Lethality of 22lr

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Found this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-.../2931390/posts

really interesting reading!! Way to go 22lr!
 
''I mean, I know that the 22LR has been a good hunting round for small critters/varmints such as rabbits and squirrels but occasionally you hear it is used as well for killing deers, coyotes and bigger animals - heck, on the internet, you can even find a story about the elephant being killed with a 22LR on the internet, LOL!''

l didnt take anything serious after this. l have shot thousands and thousands of rounds out of several bolt guns and semi auto 22's, anybody with any real, practical experience knows that a 22 is a lethal cartridge, but also realizes it is not a practical round for killing anything except varmints. i have also owned several other rimfires in 17 hmr and 22wm, it makes me cringe when i read about people shooting anything other than varmints. imho there is no rimfire cartridge i have ever seen that is powerful enough to be effective on a coyote past 100 yards. You can find whatever you want on the internet, its full of people who spend more time behind a keyboard, or around the gun counter talking zombies and tactical than they do outside. dont get me wrong, my 22's are some of my favorites to shoot, but someone who believes some of that stuff has no idea what they or thier 22 is or isnt capable of.
 
Mr.pike said:
''I mean, I know that the 22LR has been a good hunting round for small critters/varmints such as rabbits and squirrels but occasionally you hear it is used as well for killing deers, coyotes and bigger animals - heck, on the internet, you can even find a story about the elephant being killed with a 22LR on the internet, LOL!''

l didnt take anything serious after this. l have shot thousands and thousands of rounds out of several bolt guns and semi auto 22's, anybody with any real, practical experience knows that a 22 is a lethal cartridge, but also realizes it is not a practical round for killing anything except varmints. i have also owned several other rimfires in 17 hmr and 22wm, it makes me cringe when i read about people shooting anything other than varmints. imho there is no rimfire cartridge i have ever seen that is powerful enough to be effective on a coyote past 100 yards. You can find whatever you want on the internet, its full of people who spend more time behind a keyboard, or around the gun counter talking zombies and tactical than they do outside. dont get me wrong, my 22's are some of my favorites to shoot, but someone who believes some of that stuff has no idea what they or thier 22 is or isnt capable of.
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You're right, except in this case, someone took the trouble to do some controlled outdoor testing. I appreciate his effort.
 
And there's this.

[youtube]OUM1r_444CY&list=TLjxdgY1lQtOvto7T_WzkG9n-t0SytLUcU[/youtube]

I think the point is that one should respect the fact that the round is lethal and should be treated accordingly.
 
Good read, glad someone took the time to record his findings. Buddy showed me a vid of .22lr penetrating a steel door at 300 yards....have to try and dig that one up when I have time.
 
The test by the Moss Pawn team talks about a 1/2 inch pine board as a standard but they are using 1/2"plywood..... it still tells a story.
 
I guess the RCMP and CBC are right: A ruger 10/22 in a tapco stock is a military style assault rifle! Who would have thunk it!

My philosophy with .22lr is simple. If you can hit a critical area, it will have enough zip to kill when it gets there. If it didn't, you probably wouldn't have been able to hit it at that range.
 
I think the 22 excels at penetration. However, I do recall shooting a deer with one (standard velocity 40 gr) and all but one of the bullets just stuck in the fat, just under the hide. One hit a major artery,

A while back there was a story about someone being concerned about a 22 short at 200 yards. I opined that after 100 yards it would have no energy to do anything. I then volunteered to test it.

I have a rifle chambered in 22 short and had my grandson shoot a wooden ammo crate at 100 yards. The bullets passed through the wood and are still going.

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i have a healthy respect for the damage a .22 can do as it was all we ever used around the farm to kill animals we were butchering .i believe the round was used in the Bosnian Serb war sniping at each other at relatively short distances .
 
I am seriously rethinking whether to get a 22 mag. I think the benefit of 22lr is its cheap, and it's "quiet" - in that you won't bother neighbours past a few hundred yards, or a farm owner if you're helping him rid some varmints.

The 223 is ideal for killing wolves and down, but is noisy.

The 22mag is neither cheap nor quiet, and nor is it ideal for killing wolves/coyotes. So what is it good for?

quotes from another forum (post about 22 wmr and yotes):
"Out to 100 yards 22 LR will do them in just fine.. 17 hmr and 22 WMR work better,

Shot hundreds with a 22LR when I was a kid!... usually right off the swather or tractor! or combine... old open sight cooey!...it was death on coyotes.. get a family of them mousing and would jut stop machine and pick em off... they wouldn't eve hear the noise over the machinery!"
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I have never bothered to try a mag rimfire on a coyote it should "work". But I have seen them take dump trucks full of punishment from bigger guns and keep going. Just not quite enough to be reliable
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Back in the early 70s I know of 2 guys that hunted rabied wolves with a 22WMR, 303 and a shot gun for 3 years or more.... The 22 mag is sufficient for wolves.



quorum said:
I am seriously rethinking whether to get a 22 mag. I think the benefit of 22lr is its cheap, and it's "quiet" - in that you won't bother neighbours past a few hundred yards, or a farm owner if you're helping him rid some varmints.

The 223 is ideal for killing wolves and down, but is noisy.

The 22mag is neither cheap nor quiet, and nor is it ideal for killing wolves/coyotes. So what is it good for?
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Joe57 said:
Back in the early 70s I know of 2 guys that hunted rabied wolves with a 22WMR, 303 and a shot gun for 3 years or more.... The 22 mag is sufficient for wolves.
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sufficient? I said ideal.

I bet to 100 yards, a good 22lr could kill wolves at a good rate. I'm not saying the 22 wmr is a bad round, but the problem with the 22 wmr is that there aren't any good semi-auto options. And by good I mean super-accurate, super-reliable and stainless steel.
 
The difference is between lethality and stopping power. Picture a darning needle at hypersonic speed - very lethal it it hits the right spot, but somebody pumped full of adrenalin might not even notice until he was dead. Now picture a thrown brick - great stopping power, reasonably low lethality.

In the real world, some very high-penetration rounds (7.63 Mauser and .30 Luger) proved to be pretty ineffective 'stoppers' in battle. So being able to punch holes in a pine board (or oncoming berserk maniac with a machete) isn't going to do you much good. Better than nothing, of course.
 
quorum said:
sufficient? I said ideal.

I bet to 100 yards, a good 22lr could kill wolves at a good rate. I'm not saying the 22 wmr is a bad round, but the problem with the 22 wmr is that there aren't any good semi-auto options. And by good I mean super-accurate, super-reliable and stainless steel.
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Good-luck with that.
 
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