Well im looking into getting a powerful rimfire. see the trick is i need a gun to hunt coyote in when the county were i want to hunt is a no high powered rifle, shotgun and muzzleloader only county. Can the .22 mag take out a coyote on a head shot? i chose this over the .17 hmr because of the heavier bullets and from what ive head the 17 has to much rapid expansion for penetration on animals. I was looking at mossberg and marlins bolt actions. Anything under 175$ and can shoot accurate im interested in. If there are any specific models that you have had experience with or have heard good things about tell me cause i am going to a gun show this weekend and will check it out for .22 WMRs, unless u think the 17 would be more suited for coyotes. thanks everyone!

I used to have a single-shot New England in .22MAG. It was a tack driver with a cheap 4X32 scope. I ordered the rifle from Wal Mart and it cost me just a few $ over 100 bucks. I could hit 2" cleaning patches consistently at 100 yards with little Winchester Supreme rounds. I actually bough the rifle for squirrels and coyotes, and it's not great for either. It explodes squirrels if you hit them in the head, and it's underkill for coyotes unless you can make a head shot.

To answer your question, yes, a .22 WMR round through a coyote's head will kill it. That being said, I would suggest getting your hands on a 12ga shotgun loaded with #4 buckshot. You will be limited to about 50 yards, but if you have to aim at a coyotes head with the .22, anything past 50 yards is going to be a long shot anyway.

Good luck on your gun search. Let us know what you end up with.

rw

.22 hornet is a rim fire isn't it? and more powerful than the .22wmr?

+ 1

" I would suggest getting your hands on a 12ga shotgun loaded with #4 buckshot." Hunt12ga

its centerfire, and yes it has a bit more than a 22 mag

CCI .22 Stinger

i shoot both the 17hmr and 22 mag, both will take coyotes with proper shot placement, with both for coyotes use the solid or hollow point bullets, the polymer tips are explosive.

I've seen small grey foxes tote .17 HMR bullets away. Also seen them tote .22 Mg bullets off too. It will kill them... just usually not dead on the spot. I'd take the .22 Mag in spades over the .17 for what you are wanting to accomplish. Just get ready to track the thing for a while. This is the one situation where I might well conceed to a shotgun as better for varmint hunting... or you could just do what everyone else does and shoot a centerfire anyway... law be damned.

yep, there are definatly spots where you can hunt very safely with a high-powered rifle in this county. i hunt in a very deep valley. no way of hitting anything except dirt, water, or game. makes me angry!

No RF is suitable for coyotes.Use a 12g with #4 buck and pattern it to find the best choke.