Which rifle for farm yards? 44, 357 or 22WMR?

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trekker73

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Fellas for in and around yard buildings including large barns , with maximum range about 60 yards I am looking at some options regards handling incursions by pests, predators, and other malcontents. Smallest game maybe on occasional feral cat, largest feral dogs, possibly zombies( I dont like to post about shooting the living but you get the picture) . Trying to keep loads reduced to preserve hearing when in roofed areas. I wont be using supressors for the record.

This is what I can put into use at this point, but happy to hear anything else people like of course.

1. a 44 mag lever action at subsonic speed with 44 specials or reduced 44 mags, 200 grain gold dot or 180 XTP at 950-1050fps. 400-450ftlbs load.

2. A 357 lever action with 125-140 grain light jacketed hollowpoints at 1150-1200fps. Also 400-450ftlbs load.

3. 22WMR in any rifle .

The first two probably my preference. Light fast powders in each like bullseye or unique. One point is note sure what is quieter, the 357 would be just supersonic, but the 44 mag will burn an extra couple grains of powder? Also can someone get 'minute of cat' at 60 yards with these or do I leave puss until I have the 22WMR on duty one night? I may also put a red dot on whatever choice to make it easier.

Thanks.
 
Of those, I like the 22 WMR for your uses.

In my mind a ranch rifle cartridge is not usually a larger bore straight wall but rather a rimfire or small to medium bore bottleneck cartridge.

For your uses a .223 would be ideal. A 22 Mag will give small enough groups at 60 to instantly kill any of those critters but it would be nice to have a safety margin of a few added ft-lbs. I wouldn’t trust my own 44 mag rifle to shoot precise enough at that range.

I really have little experience with 357 rifles. I just know I wouldn’t want to hunt deer with one, though many do.

In my own small stable my ranch rifle is a Remington 7615.
 
trekker73 said:
Trying to keep loads reduced to preserve hearing when in roofed areas.
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I shudder to think of any of those options used indoors.:what:
For myself, up to a dog at sixty yards a 22 LR would do it. With Super Colibri or shorts or shot cartridges inside the barns.

I also don’t like repairing bullet holes in barns and equipment. Something the magnums do with aplomb! Especially the jacketed .22 mag.

Not that I would know...:oops:


earlthegoat2 said:
In my own small stable my ranch rifle is a Remington 7615.
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Color me jealous!:)
 
Demi-human said:
I shudder to think of any of those options used indoors.:what:
For myself, up to a dog at sixty yards a 22 LR would do it. With Super Colibri or shorts or shot cartridges inside the barns.

I also don’t like repairing bullet holes in barns and equipment. Something the magnums do with aplomb! Especially the jacketed .22 mag.

Not that I would know...:oops:


Color me jealous!:)
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Sometimes I think people on the internet strive to interpret questions the strangest possible way. I meant shooting from 'roofed areas' as in out across paddocks.

I'll clarify. No shooting bullets directly through my own structures, house walls, television, tractors, cars, livestock, hens, kids, dogs, letter box, feet, arm, hands, leg, ammunition boxes, utilities, unknown objects in the dark, washing, water tank, pumps or visitors.
 
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earlthegoat2 said:
Of those, I like the 22 WMR for your uses.

In my mind a ranch rifle cartridge is not usually a larger bore straight wall but rather a rimfire or small to medium bore bottleneck cartridge.

For your uses a .223 would be ideal. A 22 Mag will give small enough groups at 60 to instantly kill any of those critters but it would be nice to have a safety margin of a few added ft-lbs. I wouldn’t trust my own 44 mag rifle to shoot precise enough at that range.

I really have little experience with 357 rifles. I just know I wouldn’t want to hunt deer with one, though many do.

In my own small stable my ranch rifle is a Remington 7615.
Click to expand...


thanks, we are a small holding so 22WMR has some merit. 223 is pretty blasty, keeping noise down in the general vicinity is a bonus.
 
Likes fast powders and is quiet, suppressed 9mm. No reason to use a case with more volume when you can make all the subsonic rounds you want with a 9. Works just fine for having fun.





And you can take out a coyote without waking up the wife downstairs.

6073B638-806E-419B-B092-38AF590B6919.jpeg
 
I would go with lead .38 125s in The .357 lever action. It is basically what jmorris above is doing, without a suppressor. .38s have been quiet, accurate and deadly on pests for me. 69 yards is right on the outside of th envelope in my mind.
 
With the animals you mentioned, and the cartridges listed, definitely the .22 wmr. Plenty good for out to 60 yards (and more) for critters in your scenario.

As someone who lives on a farm and has barns and sheds, you may want to keep one of those feral cats around. I found two here and brought them in to get spade. Still here after 7 or 8 years and the mouse population has dropped dramatically. A barn cat can be a farmers friend. When the males come around though...load up the 22 wmr. Marking stinks.
 
I have and shoot both 44 and 357 lever actions. The 357 has a red dot and the 44 has peep sights. From your description I would use the 357 with lighter loads than you described. 800 - 900fps will take care of the pests and be somewhat quiet. I load 38sp 158gr SWC and 160gr RN with 231 and bullseye. It seems the 44 has quite a thump regardless of how light you load it.
That said, It's hard to argue with the 22 wmr suggestions above.
 
yes I wasnt sure about the effectivness of 38 or power levels so to speak, but if subsonic 9mm/38 levels are capable it may be the option. The gun can do double duty on hogs too with full house loads.
 
Back in my farm living days 22 LR managed to take care of everything. An outside cat or two that has been fixed is a big help with mice, rats, and snakes.

I’m retired and live a few miles from town but too many people have discovered the joys of country living and now I’m hemmed in on three sides too closely to use any rifle and have switched to a 410 shotgun. I have a rather large tomcat and there is a feral Siamese that’s been here for years and I haven’t had any need for the shotgun in quite sometime.The cats even keep the gophers away. I think the Siamese does most of the pest control and the tom mainly lays around and sleeps except to wake up and meow loudly when he’s hungry.
 
trekker73 said:
Sometimes I think people on the internet strive to interpret questions the strangest possible way.
Click to expand...
Someone has a different experience than yours across this vast country. Shocker.

Keeping the noise down for me or my neighbors is different. Sonic crack being a main contributor, I would still rule out the .22 mag. But my place is also “run what you brung”, I was just giving the opinion you asked for.

I’m from Michigan, my roofs have walls or my animals freeze. It makes it loud.
If you think a ricochet can’t happen to you, you don’t shoot enough.
That’s where mine came from.
It would have been worse with a larger bullet, especially when a smaller one could do.

You have the magnum that is what you would use.
I have a .22lr that is what I shall use.

Sometime I think humans on the internet are contrary to the specific advice they seek, just to be.
 
I know exactly what the op is dealing with. Last week we had a groundhog on Sunday, possum on Tuesday night, possum on Thursday night. Our farm dogs alerted me to all of them. So far this week has been quiet, but it's only Tuesday.
My 'go to' is an AR with light, scope and offset sights for up close use. It works great, but its loud. It's about too much for a melee of dogs and varmint at spitting distance.
I have been giving some thought to a ruger mkIV tactical with a red dot and a light. That would be my ideal farm building varmint gun. You could add a suppressor if you wanted.
You would have a free hand for controlling a dog or moving hay bales or whatever. Carry it while choring.
The .22lr is more friendly to your neighbors in the midnight firefights with a skunk or possum.
20190511_141028.jpg this is my MKll with rds. I wish I could mount a light on it.

@trekker73 of the guns you mentioned I like the .22magnum. I am a big fan of that cartridge. They are all pretty loud around dogs or horses or livestock. Sometimes when you're in a hurry, you dont grab your earphones either.
My buddies say the .17hmr is pretty awesome in this role too.
Best wishes.
Let us know your choice.
 
trekker73 said:
Fellas for in and around yard buildings including large barns , with maximum range about 60 yards I am looking at some options regards handling incursions by pests, predators, and other malcontents. Smallest game maybe on occasional feral cat, largest feral dogs ...
Click to expand...
"in and around yard buildings including large barns" Hmmm, I would stick with a .22LR rifle or, failing that, the .22WMR rifle that you mentioned. Unless you have a specific need to eliminate some larger/tougher varmints.

I would hesitate to be shooting anything heavier/more-powerful around/in our farm buildings (100s of yards from any road, in the center of our ~165ac ancestral farm, btw) ...

... and any firearm that I do employ in that area will be used for carefully aimed single shots with a full understanding of what is behind/beyond the target. Don't need any bullet holes in the wall, the tractor or that calf on the other side of the wall. ;)

The thing that comes immediately to mind is the greater property damage potential of the centerfire alternatives. It is also easier to protect my hearing from the .22LR (especially) with the "pop-ins-on-a-cord" that I wear around my neck when I am outside anyway.

A .22LR may not result in DRT with something larger like a feral dog (unless you have the time/skill to carefully place the shot), but there is good chance that it will drive it off and, possibly, give you a followup chance to finish the job. :)
 
I'm not a lever action fan, so of the options you list, I'd opt for a .22 WMR, preferably with a threaded barrel to install a Kaw Valley linear compensator. If a single-shot were an option, then maybe a .357 loaded light. But I think it would be hard to beat a subsonic .22LR at the distances involved.
 
I'd use a shotgun or a semi-auto 22 LR. No need for a magnum anything or caliber larger than 22. A shotgun might limit the range to closer to 40 yards, but would do less collateral damage downrange. I don't live on a farm, but do live in a rural area. Both of my parents grew up on a farm and a shotgun near the door was SOP to deal with such critters.
 
The gun can do double duty on hogs too with full house loads.
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You are not going to get rid of them hunting them, trapping is more effective and at that point your weak sub loads are still going to do the job.

32F8EC65-42D4-4FC9-9DBD-73F7E879690A.jpeg
 
I'd personally opt for a 22 LR lever gun. Short, lightweight, and accurate enough for what you're wanting. Plus they hold enough ammo you shouldn't have to carry any extra. I've used a Henry 22LR of some sort on the farm for several years now; current one is a Golden Boy. No complaints with it, and I have taken lots of critters with well placed shots out to 75 yards. I have another Henry in 22 WMR also, and I can tell ya; it's loud! That 18" barrel makes a bark, but it does the job just as good as the LR, and I can gain about 25 yards with it. Past 100 yards it don't make a d@mn which one I have, they both have iron sights and I can't see good enough anymore to shoot that far with them. If I'm gonna shoot past that, I'm getting the 25-06.

Mac
 
Fellas for in and around yard buildings including large barns , with maximum range about 60 yards I am looking at some options regards handling incursions by pests, predators, and other malcontents. Smallest game maybe on occasional feral cat, largest feral dogs,...
Click to expand...

Seems to me this is what the 22 mag would be best at.

I would prefer something larger for hogs, etc, but I will note my father took plenty of them along with deer using a 22 mag. For pest and predator elimination at relatively short ranges I'd have no problem using a 22 mag is a rifle length barrel.
 
If you have the need/want for a new rifle, my pick would be the .17 HMR. Coyote skulls are no match out as far as I can see them. Nice flat shooter. If I had a .22 mag, I would consider that a reasonable substitute. The population of a mixed bag of ferals in the area has also been reasonably reduced to tolerable levels.

In a handgun, albeit shorter distances, I'd consider a .22 Ruger MK with a red dot for ease of portability. Mine will do golf balls at 25 yards, so more than accurate enough.
 
For dispatching predators, pests and the like as you have described... I have always gone to my 883SS Marlin .22WMR. It has always proven itself reliable on skunks, feral cats and on the occasional fox that has an appetite for chickens.
 
That .22WMR is ghastly loud, but it's least likely to bounce and tumble. It will hole a medical oxygen tank. . . if that's any use.

The big bore thumpers are civilized quiet, but more likely to tumble and skip off into the distance.

My ideal? An old Savage .22WMR over .410 shotgun. Shotshell or slug for up close, and rifle for varmints out to your ability to see them.
 
I am using a 357 henry single shot with wadcutters loaded backwards , but i just started using it . It's quieter than my 17 hmr or 22 magnum. If something new is an option a 22 hornet can be down loaded , and not as likely to ricochet. Thats been my favorite for coons ,cats, and such .
Are you in Australia ? that would be a whole different set of varmints. And a different set of rules .Mine are all scoped and i use a cyclopse light mounted on the scope . Works well in wyoming .
 
I'm in the .38 camp especially with soft bullets. I've downed enough critters of all sorts at various ranges to not discount it one bit! 9mm carbine is handy too, but I feel the .38 is quieter. Down load a .223 and you'll be good on that front too, but if you are not a handloader then that's a non starter (unless you're just waiting for the excuse to start?;) ) 60 yds is also not impossible for my 10/22 just for the record. A good point was mentioned about ricocheted shots so I'll iterate that I use the softest pills I can for around the yard guns. Scoping any of these options will also increase hit percentage/decrease risk of ricochet as well.
 
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