hotgunner21

I am having trouble deciding, i would like to know what you think give details about action and model, it would be for small game including squirrels rabbits raccons armadillos possibly foxes and other
give pros and cons
THX[8D]

Nomercy

As far as I' m concerned, nothing beats a .410 shotgun for small game, such as those you listed. However, I do admit that I do a lot of small game hunting annually with a .22lr Marlin Model-60 or a Ruger MK II pistol .22lr. The .17HMR is much better at varminting, it' s even considered by many to be enough for coyotes, but as far as .22WMRs and .17HMR' s go, the price of ammo is too much for all the more you get out of it, you pay twice as much (more or less depending) for each of these compared to .22lr' s, but the performance isn' t up to snuff as far as it goes, if I' m going to pay twice-three times as much, I want at least that much in better performance, and they don' t necessarily give it. Getting a .223 or .22-250 and reloading costs about as much as .22WMR' s and .17HMR' s after the initial costs, and you get MUCH more than twice the performance, not to mention the exact round that is perfect for you.

My advice would be to get a semi-auto .22lr for now, and then buy a high powered centerfire 22cal later, like a .22-250, for more serious varminting/long range shooting.

I won' t buy a hunting .22lr in anything but a Marlin Mod-60, but I enjoy shooting Ruger 10/22' s a lot, it' s just that they cost too much for just a bang around varminting rifle. For serious varminting, the mod-60 performs just as well as even accurized 10/22' s (they get to accurate at ranges beyond which the round is effective), and they cost about half as much as a base model 10/22 (not to mention accurized versions!!). Being so cheap, you don' t feel bad shooting the barrel out of it, making you a better shot, and you don' t feel bad taking it into the woods. Marlin also puts out a detachable magazine model that' s internal workings are almost identical to that of the Mod-60, if you feel the need for a detach. mag. $110 for a rifle that will shoot a half dollar at 50yrds all day long (with proper work on your part) is a great deal, the 10/22 isn' t much better, if at all, and it costs twice as much (if not more), and like I said, if I pay twice as much, I want at least twice the performance.

If you' re heart gets stuck on a 10/22, you might consider the fact that for only about $50-100 more you can get a Savage package gun in .22-250 or .223, which will for sure do better than either of the 10/22 or Mod-60.

hotgunner21

thanks so much man im lucky cause i got a 410 already but I was wondering what is the recoil like on the 223?

THX for your post man![8D]

Howler

The recoil on the .223 is going to be less than your .410 with 3" shells. Not enough to worry about.

hotgunner21

you guys are great
sorry for all the questions but one more, can you use a .223 for deer?
it may be a stupid question for you guys but I dont know, Thanks again![8D]

TREEDOG

i have a 22 and a .17, the 22 collects dust now while the .17 gets the field time. I wouldnt want to hunt rabbits with it though, the shotgun would win hands down in that category, but for all else the .17 is my pick. The only reasonn i wouldnt want to hunt rabbits with it is because its to darn hard to hit a running rabbit with anything but a shotgun. And for that id go with a 20 or 12 gauge. Recoil on a 223 wont bother ya none there ***** cats to shoot.

TREEDOG

If coyote hunting is on the menu forget the .17, its just to small to rely on it to humanly down a coyote. Look at the savage varmint guns with the new accutrigger (if u order the gun new it will come with the accutrigger) in 223. Savage makes one model is 10fp i belive its a heavy varmint barrel 24' ' with the new trigger and would make a fine fox,coyote gun.

bspittman

I' d go with the .22lr for small game and varminting. The .17 is pretty expensive to shoot, but does the job well. I have to disagree with treedog about it not being big enough to humanly down a coyote. I' ve been using a .17hmr for awhile now and haven' t had any problems putting coyotes down. The bullet opens up great and there is very minimal pelt damage. Just gotta make your shot count.

Howler

To answer your last question Hotgunner, the .223 is really just too small for deer. It is a wonderful coyote gun, but best to keep it at that. And as far as the .17 being adequate for coyotes, it will work, but it will fail to anchor one eventually. I' ve heard numorous success storys using the .17 on coyotes, but I' ve also heard several not so successful storys already too. Bullet placement is critical!

hotgunner21

thank you guys so much, Ive decided to use my .410 until I get enough $$ to buy a .22 but I may just skip the .22 and go .223 or even if my dad says so, a .270 I decided against the .17 because the ammo troubles and if I get a 10/22 than I will super accurize it!
THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE![8D]