Farm Rifle

fwm

fwm

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S.W ONT.
Looking for recommendations on caliber mostly for a rifle for pests around my property. I have a couple 22LR and a 223 among other things but I'm looking for something in between. I've been finding the 22LR a little wanting in a lot of situations. Something not too loud as I have neighbors close by and preferably something that doesn't tend to ricochet if I miss. Range isn't a factor as most shots will be under 50yds. Ammo price not a top concern either as a box of 50 would last years.
 
Pistol calibre carbine in .45 (JRC 45, for example) but not necessarily in semiauto. semi auto tends to be more of a hassle than anything, regardless of the assumed convenience of detachable box mags. I've always found them to be fumbly, when trying to get one loaded and out the door in a hurry.

Especially when you're talking under 50 yards, a pistol round out of a rifle barrel has got the accuracy and whallop to take care of a coyote (the only pest imo, that a .22LR is a bit small for), but can still be used for raccoons and beavers 'semi-discreetly' as it's still pretty quiet. I think you can get quiet/subsonic ammo for .45 as well, but don't quote me on that.

Of all my rifles, I find I'm grabbing my grandfather's old JGA single shot .22LR the most. A predator rifle's no good if you can't get to it fast enough, and I find this little toothpick of a rifle easiest to grab and go in the night.



I still say reconsider. .22LR is a guy's best friend.
 
Agreed with the 22WMR suggestion.

I picked mine up because it was on sale & you can get jacketed soft points for the 22WMR.

Cheers
Jay
 
22WMR sounds like the right choice for this. Not many pests in Canada (I'm aware of) would survive a center mass shot from a 22WMR hollow point @ 50 yards.
 
CoonT said:
Pistol calibre carbine in .45 (JRC 45, for example) but not necessarily in semiauto. semi auto tends to be more of a hassle than anything, regardless of the assumed convenience of detachable box mags. I've always found them to be fumbly, when trying to get one loaded and out the door in a hurry.

Especially when you're talking under 50 yards, a pistol round out of a rifle barrel has got the accuracy and whallop to take care of a coyote (the only pest imo, that a .22LR is a bit small for), but can still be used for raccoons and beavers 'semi-discreetly' as it's still pretty quiet. I think you can get quiet/subsonic ammo for .45 as well, but don't quote me on that.

Of all my rifles, I find I'm grabbing my grandfather's old JGA single shot .22LR the most. A predator rifle's no good if you can't get to it fast enough, and I find this little toothpick of a rifle easiest to grab and go in the night.



I still say reconsider. .22LR is a guy's best friend.
Click to expand...

Many will underestimate the 22 LR a bit...they are a surprisingly effective killer.
That was Dad's primary coyote gun back in the day. Granted they didn't want to mess up the hides.
But to prime the discussion... they definitely don't lack in lethality. Dad was chasing a 'yote with a Lil Ford F150 back in the late 70's... managed to put one in HIMSELF.
By the time they got him into the hospital...a nurse jumped up on the gurney and began CPR as he was flatlined. Bullet went through his right leg up high, the thread on his brand new jeans turned it about 45° up into his belly ( Doctors input), poked a hole in his diaphragm and stopped just short of his heart.
Not as ###y as a 45 ACP... if one wants a new gun, I appreciate that. Crack on.
When I'm teaching a new kid to shoot with 22... I tell them this story to ensure they give it due respect.
 
tokguy said:
Many will underestimate the 22 LR a bit...they are a surprisingly effective killer.
That was Dad's primary coyote gun back in the day. Granted they didn't want to mess up the hides.
But to prime the discussion... they definitely don't lack in lethality. Dad was chasing a 'yote with a Lil Ford F150 back in the late 70's... managed to put one in HIMSELF.
By the time they got him into the hospital...a nurse jumped up on the gurney and began CPR as he was flatlined. Bullet went through his right leg up high, the thread on his brand new jeans turned it about 45° up into his belly ( Doctors input), poked a hole in his diaphragm and stopped just short of his heart.
Not as ###y as a 45 ACP... if one wants a new gun, I appreciate that. Crack on.
When I'm teaching a new kid to shoot with 22... I tell them this story to ensure they give it due respect.
Click to expand...

Lots to learn from this reply....
A .22 RF with the appropriate bullet (hollow point) will dispatch most varmints pdg except for the larger variety (yotes).
As tokguy says if you want a new gun then by all means, just dont sell the tried and proven 22 rf short for the task at hand.
Maybe the 17HMR or the 17 Mach2 might be the Unicorn to pine for, but 99% of us respondents are recommending a rim-fire for the o-p's intended purpose.
But dont torment us when you decide on your choice 'cause interested peeps wanna know :)
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
OP - you specified "not too loud" and "tends not to ricochet". Not too loud tends to be related to speed of sound in air - I suspect that you would want to avoid the sonic "crack" - so that limits upper velocity to like 1,100 to 1,125 fps. When I used to teach Hunter Safety in Sask., was an example of a .22 Short ricochet for a mile, so to limit ricochet, need a very fragile bullet that will come apart on contact, not "bounce". Apparently the more or less solid lead bullets in 22 Short will "bounce" very nicely at those impact speeds. A pest control company that we had hired at a mine that I worked at, to clean out pigeons, claimed his .22 Long Rifle CCI Stingers met those criteria. A nearby fellow is setting up to reload for a new-to-him 22 Hornet for exactly the purpose that you have in mind - not sure the gunshot sound is an issue for him, but we did go over some bullet choices to reduce likelihood of ricochet.
 
I think if you are concerned at all about ricochet, or rather where it might end up, you should not be shooting. Everything will do it no matter how fragile it is, sometimes.

Barring that, I'd agree on the 22WMR.

Myself, I live in the bush, I can use wth I like.
 
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.22 mag is possibly and underrated killer. In my experience, it is fantastic for a lot of the situations around the farm. If you need anything larger that the .22 mag, the the .223 will fit the bill.
 
If you want quiet stay below 1100 FPS and use the longest barrel you can find. Hitting a predator in the head at 50 is not too hard. A mag fed 22LR. 22mag will be louder.
 
.22lr or .45acp carbine, keep things subsonic.

Frangible ammo if you're really concerned.

I know someone who had a 14" .45acp insert which dropped into his 12ga. Downloaded to ~700fps it was very quiet.
 
fwm said:
Looking for recommendations on caliber mostly for a rifle for pests around my property. I have a couple 22LR and a 223 among other things but I'm looking for something in between. I've been finding the 22LR a little wanting in a lot of situations....
Click to expand...

Need more info - What do you need the rifle to do that your 22LR can't handle already?
 
CCI is now making a segmented hollow point in 22 mag. Bullet breaks into 3 pieces on impact. Less likely to ricochet.
They already had a couple of 22 lr in segmented.
 
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