Hello all!
I've had my first 22 WMR rifle for a little over a year and had opportunity to shoot it on Saturday. I used the 30 grain CCI load. It is a CZ 457 and pretty impressive accuracy wise.
Does anyone have a favorite 22 WMR load for coyotes? I'm a little concerned with the light bullet in the loads I used. Any experience with this or other loads is appreciated.
Take care all!
Rick

Just about any one will work.

I agree the heavier bullet sounds like the best idea, but also agree with hikerbum that most will work if you're within 22WMR range. I shoot the lighter 30 grain V-Max because they're the most accurate in my rifle.

My grandson flattened a few with the Aguila 40 gr. semi jacked soft point, complete pass throughs staying off the shoulder.

Take care!
Congrats to the grandson. You’re a good granddad. Thanks for introducing him to skills he will enjoy the rest of his life!
My seven year old grandson and I are fishing as I type. He caught about a 3 lb Largemouth an hour or so ago.
He says I’m the best fishing teacher he ever had. I’m the only one he ever had!
Take care!
Rick

I use winchester super x 40gr jhp.

Years ago I had a Marlin bolt gun with the tube magazine in .22 Magnum. That sucker would really shoot the Winchester Super X 40 gr. hollowpoint load. I killed a pretty good number of coyotes, a few fox, one bobcat, some coons, groundhogs, skunks, feral cats, crows and one deer with that rifle and load. Living on a farm and also being a predator caller gave lots of opportunities for trigger time. I had zero issues but I was very careful with shot placement.

For anything over 10 lbs., I like the Federal Small Game 50 grain JHPs in my Marlin, Remington, and Savage rifles and in my Rossi and S&W revolvers.

My experience with the .22 MAG is parallel to MOGC's.

This. Hell of a hog bullet too.

I have been shooting coyotes with the 40g Win hp for 20+ years. I have tried many of the bullets. I have had Ruger 77's, Browning A Bolt, Mauser, and Cz.

Couple of things that I have learned:

Plated bullets lead up a barrel in a hurry, so I will only shoot a jacketed bullet.

30-32g can fail you on coyotes, but great on small varmints.

Clean your barrel every 250 rounds to keep your 22 Mag shooting sub 1" groups at 100 yards and often less.

The killing power of a 22 Magnum with the 40g Hp is awesome to say the least. I could not get Federal 50g to stabilize in any of my rifles. 40g Win hp will shoot holes through Coyote shoulders.

I've only been shooting the 22 mag for about 60 years. For the first 40 years, I think we only had the WW 40 gr. HP. I have tried many of the newer / latest rounds but the old WW 40 gr. HP still works best for me.

BTW good shooting Lil' Crittrgittr!!

22 mag is and has always been a powerful great rimfire cartridge, i own a few 22 mags too . this cartridge has always been a great poachers cheap cartridge too for the family winter deer meat . the only problem is distance sometimes . congrats on the grandson shoot`n coyotes ,the 22 mag. was the first rifle my son also got from me a 22 mag Marlin s.s. varmint which he still owns.

i use the Hordady 30 grain Vmax in my marlin tube fed magnum. impressive kills on big coons and coyotes.

Hard to improve on the Winchester 40 JHP, performance wise. Generally in the top three accuracy wise of loads in any .22 WMR I’ve ever wrung out and they expand while holding together and penetrating as deep as any expanding load barring the Federal 50gr hollow points. But I am pretty sure those , if they do expand, do so rarely and I wouldn’t use them on a coyote unless I wasn’t concerned about retrieving the carcass.

I like the 50 grain game point. I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot anything your rifle likes (except fmj) inside 100 yards. I’ve killed them stone dead with little 17 grain HMR bullets out to about 80 yards, so the bigger WMR shouldn’t have any issues.

I have always used the Winchester Super-X 40 gr JHP. I have made kills on both coyotes and badgers out to around 125 yds. I use a Marlin 783 with a Leupold 3-9x40 for them. I have had it since the late 70's.
I would not recommend using the JHP on rabbits, squirrels, grouse or other edible game. I use solids for that.

I do have some CCI Game Points I intend to try if I can find a coyote to use them on.

I'd only head shoot them with the 30's, unless you like them running to never be found.

I only use the Winchester 40gr JHP or the Hornady Critical Defense FTX 45gr

The 50 grain has been an impressive killer for me

They also shoot well in a 9422M. Thumpers

The 9422M is what I have

The 50gr Federal is an excellent load. Very accurate, deep penetrating and kind on edible flesh. It is probably the load I take to the field most often when I am running a .22 Magnum. But in my experience it really isn’t an expanding bullet at least not often enough to count on for such.

I had an opportunity yesterday to buy a couple of boxes of the CCI 40 grain load. I have several boxes of the 30 grain load from CCI. Now to get a coyote to volunteer for ballistic testing.
Thanks for all the input and keep it coming,
Rick

I am kinda surprised that nobody mentioned the Maxi Mag 40 grain. It hits a sweet spot in accuracy, expansion and penetration. It have been available of late too. Academy has had it in stock. I don't have any experience with the Game Point 40 or 35 grain on animals.

So has anyone found a "lead-free" ctg. that their .22 WMR likes? I haven't yet and have had to return to the .22 Hornet to hunt legally in CA.... My Miroku-made "Winchester" 1885 WMR doesn't like "green" ammo a bit. and my WMr barrel on a Savage Model 24D doesn't either.

My only .22 Magnum that shoots it well is an 8 3/8" S&W Model 48-2 revolver! Not exactly what I'd choose for 'yotes unless I was a lot better pistolier than I am....

Keep shooting lead

I've got a Marlin in 22 Win Mag, that I bought back in MN around 1980 for $99 at Holiday Village.

That thing has pretty much been fed the old CCI 40 gr FMJs and SP. It rode for years in my 4 Runner, behind the front seats on the floor, in my travels. Having it that long, I have killed 20 plus deer with it. NOT out hunting with it, just came across deer that had been hit by cars, on the rural back roads of America. each time has been right after it had happened, and for some reason, most of the time the vehicle that hit them were being driven by women....

slap in that 7 round clip, use the front hood for a rest... the cheap Tasco on top, put the crosshairs at the deer's ear or between its eyes, depending on where it is standing in the field besides the road with its broken shoulder or hip. Pull the trigger out to 125 yds, and down the deer would go... DRT.

several times there have been several deer hit by the same vehicle... women in a Suburban are talented that way.

That Marlin has never failed to drop one in those scenarios.... when 22 Win Mag was cheap, it sure has taken a lot of Oregon Ground Squirrels/ Sage Rats also....that was before I started loading 223s, down to 22 Mag equivalents with shot gun powder....