Fox & coyote gun

[Lookn4Fur]

I use a Browning A Bolt Micro Hunter in 22 Hornet and I absolutely agree with jay.  This is a great fox gun.

I use the same gun in a 204 for coyote.

I also have a savage  22 hornet over a 12 gauge that is a great gun as well.  I don't use it much but have been thinking of blowing the dust off of it and giving it a workout.

[foxtrot]

Lookn4fur, I assume the fox you shot for the member hunt was with the hornet?I noticed very minimal damage.Have you or anyone else harvested coyote with the 22 hornet ?The price of the ammo is a little scarey

[Lookn4Fur]

No, never shot one with the hornet but Curt has.  He can fill you in on the story.

[jay]

Remember those boxes of ammo for a Hornet are 50 cartridges not 20...

[foxtrot]

That makes it a little less painful.

[Leglifter]

Blue Dot loads are kinda fun... Its like having 2 guns in one... 22-250 has a big bang but slip one of these reduced loads in and it goes pop like a hornet... Uncle Buck, I just looked and I used 14gr of Blue Dot with excellent accuracy.

"Caution" Please research these reduced loads for your cal. You need to be very very careful and not double charge or you will get hurt.
This powder is extremely fast and builds a lot of pressure for a small amount of powder used.

Where do you find these blue dot loads?
This sounds like fun and a great way to reduce fur damage.
Do you work these loads up yourself?
or do you have a charge table for them??

[jay]

reloadingroom.com is where I started. Talked to this guy Rocky and started messing around with it after that. He had stuff on .223 rem and just built off of that. I just looked on his site and we were getting 2600fps with 14grs of blue dot and 45gr bullet in a 22-250. I might have to get them out again and do some night hunting with them. Pretty fun !!!!

FYI, if you look around you will see other cal. you can use it for too.

[uncle buck]

Jay thanks for the info..Yep I will be careful..Wow that Bluedot in a shotgun shell kicks like a mule too.....

Just got a T/C 24 inch 22250 Encore barrel.  Rate of twist is 1-12 of course unlike the Rem model 788 which is 1-14 twist..


I have a 22 Hornet Encore barrel...I remember talking to an old ice fisherman in the Poconos one year I was hunting coyotes.. He told me how there were plenty around.. However he said "Hornet for coyotes?" "You should be using something bigger!" However in the daytime when hunting coyotes...You should be able to call your shots..Unlike night hunting which is tought.  So yep a Hornet in the head will get him...However why not have a gun that you can shoot it in the side or in the chest and it drops right there....


I have used the 22 WMR for fox? However why take the 22 WMR when you have a Hornet????Why take the Hornet for coyotes if you have a 17 CF or a 22250? Ah people just want to learn how to track critters that why they go undergunned..Then in the snow you see the tracks going down a hole....Um don't put your hand down that hole!!!

[Leglifter]

reloadingroom.com is where I started. Talked to this guy Rocky and started messing around with it after that. He had stuff on .223 rem and just built off of that. I just looked on his site and we were getting 2600fps with 14grs of blue dot and 45gr bullet in a 22-250. I might have to get them out again and do some night hunting with them. Pretty fun !!!!

FYI, if you look around you will see other cal. you can use it for too.

Thanks Jay
It is much appreciated

[Leglifter]

Verminator,
You better have that furnace fix before you worry about that 204

[verminator]

Ha, I know but somethings are more important than others. Besides it's the basement furnace, upstairs is fine.

[220_Woody]

if any Hornet shooters who reload wanna try something new....here is my best fur friendly pet load to date for my Hornet. the flat nosed bullet seems to expend most of its energy on impact and i have yet to have a pass-through on a fox.

12.2gr of Lil' Gun
46gr Speer Flat Nose w/cannelure (.224)
CCI small rifle primer
Frontier Brass (Hornady)

load fired from a Savage 24F-12, bullet seated just to bottom of cannelure. Lee Collet Dies used.

[bootmud]

No, never shot one with the hornet but Curt has.  He can fill you in on the story.

Foxtrot,

I shot 2 coyotes last year with my Ruger 22 Hornet.  One was about 20 yds and the other about 50 yds.  Both were shot in the vitals, one fell on the spot and the other ran a 20 yd circle and fell over.

My experience is it's a good coyote caliber at reasonable distance with a well placed shot.  Definatle not my choice of calibers for strictly coyote but a good calibur in those fox / coyote areas where a coyote might show up if you're lucky.

hope this helps...

bootmud

[uncle buck]

Another plus about the 22 Hornet is that it's REPORT...Is not as loud as other guns.. So if you hunt by a few housing developments that are so prevelent in my area of the state... It's not a bad gun.


However I like that....a gun to use when your hunting fox and a coyote  comes to the call.. More and more that has been happening to me.....


Also yet another reason to stop using the 17 HMR for fox...too!!!!

[jay]

IMO I don't like loud rifles when hunting in farm country. You get way to much attention sometimes. I've been told many times its ok to come any time of the night don't call before you come and a month later when the farmer forgets and the dogs are barking and they hear a "LOUD" gunshot !!!! Here they come to check it out... Or pain in the butt neighbor's or drunks coming home from the bar. Stealth is the key in night hunting with pedators and people.