22 Mag and Coyotes

[Pdvdh]

In Michigan, a rimfire or birdshot is all we are allowed to use at night on coyote. I have not yet bought a 17wsm so all I have is a 22WMR.

This image gives one an idea of what a cluster it is:

If it worked, I could have cared less, but really, the rifle could not shoot better than 5moa (at best !). Every other rifle I own is 0.5 to 3/4 MOA where even at 50 yards a group is 2.5" at best with this ***. That is having tried every type of ammo I can get my hands on. In disgust, I removed my $3800 scope and put on a Weaver 6x that I had spare and gave it to a friend who needed something to dispatch raiding possums and raccoons.

Yeah, that sorry *** thing looks like it was pulled out of a dumpster! Or a garbage grinder. Good enough for racoon inside a trash can... maybe!

When I last lived there in the fall/winter 77-78, I used to use a .222 Rem for red fox at night, even though it wasn't legal (statute of limitations long ago expired on my crime). The .222 Rem was pretty tough on hides - too much velocity for a frail bodied red fox - no matter which bullets I tried. And I tried everything from HP to FMJ. A coyote has a lot more mass, so I think there would be much less exit side damage with a .222 / .223 class catridge. But this thread is about .22 WMR... We used .22 WMR on a lot of fox also, both daytime and night time, and it was plenty of power on red fox with any type of solid body hit. A HUGE difference in KO factor compared to a standard 40gr .22 LR.

 

[westcliffe01]

The OP already has a rifle by the sounds of it, but based on my poor process of elimination, semi auto is out (tried a CZ 512 - shot like crap) and Savage is out. It looks like Ruger does a decent job on their rimfire bolt guns. There is the Browning T bolt for about $650.

Part of my dillema was that neither CZ not Browning offered a stainless option. The hunting conditions I deal with, the weapon is pretty much going to get covered in frost every time you come inside after being hunting. I leave it in the rifle case, but it is impossible to eliminate any chance of condensation somewhere. At least Ruger does have the stainless option.