December 21, 2010, 10:13 PM | #1 |
Member
Join Date: November 9, 2010
Location: Wichita, KS
Posts: 21
|
Small game hunting
So I have been thinking about starting to hunt small game and need some opinions on small calibers, i.e. .22lr, .17 HMR, .22 mag?, rifle recommendations would also be appreciated, looking for bolt or single shot.
Which of these small calibers is the best for small game i.e. squirrel, rabbit. Also what are the largest animals *recommended* that these calibers can take?
__________________
Non Timebo Mala |
December 21, 2010, 10:23 PM | #2 |
Member
Join Date: June 15, 2010
Location: Missouri
Posts: 46
|
.22lr is good for anything up to racoon. I've used .22lr on coyotes before but I usually wouldn't recomend it. The .17hmr or .22wmr are good coyote rounds up to about 100yds, and do a pretty good job on evertyhing smaller. I would recomend .22lr because of ammo prices. A savage mkII is a good cheap bolt gun.
|
December 21, 2010, 10:59 PM | #3 |
Member
Join Date: November 9, 2010
Location: Wichita, KS
Posts: 21
|
Alright, thanks for the advice. I was leaning towards that Savage before the post. I'll be looking to pick one of those up in .22LR sometime soon. Who knows maybe it will freeze hard enough here that I can go get some rabbits soon.
__________________
Non Timebo Mala |
December 22, 2010, 08:06 AM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 20, 2007
Location: Rainbow City, Alabama
Posts: 7,167
|
If you are looking to eat what you kill, then the .22LR has the edge. All 3 calibers will kill small game - but the .22mag and the .17 do much more damage to the meat.
|
December 22, 2010, 08:15 AM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 5, 2010
Location: Florida
Posts: 265
|
dynamis look for a Savage Mark II. Walmart stocks them. I got mine there, but had to special order it from the catalog they have in the sporting goods dept. You can get it stainless or blued, wood or synthetic stock. I went with the traditional blued and wood.
You wont be sorry. The accutrigger is great! |
December 22, 2010, 09:01 AM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 9, 2009
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 510
|
I'd throw one more caliber into the mix. The .17 mach 2 is a super little squirrel, rabbit, coon, turkey, coyote, etc. round out to 100 yards. The round is cheaper than .17hmr and does less damage to the meat. It has a really flat trajectory as well.
__________________
God bless the U.S. Cavalry |
December 22, 2010, 09:38 AM | #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 2, 2007
Location: Iowa
Posts: 2,676
|
No rimfire made is a good coyote round. No .17M2 is a fox or coon round. As for 22LR, only use CCI Velocitors and the like on coon and fox.
All of this is off topic though, he asked for a small game gun (coyotes, coon and fox are well above small game). Hands down get a .22LR maybe a .17M2. The Savages are good, so are the Marlins and so are the Rugers. Stick to game less than 10 lbs unless you are garenteed a brain shot. And not withstanding popular internet lore (in other words B.S.), brain shots are not that easy on wild game at anything beyond point blank range. LK |
December 22, 2010, 10:00 AM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 25, 2000
Location: Central TX
Posts: 1,503
|
Any good bolt action .22 will do fine for small game, although as others have said, it wouldn't be first choice for 'yotes.
My favorite small game getter is an old Savage 24E-DL. It's a break action combo gun with a .22 mag barrel over a 20 gauge. I have it scoped with a Leupold VariX-II 1-4X scope. The .22 mag shoots dime-sized groups at 50 yards with CCI Maxi-Mags, which is plenty accurate for head shots on ground squirrels (yeah, hit 'em in the body with the .22 mag and you mess up a lot of meat). The 20 gauge is great for squirrels up in the trees. It wasn't new when I bought it, and I had to do some work to get the shotgun barrel to fire reliably, but it was well worth it. Absolutely my favorite small game gun ... and I wouldn't hesitate going after coyote with it, too.
__________________
Cogito, ergo armatus sum. |
December 22, 2010, 01:32 PM | #9 |
Member
Join Date: November 9, 2010
Location: Wichita, KS
Posts: 21
|
Nice gun Legionnaire I didn't even consider an over-under option. I guess that is one more thing to think about before I purchase.
So the pros of the .22LR are: Cost of ammo Doesn't mess up meat Quiet Shooting The Cons are: Lacks the power to reliably take larger pests Effective range is low The .22mag and .17cal pros are: Can take larger pests Can take smaller game with proper shot placement Flatter trajectory The Cons: Can mess up meat Louder Cost Alright did I miss anything?
__________________
Non Timebo Mala |
December 22, 2010, 02:32 PM | #10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 7, 2009
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,246
|
22 LR is all you need for small game. You can get close enough [under 75 yds] easily on rabbits and more so with squirrels.
|
December 22, 2010, 03:01 PM | #11 |
Junior member
Join Date: October 4, 2007
Location: All the way to NEBRASKA
Posts: 8,722
|
.22lr is adequate for small game and the others mentioned (.22 Mag and the various .17's) don't give enough advantages to justify the increased cost of the ammo, IMHO.
|
December 22, 2010, 03:15 PM | #12 |
Member
Join Date: November 9, 2010
Location: Wichita, KS
Posts: 21
|
Alright thank you all for your contributions I will be going with the .22lr probably the savage mark II
__________________
Non Timebo Mala |
December 22, 2010, 03:26 PM | #13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 25, 2000
Location: Central TX
Posts: 1,503
|
You won't go wrong with the Mark II ... but you can find 24s in .22LR/.410 and .22LR/20gauge configuration. Just a thought. As I said, you won't go wrong with the Mark II.
__________________
Cogito, ergo armatus sum. |
December 22, 2010, 11:22 PM | #14 |
Member
Join Date: August 22, 2010
Location: Melbourne FL
Posts: 80
|
The Savage 24s are a great choice, if you find a good one.
Nice Gun Legionarre. Interestin you put a scope on it
__________________
Gator country livin' |
December 23, 2010, 08:35 AM | #15 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 20, 2007
Location: Rainbow City, Alabama
Posts: 7,167
|
Quote:
Last edited by Doyle; December 23, 2010 at 10:24 AM. |
|
December 23, 2010, 09:44 AM | #16 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 27, 2007
Posts: 5,261
|
For years I used a Ruger 10/22 to squirrel hunt. I installed a Volquartsen barrel and the sucker is now as accurate as a target 22 LR. Not that target grade accuracy really improved my hit probability. The problem I had was my hold.
A standard 10/22 will do out to 25 yards, which is a long way in the woods with all the leaves hiding the squirrels. The longest shot I ever had was 50 yards, and that with a Stevens M416. The squirrel was in the top of the tallest tree in the woods and I was able to find a gap and see him. That is unusual. I did a bunch of testing in my ruger 10/22 barrel and found some real ammunition preferences. Accuracy with stingers and hyper velocity ammunition was just awful. The best in my barrel was Federal copper coated. There was no difference in on target groups between Federal and Eley, which shows that I hit the barrel limit. The Volquartsen barrel, Eley gave dime sized groups at 25 yards while Federals were much larger. Barrels make a difference. I prefered quiet ammunition. I prefered solid nose. Hollowpoint LR's would damage the squirrel more, ruining meat, but did not seem to kill them any better.
__________________
If I'm not shooting, I'm reloading. |
December 23, 2010, 02:22 PM | #17 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 25, 2000
Location: Central TX
Posts: 1,503
|
Quote:
I just sold a 24 in .22/.410 that was older than my E-DL that also had the dovetail grooves. So finding one of those is the ticket. Of course, on a .22, a scope might be superfluous. 43FLcracker, I scoped mine to take advantage of the longer range of the .22 mag.
__________________
Cogito, ergo armatus sum. |
|
December 23, 2010, 05:09 PM | #18 |
Member
Join Date: March 25, 2009
Posts: 44
|
Look into the CZs. I sold my Savage after handling them and am now officially addicted. Beautiful wood, old fashioned workmanship, extremely accurate. Get a 22LR. Skip the 22mag and the 17hmr unless your chasing bigger critters like fox, raccoon and elephants.
|
December 24, 2010, 07:41 AM | #19 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 8, 2006
Location: South Florida
Posts: 176
|
My old remington Target Master (circa 1950) is plenty good enough for small game hunting out to 50 yards with the iron sights. I love old single shot bolt action 22s.
That said my Marlin Model 60 has done me right also. |
December 24, 2010, 08:07 AM | #20 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 5, 2010
Location: Florida
Posts: 265
|
Quote:
If you do this, be sure and order an extra mag or two as well. It comes with a five shot mag, but you can also get a ten shot mag. |
|
December 24, 2010, 05:59 PM | #21 |
Member
Join Date: January 30, 2010
Location: SE Indiana
Posts: 36
|
I think ya'll forgot what the the problem is here, HE IS JUST STARTNG...keep it simple, get a ruger 10-22 , box of 550 federal ammo, and go figure it out...IMO
|
January 1, 2011, 09:51 AM | #22 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 11, 2010
Location: East Texas USA
Posts: 1,805
|
I have hunted small game for years with a .22LR
But a Shotgun loaded with #6 or #4 shot also works well, for Squirrel, and Rabbit. I use a .22LR when hunting Coon with hounds. |
January 1, 2011, 03:59 PM | #23 |
Member
Join Date: November 22, 2008
Posts: 42
|
.22
Another vote for the Ruger 10/22 in .22LR.
|
January 2, 2011, 02:55 AM | #24 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 29, 2008
Location: now living in alabama
Posts: 2,433
|
.22LR will do quite well for small game. It is also great for learning your shooting skills.
__________________
No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it. |
January 3, 2011, 01:34 AM | #25 |
Member
Join Date: April 14, 2007
Location: Washingon State
Posts: 29
|
Ruger 10-22 would be a good choice, or a CZ bolt action. They are really accurate right out of the box and not too spendy.
|
|
|