New Small Game Gun
 

So, I've sold my .243 deer rifle and scope...I couldn't buy an extra gun and there are no .243 rounds that really save pelts. So, I want to buy a rimfire as my new primary gun.
Here's the list of animals I'll be shooting (I'll tan pelts from all of these):
--Raccoon
--Coyote
--Red Fox
--Bobcat
--Groundhog (yes I will tan these)
--Beaver
So, my question is, what caliber rifle do you guys recommend I get that can kill all of these without a long tracking job (instant drop with chest shot is ideal, but probably not gonna happen) and without tearing them up too bad?
If you guys can recommend a specific gun and a relatively cheap scope with a target knob (you range the target with a finder and then turn a dial to set the distance on the scope) too, that'd be awesome.

Thanks!

22 Hornet, considering the desire to not blow your groundhogs in half.

It is hard to find it all in one package. You may want to consider ammo cost, ammo availability and the number of bullet types offered in a caliber. .223 is by far the winner in bullet types available. The hornet is going to be the cheapest.

And whether you want a bolt action or a semi. 22 Hornet is going to be hard to find in a semi.

The 22 Hornet would be a good choice.

Unless you are going to be doing a lot of long range shooting, all of the above are only going to drop a couple of inches +/- at two hundred yards. Making a ballistic scope kind of unnecessary. A ballistic scope with a ranging knob is usually calculated for a specific bullet anyway. I have one on one of my scopes, I'v never used it. :)

My dream small game/varmint rifle is a Styer Pro Hunter in .222 or .223. Cost about a hundred more than a model 70 type rifle. But IMO the most bang for the buck all things considered. I've looked, very few used to be found, the reason being those who have one rarely sell them.

And I've said it before and I'll say it again, a mediocre rifle with good glass is going to shoot better than a mediocre glass on a good rifle. Most rifles shoot straighter than a shooter does anyway. Good glass will pick out those shots better than a mediocre glass will. The majority of my shots are low light, early morning or evening.

Ok, I'll look at .22 Hornet. What scopes do you guys recommend that won't break the bank? I can do up to $100 for my scope. And, if a ballistic scope is unnecessary, can I get a scope without any knobs or anything and still hit with +/- 2in drop? Are there good optics without ballistic knobs and other bells and whistles?
And do you think the .22 Hornet which is centerfire will have much more recoil than something like a .22LR? Will a .22LR drop 'em?

I exaggerated a bit with the 2" bullet drop, it really depends on which range you zero at, the FPS of your bullet and the weight of the bullet.

Your going to need knobs (turrets) to zero your scope. But it is unlikely you will need to fiddle with them much, after you zero it.

Decide what are the longer ranges you are likely to be shooting at.

And your list has a pretty broad range of animals by weight and size. I wouldn't count on a 22 LR taking some of them down unless you are a very good shot and close. Anything you choose is going to be a compromise.

My .222 shoots pretty flat out to around 200 yards. The Hornet out to around 150. Just a rough calculation. The .223 with the same bullet weight as the Hornet 40 grn, will push it a thousand feet per second faster than a Hornet, rough calculation. My .222 is about in the middle for bullet velocity.

Rockport seems to know his scopes pretty good, better than I do. I use high end glass and won't be a lot of help.

One reason I mentioned Hare, they are a little bigger than Ground Hogs and a little smaller than Coons (average) and my .222 is a little too much gun for them about half the time.

"So, I want to buy a rimfire as my new primary gun.
Here's the list of animals I'll be shooting (I'll tan pelts from all of these):
--Raccoon
--Coyote
--Red Fox
--Bobcat
--Groundhog (yes I will tan these)
--Beaver
So, my question is, what caliber rifle do you guys recommend I get that can kill all of these without a long tracking job (instant drop with chest shot is ideal, but probably not gonna happen) and without tearing them up too bad?
If you guys can recommend a specific gun and a relatively cheap scope with a target knob (you range the target with a finder and then turn a dial to set the distance on the scope) too, that'd be awesome."



:rolleye0011: :rolleye0011: :rolleye0011: :rolleye0011: :rolleye0011::rolleye0011:

Good Luck.

A 17 WSM Might do all that.

:D. Al

I'll probably zero at 100 yards. Should I get a .222 or .223? I've decided on one of those two. Which one will drop em without completely ruining the hogs/coons? (I can sew up a decent hole but not a critter blown in half...)

Your list of animals in pretty broad and would normally dictate more than 1 caliber for optimum performance. There are compromises you could make on caliber but it would help to know a few more things so you get the best advice from everybody listed above.

First, are you planning on reloading? If so, you can tailor the loads some to getter hotter loads or reduced power loads. If not, you want to pick a caliber in the middle of the pack so to speak so you are not badly over gunned on some of the smaller animals.

Out of your list of animals, which ones will you be shooting primarily (as in the main animals you shoot) and which ones will just be a target of opportunity if you happen to run across one (probably rarely). Assessing your list of animals like that would help you a lot in choosing a single caliber that does well for the animals you shoot the most and okay or marginal for the ones you shoot the least.

What distances do you think you'll be shooting at? Longer distances need a hotter round.

Your profile says East Coast so people don't know which state you're going to be hunting in. Different states have different hunting regulations about using bait or not, calling animals, habitat, hunting at night, etc. If you don't want to list your state, can you at least state what are the laws for the animals you want to hunt and anticipated hunting conditions? That would help a lot also.

These are a lot of questions but each one brings up something you're going to have to account for one way or another. The people who have responded to you have a tremendous amount of experience and wisdom and, most importantly, are willing to share it with you and help you make the best game plan. The more info you can share with them, the better they can tailor their recommendations for you. Hopefully this helps you get the best rifle for your hunting.

My primary prey are foxes and bobcats. I will be putting out corn for groundhogs too, and shooting if they happen to show up. Groundhogs are open season, no bag limit here. Foxes and bobcats lie under furbearer blanket where I live, and I have a furbearer permit. Beavers, coons, and coyotes are also furs. I'll shoot beavers if I see them (which'll be pretty rare, even though I live on a river) and coons and coyotes if I happen to call them in while calling for cats or foxes. I've been thinking .22 Mag. Do you agree with the .22 Mag? I think it'd be the best middle ground choice for all these, and, hopefully not bust up the lil' whistle pigs and beavers too bad.

I don't know what state you live in wolven but it is not legal to hunt beavers, they must be caught in traps, it is that way in PA.

What distance are you shooting at? that could influence a particular caliber selection.

I don't live in PA though....

I'll zero at either 100 or 50 yards and probably be shooting from about 30 yards (if I put my e-caller 30 yards away and they come STRAIGHT into it) out to around maybe 125.

The 22 Mag would be good for your smaller animals within your ranges and okay for the yotes if you're able to call them in close like that. If you think you're going to be shooting at the longer ranges, NoMercy's suggestion about the 22 Hornet would be a better fit.

Since you haven't mentioned reloading, I assume you're not reloading. 22 Magnum ammo is cheaper than 22 Hornet ammo but it's not as versatile, especially if you decide to reload. Something else to consider is how many rounds do you plan on firing in an average year? Yes, 22 Hornet costs more but you get incredible versatility in a relatively quiet round that will easily cover all of your anticipated ranges. If you only anticipate shooting a few boxes of ammo a year, the cost difference isn't that great for what is arguably a better round for all of your chosen animals.

A perfect solution would be to buy both but since your funding doesn't allow it at this point, I'd lean towards the 22 Hornet and pick up the 22 magnum later on when your budget allows it.

I'm not really worried about ammo costs but I'm worried the .22 Hornet will blow the smaller things (groundhogs, beavers, coons) into pieces or destroy their pelts beyond repair.
I can probably call yotes in to about 60-70 yards. We don't have many here anyway, so since they're not main prey, I'd rather not be able to shoot coyotes than ruin pelts on coons/hogs/beavers.
Will the .22 Hornet destroy smaller animals?
With this in mind, should I get .22mag or .22 Hornet? I think this'll be the final decision.

It looks like you're narrowing things down to groundhogs, beavers and coons and they will all likely be at shorter range (70 yards or closer). Since preventing pelt damage on those smaller animals seems to be your primary issue, you're not reloading and ammo costs are not a factor, it looks like 22 Mag would do just fine. If those pelts are profitable enough, you could earn enough to pick up a 22 Hornet later and be covered for everything.

There are other guys on this board who have extensive experience with all of the animals you're mentioned and could fine tune your selection even better, especially with ammo selection. My experience is more with coyotes on up and at longer distances out here in the West. I rarely see foxes and bobcats and they require something smaller in caliber than a yote. Not to throw a wrench into your caliber selection plans but my next purchases will likely be a 17 Hornet and 17 WSM for shooting bobcats and foxes with enough steam left for coyotes when needed.

Well, I'm not shooting many yotes, but I still want enough gun to shoot a bobcat or fox. Will a .22Mag kill those? If not, I'll go Hornet and deal with the pelt holes and sew them up on the smaller animals.
I'm leaning towards .22 Hornet. Is .17 Hornet an option for me?

The 22 Hornet is on the ragged edge bottom for coyotes. It's about ideal for cats, fox, coons, beaver, badger, and similarly sized creatures. 22 Mag is even further down on the ragged and tattered edge for coyotes, and will be even nicer to the other game.

There's a painful reality with which you'll have to come to grips, however - groundhogs are d@mned small animals. I'm not sure why in the world anyone would put in the energy to tan one. Even a 22mag can make a mess of such small rodents, so the only real option there, if you want pristine hides, is 22LR or 17HM2, which will put you firmly too small for coyotes, and only suited for anything else on your list at the shortest of ranges. You're talking animals which span from 5-6lbs average up to 40lb+ animals, and based on how these are hunted, you could be talking about 20yrd shooting out to 200yrds or more... Anything which doesn't destroy a groundhog is NOT going to be effective at killing a coyote, and marginal for the rest of your list. Anything highly efficient at killing badger, coon, & beaver sized game will be too much for the groundhogs and too light for the coyotes. Anything really effective at killing coyotes will be over powered for the rest of your list, and will blow groundhogs to bits with anything except for ball ammo (not legal for use in all states).

So personally, I'd pick up a 22LR for the groundhogs and a 22Hornet for the rest, and you'll be quite well suited.

17 Hornet is an option, but is less effective on coyotes, and the higher velocity, lighter constructed 17cal bullets are prone to do worse damage on smaller game like groundhogs.

The .17 Hornet might be Your best bet for taking down the many Furbearers Your targeting...as several mentioned Your choosing a pretty broad selection of Animals that might require a little larger Caliber especially when getting up to Foxes & Coyotes.

I have a .22 Hornet and have shot several Groundhogs and it didn't seem to do a lot of pelt damage...but I didn't skin it out so I couldn't say for sure how bad it was?I can say with the Hornady 35 grain ballistic tips it only had a small entrance hole and NO exit hole!

I'm still waiting to call in a Coyote and put it down with my Browning Micro Hunter .22 Hornet...personally I think it will do the job with good shot placement and under 125 yards,if not I rely on my .204 or .223 for larger Predators.