Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 22mag for bobcats

What do you guys think? I got a Marlin tube fed.

I'd say even with correct shot placement, not assuming a head shot, you'll get runners at least 1 out of 3 times with good shot placement, maybe a bit less dependent on your locale. You don't want to be chasing a predator with a weak blood trail as chances are you will not find them.

I have found unsuspecting, called in cats to be tough to kill sometimes...

Cats are not tough, physically, so use a fragile bullet, but they are tenacious, so don't get too close until you're sure it is stone [bleep] dead! I've shot a couple with the 22 MRF and think that the 33 grain VMax would be just tough enough to get through the hide and scramble the vital organs.

I saw a guy pick up a "dead" badger several years ago and discover that it wasn't quite as dead as he thought and got a torn up leg for his trouble. Doing that with a "dead" cat would be as bad or worse.

Jeff

I shot a BobCat with a 22 LR about 40 years ago.

He crawled in a brush pile and started growling and hissing.

Needless to say, I waited a LONG time for him to "expire" befor going in after him.

Would NEVER shoot another 'cat with a rimfire.

Virgil B.

But when you call them, they often sneak in to about 25 or 30 yards and will sit there looking for the source of the distress. Within that range, the 22 MRF is enough gun to kill the cat and not destroy the pelt.

Bobcats aren't uncommon in the creek bottoms and small wooded drainages here in eastern NE and when calling, it isn't unusual for cats and coyotes to come to the call if you're out in farm country or for cats and foxes to come if you're closer to town.

Jeff

I have a Marlin tube feed bolt in .22 Mag. I have owned it for 30 odd years.

In my experience a .22 Magnum with a Winchester 40 grain HP is fine on animals up to coyote size out to 150 yards or so.

The 22mag has a lot of capability for hunting. Most hunters don't give it the credit it should receive.

A month or two ago there was a back page article in Shooting or Pistol magazine, all about a life long rancher/hunter the guy knew when he was a kid, he hunted cats using dogs to tree them in the Southwest, his gun of choice was .22 mag revolver.

If you start shooting cats and coyotes with a .22 magnum up to 150 yards, you will not like the results...

At 150 yards, the .22 magnum has less than 100 ft. pounds of energy with a 40 grain HP, the standard loading, and is barely going 1,000 fps.

Unless it is a brain shot, you're going to get a running cat or coyote 9 times out of 10.

I love the .22 magunm for what it is. A rimfire. It is in the same boat as an HMR. People try to turn it into what it's not. For close range, under 50 yards, it is pretty effective on fox and cats. Extremely borderline on coyotes beyond 50 yards or so.

We have hunted and used the .22 magnum extensively for over 15 years on stuff very small to very large and have seen the results and limitations of the cartridge.

Just remember, even at close range, more than likely you'll lose a few with pretty good shot placement. You extend that to 150 yards and you'll be sick at the results on cats and coyotes.

Just trying to help you out my friend and give you some vast, real world experiences. My experiences sound quite opposite of some of the other posters but I've got a lot of it.

Read this again, it's good info. We used them for years growing up, killed alot of cats and coyotes but 150 yards is too far. We used the Win 40 gr HP.

I've killed a few cats with the 22mag and wounded a few more. Its a poor choice, you'll see the cat take a solid hit, jump a few feet in the air and run off.

Shot this one in the chest at 25yd in a meadow using a 22LR (he was watching the speaker in a tree), he jumped at the first hit and I hit him again on the run a little far back. By then I was able to run him down and choke him with the butt of the rifle. If there had been heavy brush I would have lost him for sure:


Over hounds a 22LR or 22mag is a fine choice, one is up close. Plus the hounds can recover any cats if they take off.

A shotgun with #4 buck is far better ime for the calling hunter.

MtnHtr

Greg,do they make a heavy bullet for the mag?

Federal makes a 50-grainer.

My buddy likes the Fed 50 gr bullet - says it shoots better out of his Savage heavy barrel than any other .22 mag load. I often use them from a revolver.

A few after a trip to Midway...

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=916488

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=225402

Not a 'bob, but it was a single well-placed shot with a 22 LR HP...few steps...dead. I prefer even a small 22 CF, but know that shooter responsibility plays into a screw-up with a 22 Mag on one of these smaller cats at 50-75 yards or less.

can't speak to cats, but I've eaten a good more venison killed with a .22 mag than any other caliber.

course the old man had that neck shot gig down pretty well.

Another vote for this post. I've seen big bobs soak up a lot of lead, even at close range. About the only thing I could recommend a .22 mag for at 150 yards are prairie dogs. For predators, if you want to go cheap and light and if you reload, I'd take the Hornet over the .22 mag.

that cat looks like it is still "on".....

Stay away from those Dynapoints. Pure junk IMO and DIRTY. I've tried then in a number of guns and always had the same bad results. Those 50gr Feds on the other hand are little hammers and worth the pain in the a$$ it usually is to find them. Around here we are limited to rimfire for night hunting, so the Mag gets a lot of field time. I've never had the chance to shoot a cat with one but it does a real nice job on fox and yotes. Neck and head on the yotes though and keep it under 100, preferably under 75.

Inside of 100 yds, a 22 mag will down a bobcat no problem if hit right. Use a 40gr soft point or 50gr and put it in their shoulder. It'll bust right through both and he'll drop where he's standing. RWS is expensive, but they have a 40gr soft point at 2020fps. That'll put down any bobcat within 100 yds. Your best bet for rimfires would be a Rem. 5mm rimfire mag. Aquila makes a 38gr. soft point at 2300fps. Not too many of them around anymore though.