Fella's;

I know that many, perhaps not here, think of the .22 as nothing more than a plinker.  You know, fun gun, but not a serious hunting arm.

There are others that are indeed deadly serious about their .22's, but only as paper punchers.  These are the guys that wouldn't dare take the little beauty out into the game fields because it might get knocked around.  Then again, some of the target .22's are about as suitable in the field as a hog in a tuxedo.  They can be a bit heavy you know.

So, if you do hunt with the .22, what game & what gun?  With me it's gophers & mostly either the Ruger 77/22 with a Simmons 4-12 A/O or the Savage MKII LHB  under a Bushnell Legend 5-15 A/O mil-dot.  The Savage/Bushnell is a new combination this year & I'm really looking forward to testing it out.

900F 

"Do you regard the .22 as a hunting rifle?"

Yes.

Do I hunt with a .22?

No.

Do I own a .22?

No.

I have several 22's. I have killed more than a few hogs and steers with one when I was a younger man. I think in the hands of a good shot it will kill most anything. The brain is probably the key to success.

Dan

My pump 22 rf is a great squirel rifle.  Head shots in heavy oak forests are my favorite.  Bushnell4x 1 inch tube close focus scope is perfect.

I've killed lots of groundhogs with the 22rf, but it is a poor choice.  Body shots and every hog will make the hole wounded.  even some head shots and they make the hole.  The 22 rf mag is very deadly with head shots to about 125 yds.  Now I'm talking big groundhogs many over 10#.

The 22 rf is also good for rabbits and crows.  I use a bolt winchester with a 6x for crows.  The 22 rf works good on coons at 10 foot; lots of one shot head kills on the masked bandits.

Lots of things could be shot in open country with the 22 rf; if you don't have cover for the critter to hide in till it dies.  In the east if it runs you better have a trailing dog or it is gone.

BEAR

I have half a dozen .22s -- I hunt squirrels in the Ozarks with a Kimber M82.  I've probably killed a boxcar load of them with it.  I've also killed rabbits in great numbers, turkey, racoons, armadillos, crows and other critters.  When I was a boy, I killed 2 white tail deer with a .22 -- not proud of it, but I did it.

You don't go out in the woods around here without at least a .22.

I own several .22 LR and .22 wmr rifles and love them for everything from squirrels and rabbits to the occassional fox or coyote. I would not hesitate to choose my 22 mag for groundhogs out to 150-200 yards. And my @@ LR is capable of squirrel head shots out past 50 yards on a still day, and can hit inside a 3 inch circle every time at 100 yds when i do my part. I shoot more hunting rounds with my .22's every year than practice rounds with my centerfires. and i practice a bunch!

Huntinbull

huntinbull -

welcome to BSB! pull up a log, sit by the fire and have a beer!

Quote:  "I shoot more hunting rounds with my .22's every year than practice rounds with my centerfires. and i practice a bunch!"

You just cited the chief reason a .22 is a REAL hunting rifle.  You can HUNT with it.  And you can hunt longer, in more places, and take more game.

Elk and  deer are wonderful, but who can take 6 or 8 elk in one day, and come back the next day for another half dozen or so?  You can hunt squirrels in Arkansas every day for seven months out of the year.  That's a LOT of hunting, and it's cheap. 

Tasunka Witko,

Thanks for the welcome. Im learning a language quickly (Lakota Sioux) studying as much as i can find on it, but cannot translate your name. Mind clueing me in? I am 1/16th Sioux (ogalalla tribe we believe) and am interested in learning as much as possible about our heritage (not just the famous war chiefs, but the daily customs n beliefs). Any websites or info you could offer would be appreciated.

Doka Hay

Huntinbull

bull -

keep in mind that usually in lakota, the "s" is pronounced as "sh." this would make it look this way>> tashunka witko,

tashunka means horse, and witko means "crazy," but in a mystical, sacred sort of way. hard to translate exactly, as with most things spiritual.

the result, of course, is crazy horse!

as for websites, i've got a section here at bsb devoted to the history of the west, including art and culture. i'll see if i can find a few links and will post them on that board sometime today. the title of the baord is "western art and history, cowboy poetry and campfire stories." believe me, it's a good one to check out!

AHHHHHH, now i see! Said the blind man.

Thanks

    Been hunting with a .22 since I was a little one my frist Sage Hen dropped to one when I was about  7 or 8 that was a mere 40 and some years ago,since then jackalopes,real wabbits,lots of bushytails the list goes on. Now I keep my Ruger model 96 in .22 mag in the back of the truck almost always,and theres a few Marlins and Ithica's laying around the house,been looking at that little Henry pump gun they have out now,looks like a boot.

   Welcome Huntinbull.

I used the .22 for small game ;til I got my 28 ga. pump,,now the .22 is a target rifle.Now this is going to sound a little puffed-up,but it is the truth.I have a marlin/glenfield mdl. 20,,it was well used and I got it for $30,,after a while I found it LOVED mini-mags,and while playin' with it with a 3-9x32 Simmons,,a gift,,I found that it will shoot into a golfball sized SHOOTNSEE target sticker at 100 all day,,not counting the odd flyer caused by cartridge rim variance,,about 5%.I am goin' to mount a BSA 6-24x40A.O. Contender,,see if I can tighten it up some,and maybe shoot in the stock sporter RF class.To increase the killin' power of the old .22 with-out the grenadeing of the HP's,,the old SG cci's were great,,they use them on head shootin' hogs in La.,,but since they quit makin' 'em,,super glue some oppropreately sized washers together 'til they give you the size melplat you want and file off the nose,,seems to work o.k. 

Like king and DFC said it is often used here to drop animals at slaughter time.

I rate it one of the best hunting calibers for fun and technique developement there is.It goes without saying buy an Anshultz.

Macca

Hanned Line tool? I use a side-cutter and a file. I lop off the top of a CCI Blazer($7.95/500) down to where the engagement rings start, then file off the rough edges so they feed better as you can see 1249fps the factory untouched round was 1101fps no need to buy Stingers($3.95/50). The effect on gophers is devastating. We get .50 per tail bounty and can shoot over 40 per day if you try. Accuracy is good out to about 35yds well within gopher range. They do not keyhole. Who says you can't hand load .22's?

Deaddog;

Forty gophers a day?  You've got to come see us in Great Falls.  If the sun's out & the gophers are up, it's not at all unusual to burn a brick in a day.  I don't bother to keep count of the bodies, nobody's paying bounty on them here.

As for the accuracy being good out to 35 yards.  Hmmm, not to be disparaging, but that's just not good enough.  We normally shoot from 25 to perhaps 125 yards with .22 rimfires.  That's not to say that I haven't shot them literally at my feet, but for the most part, your 'out to' is real close to our starting point.

If you'd have trouble bringing a gun along, that's no problem, I've got spares.

900F

CB900,

We drive around and many shots are less than 15'. I like those blunt nosed bullets because we need to stop the gophers from getting back down the hole. If you use just a standard HP too many get away. You need the tail to get paid. We have small rolling hills and they like to hang out just over the crest on the leeward side. The long shots just aren't there. I agree that the .22 is good to well past 100yds on crows and such and would love to see the kind of game you have in MT.

DD

Fella's;

I use Winchester PowerPoints in two of my .22's.  It's a 40 gr hp, rather than a 36 gr.  It groups very close to the target ammo & really seems to wallop the gophers.  The velocity is in the high 1100's if I remember correctly. 

The Savage, has to be different, of course.  It likes the Federal American Eagle hp's.  But, it's my project .22 for the nonce.  I suspect I've pretty much reached the limits of the gun without going to expensive extremes.  So, it's time for inexpensive extremes.  Ah well, keeps me off the streets.

But not for long.

900F

When i was in high school, some time ago, we shot the "standard velocity" Remington  green bricks.  These were pretty close to the accuracy of 'target' loads of the day and a lot cheaper.  I also used it on small game because I always think accuracy is more important than velocity.  When the high velocity stuff poped up i tried them on small game, and i found I lost accuracy and on squirrels they blew up lots of flesh.  On ground hogs (6-14#) they never killed even on head shots the hogs made it to the hole shaking and dizzy.  I'm sure those hogs were dead in the den, but the lighter bullets with higher velocity, just didn't anchor like the old std velocity 40 gr stuff.

Years later when my son was hunting small game along with my nephew (two 12 year olds then), they loved the hype of the stingers et al.  Remington doesn't seem to make those old std velocity green box anymore.  Now for hunting I buy target 22rf I still prefer the extra accuracy to the extra velocity.  Old farts don't change, and i only hunt a few boxes of 22rf a year so cost is no problem.  If I was hunting range rats and shooting a brick a day, I'd probably give in on a $ issue.

I'm restricted for a few months.  BUT me thinks that the doctor and my wife will not notice if I shoot a 22 and 22 rfm.  So today I'm trying to hitch a ride to Gander Moountain to get a couple hundred 22rf and rfm.

BEAR 

Bear;

Do give the Win PowerPoints a try if they have 'em.  I'm paying $14.99 a brick from Mil-Wal at the gun shows here.  Probably a buck higher in the store.

When I say they are very close to the target ammo in accuracy, I mean it.  Incredibly close to high-buck target accuracy.

900F

900f,

I'm on my way to Gander Mountain in 5 minutes, I'll buy a brick on your recommendation.

how is the bike...haven't hear much about your wheels lately?????

My Kawa is in the shed....needs an inspection...but I can't drive it for another 2-3 months.  I want my brothers to load it on a trailer and I'll take it to get state inspection so it will be 'ready' when I am.

BEAR

bear;

I'm on the road next Sunday to go pick it up.  I'll ride it at least part of the way back.  It should be a gas.  I'll report when I get home. 

We're also going to spend a day at the springs in Thermopolis Wyoming.  You are allowed to envy me.  Ahhh, a cold beer whilst soaking up the waters & some major bikini watching.  Now that's the way to take a break on a long drive.

 900F

Yes, the .22 is a real hunting rifle. Actually there have been times when I took more game with a .22 pistol than I did anything else; that might have been opportunity though, more than hunting. A .22 will prove the most useful hunting arm you ever own in the long haul IF you are into mixed bag small game hunting and foraging for the skillet while you work in the woods or on the farm or ranch. Heck, I've even taken small game birds with a .22 rifle once or twice in my more opportunistic youth. They fried up nicely, and guess what? No birdshot to pick out. I don't think I could live in the woods without a .22! AW

Adobe ;

Here in the northern rockies, it's legal to take blues, fool hens, and other grouse with the .22 as well as a shotgun.  A dead-nuts accurate .22 is a joy to hunt grouse with.  Head shoot 'em.

We frequently hunt in pairs, one with the .22 & the other with a 20 gauge.

The reason it's legal is that it's frequently next to impossible to get the fool hens to fly.  It's been known to walk up to one, reach down & pick it up & wring it's neck.

900F

while plowing fields I use to carry a S&W k-22 revolver.   Often pheasants would forage in the plowed furrows for bugs.  I dropped a lot of ring-necks with that 22.  I'd like to say I was shooting them in that ringed white eye.  But most were body shots with 40 gr solids, those std vel Remingtons.  they would just sit down whne hit.  Next pass with the tractor, I'd raise the plows, stop and pick up the bird.

They made a nice dinner. 

Sitting grouse i low branches are not real sporting with a 12 guage, but with a 22 rifle or pistol they are a challenge.  I do remember shooting at one in a branch of a wild crab-apple about 4 foot of the ground.  First shot missed and it stayed.  Second shot broke the dead branch and it jumped one branch higher, third slot cut some tail feathers, and it jumped down to abranch about 3 foot high.  Fourth shot was a head shot.  Practice makes perfect.  I've seen  grouse hang there tight for long periods.  I often thought they were drunk on fermented berries.

BEAR

BEAR

900f,

couldn't find those 22 rf PowerPoints.  So I bought a remington brick.  I'll keep looking for the PP.  I did check on the win ammo site and read on them, 1280 fps.

BEAR

Bear;

I'm shooting the P-P's outta either my Ruger 77/22 or the Volquartsen.  They'll chrono in the high 1100's over the Oehler 35P in my world.  Which because I'm either egotistical (wife) or drunk (wife) constitutes the real world for me. Ah hell, if it weren't for tabasco, it'd all be bland.

900F

Getting ready for another fun season of squirrels with the 22. Hope all are safe and healthy.

Huntinbull