.22 magnumm for fox lamping

foxshot

hi all listen im new to this crac! was just wondering bout the 22 wmr i have a marlin 22 wmr and was hoping to go lamping with it. has any1 any advice on the effective distances to drop a fox with it? also i need to find the best ammunition for it, whats the best .22 wmr ammo for foxing? thanks in advance

MIDLAND

foxshot,
.22 magnum . you may buy a motorbike if your going shooting foxes, because you will be doing a lot of running after the fox, unless you can hit them between the 2 eyes at 50yds, been there, done that,
what you want is .22 hornet 0r 223, 100- 300 yds,

johngalway

What part of the world are you in Foxshot? (Just wondering).

Rimfire rifles will kill foxes, but they're not the best tool for the job. I would say do not go past 100 yards and be sure you know how far that is at night

As for ammunition. I've always subscribed to the theory that the best round is the one that will group best in your rifle, not in anyone elses gun. Buy a selection of WMR ammo and try it at paper targets at 100 yards (3 or 5 shots per target is the norm). But, it should have either a hollow point bullet or ballistic tip bullet (think you can get them for the WMR).

I would agree with MIDLAND though, that the centre fire rifles are much much better for the job. More effective, more humane.

foxshot

MIDLAND wrote: »

foxshot,
.22 magnum . you may buy a motorbike if your going shooting foxes, because you will be doing a lot of running after the fox, unless you can hit them between the 2 eyes at 50yds, been there, done that,
what you want is .22 hornet 0r 223, 100- 300 yds,

yes i will be calling these foxes in close and if they dont come to within 60 yards i wont tke the shot. well thanks for the info midland

foxshot

johngalway wrote: »

What part of the world are you in Foxshot? (Just wondering).

Rimfire rifles will kill foxes, but they're not the best tool for the job. I would say do not go past 100 yards and be sure you know how far that is at night

As for ammunition. I've always subscribed to the theory that the best round is the one that will group best in your rifle, not in anyone elses gun. Buy a selection of WMR ammo and try it at paper targets at 100 yards (3 or 5 shots per target is the norm). But, it should have either a hollow point bullet or ballistic tip bullet (think you can get them for the WMR).

I would agree with MIDLAND though, that the centre fire rifles are much much better for the job. More effective, more humane.

from galway ! where u from? and thanks for the ammunition advice i will try this!

No6

I use a 22 mag reguraly for lamping foxes. As the boys have siad it is not effective beyond 100m so you got to get the foxes in close or forget it, it makes you work on your calling skills. I have killed plenty of foxes with my 22 mag. I use CCI hollowpoint 40 grain rounds but its what shoots best from your rifle.

deeksofdoom

I have a Marlin 25mn 22wmr. and Midland is right, they do tend to fall down and then get up again and run off. Call em in as close as you can and give them one in the engine room that usually sorts them. They're a versatile little rifle they're accurate and you can shoot bunnys with them without breaking the bank, ya couldn't do that with a hornet or a .223. Make sure whatever round your using that the rifle is zeroed and you get plenty of practice with it in daylight.

foxshot

No6 wrote: »

I use a 22 mag reguraly for lamping foxes. As the boys have siad it is not effective beyond 100m so you got to get the foxes in close or forget it, it makes you work on your calling skills. I have killed plenty of foxes with my 22 mag. I use CCI hollowpoint 40 grain rounds but its what shoots best from your rifle.

ya i heard good reports bout those cci 40 gr's! will hav to get them. 100m is a fair distance how many yards is that approx are you sure you didnt mean to say "... not effective beyond 100yrds"??/:D

No6

foxshot wrote: »

ya i heard good reports bout those cci 40 gr's! will hav to get them. 100m is a fair distance how many yards is that approx are you sure you didnt mean to say "... not effective beyond 100yrds"??/:D

thats (ahem) 109.361 yards then for those of you who didn't convert to metric back in 1970!!:D I have my rifle zeroed in meters!!:D

MIDLAND

well foxshot,

you sound new to all this , is it your first rifle? how long have you got it ?

by all means , if you get the fox in to 50mt, have a shot, after that like you said leave it, im sure after a while you will want to change to a centrefire, practice makes perfect,,,,,,,,,,,,, anyway enjoy, and be careful,

are there many foxs ,,
mid

johngalway

No6 wrote: »

thats (ahem) 109.361 yards then for those of you who didn't convert to metric back in 1970!!:D I have my rifle zeroed in meters!!:D

Didn't know ye had metres up in Mayo yet

foxshot

MIDLAND wrote: »

well foxshot,

you sound new to all this , is it your first rifle? how long have you got it ?

by all means , if you get the fox in to 50mt, have a shot, after that like you said leave it, im sure after a while you will want to change to a centrefire, practice makes perfect,,,,,,,,,,,,, anyway enjoy, and be careful,

are there many foxs ,,
mid

ya well im only young, but not saying how young! u never no whos readin! have takin lot of foxes out wit shotgun. dont shoot with the rifle yet cause waiting for licence to be passed! and yes i definetly will change to centerfie when im older! im just seeking advice from all yee to get me started yano! and what do u mean by "are there many foxes"???

foxshot

ha ha ha gud1 john

MIDLAND

foxshot wrote: »

ya well im only young, but not saying how young! u never no whos readin! have takin lot of foxes out wit shotgun. dont shoot with the rifle yet cause waiting for licence to be passed! and yes i definetly will change to centerfie when im older! im just seeking advice from all yee to get me started yano! and what do u mean by "are there many foxes"???

is there plenty foxs in galway, where you shoot, well done with the shot gun,

johngalway

Sorry if I'm telling you what you already know.

First thing you're going to need to do, after cleaning the rifle to get the grease out of the barrel if it's new, or the crap from the last owner if it's second hand, and properly mounting the scope is shoot at paper.

What's that going to do for you? It's going to tell you how high or how low your bullet will hit at different ranges, so you're going to know where to aim on Mr Fox to hit him right. It's going to tell you which type of ammunition your rifle likes best. I shoot at one inch black dots at 100 yards. You measure your "group" from the middle of the hole of the two holes farthest apart out of your three or five shot group. It's going to allow you some good opportunity to practice squeezing the trigger properly, getting your breathing right, and perfecting your shooting style.

I prefer to shoot laying down, so I find a bipod is invaluable for keeping the rifle steady, I like to have a rolled up beanie cap in my pocket if I need to put something under the butt of the rifle. A good sling helps too.

elius

Hi foxshoot,
Im using a 22wmr and am in the process of changing to a 22 swift. I just feel that there's no room for error with the 22wmr.. I get good grouping's at 100 yards 120 yards great bunny gun and ok for a fox at 50-80 yrds.. Though ive always been under the impression that if you cant kill it with one Shot your just inflicting unnecessary suffering on the fox and thats why im changing nothing could be worse than shooting a fox only wounding it and not being able to locate it if it runs for a follow up shot. Remington Accutip-v in a 33gr Find them a great round out to 120yrds!!

foxshot

johngalway wrote: »

Sorry if I'm telling you what you already know.

First thing you're going to need to do, after cleaning the rifle to get the grease out of the barrel if it's new, or the crap from the last owner if it's second hand, and properly mounting the scope is shoot at paper.

What's that going to do for you? It's going to tell you how high or how low your bullet will hit at different ranges, so you're going to know where to aim on Mr Fox to hit him right. It's going to tell you which type of ammunition your rifle likes best. I shoot at one inch black dots at 100 yards. You measure your "group" from the middle of the hole of the two holes farthest apart out of your three or five shot group. It's going to allow you some good opportunity to practice squeezing the trigger properly, getting your breathing right, and perfecting your shooting style.

I prefer to shoot laying down, so I find a bipod is invaluable for keeping the rifle steady, I like to have a rolled up beanie cap in my pocket if I need to put something under the butt of the rifle. A good sling helps too.

gudman john dats good info will definetly take this all into account! thanks a mill!:D

foxshot

elius wrote: »

Hi foxshoot,
Im using a 22wmr and am in the process of changing to a 22 swift. I just feel that there's no room for error with the 22wmr.. I get good grouping's at 100 yards 120 yards great bunny gun and ok for a fox at 50-80 yrds.. Though ive always been under the impression that if you cant kill it with one Shot your just inflicting unnecessary suffering on the fox and thats why im changing nothing could be worse than shooting a fox only wounding it and not being able to locate it if it runs for a follow up shot. Remington Accutip-v in a 33gr Find them a great round out to 120yrds!!

thanks a lot for the info! will also be keeping an eye out for them bullets!

foxshot

MIDLAND wrote: »

is there plenty foxs in galway, where you shoot, well done with the shot gun,

ya ders good few ive yet to go out without coming home with 1! dropped 6 in one night with shotgun! dats me personal best!:)

cavan shooter

foxshot wrote: »

hi all listen im new to this crac! was just wondering bout the 22 wmr i have a marlin 22 wmr and was hoping to go lamping with it. has any1 any advice on the effective distances to drop a fox with it? also i need to find the best ammunition for it, whats the best .22 wmr ammo for foxing? thanks in advance

used a magnum for years good round for foxes bring them in to 100-120 yrds. Careful shot placement, I now have a hornet though and if your looking for a dedicated foxing rifle and want to pick up something cheapish, I'd recommend one.

This is one topic that has been well shot over:D

greenpeter

Try this foxshot https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/133324/77813.zip clivej put it up here awhile back and its great to get a feel for shot placement, when i started fox shooting i use to get my shooting buddy to place these at different distances in a field and i would try judge distance myself and have him use the lamp.

foxshot

thanks for that greenpeter will use a lot!

poulo6.5

foxshot wrote: »

hi all listen im new to this crac! was just wondering bout the 22 wmr i have a marlin 22 wmr and was hoping to go lamping with it. has any1 any advice on the effective distances to drop a fox with it? also i need to find the best ammunition for it, whats the best .22 wmr ammo for foxing? thanks in advance

looks like you are getting good advice there, i had a .22 wmr for a couple of years and i used it for fox and rabbit , with good shooting you will drop a fox at any distance out to 120 m but even with a well placed shots you will find him looking up at you needing to be finish off, not the best in fairness , i'm now the proud owner off a .223 and there is no question but it kills them outright, much better and satisfying when you do the job right,
the .223 is way to much for the bunny's so i use a .22lr for them.

happy shooting

ivanthehunter

greenpeter wrote: »

Try this foxshot https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/133324/77813.zip clivej put it up here awhile back and its great to get a feel for shot placement, when i started fox shooting i use to get my shooting buddy to place these at different distances in a field and i would try judge distance myself and have him use the lamp.

I'd say that the top target needs to rise up by 1.5".

westwicklow

Hello foxshot, there's all sorts of wonderfully valuable advise available to us on here which may be a lot to take in. May I suggest, even though you have plenty of valuable experience with your shotgun (well done), that you tag along with a hunter with the specific experience you need and take it all in over a period of time.

happyjack

Hi,

I had a CZ 22wmr for years and did a lot of fox lamping with it, I found that up 70 yards it would kill cleanly on foxes, from 70 to 100 yards it was 50% that they'd limp off, the bullets had slowed at that distance and were not expanding enough, that said its a great calibre for rabbits to 125/ 150.

Here's the drop figures for the 22 wmr using standard 1800/1900 40 grain hollow points.

25 yards first zero

50 yards 1" inch high

75 yards 1 and 3quarters high

100 yards, main zero,

150 yards -6" drop

200 yards - 18" drop

CCI stuff is core bonded which helps the bullet retain weight if it's needed to break bone,

Winchesters expand very fast and are great killers on rabbits and foxes,

RWS is super duper accurate, plus beats the wind better than any other brand, only it's very expansive and can be hard to find.

I used to try for head and neck shots, this calibre takes skill to judge distance and wind. It's hard work compared to the fast 22 centerfire, which take very little skill, I had a .220 swift for years and all the way to 300 yards you just pulled the trigger as the gun was zeroed at 200 yards and only dropped -6" at 300, -18" at 400 yards. The fast twenty two centerfires also have a quick lock time and most come with bull barrels.
With swift, the bullet would hit the fox before it got a chance to hear the bang. The problem with the .223, .22/250, .220swifts is that foxes disapear when hit, they're hit so hard that the body goes flat in the grass very quickly, with the 22 hornet and 22wmr you'd nearly always geta jist of what way the kill went as things happened slower. 22 hornets not bad either, had one for years, just the ammo is far to expensive for what your getting in performance, 22 hornet goes like this 50 yard first zero, 100 yards 1.5" high, 150 yards main zero, 200 yards -4.5" drop. All the way to about 180 yards and hornnet hollow points expanded well and killed clean after that foxes ran home with 5.5mm holes through them, at 250 yards the hornet was dropping -12" impact was poor, needed luck to hit a vital spot.

A foxes head is only about 3.5, to 4 inches wide, the size of a clay pigeon, the distance you can no longer put a bullet in that size circle is about the distance to pass on the shot.

The 22 wmr is a hell of a round, it will enter and exit a car at 25 yards no problem,

I used to shoot foxes at 70 yards with mine, rabbits to 150 yards and gray backs to 200 in still wind.

My CZ 22wmr used to punch 1/4" 5 shot groups at 100 yards in still wind if I was in good form, I had it free floated and glass bedded, I've heard of other lampers getting 22wmr's CZ's that accurate with attention.

Unlike the point 22 longrifle, the 22wmr has proper jacketed bullets, so it's important to use a copper solvent now and again to stop copper build up in the barrel.

To my mind the 22wmr is a lovely caliber, if only FD didnt fleece shooters on the ammo, it's expensive ammo in Ireland.

You can do a lot of shooting with a 22 wmr for handy money,

My advice is this, ask yourself how many foxes you'll shoot in a year, 6, a dozen, two dozen, 50 or 100.

If your going to shoot 50 or so year you might as well have a fast centerfire, they take most of the guess work out of lamping, think of it this way, 100 euro or so for one guns ammo in a year or 40 in another, you might as well have a centerfire.

In the end I got 22lr and a fast swift, best of both worlds, each gun filled its purpose, the 22wmr is a try to do everything gun. The great thing about rimfires is there much quieter and you get lost of cheap practice, plus they make you work hard, so learn more.

We've got bungalow blitz here, and I dont have time any more, so these days I have .308 for stalking.

The ole lamping is highly addictive, I reckon a good man with a lamp is a skill all in it's self, just as important as rifle accuracy.

One last thing, you can get away with a weak lamp with rimfires, but not with fast centerfire rifles, after 200 yards you really need 1000'000 million candle power plus of a quality lamp, it's highly dangerous shooting at extended ranges with out a really good lamp and battery, plus the amber filter must be dropped every single time to before taking a shot, all eyes look like foxes eyes with the filter in place.

And the last thing, mouse calls are really tariffic, if expensive, I brought foxes in from 600 yards with a mouse call, and their not used to hearing them much, except when their eating mice. They come right up close for the mouse call.

Good hunting,

HJ

foxshot

thanks a lot for takin the time out to write all that you know your stuff when it comes to rifles, will definetly be studying over what you wrote again. thanks
foxshot