hey i somewhat mentioned this in my post in the Guns forum, but this part of the question kinda fits in here. basically im buying an NEF synthetic blued handi rifle in either .223 rem or .22 Hornet and was wondering which would be better if my targets would be ranging from squirrels to the very rare coyote. would an FMJ .223 round work for squirrels? (strictly headshots)
other critters that would fall to this rifle
-squirrels
-crows
-rabbits
-raccoons
-possums
-foxes
-bobcats (if VERY VERY lucky)
-coyotes (very rare to see, if not get a shot at)
-and maybe a hog, but that would be less likely than the coyotes.
oh, and it would definately be scoped

i dont know much about the hornet but i do know a 223 even a fmj will blow the hell out of a squirrel i live in iowa and these a big fox squirrels i shot one once in the head and took every thing from the front shoulders up off but other than that it will work for everything else you mentioned i believe

I dont know much about the 223 but the hornet will work for all of them as well.BUT,whenyou shoot at a hog,shoot it right behind the ear or you will never find him.

I have been shooting two different H&R single shots that are chambered for what is called the .22 PREDATOR and the .22 SUPER PREDATOR! Both of these guns will shoot under 1/2" at 100 yards when shot from a bench. The .22 PREDATOR is a rechambered 223 heavy barrel. It is kinda like a rimmed version of the 223 Ackley Improved and used 5.6X50R brass and 223 Ackley Improved dies to reload for it...

The .22 SUPER PREDATOR is a rechambered 22-250. It is basically a long necked and rimmed 22-250 Ackley Improved and uses the full length 307 Winchester case necked down. I can easily exceed the 220 Swift in velocity and shoot 1" 3-shot groups at 300 yards with this one. This barrel also has a muzzle break that allows me to watch the bullet impact it's target at anything over 100 yards...

Given your choice of rounds, the 22 hornet would be a good choice and having a 22 K-Hornet would make it even a little bit better....

DAVID

You must not eat squirrel! A .223 will blow up a squirrel! Max if you eat squirrel is .22 LR.

Yotes, different story, excellent round, but in my state it is illegal to use FMJ for hunting!

The .223 will work fine for everything you mentioned except squirrels. Just stay away from FMJ, they are not and never were intended to be hunting bullets. And like Icetrey said, shoot hogs in the head. Head shots on hogs are easy, because they don't have the quickness or range of motion in their neck like a coyote or deer.

I've had very good luck with 55 gr. Sierra Gamekings, but the .223 has a lot of options for ammo and bullets.