Rimfire Ammo: Evaluating the Terminal Performance

All rimfire ammunition is not created equal. We test and evaluate.22 LR and.22 Magnum factory ammunition to help you choose the right load. It is a popular topic for gun writers to pontificate about, and it fuels a lot gun counter conversations. Why isn’t there the same interest as before in the terminal performance rimfire ammunition? I think it is partly because many critters shot using rimfire ammunition are not considered to be life-threatening or trophy animals. The power-to-game weight ratio is very similar between centerfire cartridges and rimfire cartridges. There is a maximum practical limit of approximately 2 to 2.5 ft.lb of energy per pound of gameweight. In other words, a 1,000-pound animal, such as a moose, is considered the maximum practical limit of the.308 Winchester. A 40-pound animal, such as a large coyote, would be a reasonable limit for a.22 LR. The point is that if the bullet’s terminal performance matters with a 308 Winchester it will also matter with a.22 LR. It doesn’t matter if you are shooting a fox squirrel at dinner, a raccoon in the trash can, or a coyote inside your chicken coop. You might be surprised at the different rimfire loads’ performance. It’s a good idea knowing what your bullet will do if it hits a bobcat, or a bad guy..22 LONG RIFLEThe.22 LR is the most popular small-game cartridge. It has been a staple of marksmen and families. Walt Berger, a benchrest shooting legend, told me about his childhood hunting groundhogs on his neighbor’s farm. For every groundhog he killed, the farmer would pay Walt 10 cents. Walt would save half of the money and buy a few rounds.22 LR along with the rest. In those days, you could buy .22 LR ammo by the single cartridge.Shockingly, Remington’s CBee22 load expands very well, even though velocities are subsonic. Depending on the rifle, accuracy can vary from good to poor. Semi-automatics are not guaranteed to be 100% reliable. The.22LR can be used on larger animals like coyotes. Some people even rely upon it for their personal protection. Poachers can even use the.22 LR to kill large game animals such as deer. I don’t support poaching and the cartridge is not ideal for coyotes. However, regardless of your intended use for a.22LR, you should choose a load with the best chance of success. The 40-grain CCI Vilocitor is my favorite.22LR load. It can penetrate more than a foot with a rifle and expand to nearly 1.4 times its original bullet diameter. It’s deadly on small game, but it works well on groundhogs, groundhogs, and other similar-sized animals. If I had to shoot a coyote with a.22 LR or a criminal with it, it would be my load of choice. Surprisingly, the bullet expands even when fired from handguns. The 40-grain Winchester hyperspeed hollow-point is almost as good as the Velocitor load. However, with the recent acquisition by Vista/Federal of Remington Ammunition, we aren’t sure what munitions will be kept cataloged. The CBee22 load and the Yellow Jacket are two Remington loads worth mentioning. The CBee22’s unique features include its subsonic velocity and low report. Also, the bullet’s ability still to expand. It’s a good choice for vermin control at home and small game at close range. The Yellow Jacket load is a great choice for ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and other small animals. Some.22 Magnum loads can cause severe injury to small edible game such as rabbits and squirrels. The.22 Magnum is a great cartridge for critters such as foxes or raccoons. It can also be used to kill larger animals such as badgers and coyotes with the right loads. If someone is willing to use a rimfire gun for self-defense, the best choice is the.22 Magnum. The Federal and CCI Speer 30-grain.22 Magnum loads are ideal for blasting prairie dogs. CCI’s 40-grain JHP load and the TMJ load from CCI are good options for small game. They don’t cause a lot of damage to meat. These loads are also great for larger animals like coyotes, because they can penetrate deep. The 40-grain CCI Game Point is another great load for coyotes. It will expand to approximately twice the size and penetrate deeper than 16inches. It has good penetration and dynamic expansion. The 30-grain Hornady-V-Max load performs very similarly to the AccuTip. Both loads have been proven to be extremely accurate in a variety of.22 Magnum rifles they have been tested in. They are my top choice loads for the.22Magnum. For self-defense, the Hornady Critical Defense or Speer Gold Dot loads work best. They can expand from barrels as small as one inch. Their penetration in 10 percent ammunition gelatin is around the FBI’s minimum of twelve inches. These loads are designed for handguns but can be used for general-purpose loads if you shoot them with precision from your rifle..17 HMR Shortly after its introduction, the.17 HMR seemed to be ending the.22 Magnum. It was much faster and more accurate than the.22 Magnum. The.17 Magnum was more versatile than the.22 Magnum, but hunters quickly realized this. It can explode prairie dogs and tree squirrels but it doesn’t have the bullet weight nor penetration required to anchor larger critters with poor shot placement. The.17 HMR load, at least the 17-grain variety, creates large wound cavities by rimfire standards. However, it doesn’t penetrate deep enough to anchor larger critters without the right shot placement. It can also be used to kill groundhogs and rock chucks beyond 200 yards. You can also shoot a badger or coyote with the.17. However, it’s best to take a head shot or a broadside shot. The explosive bullets won’t penetrate enough to break through muscle tissue or the paunch. The FMJ and Game Point loads of CCI are better at penetration. If you want to take a coyote or badger with the.17, the bullets will not penetrate deep enough to cause damage. The.17 HMR was able to kill a prairie dog just a few yards beyond 500. The critter did not die immediately after the first shot. The.17 Winchester Super MagnumWinchester’s.17 Super Magnum shoots more accurately and hits harder than its.17 HMR. The penetration is only marginally improved from a performance standpoint. It’s not worth it unless you are trying to significantly extend your range. The.17 Winchester Super Magnum ammunition is 25 percent cheaper than the.17 HMR ammunition. The 20- and 25 grain loads perform the same, but surprisingly, the penetration category has the advantage of the lighter bullet.
It is true that velocity kills. Although lightweight bullets can cause large wound cavities when driven at high speeds, some cases these wound cavities may be shallow. This is pretty much true for the.17 Winchester Super Magnum. The bullets’ high-impact velocities will cause tissue damage and provide fast incapacitation for any weight up to 20-25 pounds. If a large coyote is the target of the hunter, they should ensure that the bullets are placed in the engine room. Next, download your Storm Tactical printable target pack 62 Printable MOA targets with DOT drills – Rifle range in YARDS. This target pack, created by Storm Tactical, contains 62 printable targets for rifle or handgun range use. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be found in MOA. Perfect for long-range shooting! Get free targets