Good .22lr ammo for small game

[andy*]

I use a Winchester 69a with factory peeps on small game ( rabbits and grouse ) out here in Washington state. My rifle really likes the Remington 36 grain HVHP. However with a current ammo shortage in the stores all I can find are 32 grain Stingers from CCI. Will these be a good substitute until I can find some Remingtons? What does anyone else use? Thanks, Andy

[NRAJOE]

Yup, they'll work.

[andy*]

Hey NRAJOE, thanks for the reply . Nice to know that the Stingers are worth the extra dollars. andy

[Metronome]

If you are shooting open sights and short ranges (<60 yds) the Stingers should be about ideal. I haven't ever noticed, but people generally say the Stingers aren't as accurate as the heavier, slower rounds, but up close they pack a lot more wallop! I personally have a truce with rabbits currently (for political reasons) but I recommend head shots, as Stingers will blow up small things quite well.

[ArkansasHunter]

This is Interesting...CCI is about all you'll find around my neck of the woods. Andy if you buy some CCI let me/us know how well it shoot's in your rifle please Sir.

Our Walmart has a full shelf of CCI ammo...A.H

[rimfirenut]

Originally Posted by Metronome

I recommend head shots, as Stingers will blow up small things quite well.

I agree with this, they pack a serious punch! I also have a Win. 69 and have found the stingers to be a little less accurate than the slower heavier rounds.
I have had good accuracy with CCI blazers as well as the standard velocity stuff from CCI. Some of the bulk stuff works well but I am not a fan of Remington .22 ammo, especially the Thunder duds.

[NRAJOE]

I use nothing but CCI Blazer in my 22's...always been great ammo.

Got 10,500 rds...gonna get more Saturday.

[andy*]

ArkansasHunter, Metronome,I bought the stingers. Tried them out and found that out to 50yrds I did not have to change my sight setting. However at 100yrds I did not have to hold over as much. I have my rifle ( peep sights ) sighted in to shoot point of aim at 50yrds. The stingers were a little louder them the Remingtons and smacked the gong with a bit more force at 50yrds, didn't notice much difference at 100yrds. BUT when I shot an apple at those ranges, whoo whee !!! That's a whole other ball of wax. I am glad that I use head shots on the grouse and rabbits, otherwise there won't be much meat left... Very impressed. Andy

[Earl Easter]

THANKS FOR THE INFO ANDY.....
I bought these Remington .22 Golden Bullets, Rimfire hollow points,550 High Velocity. They are 36 grain,They have stopped raccoons dead in there tracks at shoulder hits and head shots. Pretty good ammo and no duds yet...I will have to try your brand now...Earl

[andy*]

Hey Earl, The Remingtons that you bought are what I normally use. I have no complaints, other than the fact that I can't I find any in the stores...
Andy

[oldironman]

Hey guys. I hunted rabbits for years with nothing but stingers, and they work great. They aren't target rounds, but 50 yard head shots are no problem with the stingers. The Golden Bullets are considered pretty bad (dirty and unreliable) by most folks, but if your gun likes them, that's all that matters. The CCI Velocitor is considered by many to be the best 22 hunting round. It is more accurate and cleaner than the other hot rounds (these are 1435 fps). I have never hunted with them, but my two 22 pistols shoot them a lot better than other hunting rounds. If your a serious rabbit hunter and you ever find some Velocitors, you might do well to pick up a box and see if your gun likes them. Just my 2 cents.

edit to add link:
http://www.cci-ammunition.com/ballis...px?loadNo=0047

[andy*]

Hey oldironman, A 40 grain hollowpoint!!! That sounds like a excellent way to go. If I find any I will try them out. Andy

[338RUM]

Hey, also try the Wolf match grade 40gr round nose, They are not as fast but when they hit they do a good bit of damage and rabbits and grouse aren't known for there toughness anyway so try these out my gun groups five the size of a dime at 50 yards. and remember a hit with less powerful ammo is better than missing with the more powerful rounds

[andy*]

Hello 338RUM I have used the wolf ammo before you,and are right, this is a very accurate round. Never thought to use a solid on game before, might give it a try thanks, Andy

[Sam Ruger]

The CCI stinger is designed to instantly mushroom on contact and to such a massive degree that penetration in flesh is limited to about 3". For those 3" it pretty much blows up whatever it hits, ruining the meat.

The CCI velocitor is designed to mushroom more slowly in order to penetrate much deeper. It is designed for much larger game than rabbits and would probably be wasted on them, blowing right through them and with minimal mushrooming.

The reason for the increased accuracy of the velocitor over the stinger is in the bullet weight (40 grain versus 32 grain). The same, identical powder variance between the two cartridges has a more noticable effect on a lighter round. Just by powder variance alone, a velocitor will have 30% more accuracy than a stinger.

[thrillbilly]

I am surprised there are questions about this subject. I and everybody I know, just hunts with whatever .22 we have, as long as we know how they shoot. Any .22LR will kill small game, rabbit, squirrel, gopher, etc. with ease, especially if ya shoot them in the head. Dead is Dead, the critter doesn't care what weight or velocity the bullet that done him in had. If your gun will shoot them accurately, any .22LR will do it's job.

[jerry]

That's how I pretty much approach it Thrillbilly.
Small critters are really not hard to kill.
I did have to make a decision on light HP's or solids last night to dispatch a car struck deer. Took the solids of course.

[andy*]

Thrillbilly and Jerry the reason for the questions on the hollow point and ultra high velocity .22s is too know if they are worth the extra cost if that is all you can find in the store shelf. I know what a "regular" .22 will do on small game, no complaints there,just that nobody has them in stock around here.... Andy

[alwaysaz]

Originally Posted by andy*

Thrillbilly and Jerry the reason for the questions on the hollow point and ultra high velocity .22s is too know if they are worth the extra cost if that is all you can find in the store shelf. I know what a "regular" .22 will do on small game, no complaints there,just that nobody has them in stock around here.... Andy

I have been hunting rabbits for about 8 months now a couple times a month. Like you, I am having to use a large varity due to availablity. I like to go for head shots under 70 yards. My first rimfire killed rabbit was a head shot at 70 yards with bulk Federal hollow points. Since then I have learned that it's not that hard to creep in to 30-40 yards before taking the shot. I use federal bulk solid points or hollow points and they always kill. I have only missed the head 1 out of 10 times and it was a clean kill with a neck shot using a solid point. It severed the spine and made cleaning easy.

I guess I would feel comfortable with a body shot out to 100 yards, but it seems so easy to get less than 40 yards away, so I would probably pass on a shot that long.

One time I only had .22 longs available. It is only a 29 grain solid point that shoots 710 feet at the muzzle. I was just going to target shoot with it out in the desert. Peter cotton tail came along so I could test the round out on him at only 20 yards. It was a very clean kill. You can check the data out here. CCI - Products/Ballistics At 50 yards it still packs 28 ft. lbs of energy, and it was easy to keep it accurate out to that range.

In my still forming opionion any .22 round that shoots accuratly out of your rifle will do the job with ease. Pellet rifles are able to do the job with much lower ft/lbs of energy (not that I would want to use one personally).

[jerry]

Originally Posted by andy*

Thrillbilly and Jerry the reason for the questions on the hollow point and ultra high velocity .22s is too know if they are worth the extra cost if that is all you can find in the store shelf. I know what a "regular" .22 will do on small game, no complaints there,just that nobody has them in stock around here.... Andy

No problem. IMO the premium cost of some of the ammo is not prohibitive if used for hunting. High volume plinking could get expensive.

Some of the hyper velocity HPs can be a little destructive if head shots are not the norm.

My biggest concern would be consistent point of impact at predictable ranges. There may be a very slight variation from round to round. Just got to know what your shooting.

Good luck,
Jerry