coming clean: I've been shooting coyotes with a 22

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savagelh said:
... I've shot quite a few in years past with a 17hmr with far less than satisfactory results.
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This is something I'm having trouble with in your post. The .17HMR is considerably superior to the .22LR in just about every way, and your results with it were poor. Maybe you've refined your technique somehow? Keeping the distance short, taking care to put the shot into the vitals, etc?

This subject comes up time and time again, perhaps every day. Sure, the .22LR can kill coyotes, and even cartridges less capable than it. Under ideal conditions, it can do so consistently. But does that make it a good choice? You've said yourself that you choose it because your options are limited, and you still wouldn't advocate it. So we're back to the fundamentals. Use a proper tool, and if you can't, then know your limitations.
 
the 17 hmr is poor if you are not using hollow points the varnit rounds guys get are not good for penitration on coyotes they explode on impact and yes 22 can kill anything from rabbits to deer and bear most trappers carry 22 for dispatch but i do carry 22 hornet but i have dispatched a deer with one shot at 25 yrds(car hit it first) its all in shot placement (head)
 
I know a 22lr is capable of killing larger then coyotes. A good friend of mine was murdered with one. A cooey 39 single shot.

I've taken a 22lr out after coyotes when I ambush ditch banks. I prefer my 22mag though. Keep the shots short and the 22lr kills very well
 
While the 22 LR will kill larger animals, that does not necessarily make it a good choice.

A guy by the name of Charles Starkweather killed 12 or 13 people near Lincoln, Nebraska in 1958 with a 22 rimfire.
So it would be unwise to disregard it's lethality.

When I was very young, we had a neighbor whose two sons shot deer with their 22 rimfires.
They said a shot in the ribs with a 22LR and just wait a few minutes.
Deer wanders away a few yards, lays down and never gets up.

Don't misinterpret my statements....unless I was starving, and had nothing else, no 22 would ever go deer hunting with me.

Careful shots on a coyote will yield positive results...but the slightest miscue, and problems rear their ugly head.

Regards, Eagleye.
 
1899 said:
Check out CCI's Velocitor ammo. I bet those would work quite well too.
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I shot a coyote with Velocitors, it did the trick, but not as quickly as a centerfire for sure.

To the thread in general we all grew up hunting everything up to coyote with .22's in my area. Where we go astray is when inexperienced hunters hear a .22 is all you need and go out and plunk marginal shots into animals. You really, really have to know your shot placement and feel confident hitting an orange sized target in field circumstances, that is not off a bench, to use something as weak as a .22 ethically.

I would still recommend a .22 Hornet and up for those new to it. This doesn't apply to everyone however, so it is no rule, just a moral decision.
 
I take my .22lr to Africa, Shot a Cape Buffalo and an Elephant at 150 yards last year.

on a serious note....

I don't find it very ethical to be shooting coyotes with a .22lr. Too much margin for error, If you use it go ahead, But I don't think you should be broadcasting it over the internet, Lots of yahoo's with their first gun will now be out coyote hunting with a .22lr. I have no doubt you know the limitations of your gun, But a lot of novice hunters aren't going to know and think they seen it work on the internet so it much be true.
 
It is our moral responsibility to make sure that the game that we hunt are taken in the most humane way possible. I do not believe that a .22 rimfire can take a coyote humanely. Well place shots are critical no matter what cartridge is used, but a .22 is lacking in the ability to dispatch a coyote humanely. My buddy's brother shot 5 bears this year and never recovered one of them. I would be ashamed with that result. When hunting nothing makes me feel better than to know that the animal I am hunting died in a humane manner and its body has given life to mine. Use the right tool for the job, .22 rimfire is not it.
 
Have posted about this before, however just to add to the mix here.......

Many years ago I had Bevan King reline a Winchester Model 1904 single shot rifle that had a bore that was completely ruined. He did an excellent job, and I asked him to chamber it for 22 short. I had several cases of pistol match ammo, and figured this would be a good rifle for my kids to use, as well as myself. Turned out the rifle was very accurate with the ammo, and no small number of grouse, ptarmigan, ground squirrels, and porcupines all ended up in the pot through its use.

One day, we were demonstrating to the kids how to use a balloon to call predators. They were having a great time doing a lot of squawking, and enjoying some success squeaking, when out pops a coyote at around 40 yd. I shouldered the rifle, squeezed off a shot, and that coyote made one spin and folded up where he stood! We then proceeded to take turns skinning him, and that was the end of the lessons for that day.

Now, does that make 22 short pistol match ammo adequate for coyotes? Well, my kids and myself could have perhaps argued that day that it is, but that would scarcely be truth. The rifle was exceptionally accurate, had been shot enough that we knew exactly where it hit, and the coyote was close, so it was adequate, and we explained that to them. Another day, another rifle, and another coyote would be another story altogether.

Even the same rifle, with the same coyote at thrice the distance, and the shot would never have been attempted. A lot to consider in every shot taken at any animal, be it big game, predators, small game or birds.

Ted
 
ive done it alot and the good old cooey never fails i dont use stingers or velocitors ive been using the same stuff i use on squirrel,rabbit,fox what even will shoot good(the older guns dont seem to like rally fast stuff) and is cheap if you cn hit a golf ball at 50 yards you are good to go

in a SHTF situation id not fell under gunned with a .22lr for anything shot placment is key so is being patient and knowing your limits most of the guys here saying .22lr is not good enough are too trigger happy

heck you think the henry .44 rimfire was not under powered but yet they still took bison with them. the bows used around here where under powered compaered to todays stuff but yet they still droped bison. the .22lr has taken every game on this planet if its been used for over 100 years its good enough for me
 
antiqueguy said:
heck you think the henry .44 rimfire was not under powered but yet they still took bison with them. the bows used around here where under powered compaered to todays stuff but yet they still droped bison. the .22lr has taken every game on this planet if its been used for over 100 years its good enough for me
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Standards have changed, even read articles from the 1950's and there's talk galore of wounding and winging. Ethics in hunting have come a long way, even Roy Weatherby himself lost plenty of wounded animals in his rather silly small caliber hyper velocity experiments in Africa, he also went on the record saying shot placement doesn't matter if you're shooting one of his magnums (the .257 in particular). It was even worse at the turn of the century, read some of the old hunting works, I just finished "The Man Eaters of Tsavo", and when discussing regular hunting they little just let shots fly. This wasn't everybody, but the concern for wounding that exists today didn't seem even close to as prevalent then. The .44 Rimfire could not under any but the most absurd circumstances kill bison well. I, like Why Not? and maybe others in this thread have hunted them, and while they don't have super powers they are very, very tough. .44 Rimfire on a Buffalo would be a lot like you getting hunted with a pellet gun, it'll kill you eventually. How many were wounded terribly in those days? Uncountable scores.
 
Ardent said:
Standards have changed, even read articles from the 1950's and there's talk galore of wounding and winging. Ethics in hunting have come a long way, even Roy Weatherby himself lost plenty of wounded animals in his rather silly small caliber hyper velocity experiments in Africa, he also went on the record saying shot placement doesn't matter if you're shooting one of his magnums (the .257 in particular). It was even worse at the turn of the century, read some of the old hunting works, I just finished "The Man Eaters of Tsavo", and when discussing regular hunting they little just let shots fly. This wasn't everybody, but the concern for wounding that exists today didn't seem even close to as prevalent then. The .44 Rimfire could not under any but the most absurd circumstances kill bison well. I, like Why Not? and maybe others in this thread have hunted them, and while they don't have super powers they are very, very tough. .44 Rimfire on a Buffalo would be a lot like you getting hunted with a pellet gun, it'll kill you eventually. How many were wounded terribly in those days? Uncountable scores.
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you hit coyote in the heart with a .22lr it will go down no problem you hit a deer it the guts with a .50 bmg it still may run off for who knows how long

i dont see the need for rifle striping velocity magnums ive taken deer with cast bullets in .303 idk what the velocity is some where around 1350 to 1450fps i went with the best shooting load and well it will drop them no problem out to 100 yards

hopefuly this year i'll get to drop a big hog with my martini henry maybe a moose too idk yet but that bullet is not even pushing 1400fps with all its 480gr weight(im also planning a trip for some time in the next few years to go to AUS for water buffalo with this)
 
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DVXDUDE said:
I take my .22lr to Africa, Shot a Cape Buffalo and an Elephant at 150 yards last year.

on a serious note....

I don't find it very ethical to be shooting coyotes with a .22lr. Too much margin for error, If you use it go ahead, But I don't think you should be broadcasting it over the internet, Lots of yahoo's with their first gun will now be out coyote hunting with a .22lr. I have no doubt you know the limitations of your gun, But a lot of novice hunters aren't going to know and think they seen it work on the internet so it much be true.
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I agree. It may work, but it isn't the first choice, and I wouldn't brag about it. As a life and death scenario, I think .22lr would do a lot of things.
 
CV32 said:
This is something I'm having trouble with in your post. The .17HMR is considerably superior to the .22LR in just about every way, and your results with it were poor. Maybe you've refined your technique somehow? Keeping the distance short, taking care to put the shot into the vitals, etc?

This subject comes up time and time again, perhaps every day. Sure, the .22LR can kill coyotes, and even cartridges less capable than it. Under ideal conditions, it can do so consistently. But does that make it a good choice? You've said yourself that you choose it because your options are limited, and you still wouldn't advocate it. So we're back to the fundamentals. Use a proper tool, and if you can't, then know your limitations.
Click to expand...

I had a 17 for about 3-4 years and in that time it often went hunting with me. It was very accurate and great for headshots on prairie chickens. In those 3 or 4 years I shot about 15-20 coyotes with it. This is using mostly 20gr hornady hp's. Not one of those coyotes died quickly and many of them ran out of sight maybe they died, maybe not. I shot them in the head and chest and the results were always similar. The 17 is much more powerfull then the 22lr but I feel that the bullets are too light and of too thin construction to get ample penetration on coyotes. I also shot beavers and other small game with sub-par results. IMO, HMR's are a fun caliber for gophers, squirels, and skunks but anything you want to eat or anything larger you want to kill should be shot with something else.
 
savagelh said:
I had a 17 for about 3-4 years and in that time it often went hunting with me. It was very accurate and great for headshots on prairie chickens. In those 3 or 4 years I shot about 15-20 coyotes with it. This is using mostly 20gr hornady hp's. Not one of those coyotes died quickly and many of them ran out of sight maybe they died, maybe not. I shot them in the head and chest and the results were always similar. The 17 is much more powerfull then the 22lr but I feel that the bullets are too light and of too thin construction to get ample penetration on coyotes. I also shot beavers and other small game with sub-par results. IMO, HMR's are a fun caliber for gophers, squirels, and skunks but anything you want to eat or anything larger you want to kill should be shot with something else.
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I'm catching it, you're not worried about wounding and suffering, pretty clear with you recounting your .17 experience, as many as 20 times. Have to admit on our farm, we weren't either when I was younger. You did your best, but you still shot any coyote you saw just to get rid of it. My perspective has changed is all I can say without judging yours too harshly.
 
savagelh said:
I had a 17 for about 3-4 years and in that time it often went hunting with me. It was very accurate and great for headshots on prairie chickens. In those 3 or 4 years I shot about 15-20 coyotes with it. This is using mostly 20gr hornady hp's. Not one of those coyotes died quickly and many of them ran out of sight maybe they died, maybe not. I shot them in the head and chest and the results were always similar. The 17 is much more powerfull then the 22lr but I feel that the bullets are too light and of too thin construction to get ample penetration on coyotes. I also shot beavers and other small game with sub-par results. IMO, HMR's are a fun caliber for gophers, squirels, and skunks but anything you want to eat or anything larger you want to kill should be shot with something else.
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head shots are a bad idea with anything its ot always a kill as the head most more then anything else its easy to miss your mark and then end up blowing some poor critters jaw off and yes those little 20gr bullets dont have enough weight or the right bullet construction for anything bigger then a rat really .22lr is a way better choice over the .17 hmr for yote's because after hitting a bone the little .17 has nothing left to do damage

.22 hornet is a good choice here too because its reloadable with cast you cal load it to .22lr range and with the right bullet you can take deer with it(work quite well on deer when a heart shot is taken)
 
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