22 Magnum ammo for large dogs & coyotes

[Dunross]

I have a Savage bolt action 22mag that I inherited from my dad. It has a useful, if not expensive, scope on it and is decently accurate out to 100yds or so. I live in the country on acreage with livestock. I was looking at the rifle the other night and got to thinking I ought to keep it handy for occasional problems with dogs and/or coyotes.

In looking over the ammo offerings I see CCI offers a 40gr JSP at a claimed 1875fps which ought to penetrate well and hopefully expand, and Federal offers a 50gr JHP at a claimed 1530fps. I seem to recall my dad used the Federal load upon a time and had good luck with it.

Which of these two would you choose for the purpose?

Thanks.

 

[Jack Ryan]

CCI, I have a Marlin.

Shooting something 100 yards away is like making the same shot point blank with a 22 LR.

 

[Fyrstyk]

I use the 50 grain Federal loads in my .22 mag for coyotes and it works really well with a well placed shot. Most of my shots at coyotes are under 75 yards, and many under 25 yards. I have never had a shot coyote go more than 30' once hit with this load in the proper location.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

The best coyote medicine is a .30-06 loaded with 150 grain soft tips.

A shot down the middle will clear split them in two. Makes it easier for the other critters to clean em out.

 

[FL-NC]

I have never had any CCI rimfire round that did not perform well in anything I put it in in terms of reliability and accuracy- pistols, revolvers, 22 LR, 22 mag, 17 HMR, and so on. I would get whichever CCI round I could (given our current supply issues), zero it in the rifle, and go to town on them. Just be prepared for a follow-up shot (which you should be doing anyway, no matter what gun you are using). But even if one of those things bolts after a well placed shot is put into it, I don't see it recovering from a sucking chest wound from a 22 mag.

 

[jmorris]

What load shoots the best?

I’ve killed lots of pigs using 40 grain solids in .22lr, so the 40gn solid would be my first pick if there is zero accuracy difference between the two. Unless testing shows the other to be more effective.

 

[Meeks36]

My fil used to poach deer with a 22 mag. Said “he used one cause it wasn’t as loud as centerfire rounds”.Unknown distance.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I have used both 40 grain CCI TMJ and 50 gr Federals on feral hogs. Both worked equally well in that I never lost one. Many claim the 50 gr is superior in both punch and accuracy potential.

I can agree with the accuracy part as the 50 gr Federal has been the most accurate out of every 22 Mag rifle I have shot.

 

[N555]

I have killed lots of coyotes with 22LR shot placement is key.
The only time I dropped one where it stood was about 6ft away, shot it right between the eyes with my screw on suppressed ruger mark4.
Others I pumped full of lead, hit multiple times and they ran 100yd to 1/4 mile.
One died in the middle of my neighbors drive way about 1/4 Mile away, said it looked like it had been shot about 10 times, that's good cause the mag holds 11.
My step brother farmed deer with a 22wmr fired from a rifle, an apple tree and about 40 feet from his mom's house. Now that's my idea of deer hunting. He said they didn't know they had been shot, the furthest one ever ran was to the edge of the field, definitely less than 100ft. Yeah, shot placement.