AlaskaDave

I used the 22 vipers up to60 yards and it went well. I now use a 22 mag and can take the occasional 100 yard shot

JHoss

The only time a .22 lr is an ethical fox gun is at extremely close range or if the animal is in a trap. I have mainly had experience with grey fox whcih are harder to kill then a red fox. Last year I killed 4 greys when predator calling. All I had at the time that would not have completely obliterated the fox was either a .22 or a shotgun but I opted for the .22. In hind sight a shotgun would have been much better all but once. One of the fox I hit 7 times in the vitals before I had to put it down with a shot that connected with the spine at the bease of the skull. In the psat two years all but one fox has come in close enough for a shotgun with number 4 buck to have killed. Alll the ones shot with a 22 required multiple shots. To prove that grey fos are extremely tough I'll tell you a story about one I shot while deer hunting. I was shooting a 50 caliber muzzleloader with a 335 grain xtp mag pushed by 90 grains of powder. I had a grey fox come within 8 yards before I shot it. I saw it spin out and run off and I knew I had hit it. The bullet had punched a hole bigger then a softball in the middle of it's body but it still managed to go 45 yards without lungs and it's guts hanging out. So this year I went with a 204 ruger. It shoots laser flat past 300 yards and will knock a fox down everytime. As long as the shot are in the chest area there will usually be no exit hole and only a very small entrance. I've shot 11 fox and countless nutria (up to 20 pounds) and not a single animal has taken a step after being hit with this gun. The 204 is very fur friendly but not very friendly to the meat. A 204 is the perfect varmint/ predator gun and can humanely kill coyote sized animals.

dr0ptin3

I killed a big red fox (15 lbs) this past season while deer hunting from a stand. This was on my private property, and a neighbor had been having problems with foxes killing his baby goats. Well, sure enough a fox steps out from teh cedar trees one evening while I am out there with nothing but a 7mm Mag. I wasnt so much concerned with the fur as with killing the fox, so I shot it. Let me tell you, when i got out of the stand to get the fox i was suprised as hell to see the fox all but torn in two, but still alive and trying to push itself around with its back legs. Right before I pulled the trigger again to put it down for good, it turned and snarled at me, fighting to the end. It sure as hell made me a believer in the toughness of those red foxes!

JHoss

I'm just saying that in my experience the reds I've shot have gone down a lot easier then the greys I"ve shot. When a grey can run 45 yards missing the midsection of its body with just the spine holding it together it shows you how hard they are to bring down. Greys are naturally more inclined to fight then reds and therefore they are naturally tougher then a red. As fighters greys need to be able to get injured and recover from it.

Like I said earlier, the 204 with proper bullets is extremely hide friendly. If you don't believe me I'll ga ahead and take a picture of the next varmint or predator I kill with it and I guarantee that it will be in excelent shape.