FL-NC
Member
For coyotes and smaller at 60 yards and less, I would use my 22 mag.
Which rifle for farm yards? 44, 357 or 22WMR?
- Thread starter trekker73
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Sneakshot92
Member
I'd actually take a Henry 357 lever action and load it up with some 38 special +p loads for your needs. I've used a 357 revolver for similar pest control around farm buildings with excellent results with just about any 357 cowboy load albeit at slightly closer ranges. They well for raccoon, opossum, fox and even coyotes. Although i'll admit that In the last couple years i've started drilling small hollow point holes in the tip of the 158 gr rnfp SNS cast bullets that I use in my cowboy loads to help expend more energy into my targets and reduce overpenetration. I don't want to patch holes either!!
12 ga slugs for cats to 65 yards... thats pretty hard core. Im trying to gom a bit quieter than that.
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codytrucker
Member
You can make some quiet loads for your 357 if you have access to trailboss powder . Quieter than a 22 mag. and harder hitting , too.
Thanks for all the replies. What I am picking up from this is
1. Ricochets with the big chunks of lead.
2. 22 WMR has more power and utility than I realised
3. Quite a few suggestions for the 22's, loaded down 357/9mm level but none for the 44
I might try and line up a 22WMR and 357 reduced loads side by side and see how they sound.
1. Ricochets with the big chunks of lead.
2. 22 WMR has more power and utility than I realised
3. Quite a few suggestions for the 22's, loaded down 357/9mm level but none for the 44
I might try and line up a 22WMR and 357 reduced loads side by side and see how they sound.
Fine Figure of a Man
Member
My first choice is .17HMR but nothing wrong with 22lr. I use them both frequently.
Ironhand54
Member
Another vote for a Savage O/U. A 22lr with subsonics is very quiet from a rifle barrel. The range of available ammo makes it very versatile.
For the Shotgun there is another plus. From rats to Zombies, varmints rarely stand still. Especially the feathered kind. The shotgun makes moving targets easier to hit.
Just my 2 cents worth
Ironhand
For the Shotgun there is another plus. From rats to Zombies, varmints rarely stand still. Especially the feathered kind. The shotgun makes moving targets easier to hit.
Just my 2 cents worth
Ironhand
Mossberg 500 pump .410? This eliminates danger of ricochet. Depending upon the choice of ammo can kill most any sort of feral or nuisance creatures needing dispatched including skunks, raccoons, rats, mice, pigeons, starlings, venomous snakes etc. A Henry 22WMR would be a good choice for a little more range, especially if slightly larger feral creatures need dispatching to happier places.
The 410 Mossberg 500 is a good one. I upgraded from the Savage 22lr/410 and the old single shot 410 to a Mossberg 500 410 in 1985. I still have and use that Mossberg to this day. Along with farm duty, it has also been my go to hunting shotgun for all my small game hunting.
As far as using buckshot, I have found that 00 buck works best with the 24" full choke barrel while 000 buck works best with the 18.5" cylinder bore barrel. My 410 Mossberg 500 is currently set up for home defense with the 18.5" barrel and loaded with 3" 000 buckshot loads. The 3" buckshot shells work great for bigger vermin (2 and 4 leg)
Armored farmer
Member
It's pretty hard to beat the ol' ruger Super Single Six. It will shoot anything from. .22cb to .22mag.
Garandimal
member
Legionnaire
Contributing Member
Perhaps we need a Single Six club ...
Armored farmer
Member
You start it.
I'll add the first three.!
Gordon
Member
I'm back on big ranches lately. All though my Remington model 25 pump in .25-20 is perfect all the guys use a .22 mag rifle with a low power scope for the work your talking about. I tried everything mentioned and more like a .30 carbine . The real cowboys and ranchers seem to like .22 mag.
Demi-human
maybe likes firearms a little bit…
Shot a weasel in the face once, "charmed" him with the barrel of my 10/22 for about a minute before I pulled the trigger figured I was helping prove Darwinism...... muzzle wasn't 12" from him........he MAY have preferred the gonads either way.......If I were the weasel, I’d much rather be shot in the face...
Are these rifles you already own? If so, you probably are not going to be carrying it around with you all the time anyway. We have critter problems from time to time as well, and usually there is a ruckus that alerts us to the problem. We put a rack by the back door. There is a shotgun, an open sighted 22 rifle, a scoped 22. Rifle, and a scoped high power rifle. We grab the appropriate tool for the job at hand.
Now, if you are looking to make a new purchase and don't currently have any of those, I would go with a 22 rifle. Less damage to things you might hit that you don't want to hit.
They are rifles in the family which I had available to borrow. 357 lever for the record is what I decided on. 22LR was already in use, too light for the task, which can include large feral hounds. I dont like wounding things or having dogs with bullet holes making it onto other properties, bad juju.
HogRider666
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Hello Trekker, we live on a small farm in the middle of a large state forest,we have lots of pests from rabbits eating our veggies to wild dogs or foxes trying to get our chickens or lambs. I have a selection of rifles and shotguns, but for work like you described I like my Japchester ‘92, for most work .38 special is great, but if more is needed its easy to slip in a .357 mag. The .38 is pretty quiet.
Having owned multiple rifles/carbines in each caliber, I like the 22 WMR for the original scenario.
My CZ 452 Lux 22 mag is 1-1/2 moa accurate and the 25" barrel really tones down the noise.
50 and 45 grain ammo is especially quiet.
Long and light and really nice open sights make it my best offhand shooter.
My CZ 452 Lux 22 mag is 1-1/2 moa accurate and the 25" barrel really tones down the noise.
50 and 45 grain ammo is especially quiet.
Long and light and really nice open sights make it my best offhand shooter.
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