Bullets for small game and pests?

[White Stallion]

I have a .22 lr and I want to know what type od bullets should I get for shooting small birds,squirrel, chipmunk, groundhog, and other small game and pests? Please help because theres hundreds of types out in the stores and on the web and I just want to get the right kind.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Bacically anything with 22lr marked on the box will work just fine , excluding shotshells.

 

[griz]

I like the remington subsonic hollowpoint for small game. It is quiet, accurate, and has enough punch for anything up to rabbit. Most 22 LR will be on the light side for groundhog though.

 

[borrowedtime69]

my one and only choice for small game/varmints

my ammo of choice for 4 of my hunting guns, both pistols and a rifle is CCI Mini-mag Hollow points. ive used them to take prairie dogs, squirrel, rabbit, sparrows and even a 44 lb beaver! they are reliable, accurate, hard hitting, and expand very well. you can get them for about $4 for a box of 100. another good thing about the CCI Mini-mags is that they are copper washed, which will cut down on the lead build up in your barrel.

Ive used Remington sub sonic before on marmot (woodchucks in the mountains) and it got away after two head shots. they can be accurate, but i dont trust them for anything bigger than a cottontail rabbit.

for a cheaper ammo, that works ok, if you find CCI to be too expensive, try Winchester Dynapoints, 40 grain HP, find them at Walmart 500 rounds for about $10

My advise, do not use solid /round nose bullets on any game, it just doesnt anchor them . always try to use Hollow points on any game you shoot. they transfer the terminal energy of the bullet into the animal much better.

STAY AWAY FROM Remington Thunderbolts!!!!! they are the dirtiest ammo this side of Hell if you get my meaning.

Good luck with your 20 ga from the other threads, and your .22 LR ! -Eric

 

[redneck2]

+1

No, not every load is fine. Follow the above advice, at least for groundhogs.

Subsonics are great for chiprats, birds, etc.

 

[bernie]

Well, I guess that this shows that everyone has their own opinion. I do not like hollow points in a .22LR as I think they mess up too much meat. I like standard velocity loads like Winchester T22. Properly hit, any small game hit with one will be properly anchored. That said, I have a little device that allows me to flatten the nose of .22 bullets and makes them a sort of wadcutter, and it helps. It surely does cut a nice clean in and out whole just like the critter was hit with a hole punch.

 

[whiskey]

I use winchester super-x. They seem to be very accurate in all my .22's. I use a SGB tool to flatten the nose of the solid for hunting. I use the hollow points for pest.

If you don't want to spend 40 bucks on the tool, try these to save meat.

 

[White Stallion]

CCI stingers?

I'm looking into buying the CCI stingers, would they have enough stopping power for the game listed above?

 

[stevelyn]

CCI Stingers definitely have enough thump for everything you've listed, but the 32 gr bullet may be a little too frangible for the groundhog.

Problem with Stingers though is they're notorious for sporadic accuracy.

Something like the CCI Velocitor might be more appropriate for chucks. I've killed three pitbulls with these things......they hit like tiny sledge hammers.

I do fine with bulk Remington and Federal 36 gr HPs for tundra rats and other vermin.
If I'm trying to minimize meat or fur damage I use shorts.

If you need to smack things quietly at shorter range (25 yrds and under) check out the Aguila Super Colibris.

 

[30-06 lover]

The best hunting/killing 22 LR round IMO is the CCI Mini-Mag HP. The CCI Velocitor is also a great round for 22 because it is a fast 40 gold dot 22 round. I have taken coyotes with it.

 

[osteodoc08]

CCI Mini-mags and CCI Velocitor (if I had a choice), but just about any 22 ammo will work for your intended target.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

if you find CCI to be too expensive, try Winchester Dynapoints, 40 grain HP, find them at Walmart 500 rounds for about $10

That's what I use -- and they make a fine squirrel round.

 

[22-rimfire]

Use the LR hollow point round that shoots best in your rifle or handgun. IF you hunt or shoot groundhogs with a 22, take only head shots or they will run and get back in their hole (unless you don't care, I do). I used to shoot quite a few groundhogs with the mighty 22 with a rifle and good 4x scope combination. If you think the target is too small in the 4x scope, then you are probably trying to shoot too far at least with wood chucks. I always aimed for an eye or an ear and usually hit where I aimed... dead wood chuck! Lots of fun trying to get within 50 yds to take the shot. Long shots... get a center fire rifle.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

For groundhogs, I'd rather use something with a bit more zip -- a .22 Mag or .22 Hornet.

 

[BIGR]

Hollowpoints for the groundhogs. I have had good luck with the CCI shells.

 

[MCgunner]

I have one gun, a Ruger 10-22, that will shoot Stingers accurately, but not the most accurate in the gun, I'll group 'em around 2" at 50 yards iron sighted, though, and that's adequate for anything I hunt. My other three .22s don't like 'em and I only have one handgun that likes 'em. My favorite is CCI mini mag, but I haven't tried the velocitors. On squirrels, I just use federal solids. Even CCI CB Shorts is fine out of my Remington, but they'll have a lot of drop at 50 yards. Federal solids don't mess up Squirrel meat. They don't take that much to kill, have used an air gun for the job.

 

[Art Eatman]

I don't know if the 10/22 is anomalous about being finicky as to what ammo you feed it, but the only ammo with which I could get tight groups was the QuickShok. Most other of a half-dozen brands/types didn't group, they patterned.

However, I have an old Walther Model 2 that doesn't care what is shot through it. Everything stays inside a quarter at around 40 yards.

IOW, check for reliable accuracy as well as effectiveness for the kill.

Art

 

[MEDDAC19]

Not to be a wet blanket here, but many states do not allow the shooting of small birds and chipmunks. Squirrels and groundhogs are considered game and have specific seasons when they can be hunted. Make sure you have a hunting license and you are shooting the right critters at the right time.

 

[Bill2k1]

CCI ammo is so expensive, buy 1 box of each of the bulk brands and see what ones your gun shoots the best, then when they go on sale, buy a ton. I have a browning semi that loves thunderbolts, I use CCI in my 22 handgun. 22 ammo you have to go out and try.

 

[MCgunner]

My 10-22 ain't that bad. It shoots okay, though no tack driver for sure. My old Remington bolt gun, M512X will group an inch and a half at 100 yards on a windless day and I am not exaggerating. At 50 yards, a squirrel's head is no challange. I'd class the 10-22 in the "plinker" category of guns, which is a shame considering its price. My old Model 152 Mossberg autoloader will out shoot it. A Marlin M60 will outshoot and it can be had cheaper. When I bought it, I expected it wouldn't be a target gun, but I expected a little more accuracy than I got. Of course, I've not yet put a scope on it. It will put 'em under an inch with most ammo at 25 yards and the sights ain't that great and my eyes are 53 years old. So, I reckon that's okay. I should scope it before I pass too poor a judgement on it.

 

[White Stallion]

what about scopes?

I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy alot of bulk ammo and see what one works best. But for the game I listed above should I put a scope on my .22? Because I put one on my Crosman Quest air rifle and it shot about 4-5" gropus at about 10 feet! That in NOT an exxageration either.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

what about scopes?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy alot of bulk ammo and see what one works best. But for the game I listed above should I put a scope on my .22? Because I put one on my Crosman Quest air rifle and it shot about 4-5" gropus at about 10 feet! That in NOT an exxageration either.

For serious hunting, a scope is just about a necessity. I know a few people who hunt with peep sights (I do myself now and then) but very few serious squirrel hunters, for example, rely on open sights.

 

[MCgunner]

Sounds like you put a cheap scope/mount on that air rifle. I can cover a 50 yard group out of my Remington with a dime. I couldn't cover it with a half dollar, likely, with my old eyes and irons at that range. Even my serious hunting pistol (Contender) has a scope on it. It'll shoot better than a lot of rifles, but the shooter has to have a good rest and do their part.

I have hunted squirrel with a receiver peep, pretty accurate. But, even when I was young, if I was serious about getting squirrels, I'd take my scoped Remington.

 

[Clark]

Art Eatman

I don't know if the 10/22 is anomalous about being finicky as to what ammo you feed it, but the only ammo with which I could get tight groups was the QuickShok. Most other of a half-dozen brands/types didn't group, they patterned.

22LR Quickshok are devastating on game.
Much more than 17HMR on ground squirrels, for half the money.

 

[MCgunner]

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