Caliber question

HALL,AUSTIN · March 23, 2012, 11:18 AM

What is the biggest game you would shoot with a 17hmr, or with a 22mag?

Gen3Glock22 · March 23, 2012, 11:25 AM

The only thing I used my 22 mag for was squirrel hunting. I set it up shooting eggs at 100 yards. My ratt terrier would run the squirrel up the tree then when the squirrel turned back around to chatter at my dog I'd put a cci through it's neck.

Buzzcook · March 23, 2012, 02:00 PM

Depends on the range yada yada.

Anything 50 pounds and under.

okiewita40 · March 23, 2012, 02:49 PM

My uncle used to use a .22 mag for coyote and raccoon's. He was good to about 100 yards but he was a heck of a shot with it.

Doyle · March 23, 2012, 03:26 PM

I've never understood the benefit of hunting with either of them. If it is small game I'm hunting, the standard .22LR kills them just as dead and costs a fraction of what .22Mag and .17HMR costs to shoot. If it is bigger than true small game, then I'll pull out a centerfire caliber. I just can't see the niche benefit of either caliber.

Art Eatman · March 23, 2012, 05:19 PM

For me, a coyote would be the largest, and even then, fairly close in. 50 or 75 yards, maybe, I dunno.

Hansam · March 23, 2012, 07:38 PM

I shoot the following: raccoon, coyote and like sized game - 100yds max for .22WMR and 17HMR.

Anything bigger gets a centerfire cartridge. Anything smaller (rabbits, squirrels etc.) and I scale down to .22lr (and if we're really close even .22short).

All varmints that end up in my traps around the garden, coop and house leave by way of a single .22short from my Single Six.

farmerboy · March 24, 2012, 03:47 AM

A deer if its all I had and I never understood getting one either. They are both rather expensive and a 22 LR will do everything both of them will do and alot cheaper. I dont know maybe its just me.

Jezz · March 24, 2012, 04:59 AM

fox or similar. the 17 and 22mag have there place. 22 starts to lose its sting at about 80m or so. 17hmr is a deadly accurate rabbit/ fox gun to 150m or so. great caliber. i didn't see there worth either till i tried one, defiantly worth a look

Jack O'Conner · March 24, 2012, 11:26 AM

If it were legal, I'd consider taking deer with my 22 MAG. Brain shot at distances out to 75 yards or so would be lethal. But I'm a lawful sportsman and will not hunt deer with a banned rimfire cartridge such as 22MAG. It comes down to ethics and sportsmanship.

22MAG hits like a little grenade and kills far better than mere paper charts would suggest. Very deadly on coyotes, turkeys, etc.

Jack

BIG P · March 24, 2012, 01:54 PM

Coyote,groundhog & beaver mostly.And once or twice a year a Gator would be the biggest thing but only to finish him off.

PawPaw · March 24, 2012, 02:18 PM

If you watch the show, Swamp People, we learn that the .22 LR is the universal round for dispatching grumpy alligators. Now, skins are important to those hunters and they're killed at bad-breath distance, but all those folks wouldn't use that caliber if it weren't effective.

farmerboy · March 24, 2012, 05:38 PM

And people are talking about killing animals humanly and ethical? Coyotes with a 22 mag??? Yes it will, it will also kill elephants too but after a coyote runs off and dies 20 minutes later. For coyotes I like a 223 or bigger. But I'd have to question a 22 mag 9 out of 10 shots.

Creek Henry · March 24, 2012, 07:15 PM

The Great Ross Seyfried said he used the .22mag on game up to 50 lbs. I cannot argue with that. Range is its enemy though. Past 125 yards it becomes the same as a 22lr at 40 yards. I've killed quite a few things with my automag II and I just adore that cartridge for hunting small game.

Art Eatman · March 24, 2012, 08:39 PM

A .22 Mag on a coyote for a head shot within the accuracy distance of the rifle oughta ruin Wily pretty much right then and there. I'd stay close to my 50-yard comment, though...

farmerboy · March 24, 2012, 10:44 PM

yes a 22 mag would do a number to wiley with a head shot, humane kill? most of the times not but yes it would drop one. also how many people would make a head shot also at 50 yards? even a 22 lr would ruin wileys day at 100 yards also. Not saying you cant do a number on animals with that small caliber but just stating a 22 lr can really do the same and then we are also back and fourth about being humane or not. what is a box of 22 mag bullets run now? around 12 dollars or so, and same for the 17 and 22 lr bullets are around 2.50 or 3 dollars? I will continue to shoot the 22 lr. Sorry OP for getting off track!

hornetguy · March 24, 2012, 11:07 PM

The .22 mag will kill smaller varmint sized animals much more decisively than the .22 lr. I've shot big Texas jackrabbits with .22 lr's in nearly every kind of situation you can imagine, and believe it is marginal for them. I've seen many big jacks take multiple hits and keep on moving, sometimes up to 100yds.
I have also shot them with a moderate load in the .22 Hornet, which should be slightly better than the hottest .22 magnum loads. The Hornet just slaps em down, leaving a half-dollar sized hole out the back side.
I wouldn't hesitate to use the mag on a coyote, out to 50, maybe 75 yards. To say the .22 lr will do anything the mag will do is just wrong, in my opinion, of course.

huntinaz · March 24, 2012, 11:47 PM

Cotote/javelina/bobcat, choosing shots carefully. I stepped up to a 22 Hornet as a minimum caliber for these game though. 22mag is too big for small game but light for bigger stuff. Capable, but light. In my experience anyway. I killed my first coyote with a 22 mag. ~75 yards in the neck, did the trick.

farmerboy · March 24, 2012, 11:58 PM

Yes I'd shoot a coyote with a 22 lr even at 100 yards. I probably killed more whitetail than most and killed many out to 100 yards with a 22 lr and hit in the head they went down instantly. Not dead, just paralyzed them until I cut their throats. But yes it did get them.

sharpie443 · March 25, 2012, 12:18 AM

coyote is the biggest thing i would shoot with a .22 mag. I don't own a .17 HMR but I don't like hunting anything other than squirrels with those small calibers. I ground hog hunt with a .223 and my normal coyote gun is my 30-30 lever action. The small caliber guns are deadly and not a toy by any means but I just prefer to use them to kill empty can, paper and the odd rodent. Leave the serious hunting for the bigger calibers. No point in risking wounding an animal if you don't have to.

Goatwhiskers · March 25, 2012, 10:51 AM

Coons, possums, armadillos, little bitty birds. Use enough gun!! Diplomatic I ain't. Goat

BIG P · March 25, 2012, 10:51 AM

I have shot several hogs up to about 160lbs. with a 22Mag.
My buddy using a 22lr we scraped the bullets of the side of its head that just broke the skin & flattened out.

IMO the 22LR. does not match the killing power of the 22mag or the 17HMR. Really not even close.

AS for price, if you cant afford the ammo You cant afford the rifle.

Irish B · March 26, 2012, 01:40 AM

I've killed several hundred cows, bulls, and pigs with a .22 mag. But that was nearly point blank when I worked at a meat shop. May not be the answer you're looking for but a .22 mag is very effective at killing even very large bulls

L_Killkenny · March 26, 2012, 03:40 PM

What I would "shoot" with one is liable to be a longer list than what I willd HUNT with one. Case in point I'd never take a rimfire coyote hunting but I'll dang well shoot one given about any opprotunity with any thing I have with me. Also, the list of what I'd "shoot" with one is gonna look very similer to a .22lr.

Shoot = coyotes on down
Hunt = coon on down.

LK

HALL,AUSTIN · March 26, 2012, 06:52 PM

I know that bullets lose power the further they go, so I dont want to maime the animals. I usually just plink up a storm. I have a shotgun I varmint hunt with, slugs out far(ish) and #4 buck up close. I hunt dense brush, so not too many long shots. Just wondering what is a clean kill, not just a "well, I hit it, so it will probably die" shot. Even coyotes and coons deserve a quick, clean kill.

March 23, 2012, 11:18 AM	#1
HALL,AUSTIN Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2011 Location: asheville north carolina Posts: 556	Caliber question What is the biggest game you would shoot with a 17hmr, or with a 22mag?

March 23, 2012, 07:38 PM	#7
Hansam Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2012 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 763	I shoot the following: raccoon, coyote and like sized game - 100yds max for .22WMR and 17HMR. Anything bigger gets a centerfire cartridge. Anything smaller (rabbits, squirrels etc.) and I scale down to .22lr (and if we're really close even .22short). All varmints that end up in my traps around the garden, coop and house leave by way of a single .22short from my Single Six. __________________ This is who we are, what we do.

March 24, 2012, 11:26 AM	#10
Jack O'Conner Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2005 Location: Manatee County, Florida Posts: 1,976	If it were legal, I'd consider taking deer with my 22 MAG. Brain shot at distances out to 75 yards or so would be lethal. But I'm a lawful sportsman and will not hunt deer with a banned rimfire cartridge such as 22MAG. It comes down to ethics and sportsmanship. 22MAG hits like a little grenade and kills far better than mere paper charts would suggest. Very deadly on coyotes, turkeys, etc. Jack __________________ Fire up the grill! Deer hunting IS NOT catch and release.

March 24, 2012, 02:18 PM	#12
PawPaw Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Central Louisiana Posts: 3,137	If you watch the show, Swamp People, we learn that the .22 LR is the universal round for dispatching grumpy alligators. Now, skins are important to those hunters and they're killed at bad-breath distance, but all those folks wouldn't use that caliber if it weren't effective. __________________ Dennis Dezendorf http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com

March 24, 2012, 11:07 PM	#17
hornetguy Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2011 Location: on the north side of DFW Posts: 970	The .22 mag will kill smaller varmint sized animals much more decisively than the .22 lr. I've shot big Texas jackrabbits with .22 lr's in nearly every kind of situation you can imagine, and believe it is marginal for them. I've seen many big jacks take multiple hits and keep on moving, sometimes up to 100yds. I have also shot them with a moderate load in the .22 Hornet, which should be slightly better than the hottest .22 magnum loads. The Hornet just slaps em down, leaving a half-dollar sized hole out the back side. I wouldn't hesitate to use the mag on a coyote, out to 50, maybe 75 yards. To say the .22 lr will do anything the mag will do is just wrong, in my opinion, of course. __________________ I always felt that if I got to the point where I thought it was time to bury my firearms, it was actually time to pick them up..

March 23, 2012, 11:25 AM	#2
Gen3Glock22 Member Join Date: March 13, 2012 Posts: 59	The only thing I used my 22 mag for was squirrel hunting. I set it up shooting eggs at 100 yards. My ratt terrier would run the squirrel up the tree then when the squirrel turned back around to chatter at my dog I'd put a cci through it's neck.

March 23, 2012, 02:00 PM	#3
Buzzcook Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 6,126	Depends on the range yada yada. Anything 50 pounds and under.

March 23, 2012, 02:49 PM	#4
okiewita40 Senior Member Join Date: June 11, 2007 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 409	My uncle used to use a .22 mag for coyote and raccoon's. He was good to about 100 yards but he was a heck of a shot with it. __________________ What on god's green earth do you think your doing?

March 23, 2012, 03:26 PM	#5
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	I've never understood the benefit of hunting with either of them. If it is small game I'm hunting, the standard .22LR kills them just as dead and costs a fraction of what .22Mag and .17HMR costs to shoot. If it is bigger than true small game, then I'll pull out a centerfire caliber. I just can't see the niche benefit of either caliber.

March 23, 2012, 05:19 PM	#6
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	For me, a coyote would be the largest, and even then, fairly close in. 50 or 75 yards, maybe, I dunno.

March 24, 2012, 03:47 AM	#8
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	A deer if its all I had and I never understood getting one either. They are both rather expensive and a 22 LR will do everything both of them will do and alot cheaper. I dont know maybe its just me.

March 24, 2012, 04:59 AM	#9
Jezz Member Join Date: June 3, 2009 Location: South Australia Posts: 72	fox or similar. the 17 and 22mag have there place. 22 starts to lose its sting at about 80m or so. 17hmr is a deadly accurate rabbit/ fox gun to 150m or so. great caliber. i didn't see there worth either till i tried one, defiantly worth a look

March 24, 2012, 01:54 PM	#11
BIG P Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 1,679	Coyote,groundhog & beaver mostly.And once or twice a year a Gator would be the biggest thing but only to finish him off.

March 24, 2012, 05:38 PM	#13
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	And people are talking about killing animals humanly and ethical? Coyotes with a 22 mag??? Yes it will, it will also kill elephants too but after a coyote runs off and dies 20 minutes later. For coyotes I like a 223 or bigger. But I'd have to question a 22 mag 9 out of 10 shots.

March 24, 2012, 07:15 PM	#14
Creek Henry Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2009 Location: Dallas Posts: 514	The Great Ross Seyfried said he used the .22mag on game up to 50 lbs. I cannot argue with that. Range is its enemy though. Past 125 yards it becomes the same as a 22lr at 40 yards. I've killed quite a few things with my automag II and I just adore that cartridge for hunting small game.

March 24, 2012, 08:39 PM	#15
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	A .22 Mag on a coyote for a head shot within the accuracy distance of the rifle oughta ruin Wily pretty much right then and there. I'd stay close to my 50-yard comment, though...

March 24, 2012, 10:44 PM	#16
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	yes a 22 mag would do a number to wiley with a head shot, humane kill? most of the times not but yes it would drop one. also how many people would make a head shot also at 50 yards? even a 22 lr would ruin wileys day at 100 yards also. Not saying you cant do a number on animals with that small caliber but just stating a 22 lr can really do the same and then we are also back and fourth about being humane or not. what is a box of 22 mag bullets run now? around 12 dollars or so, and same for the 17 and 22 lr bullets are around 2.50 or 3 dollars? I will continue to shoot the 22 lr. Sorry OP for getting off track!

March 24, 2012, 11:47 PM	#18
huntinaz Senior Member Join Date: September 21, 2010 Location: az Posts: 1,332	Cotote/javelina/bobcat, choosing shots carefully. I stepped up to a 22 Hornet as a minimum caliber for these game though. 22mag is too big for small game but light for bigger stuff. Capable, but light. In my experience anyway. I killed my first coyote with a 22 mag. ~75 yards in the neck, did the trick. __________________ "When there’s lead in the air, there’s hope in the heart”- Hunter’s Proverb "Feed me, or feed me to something. I just want to be part of the food chain." -Al Bundy

March 24, 2012, 11:58 PM	#19
farmerboy Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,343	Yes I'd shoot a coyote with a 22 lr even at 100 yards. I probably killed more whitetail than most and killed many out to 100 yards with a 22 lr and hit in the head they went down instantly. Not dead, just paralyzed them until I cut their throats. But yes it did get them.

March 25, 2012, 12:18 AM	#20
sharpie443 Member Join Date: March 25, 2012 Posts: 80	coyote is the biggest thing i would shoot with a .22 mag. I don't own a .17 HMR but I don't like hunting anything other than squirrels with those small calibers. I ground hog hunt with a .223 and my normal coyote gun is my 30-30 lever action. The small caliber guns are deadly and not a toy by any means but I just prefer to use them to kill empty can, paper and the odd rodent. Leave the serious hunting for the bigger calibers. No point in risking wounding an animal if you don't have to.

March 25, 2012, 10:51 AM	#21
Goatwhiskers Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2009 Location: Batchelor, La. Posts: 579	Coons, possums, armadillos, little bitty birds. Use enough gun!! Diplomatic I ain't. Goat

March 26, 2012, 01:40 AM	#23
Irish B Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 359	I've killed several hundred cows, bulls, and pigs with a .22 mag. But that was nearly point blank when I worked at a meat shop. May not be the answer you're looking for but a .22 mag is very effective at killing even very large bulls __________________ If a man hasn't found something worth dying for, he isn't fit to live

March 26, 2012, 03:40 PM	#24
L_Killkenny Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,676	What I would "shoot" with one is liable to be a longer list than what I willd HUNT with one. Case in point I'd never take a rimfire coyote hunting but I'll dang well shoot one given about any opprotunity with any thing I have with me. Also, the list of what I'd "shoot" with one is gonna look very similer to a .22lr. Shoot = coyotes on down Hunt = coon on down. LK

March 26, 2012, 06:52 PM	#25
HALL,AUSTIN Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2011 Location: asheville north carolina Posts: 556	I know that bullets lose power the further they go, so I dont want to maime the animals. I usually just plink up a storm. I have a shotgun I varmint hunt with, slugs out far(ish) and #4 buck up close. I hunt dense brush, so not too many long shots. Just wondering what is a clean kill, not just a "well, I hit it, so it will probably die" shot. Even coyotes and coons deserve a quick, clean kill.