutria tips the scale at 14 pounds. Any bigger than that and you\u2019ll want to up your ammo game.<\/p>\n

Squirrels are probably the most common recipient of 22 bullets. Whether you\u2019re just trying to convey the concept of \u201cDon\u2019t Tread on Me\u201d to a squirrel that is getting too familiar with your bird feeder, or actually setting out into the woods in search of the little rascals, a 22 is one of your best options. Chipmunks, gophers, and rats are all prime candidates for a 22 as well. If you\u2019re going to be shooting pests at very close range, you can even select a 22 shotshell. This is an otherwise normal 22 but loaded with #12 shot. (I prefer the ones with plastic domes over crimped cases, because they tend to extract more easily.)<\/p>\n

The 22\u2019s effective range is only 150 yards, and 100 yards is still considered a pretty impressive shot. That\u2019s why you may encounter some difficulty if you hunt prairie dogs with a 22<\/a>. They\u2019re highly perceptive creatures, so most hunters try to stay at least 200 yards away from them. For prairie dogs you may do better with a higher powered cartridge with greater reach like a 223 Rem. Groundhogs are generally hunted over longer distances as well.<\/p>\n

Other Mammals<\/u><\/h3>\n

Raccoons, skunks, porcupines, foxes and rabbits are all solid choices for 22 hunting. For these animals you may want to invest in high velocity ammo. We recommend a copper plated hollow point (CPHP) bullet that\u2019ll do a more damage throughout penetration. I\u2019d much rather hunt rabbit with a 22 over any shotgun. This is simply because it\u2019s a lot easier to eat an animal that hasn\u2019t been filled with dozens if not hundreds of tiny lead shot pellets.<\/p>\n

Birds<\/u><\/h3>\n

For hunting birds on the wing like pheasant, quail, and partridge, you\u2019re going to want a shotgun. Unless you\u2019re the kind of cowboy who can flick a coin into the air and shoot a hole through it before it hits the ground, walloping a fast-flying bird with a 22 is going to be quite a feat.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d only use a 22 to shoot pest birds. Say you\u2019ve just seeded your lawn and the crows think you\u2019ve kindly prepared their dinner \u2013 a 22 will show them they\u2019re wrong. In that vein, you probably didn\u2019t fill up your feeder with expensive black oil sunflower seed because you\u2019re catering to pigeons. The 22 is a great tool for keeping your yard devoid of garbage birds!<\/p>\n

So, now you know you have options if you’re interested in hunting with a 22. It’s true, you likely won’t return home with worthy of a trophy. But, hunting with a rimfire load has its benefits and is a great way to enjoy the outdoors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The majestic elk. The brutish grizzly. The man-eating tigers of Laos. These are all animals which you absolutely must not hunt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ammo-insights"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Can You Hunt With A 22? | AmmoForSale.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What can you hunt with a 22? You can bag several types of small game ethically and legally. 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