Best .22 LR for small game?

[sierra 18]

What are your recommendations for small game (from squirrel, groundhog, muskrat to beaver at less than 50 yards) for a .22 LR?

I've been told Remmington Yellow Jacket .22 is a great stopper, and another source said that CCI MiniMag would be better (40 grain vs the 33 grain of the Yellowjacket).

Anyways, you all are much more informed/experienced tham me, so any suggestions let me know?

Thanks,

Chris

[hogdogs]

This woulda fit nicely in the hunting section but since I seen it I will reply...
Basically any of them will work on small game. I just buy the federal bulk 550 count box of hollow points from walmart. they do a number on squirrel, and rabbits and destroy doves but the dogs and snakes still love them.
Brent

[Microgunner]

Depends on the rifle you're using, but, in manually cycled rifles I prefer CCI Stingers for hard hitting. The Stinger is not exactly a .22lr but it's close enough to work in most. The power level is too high for most semi-auto .22's though.

[hoytinak]

I use both Remington Golden Bullets and Federal (both 36gr bulk packs) for hunting/plinking depending on which .22lr I'm shooting that day. I use CCI MiniMags for my competition shoots when I need a little more accuracy. Any will work for hunting small game, the important thing is to find out which one your rifle/handgun likes best.

[carguychris]

The only caveat to hyper-velocity hollowpoints is that they're not a good choice if the critter is small and you want to eat it or save the pelt. They tend to blow small things up into lots of tiny pieces.

[22-rimfire]

Regular high velocity hollow points such as CCI makes are good for just about everything. I would use what works well in your rifle (accuracy and function). I have a general preference for Federal Champion 510's (40 gr solid) sold in 50-round boxes at Walmart. Hollow points aren't really necessary for most things.

[sierra 18]

Thanks for weighing in.

Shooting from my Ruger 10/22, I had done a comparison, where I put bolted a couple of 2x4s together, with a large piece of pine behind the two pieces of 2x4.

I shot five rounds of Rem 22LR HP Yellow Jacket, Winchester 22 LR HP, CCI HP and some Rem Thunderbolt. Varying grain weight and velocities. Same distance, same target placement, wood was consistant without knots or irregularities.

Based on this very basic experiment, I found that the Rem Yellow Jacket generally blew out bigger holes and penetrated slightly further than the Winchester, CCI or Rem Thunderbolt, although the Win and CCI were very close in penetration depth. The Yellow Jackets seemed to do the most damage on the way out of the wood.

I need some ballistics gel like the crew on Mythbusters..........

[T. O'Heir]

"...need some ballistics gel..." Expensive stuff. The mix to make a block 17 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 5 runs $134.95US.
The best ammo is that which shoots best out of your rifle. You have to try a box of as many brands as you can. Especially if you opt for hyper-velocity ammo.
When the hyper-velocity ammo was new, one of the guys who frequented the shop I worked in tested Stingers, Expeditors and Yellow Jackets on a standard M1 Helmet. The Stingers and Expeditors penetrated one side. The Yellow Jackets went right through both sides.
Yellow Jackets work well out of my old semi-auto Cooey. They work well on groundhogs, but will tear up a tree rat
"...muskrat and beaver..." Where you are, up here, matters when it comes to shooting either. In Ontario, at least, both are considered to be fur bearing game and have a hunting season. You need a licence to posssess the pelt of furbearing animals too.
Come by http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/.

[22-rimfire]

I thought I'd add to the above points. Generally speaking, here in the US it is illegal to shoot things like Beavers and Muskrats except during trapping season. Technically it is illegal to shoot squirrels (most, usually Red Squirrels and chipmunks are excluded) except during hunting season. Have not checked lately but you could pretty much shoot groundhogs anytime as they are considered a pest. If there is a season on an animal, it is illegal to shoot them out of season in general. You must have a valid hunting or trapping license or both.

I know you are in Canada, but I wanted to make that point for US folks. I'm not familiar with Canadian game laws.

[treg]

I can't say enough good about Winchester Power Point ammo. That 40 grain HP is designed just right for hard hits (small stuff) and penetration (bigger stuff). It's also very accurate in my guns, of course with .22's - YMMV.

[sierra 18]

Interesting points about the Yellow Jacket on the helmet. I've been trying to find any studies or experiments with the effectiveness of various ammos. I was just wondering if anyone had seen a more formal study. I haven't found one yet.

Yellow Jackets lists a fair bit about the measured velocity and foot-pound ratings at various distances. I haven't seen this yet on the boxes of other ammo makes.

I've loaded my mag with 9 rounds, 3 of Remington, 3 of Winchester and 3 of CCI, all hollow point .22 LR. As I cycled through the mag, I could feel a definative difference in recoil and "feel" of the shot. The CCI Game Shok had in my opinion the least recoil, it almost felt like no more than a trigger click on an empty mag. All rounds did well in penetration in the wood, but penetration into wood is different than shooting game no doubt.

As concerns what you're shooting, yes, game and local laws are to be observed without a doubt. All laws, rules and regs available on the internet in my experience, laws to be respected.

Chris

[22-rimfire]

You might visit Rimfire Central for things 22 related. Lots of discussions about different ammo and so forth.

You definitely notice a different sound with the hyper-velocity 22 rounds whether it be Velocitors, Yellow Jackets, Stingers etc. They are much more explosive on game and the only thing to really consider about them is accuracy in your rifle and penetration. You really don't need much penetration on small animals which is why I tend to choose regular hollow points or solids rather than the hyper veloticity ammunition because they tend to shoot better and that is what I shoot normally. Even standard velocity ammo does pretty well on most things.

[Regular Joe]

I've knocked this around alot, since I enjoy shooting my 10/22's. Velocitors are by far the most powerful and for me, the most accurate, coming in with about the same size groups as mini-mags. Take a good long look at gel tests here:
http://www.brassfetcher.com/22LR.html
The velocitors don't blow up like others. My BIG problem with them is that they cost about 13 cents each. Compare the gel tests between velocitors and the bulk Rem. Golden Bullet HP, and they are almost identical, but the Rem. bullets are only 3.5 cents each, in the Walmart bulk pack. My rifles like that stuff just fine, remaining accurate out to the end of useful .22 lr range (about 75 yds), so that's what I use for everything.

[Tamara]

As someone above pointed out, Yellow Jackets and Velocitors and such will kill small critters deader'n'Elvis, but aren't all that hot if you want to eat what you've shot, as they tend to scatter squirrel over a pretty fair area. CCI loads the SGB (small game bullet) which is a high velocity loading that duplicates, I think, their Mini-Mag, but with a flat point bullet that will do in Mr. Squirrel handily without turning him into pink mist.

[Daryl]

For hunting meat, I usually use Remington subsonics; just because they shoot pretty good from my rifle. Head shots are the norm, but chest shots will work, too..

For varmints and such, I'll oft-times use mini-mags or velocitors. Both can be pretty distructive on smaller critters, though. If you use them for hunting meat, I advise head shots to eliminate meat damage.

Daryl

[Swampghost]

Dayrl, if you can make the chest shot on a squirrel I'd also hope that you could make the head shot. Just funnin ya.

[B. Lahey]

Lapua Speed Ace.

40gr, fast, super-accurate, regular round-nose profile doesn't mangle meat.

Get it while you can, they ain't making it anymore.

[Daryl]

Dayrl, if you can make the chest shot on a squirrel I'd also hope that you could make the head shot. Just funnin ya.

Yep, I can, but runnin' bunnies sometimes get the chest shot if I don't lead 'em quite enough.

Daryl

[Doyle]

Dayrl +1 on the slow stuff. Any .22 bullet (except CB caps) is going to go completely through the squirrel anyway. Why do you need all this high velocity crap when it is going to be wasted after it exits the back of the animal? For short ranges (like the back yard) I use CB caps. The squirrels are just as dead and they bullets usually don't exit the body cavity so they are much safer for overhead shots.

[Ifishsum]

I use CCI mini-mags for almost everything, because they perform well, are consistent with very few duds and they function reliably in every .22LR I've ever owned. For larger things like rock chucks I like the CCI Velocitors if I'm limited to rimfire ammo.

Most of the squirrels I shoot are ground squirrels. A case can be made for hollowpoint ammo as it's more likely to break apart than ricochet when it hits the ground.

[hogdogs]

Ifishsum, I wouldn't count on a .22lr of any persuasion fragmenting. I have personally shot 10's of thousands of .22lr ammo with the vast majority being hollow point. I do not feel they carry the velocity to break apart. I have shot the dirt from only 2 feet and dug them up to see the expansion and never had one fragged. I use the old steel voting ballot boxes and most pass thru both layers of steel. Those that hit the center divider never get more than sheared in 2 pieces. But even when hitting the divider they remain whole.
Brent

[publius]

When I'm shootin beavers it's just to kill the buggers so they'll stop killing my trees. If using the LR I would use Velocitor, stinger, Yellow Jacket. something I'm gonna eat (squirrels), solid subsonics less meat waste and the report doesn't scare everything in the woods..

[Chuck Dye]

Test. Test. Test.

I would get a selection of ammo and test in your rifle for accuracy, then lay in a large supply of whatever works best in your rifle. Hard core competitors do this at the lot number level and buy many cases at a time.

I like solids for meat, hollow points for pest control. The best I have shot in several rifles are the Eley HV Rabbit loads, both solid and hollow point, but they are spendy and no longer appear on the Eley website. Their superior velocity and accuracy really pay off at longer ranges and if you are shooting 50 yards or less, they are hardly worth the extra expense.