Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints .22 mag usage?

Any of you guys varmit hunt with a .22 mag? I bought a box of 30 gr. hornady v max a few days ago and don't really know what to expect. What kind or range could a guy shoot a coyote with one? Also where do you guys zero your .22 mags?

I have a savage GL.

Zero'd at 50, but I have a Pentax with a plex reticle on it.

The remaining lines give me roughly 100, 130, 160, and 200 - which is my limit for the rifle.

I shot some prairie dogs with my Marlin .22 mag a few weeks ago. I used the Hornady 30 grain V-max's. Sighted in at 100 yds, it was hitting 5-6 inches low at 150. It would consistently hit PD's at 100 yds and a little more. Kind of iffy at 150 yds, but did hit some at that range and a little further. Once you are at that range, it's time to get out the centerfires. I don't think the 30 grain V-max's are what you want to use on coyotes. I think you would want something that would hold together a little better for penetration.

I killed a lot of coyotes with the Ruger skeleton stock SS 22 Mag with the Winchester 40g HP.

I would like to warn you that you need the penetration and bone breaking ability of a heavier bullet.

We shot an ungodly number of p. dogs, ground squirrels, jack rabbits with the win 40g HP out of Marlin 25's and I had a very accurate mauser 210 in 22 Mag.

I considered coyotes dead at 75 yards, and beyond hits had to be perfect. My longest shot was in the 150 yard range with frontal shot with him facing me, hit him square between the legs.

I zero'd my rifles at 100 yards, 1" high at 50 yards, aimed at the top of their heads at further ranges.

You should consider that your bullet is going to have to be able to break a rib or shoulder blade.

22 mag is my favorite..........I've killed a few yotes with the little mag an all were done in with the 40 gr. CCI SP. I'm currently changing over to the 33 gr. Rem accu-tip. A very accurate little round........I'm at zero at a 100 yd an MOA or a tad more with 3x9 scope.......22 mag is a killer round enjoy your rifle...........Redworm

I am a big fan of the 22 mag for groundhog/raccoon sized varmints on up through coyotes.
I agree with Keith that if coyotes and bobcats are on the menu stick with 40 grain and heavier bullets and they are dead dogs to 100 yards or so.
I zero about 1/2 or 3/4 inch high at 50 and I'm just a touch low at 100.
The lighter bullets usually outgroup the heavys and do shoot flatter but they don't kill as well on bigger stuff in my experience

I know those old 40 grain FMJs work real well right out to 200 yds...with my old Marlin 25MN, I have dispatched several deer over the last 30 years I've had it, with head shots out to 200 yds...

used it as a truck gun for years...the deer were dispatched after being hit by cars in my zillons of miles of traveling the country...in the same truck with 530K on it now..

sure the deer were stationary and they were heat shot with a good rest off the hood of the old 4 Runner...

but a 40 grain FMJ out of a 22 Mag, between the eyes dropped them like a ton of bricks...

It was 42 years ago when I got my first 22 magnum, a Savage 34M. I paid for it with money earned from trapping. Back then the only ammo available, at least locally was Winchester 40 HP and 40 grain FMJ. I used both based on whatever was available at the time. It wasn't too long before CCI 22 magnum ammo was available, in a 40 grain hollow point.

I carried that rifle almost daily back then. It was rare for me to leave the house without it. We lived on a dairy farm so I always had a place to shoot and targets were plentiful. I shot truck loads of woodchucks out of our fields and the fields of the neighbors. Back then a kid with a rifle had the run of every farm in the area.

I shot raccoons, fox and coyotes as well with that little rifle. I pressed my luck on numerous occasions, taking 150 yard shots on coyotes. I never lost one but had a few long tracking jobs to recover them. It didn't take long to figure out that 100 yards was about as far as I ought to attempt a shot on a coyote, or a fox for that matter. The hollow points seemed to anchor the big dogs a little better than the FMJ's but they both worked.

I still have that little rifle. It still shoots tight groups at 100 yards and while I have flirted with the lighter bullets, none have ever shot better than the old Winchester 40 grain bullets. To this day that's all I use in it.

Mart

My Browning 22 Mag T-Bolt loves the Hornady 30 gr V-Max , but it also loves the Federal 50 gr HP's which i have it sighted with at the moment. I haven't had the the opportunity to try them on Coyotes but this is what i purchased them for . Hoping to change this soon, getting ready to start calling again since the pups should be weaned by now.

Big fan of the 22Mag for treed Cats and Coon but it's not my choice for called Coyotes.
The old Winny silver box is all I've used for forty or so years so no help with the plastic tipped stuff but regardless of ammo I'd try and limit my shots to 75yrds if you have to use a 22maq.

Great round within it's limitations though.
No Cat hunter should be without one.



PS,,,, I zero at 75 and don't shoot further than that with it but I'm running irons soooooo....

I have been shooting CCI 40 grain HP.. Very deadly on chucks, p. dogs etc.. Never shot a coyote with one, but my best pals son has killed a truck load of game with one.. I usually limit my shots with the little mag. to 100 yards.. Then I reach for something centerfire..

Another fan and high volume user of the 22 Magnum. Also a big fan of WW 40gr Silver box ammo. UNLESS, I am feeling rich and spend a bit more for the Hornaday Critical defense plastic tipped 45's. Those are a real step up, but the 30-33gr bullets have awful BC's and SD's. 40-45 HP is where its at with this round.

I also turn to centerfires at 100 yards or more. No reason to push it and possibly wound and lose a fine animal that deserves better.

Even varmints and Demonrats deserve a quick, humane kill or death as much as can be accomplished.

I bought my first 22mag in 1961, a Winchester model 61 new in the bow for $64.95. I was young then and my only other long gun was a Browning Auto Five in 12ga 3" mag. That Win. 22mag was my main meat gun. Back then a 22 was legal for deer and I killed 7 bucks 7 years in a row with 40gr Super X HP. All were taken with lung shots, the longest was 130yd's. They usually traveled less than 100yd's before going down. In the winter my little beagle and I hunted rabbits every day after work using FMJ bullets to save meat. The rifle was topped with a Weaver 2.5 with a post recital. One time when hunting with my father in law and brother in law, a rooster pheasant went up in front of us when we were crossing a field. I shot him out of the air with the 22mag, my father in law bragged about that shot for years after.

When they outlawed deer hunting with a 22 I sold my model 61. I later bought a 22 mag in a Winchester Model 94 but I missed my old model 61. About 7 or 8 years ago I found another 61 in 22mag at a gun show and bought it. It cost a lot more than that first one in 1961 but since I got it it has doubled in value but I'm hanging onto this one. It has accounted for one coyote a bunch of woodchucks on the farm.

Safari, WRONG ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS..

Fieldgrade,
What model peep do you have on your 22 mag? It looks like it goes in the scope mount groove, I would love to put something like that on my 9422. Did you have to add a higher front sight?
Thanks

I use the Skinner sights on one of my 94-22 and used the factory front sight

Williams WGRS.
Can't remember the exact height, but front's the highest Marble gold dot.

Had a bad experience with the guy that bought out Doc Skinner (Andy IIRC) so I no longer buy his products.

Been using Williams sights without an issue for over 40 years so I'll stick with them.
My other lever guns have Williams sight too so it also makes sense to be able to swap apertures.

thanks for the info guys

You know, I used to hate levers when I was young but now I find them rather sexy. I love peep sights but no one makes a great one for a 597 rem or a 10/22 believe it or not. I often seen those old Lyman sights on lever guns and I would love to own one. Very nice pics and and nicely set up guns. The lever over the bobcat was a awesome pic. I have only seen 2 bobcats in my life.

I can post about 100 more pix of em if Ric can stand the band width.
Let me know.




On second thought, make that 99 more.
Here's another with a 22Mag Lever gun to get things started.