what 22 WMR ammo for chucks?

T

trigger creep

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What is the best ammo for the 22 wmr for chuck hunting? My dad just gave me his Savage 24 .22 mag over .410, and I want to know what the best ammo for chuck hunting is? This rifle has been in the family since the 50's, so I'm very excited to start writing my own history with the rifle!
 
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What distances do you plan to shoot? Most any ammo will shoot well enough at 50 yards, but out to 100 and 150 you can notice enough differences to mean misses. I have found the ballistic tip offerings to do very well both acuracy wise as well as terminally on the groundhog. This would be CCI VMax, Hornady VMax and the Remington Accutip. I'd try the first 2 first as they are cheaper than Remington. Also the 40 grain Winchester Super-X is an old reliable if it shoots straight in your gun. I like the Federal Gameshock in a hollowpoint too.
 
I shot this one last year with a CCI 40gr HP at 142yds. Very light wind was coming off of my back and it did run a decent distance before dying. I could be wrong but I would think that anything past 120yds would be the outer limits for a 22 mag. I am trying the 40gr gamepoints by CCI this year on some hogs to see how they work.
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I plan on shooting out to probably 100 yards, maybe even as far as 125 yards. I am very interested in those ballistic tips you mentioned as my dad has been using the 40 grain Winchesters on chucks with varying degrees of success. His main problem is they don't seem to do satisfactory internal damage for quick kills out past 50 yards.
 
I got my first chuck with the Savage 24 yesterday, a running 35 yeard shot using 40 grain Winchesters. My first shot stopped it, the 2nd one shut off the lights for good. My 5th one of the year.
 
Keep an eye out for some RWS hollow points which are the closest thing to a match-grade WMR round. They're not imported anymore, but sometimes you run across them at gun shows, dealers or auctions. Even the "newer" ones with less f.p.s. will hammer tough groundhogs. I'm nearing my last 50 rounds; they are probably at least 3 years old but still accurate.
If not, try "gamepoints". I like the results (better penetration) than the lighter ballistic tips.
 

I've had pretty good luck with the Winchester 40 gr. HPs from a Ruger 77/22 mag. Three-shot groups at 94 yards will go less than an inch (94 yards is the longest range I can get in my back yard).

The Remington 33 gr. Accutips are really accurate too, but I don't recall taking a groundhog with them. That is the most accurate .22 mag ammo I have ever shot.

Swift One, I'm interested how well those CCI Game Points work on groundhogs. I've read some good things about them penetration wise. Please keep us posted with your results.

 
Quote: Swift One, I'm interested how well those CCI Game Points work on groundhogs. I've read some good things about them penetration wise. Please keep us posted with your results.



Can do. Turkey season will be in full swing here starting Wed. Hopefully I will be back onthe hogs soon....
 
I think I'm going to get the Rem. 33 grain Accu-points. However, we have a fall turkey season that you can use anything for, including rimfires. I might use it for that season, and if I do, should I use the accu-points or switch back to the 40 grain winchester's?
 

I think you will have to just experiment a bit and see what works best for you. I haven't shot the 33 gr. Remingtons at game enough to know how they might perform, but I do know they are very accurate in two different rifles.

As to the 40 gr. Winchester HP, that is an old standby and it's been going strong for quite some time. Previous rifles I had wouldn't shoot it worth a hoot, but the new Ruger does. I used this load two summers ago for shooting groundhogs. It worked pretty good. I also took a coyote with it at about 75 yards, head shot, and dropped like a rock. Of course, head shot is different than body shot and probably doesn't count for much, except accuracy. I was able to make a clean, killing shot due to accuracy at that distance.

Regardless of what you choose, first consideration is accuracy. If you have good accuracy, you can better place the bullet where it needs to go. Other wise the old addage of "it's a hit or a miss" applies, and I might add "wound."

Good luck, and keep us posted.

David


Groundhog shot about 75 yards with Ruger 77/22 mag. and Winchester 40 gr. HP.

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Ruger 77/22 mag. BMVZ, Leupold VX2 3x9 with dot reticle, Warne Rings

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Coyote shot with Ruger mag. and 40 gr. Winchester HP

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The Remington 33 gr. were once V-Max, then changed to Accutip V

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Marlin 925 MN .22 mag.
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Crow shot with the Remington 33 V-Max load. It was bad news on crows.

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Originally Posted By: SkyPupI'd say that is some nice toxic poisonous lead medicine for those P-dogs....
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Yep, they are pretty good poison for a .22 magnum. That's why I stocked up on them.


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