22 WMR and coyotes

[Hawkeye Joe]

Around my neck of the woods I'm not allowed in the field with a center fire till December 17th. They just don't seem to trust us with deer season open. Now coyote season opened October 1st and there aint no way I'm waiting till mid December to go Yoten . This is why I'm asking the question. Is a 22 magnum capable of humanly killing a coyote within 100 yards?? I'll be shooting Winchester supreme 34 grain jacketed hollow points. Here's the ballistics vs. a 17HMR shooting 17 grain Winchester Supreme V-max ammo. It looks doable on paper with a well placed shot. What do you guys think?? It sure puts a hurtin on a fox

The 22 Winchester Magnum

.......................................Velocity(fps)...................Energy(ft.lbs)
Muzzle..............................2120...............................338
100 yards...........................1435..............................155


17 HMR

Muzzle..............................2550................................245
100 yards..........................1915................................138

[K22]

The short answer to your question is yes. We have the same type of hunting rules here where I live and I've used the 22mag. with success for many years. I have not tried the 34gr. Winchesters so I really can't comment on them. My gut feeling is I wouldn't use them, but I have and do use the 40gr. hp Win.. I started using them in the late 60's and I still haven't found a better 22mag. Coyote/Fox round yet.

K22

[Ray P]

Hawkeye Joe.........I will double what..........K22 said on the winchester 40 grn tips. Go for it!
Later
Ray P

[Rick in Oregon]

Mike: You may remember a while back the post that raised the controversy about cougars and the 22WMR. I posted a pic of my buddy rancher that has killed well in excess of 200 cats with his Marlin 980DL in 22WMR, so as the cat is much harder to anchor (in my experience) than any coyote, I'd triple the vote for the 22 Mag on coyotes from 'resonable' ranges.

As with any question of this nature, it's shot placement that determines effectiveness much more than caliber. I say grab that 22 Mag and proceed with confidence.

Sidebar: I talked to a buddy yesterday that had just returned from desert mountain mule deer hunting here. While hunting, his buddy called him on the radio to tell him a "coyote" was uphill from him in the canyon at 20 yards. A minute later he called from about 800 yards away where he was sitting, and said that the 'coyote' was now 20 FEET from him..."turn around and shoot him!" He did, and the 'coyote' was a full grown tom cougar getting ready for the final pounce of his stalk. Whew, a close call to be sure, and a reminder to always pay attention when in dangerous country where these large cats prowl. He's having the cat made into a rug, as it suffered a fatal wound from my buddy's .270 Win on that hillside. Never mind that fact that he also had his .45 on his hip.....not enough time for the handgun, the rifle was in his hands. Be aware of your surroundings.

[Glen]

I would opt for the 40's as well. You already know what to do with it.

[Red]

To date I've only killed 4 coyotes with the 22magnum, (well actually 5, one was shot in the head and just about any bullet in any caliber would have taken him out, we won't count it) each was close, so my experience is limited. Two were shot with the 30g v-max (CCI-Hornady). Two were shot with the 40g CCI Maxi-Mag. Even though each was dead in one shot, it looked to me that the heavier, better penetrating bullet did a better job than the faster 30 grain bullet. I've used the 34g Win Supreme, though NOT on coyotes, it seemed to react similarly to the 30 grain v-max bullet.

[AK204]

I don't hunt coyotes and such with a 22 mag, but my buddies do and they do have success. They aim for the head though.