How will a 22 Mag work for predators

champ198

champ198

Active member
Planning on gettin a Foxpro soon and looking for a rifle to start out with.
Don't really have a lot of spare cash to buy the rifle I want. Got a friend that has a 22 mag that I can get doing some trading
Just thought I would ask you all how a 22 mag does for coyote fox and bobcats
 
If you have a 'deer' rifle and can use it legally that would be better than buying a 22 mag as a dedicated predator rifle. Depending on the game laws(which vary widely from state to state and even intrastate) if you are forced to use a rimfire then the 22 mag is the best of the rimfires imo. And in the longer term buying hand calls and a dedicated predator rifle in .223 or 22-250 would be better than an ecall. Yes I have an ecall and have had success with it but my call in/dry stand ratio has been higher with hand calls. A 22 mag will kill coyotes- bullet placement is more critical and engagement range should be kept inside 100 yds. If you search there is a lot of discussion on PM about 22 mag effectiveness on coyotes.
 

Marginal.

It can and has been done (I have taken both a coyote and bobcat with the 22 mag). Some guys use them often while others like me pass when I can use something better, like a .223, 17 Remington, 6x45 etc. Some places have restrictions for rimfires only. But if you are able to use a centerfire, then you will be better off in general.

Having said all the above, if you are restricted to the 22 mag or if that's all you can use, then choose a good bullet that provides good accuracy and penetration, choose your shots carefully and shoot at reasonable ranges.

Good luck.

 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06 if you are restricted to the 22 mag or if that's all you can use, then choose a good bullet that provides good accuracy and penetration, and choose your shots carefully.

Good post.

As for the bullet, The Federal 50gr JHP is all I use. They are about as potent as a 22mag load gets.....
 
I do understand that it is not the "best" gun for predators but I would like to save hides to be able to sell and I know the 7mm mag I have or the 35 rem I have would not work for that at all
I'm just looking for a gun to start with until I can save up enough cash to get a better caliber later on like a 204 or 17 rem or something along those lines
 
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I used a 30/30 and .300 savage when I started calling. Didn't want to dump a lot of cash into something I wasn't sure about. Definitely give that .35 Remington a go. The slower brush guns won't do the fur damage that the belted mags will. If you hand load try the 158 gr xtp at a reduced velocity and you'll be in good shape. I would look for something smaller for bobcat but for yotes that will work well.
These cinnamon colored yotes that we got here and I'm pretty sure you guys in mizzou have can take some lead. Furs won't bring top dollar so no need to be real picky at first anyways. Once you get the feel for it you'll be buying a bunch of varmint rifles and a .22 mag might not get the use you think it will.
 
I have used a 22 mag and had great luck on grey fox bobcats but on coyotes shot placement is the key. I used win 40 gr jhp ammo. Keep the shots under a 100 yds please. Look around I bought my first 223 rem single shot Rossi it will shoot a 3/4 or better with Remington factory 45 gr jhp. I give 150.00 new for it.
 
I've used my 22Mag for quite a few treed Cat and Coon without a problem but calling's a different story. The one and only Cat I called and killed with it didn't go straight down despite being well hit. Shot this female at 35-40yrds,, she went straight in the air and then headed for the thickest briar patch on the mountain. No blood trail so I had to go home and get a dog to find her. By the time I dug her out of there I looked like I wrestled her with my bare hands. HA
If you look close you can see it was a perfect double lung with no exit (exactly what you want for collecting fur) but she still went 100+ yards in thick brush with ZERO blood trail.
I know every instance is different,, bla bla bla,, but never again for this ol boy!!!

 

Originally Posted By: RePeteShot this female at 35-40yrds,, she went straight in the air and then headed for the thickest briar patch on the mountain.



That's typical bobcat behavior from what I have experienced. Doesn't seem to matter much what I shoot them with (rifle),
most jump, twist and high-tail it out of there. They usually don't go far, and most were shot with centerfires too.
As luck / shot placement would have it, the one and only cat I shot with the 22 mag dropped on the spot at 75 yards, but it was
paralyzed. I had to finish it.


 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Originally Posted By: RePeteShot this female at 35-40yrds,, she went straight in the air and then headed for the thickest briar patch on the mountain.



That's typical bobcat behavior from what I have experienced. Doesn't seem to matter much what I shoot them with (rifle),
most jump, twist and high-tail it out of there. They usually don't go far, and most were shot with centerfires too.
As luck / shot placement would have it, the one and only cat I shot with the 22 mag dropped on the spot at 75 yards, but it was
paralyzed. I had to finish it.




Yea,,, Cat's are somewhat,,, for the lack of a better word,,, "electric" when hit but the few I shot with my 17Rem (and one with the 17FB) went straight down.
Treed Cat's are another story,,, they're surprisingly calm in the tree and stay put when you let the air out of em. Course the dogs have something to do with that as well as the fact that shots are seldom over 50' so it's easy to be pin-point accurate. Basically a whole different deal than calling.
My little Henry 22mag carbine's perfect for that duty but I stick with a centerfire when calling.
 
A 22 mag (40gr) at the muzzle is ballisticaly identical to a 223 (40gr) at about 450 yards. True story. Will it work? Yes, with good shot placement. Expect runners. I'd use something else.
 
You'd be better off waiting on the fox-pro and getting some hand calls. Then...with the saved money, get a decent used shotgun and some #4 buck.

It will make you a better hunter, in the long run, and will work better than the 22 mag in most situations.

JMO!
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760You'd be better off waiting on the fox-pro and getting some hand calls. Then...with the saved money, get a decent used shotgun and some #4 buck.

It will make you a better hunter, in the long run, and will work better than the 22 mag in most situations.

JMO!


Good info here, you could find a used Mossberg 500 for 150 bucks and be good to go for say 70 yards and less. FWIW I had only one gun when I got into predator hunting and it was a 270 win. I ran traditional big game bullets and honestly they didn't ruin fur as bad as some varmint bullets do.
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760You'd be better off waiting on the fox-pro and getting some hand calls. Then...with the saved money, get a decent used shotgun and some #4 buck.

It will make you a better hunter, in the long run, and will work better than the 22 mag in most situations.

JMO!

I do also have a 12 guage shotgun also just not sure what choke to use with the #4 buck
and I assume that the #4 buck won't tear up the hides too bad on bobcat and fox?
 
Originally Posted By: champ198Originally Posted By: pahntr760You'd be better off waiting on the fox-pro and getting some hand calls. Then...with the saved money, get a decent used shotgun and some #4 buck.

It will make you a better hunter, in the long run, and will work better than the 22 mag in most situations.

JMO!

I do also have a 12 guage shotgun also just not sure what choke to use with the #4 buck
and I assume that the #4 buck won't tear up the hides too bad on bobcat and fox?

If targeting fox and bobcat exclusively, look for some good BB shot magnum shells. Platted lead or heavier than lead options should do fine for you.

As for chokes, your shotgun will tell you which one is best. I've always had great luck with Carlson's tubes.
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760Originally Posted By: champ198Originally Posted By: pahntr760You'd be better off waiting on the fox-pro and getting some hand calls. Then...with the saved money, get a decent used shotgun and some #4 buck.

It will make you a better hunter, in the long run, and will work better than the 22 mag in most situations.

JMO!

I do also have a 12 guage shotgun also just not sure what choke to use with the #4 buck
and I assume that the #4 buck won't tear up the hides too bad on bobcat and fox?

If targeting fox and bobcat exclusively, look for some good BB shot magnum shells. Platted lead or heavier than lead options should do fine for you.

As for chokes, your shotgun will tell you which one is best. I've always had great luck with Carlson's tubes.

do you use like a full Choke? I have a Winchester 1300 that I use to turkey hunt with that has an undertaker .665 choke in it now
 
Hornady Heavy Magnum Coyote 3" BB with a modified choke. They have patterned very well for me and at 14 bucks for a box of ten the price is right.
 
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