It seems clear to me that unless people are mistaken about what works well for them, or they simply got a bad batch, what works best is highly individual and likely based on your particular firearm. You just have to experiment to find out. Recomendations are all over the place.
Best 22LR ammo for gophers
- Thread starter KLS
- Start date
Yes, this is correct, when I first when gopher hunting in the mid 80's we tried everything and settled on Yellow Jackets for the knock down stay down wallop. Obviously this is not everybody's experience however it's been interesting to read what has worked for others. I've ordered some CCI fragmented ona recommendation in this thread and will put them into the line-up this summer.
Right. Because how are you going to hit that gopher at 100 yards if your groups with a certain ammo at 100 yards aren't even under 1.5"?
This is a great comment and accurate (excuse the pun), where I shoot I rarely shot past 50 yards so 100 yard accuracy is not really a consideration. This is why there are more than one recommendation(s).
This^^, most non precision guys in Alberta Sask or Manitoba are rarely shooting gophers out to 100 unless they are having fun, most fields it's not necessary. The way interpreted this thread is what ammo was best for killing, not what shoots best out of certain guns at long distances
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Good gopher ammo on sale today at the big US box store that shall not be named, Wild Wednesday, Federal .22 plated hollow point 36g - 1375rds in a bucket. It zips out at 1260 fps and is pretty accurate and consistent. $119.99. If you're a vet and have your card you get an extra 5% off as well I believe?
That works out to the equivalent of $46 a box when comparing to a typical pack of 525.
With ammo prices going up this year, that works out to 8 cents a round. Not bad in my books at this time of ammo inflation. If you wait and are lucky, this big box store puts the 525 packs on sale for $48.98, but I was just over there and they haven't had 525 packs now for 2-3 months in stock. And when they do, they are $69.98!
So $46 for 525 rds is a good price these days.
Oh and i picked up Ruger 10/22, 10 rd BX mags for $23.98 with my vets discount! With GST, $24.55.
So $46 for 525 rds is a good price these days.
Oh and i picked up Ruger 10/22, 10 rd BX mags for $23.98 with my vets discount! With GST, $24.55.
I use mostly the Winchester bulk pack hollow points, they will shoot MO gopher out to 100 yards in my gopher guns. The Federal bulk HP are fine too if your gun shoots them well. It also depends on how heavy the gopher action is, how much shooting you plan to do. If it’s sparse shooting then the expensive stuff is great but some years the ground is literally moving with gophers and I would go through 500 plus rounds in an afternoon and it looks like you didn’t even make a dent in the population. Using higher priced Stingers etc. can get pretty costly but to each their own.
I'm lucky that the rifles i use on the gopher patch are all pretty accurate with bulk ammo. Some years, i can clear out over 800 gophers in a few days and barely make a dent. It gets expensive quickly with better quality ammo. I can live with the rare duds and less accurate groups.
Put a 4-16 scope on my Speed Steel second 10/22 and will go after gophers in April.
Have an assortment of 22 ammo . . . CCI MiniMags (RN), Blazer and CCI SV.
Both the Blazer and CCI SV were well below the published velocities.
With the X-hairs on at 50 with the CCI SV, the first stadia line below the X-hairs was on for Blazer at 100 yards.
Have an assortment of 22 ammo . . . CCI MiniMags (RN), Blazer and CCI SV.
Both the Blazer and CCI SV were well below the published velocities.
With the X-hairs on at 50 with the CCI SV, the first stadia line below the X-hairs was on for Blazer at 100 yards.
squirrelshooter
CGN Regular
- Location
- Near Sudbury, Ont.
I second the Browning BPR. It’s great, has a pretty big hollow point and does lots of damage. No good if you want to make some gopher underwear
From my own personal experiences..another vote for the Mini Mags here.
Our club has friendly .22 competitions sometimes two a yr. With paper targets as well as the odd one with small silhouette steels @ 25, 50, 75 and 100 yds.
Last paper match, I had some Aguila, some Eley (2 types) some Win Super X (old stuff..lol) and my CCI Mini mags. Best groups on paper were from the CCI's at 50, 75 and 100 yds...also the most consistent in knocking over the steels. Aguila for 25 and just as good as the MM's @ 50 yds on paper. Very surprised by the lack of consistency by the big name brand.
My set up was my Savage TH 93 MK ll Bull bbl w/ Bushnell 6-18x40 rimfire scope. pretty kool watching the bullets "lob" in to the far targets..lol
Our club has friendly .22 competitions sometimes two a yr. With paper targets as well as the odd one with small silhouette steels @ 25, 50, 75 and 100 yds.
Last paper match, I had some Aguila, some Eley (2 types) some Win Super X (old stuff..lol) and my CCI Mini mags. Best groups on paper were from the CCI's at 50, 75 and 100 yds...also the most consistent in knocking over the steels. Aguila for 25 and just as good as the MM's @ 50 yds on paper. Very surprised by the lack of consistency by the big name brand.
My set up was my Savage TH 93 MK ll Bull bbl w/ Bushnell 6-18x40 rimfire scope. pretty kool watching the bullets "lob" in to the far targets..lol
Wild_Thing
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- In the thick of it!
My 10/22 - likes the CCI 36 grain varmint
Maybe it's the batch, but I have found Yellow Jackets to be decent. Unlike the Thunderbolts which in my experience are consistently not good. A lot of ammo is firearm dependent and even so, it varies from one firearm to another. My 457 does not like Golden Bullets. A friend's 457 (or it could have been a 455) does. So go figure. Could be the gun, could be the lot/batch, could be the mating of the two and the environmental conditions, etc. lots of variables.
I have found however, the pest control performance is very consistent across my bolt action rifles with CCI Mini Mags, which also run fine in the semi autos. Mini Mags seem to be the perfect type of ammo for all sorts of applications from plinking, small game hunting and pest control, in my humble opinion. Surprisingly the Aguila Super Hollow points are decently reliable as well. But of course, your mileage may vary...
I’ve shot a few thousand rounds through my CZ457 now. Winchester HP 36 grain seem to have a bit more zip than Federal 36 gr hp. The Winchester also have a better expanding HP. Not quite as theatric as a Stinger but not far off sometimes. $65 per 525 compare to the Federal at $60. Worth the extra $5 IMHO.
