Does anyone here have a 22 magnum? If so what do you hunt with it? I'm considering getting one for predator hunting (coyotes bob

[andrewmaxwell97]

Does anyone here have a 22 magnum? If so what do you hunt with it? I'm considering getting one for predator hunting (coyotes bobcats foxes ect.) are they good for predator hunting?

[FirstBubba]

AMax
To answer your question, YES, I own a .22 Mag.
It's a Ruger SingleSix convertible!
....and yes I've killed 'yotes with it.
The .22 Mag will serve you well as a "light" varmint rifle, it just won't have the range of a/any center fire varmint rifles.
Some one else may have more experience with a rifle, but I'd limit shots to 100 yards or so.
Good luck! God bless!

[Grassroots89]

[Blank]

[99explorer]

I agree with Bubba about the limited range of the .22 Magnum. I would confine my shooting to 100 yards or so. Even predators deserve a quick clean kill.
Many hunters shoot bobcats and feral cats because they prey on game birds, esp. quail.

[FirstBubba]

Prime bobcat pelts are valuable! 'Yote and other vermin? Not so much.

[Pray- hunt-work]

We kill a handful of yotes' up here in Maine, mainly with shotguns and centerfires though. For the guys that dont carry a shotgun, one of our hunting partners carrys a .17 HMR, one carries a .308, but most carry .223's in the coyote woods up here. The friend thats toting the .308 around is shooting a savage O/U .308 over a 12 ga. It seems to be a smart gun for what were doing. As far as killing bobcats, we have quite a few kittys here on the coastal peninsulas in Maine. They could stand to be thinned down a little. A 12 ga with either Dead Coyote, or federals new (new to me) coyote load can be pretty effective when your shots are under 60 yards.

[Pray- hunt-work]

Eastern Red Fox just went for 60 bucks a hide average in januarys auction. Thats 35$ more than the yote hides went for. We arent so much killing the coyotes for their hide, as most of them arent sellable, but hopefully it thins down the population enough to help out the whitetails.

[country road]

I have one in the safe that was given to me, and I've never quite figured out what to do with it---I don't predator hunt, and it's more than needed for squirrels and vermin, but it's a nice, accurate little gun and doesn't cost too much to shoot.

[DakotaMan]

I shot one for a little while but couldn't see the value. They are definitely much more zippy than a .22LR but I never felt comfortable coyote hunting with it because of limited range. I'd say at 100 yards, you will be torturing the coyote rather than killing it unless you can make a brain shot. Coyotes are tough in my neck of the woods and their thick winter fur can really slow that bullet down. Now if you get a nice shot at a mangy one, you might have a chance. They were also too expensive for squirrels, rabbits and plinking for me.

I quickly learned that I can handload .223s for about the same price and they are varmint killers. I p-dog hunt out to 500 yards and am very comfortable with a 300 yard coyote shot using the .223. Plus they have the speed to minimize the lead on running coyotes. With a .22 mag, I was leading coyotes by about three days and it was tough to be accurate. They are truely fun to shoot; just not as great a game getter as other cartriges for me.

[Treestand]

I have Two .22Magnums One Taurus M/941 8~shot Pistol and a one Marlin M/980 6~shot/mag W/24" Bbl.Rifle That's my Turkey Rig.

[Edward J. Palumbo]

I rely on a stainless Ruger M77/22M, a bolt action .22 Magnum, topped by a 3-9X scope, and it has proven very effective with Remington and CCI polymer-tipped ammunition. Both brands have performed well out to 100 yards. There are situations when a centerfire rifle is too noisy for pest control, firing too close to a home or bunkhouse, and the .22 Mag is a good choice.

[Rangerider]

[Blank]

This is an older thread but I wanted to add to it.
I hunt coyotes with a .22 Magnum all the time. I have a Remington 597 Magnum that shoots very well. I prefer the .22 Mag. because I hunt in places where I would rather not shoot a .223. This part of the state is dotted with small farms and I would prefer not so shoot a high powered rifle because of the increased chance that a bullet may carry to a neighbor's property. There may be very little chance of that anyway, but I am more comfortable shooting a rim-fire here. My main purpose in hunting coyotes is to keep them from harassing livestock. I have never shot a coyote that didn't die very shortly after being shot. As a practical matter, it is better to shoot a coyote in the heart and lungs than the head because you are less likely to miss them. I have no moral objection to head shots, but I would prefer a chest shot.
The .22 Mag. shoots pretty flat out to around 120 yards. The bullet should have enough energy to kill a coyote farther than that, but it's a point blank shot out to that range. Sight it in at 100 and a 40 grain bullet will drop about 2 inches at 120, so call that your maximum range and you shouldn't have any problems. I always shoot 40 grain bullets because I know exactly where they shoot. You might have better luck with another style of bullet. I like the idea of non-toxic bullets, but I haven't made the change yet.
Feel free to shoot rabbits with the .22 mag too, but you will prefer head shots because of the tissue damage it will do.