Need varmint caliber reloadable for nutria rats

[Dr.Rob]

Those varmint grenade bullets are amazing, but watch out if you plan on running them through an AR-style rifle. Those fast twist 1/7 barrels will blow those lightweight bullets apart as they leave the barrel. You want a slow 1/12 twist barrel for those ultra light 22 bullets.

As for quiet I believe supressors are legal in Louisiana.

CZ makes a FINE bolt action carbine in 22 Hornet (CZ 527).

 

[helotaxi]

Those varmint grenade bullets are amazing, but watch out if you plan on running them through an AR-style rifle. Those fast twist 1/7 barrels will blow those lightweight bullets apart as they leave the barrel.

The 30gn, maybe, since they're designed for the Hornet. The problem is the velocity, not the twist. The 36gn hold together just fine with pretty hot loads in a 1:7 AR, speaking from experience. They shoot better than FMJs but not as good as match bullets.

 

[precisionrifle14]

I vote .22-250, or maybe get the mossberg mvp rifle and buy some surplus 5.56 ammo.

 

[Abel]

I would go with a 22 Hornet.

 

[Art Eatman]

An American Rifleman article from years back stated that in the .22 Hornet, ricochets were far more likely from hollow-points than from soft-points. Flat-angle shooting around water, I'd suggest the .223 with light-weight bullets.

 

[rori]

I like the varmint grenade bullets also. The 223 can be loaded down to preety slow velocities and its a round I would suggest. I bet with trailboss it would be very quiet and still kill those damn nutria. I shoot them with a longbow and fish arrows. Boy does that piss them off, but when they die I have a cord attached to pull them in with. We kill them here for the same reason you do they cause tons of damage and are not a game animal so there is no limit or season on them. They are like the hog of the waterways. FRJ

 

[redneck2]

I've got a Ruger 77/22 in .22 Hornet, an AR in .223, a CZ in .204, and a Rem 700 VS in 22-250. Wouldn't cost me any more or less to pull one than another from the safe.

For what you want, hands down it would be the Hornet. You get all the velocity you need with WAY less noise. A pound of H-110 will load nearly 600 rounds. I've only shot ten rounds thru it, but it's a sweet shooter.

A .22 Hornet gets +/- 3,000fps with 12 grains of powder, the .223 gets about 3,300 with 26 grains, and the 22-250 gets about 3,800 fps with 38 grains. That's a considerable difference in cost, barrel life, and particularly sound level.

HTH

 

[SHR970]

22 hornet, 218 bee, 25-20, 30 carbine, or 32-20. 32 H&R, 327 or 357 with cast bullets and faster burning powders (mid range loads) out of a lever rifle will also be cost effective and not too hard on the ears. Any of these will produce moderate power levels that won't vaporize the the animal and destroy the hide.

 

[Moose1995]

What helotaxi and rori said. 223 w/ varmint grenade. Cheap, not as loud as the 22-250, and you may not even have to cut those tails off anymore.....when they blow up the tail may be all thats left! (watch some of those prairie dog vids on youtube and you'll see what I mean)

 

[snakeman]

i would just use 223 or 22 mag or 357 rifle maybe a 22-250 or 204

 

[ricebasher302]

There's also the brand new .17 Hornet. That could work.

 

[claiborne]

19 badger

best little varmint round I have ever used is the 19 badger developed by James Calhoon in Havre, Montana. It is a 30 carbine brass necked to .19. Shoots 32 gr double hollow point bullets at 3700 fps. this round evaporates oranges, eggs, squirrels, rock chucks, prairie dogs...... i am sure it will do the trick on nutria.
http://www.jamescalhoon.com/19caliber.php

 

[garyhan]

My top three choices would be 5.7x28, .17 hornet, and .22 hornet.

gary

 

[PapaG]

I've been playing with cast bullets in my .222 Remington. 55grain gc bullet out of a Lyman mould. Working toward somewhere around 1500 fps out of my 24V Savage. Should be quite quiet (relatively) and work on smaller varmints like the nutria (I don't have them but have a cousin working over my trees along the creek through my hunting land.)

 

[MCgunner]

Another vote for .22 hornet. .223 is probably going to be too loud. One can EASILY handload .22 hornet down to .22LR levels if need be and not have too much space in the case. There are other old .22 rounds like .218 Bee or .219 zipper, but brass and even ammo can be found for the Hornet. The others are pretty dead.

 

[kevo060654]

What about 17 ackley hornet? VERY cheap to load, not noisy, outstanding accuracy to 150m, flat shooting, fun to shoot, no recoil and deadly on any animal that size. If you don't want to build one, then check out what is for sale around the place.

 

[BCRider]

Sounds like a lot of nice options. Those varmint grenade frangible bullets sitting in front of a reduced or lower power powder from any number of smaller casings sounds great. Going back to Manithree's post;

I'm not expert. In fact I just reloaded my first rifle rounds last month with my son. But they were .22-250, and with Trail Boss, they were fairly quiet, almost no recoil, accurate, and the starting load was just a hair faster than most .22 wmr.

is a nice example of what can be done with a lower power powder like this.

From the sounds of it another thing you'll want is to select a casing and the bullets that allows you to reload using a progressive press. From what I've heard these stupid nutrias are so plentiful that it's very much a target rich environment.

The folks that introduced them to the country should have been strung up. And that includes the silly authourities that initially allowed a whole new species to be imported.

I'm not a hunter myself but having seen those things I'd soon turn into one. I'd quite enjoy keeping their population down given the damage they are doing.

Which, come to think of it, might not be a bad idea for a holiday ! ! ! ! !

By the way, I'm a bit confused. You mention .22LR then talk about .22WMR. WHich is it you're using? If you're able to take these things down reliably with .22LR then there is simply no way you can reload anything for that price. The bullet alone will cost you more than a round of .22LR.

 

[jehu]

I have killed Hundreds of Nutria in the Blackwater Refuge area in Maryland and did it very well with a Volquartsen 22mag loaded with CCI 40gr solids. IMO any center fire caliber is way overkill for this use when the 22mag can get the job done up to 175yds.WMR ammo is not expensive and the round is fun to shoot.

 

[Clipper]

Savage makes that funny-looking bolt rifle for the 5.7x28 round that might be fun.

 

[Float Pilot]

22 HORNET

With the introduction of Lil-Gun powder the 22 Hornet has a new lease on life.
And it is fairly quite to shoot.

Plus you can get away with some odd bullet combos due to the lower pressures.

 

[wleggart]

.17M2

why would you reload when you can buy for less than $10 for 50. Very accurate, and not too loud. perfect Nutria medicine.

 

[Sniper66]

Bull,

You are getting some good advice here. I shoot lots of prairie dogs and need to be thoughtful about ricochet, so I always shoot V-max that disintegrate even if I hit a blade or 2 of grass. Plus they really blow up on impact withthe target. Another thought...you will never be able to reload .223 or .22 Hornet cheaper than you can buy .22 mags. But, if you want a .22 Hornet, it would be perfect for your shooting. Yes, it uses minimal powder, but brass, bullets, and primers are no cheaper. And finally, the .17HMR is a good round, but I would want a bit heavier bullet for your targets. That 17gr bullet is speedy and hard hitting and I have killed lots of prairie dogs and squirrels with both of mine, but it is inadequate for larger prey. Oh it will kill them, but not with the resounding whack you would want. And I would recommend a Ruger 77 .22 Hornet. With the one I shot, I hit targets well over 100 yards and hit them hard, which is what you want. TOM

 

[SHR970]

Unless you are a veteran reloader, skip the 5.7X28. This cartridge is very sensitive to small variations in powder charge, component change, and seating depth. The brass has a small neck vs. diameter (.181 vs. .224), a small sharp shoulder (35 degrees) and can be a PIA to get a bullet to hold properly much like the 7.62 X 25 round along with crushed shoulders ,etc.

 

[CollinLeon]

Another thought...you will never be able to reload .223 or .22 Hornet cheaper than you can buy .22 mags.

If you want *cheap*, you want a caliber for which you can cast bullets. The .22WRM is going for about $10-12 per box of 50, right? That's $4 per 20... You can cast and reload certain calibers for that price...

 

[helotaxi]

Except that every cast bullet out there is a severe ricochet hazard.