A utility rifle in .22 Magnum or Hornet?

[Maine Ronin]

The hornet would be fine for a handloading tinkerer but you do say you want a utility rifle. To me that would be one rifle and one load, no tinkering with different sight settings or loads depending on the creature that pops upat any given moment. If it was me id simply pick the 22Mag sight it in and accept the fact that small critters are not gonna be edible and the bigger ones need to hit in the right spot.

Real utility = animal spotted / grab rifle / line up sights / release safety / squeeze trigger / collect your prize

NOT spot animal / grab rifle / select proper load / adjust sights to that load / pray your scope or iron sights are reliably repeatable / squeeze trigger / curse your sights or load for not being set where you thought they should be / readjust the sights / squeeze trigger again.... That's if the critter is still hanging around.

Tinkering with loads and rifles is alot of fun... On the range, not when you need to know that the round you send down range at an animal is gonna hit them where you want and kill them quickly. I'm not a coyote fan but no animal needs to suffer for days from a poorly placed shot before it dies.

This sounds about right. I think I'm sold:

The Rifle

The Load

I'll get a Hornet one of these days. For now I'll keep it simple and combine the above with the Nikon 4x rimfire scope I already have.

Thanks for the help!
Adam

 

[JFrame]

This sounds about right. I think I'm sold:

The Rifle

The Load

I'll get a Hornet one of these days. For now I'll keep it simple and combine the above with the Nikon 4x rimfire scope I already have.

Thanks for the help!
Adam

Congrats on arriving at your answer, Adam!

I've been eyeing the Savage 93 myself...It'll come down to either that or one of the CZ's, I'm guessin' -- but I've heard nothing but good things about the 93, especially at the price!


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[Hocka Louis]

Well of course it was going to be a .22 Mag. It is a clothes-line out to 125 yards and has the same velocity at 100 yards as a .22 LR does at the muzzle!

GREAT choices there.

 

[thralldad]

Look at a Henry lever action in .22WMR.

 

[Picher]

The Savage will probably do just fine.

My CZ loves CCI 30 Grain V-Max rounds. At 2,230 fps, they shoot very flat out to 130 yards. My rifle groups them .4" at 50 yards and 1" at 100 yards. Can't beat it!

JP

 

[Cop Bob]

Great Choices... You should be pleased..

I too have a hankerin for a 22 Hornet, and ONE OF THESE DAYS... I will get one, maybe in a High-Wall or a little Rolling Block... But I think you made the right decision... Good luck, good Shootin...

 

[x_wrench]

22 mag will dispatch a coyote @ 100 yards no problem. it probably won't be a drt, but it will kill him just the same. my choice for the coyote would be the 50 grain federal hp's through the lungs. unless you have a good rest and can shoot it in the head. the lungs are a much larger target, and i have never seen anything live with its lungs full of blood.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Same rifle for squirrels in the bird feeder and coyotes 100 yards away? Pretty tall order.

I'd be using a .22 with CB's or shorts on the squirrels and my .220 Swift on the 'yotes, but that's just me.




............A .22 LR will roll a coyote at 100 yards with good bullet placement.

 

[Clifford]

That Savage is a good looking rifle. Try several makes of ammo and see what it likes.