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tubabucknut
Posts: 3,520 Senior Member
Saving the pelts?
tubabucknut
Posts: 3,520 Senior Member
I have a 222 that I was considering some load options for. I am interested in a bullet that will allow for saving the pelts. I want something that is not going to leave massive exit wounds, or explode the varmint/predator when shot. I am considering the following options. Any and all thoughts appreciated.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165324457/hornady-bullets-22-caliber-224-diameter-55-grain-spire-point-with-cannelure?cm_vc=ProductFinding
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/543671/sierra-varminter-bullets-22-caliber-224-diameter-55-grain-blitz-box-of-100?cm_vc=ProductFinding
My thought is load them a little on the slow side. I am sure whatever I settle on in for 222 will also work in one of my 223s.
Thanks again.
PS I do have 22lr, and 22mag options available as well. I am just looing for a little more range.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165324457/hornady-bullets-22-caliber-224-diameter-55-grain-spire-point-with-cannelure?cm_vc=ProductFinding
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/543671/sierra-varminter-bullets-22-caliber-224-diameter-55-grain-blitz-box-of-100?cm_vc=ProductFinding
My thought is load them a little on the slow side. I am sure whatever I settle on in for 222 will also work in one of my 223s.
Thanks again.
PS I do have 22lr, and 22mag options available as well. I am just looing for a little more range.
Replies
Have only shot one wild dog ( that was chasing sheep ) with the 222. This was before I started reloading and was using standard Remington factory loads with the 50gr PSP .........Aim point was broadside into the shoulder. Bullet hit the shoulder bone, expanded, then hit the offside shoulder and came to rest under the skin on the offside ( No exit wound but I could feel the projectile under the skin). Dog was drt............but apart from the entry point there appeared to be little damage on the outside. ( Obviously, I didn't skin it) From memory the factory loads were doing about 3000fps at the muzzle and about 2600 at 100yds ( which was the est range that I shot the dog.)
Hope this helps.
Illegal for hunting nearly everywhere....need to check the laws in your state....
It's a conundrum...I once shot a coyote with a 165 grain SST out of a .308...killed him deader n hell but nearly cut him in half....
My luck with .224 V-Maxes has been spotty...depends on where you hit them...sometimes it's hard to find a hole, other times you have an exit you could stick your fist in...
Best luck has been with 110 grain BTHPs out of my 6.8 SPC...they just kinda zip right through but kill them with minimal damage...
a needle and thread can fix an amazing amount of damage....
All that said, yes, your .22LR is always going to be your best choice until you start getting into long ranges or larger predators (coyotes and up). For what you want, however, I would go with a less frangible bullet.
Life member of the American Legion, the VFW, the NRA and the Masonic Lodge, retired LEO
The VG bullets are pretty long for the weight and might not shoot well in some twist rate barrels. I've had good results with them in 243 with the 62 grain bullets being close to the same lenght as the 105 A-max.
Knite I thought the same thing until I started researching, and read about how many animals simply exploded with those type loads.
Jayhawker I was wanting something that would "zip through". Both of the bullets I linked were recommended on a trapping board for that reason.
Sixgun I was thinking of very light loads to keep velocity down.
Jay I had seen some mention of the barnes causing excessive damage.
Jerry
Jerry
Jerry, I don't know why I didn't think of that. I have a Lyman mold that drops 85 grain GC bullets in .243 Winchester. Using shotgun powders I am getting about 1500fps. They make the same size hole upon entry and exit........Robin
Life member of the American Legion, the VFW, the NRA and the Masonic Lodge, retired LEO
Man! I just saw this. Superman to the rescue. Back a few years ago people were using full metal jackets and slowing them down to under 2000 FPS to limit pelt damage. They pretty well pass right through the animal and at -2000 FPS, even if it hits hard bone it usually will stay together without coming apart and blowing up the pelt. Back when we used to could hunt turkeys with rifles this was pretty well the main medicine also.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
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Back up the page see Hawken's first post. Then see teaches about hard cast. I'm thinking the hard cast at about 1800 FPS will give you better distance than a .22 LR or Magnum, and will act like a FMJ, getting out of any legal umbrella. And, I think the hard casts will kill very well at the lower velocities. Velocity is a big factor in bullet disintegration. Keeping it under 2000 FPS will stop that.
Also, if you don't mind paying for premium bullets, something like somebody mentioned up the page, or maybe a Barnes Solid, or even a Nosler Partition going sub 2000 would do the same as the hard casts or FMJs. A tough bullet like a Partition I doubt will even expand very much at this low velocity. But I like the idea of the hard cast. Once you're set up with a bullet mold and and casting equipment you can make bullets that will fit your needs cheaper.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
...I'd try the Nosler Custom Competitions or Sierra MatchKings, neither are real frangible, & even w/ the hollow points, they're not designed to expand. The hollow points are very small, & the jackets aren't drawn down, theyre the same thickness @ the tip as the base...
...SPS has the 52gr. CC's on sale right now...
http://www.shootersproshop.com/catalog/product/view/id/7535/s/nosler-22-52gr-custom-competition-hpbt-blem-100ct/category/2/
It can be expensive and it can be done on the cheap also. (If you actually knew anything about casting you would know this.) You can get a new hotplate at WW for 15.00 or buy a used one at a yard sale for 5.00 tops, a cast iron pot or skillet from a yard sale for 5.00 more, a Lee two cavity mold for 25.00, an old tablespoon, and a 6.00 bottle of alox to tumble lube. If you water quench wheel weights, they will be about a 22bhn which is hard enough to push in the high teens without a gas check (depending on the powder). If you start getting into casting, you'll want a lubrisizer, various sizing dies and top punches for all the molds you'll be buying, a proper furnace, and maybe a thermometer and hardness tester.
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000622BATOR/.22-Caliber-55-Grain-Double-Cavity-Special-Order-Mold-C225-55-RF-by-LEE-RELOADING-PRODUCTS
It's a special order mold, so may take a bit longer for delivery. Water quenching wheel weight bullets make them quite a bit harder. The bullets I cast in .357 mag. were coated and water quenched twice, and showed no expansion in wet newsprint media, and I pushed them hard. They penetrated average of 8" with NO expansion.
― Douglas Adams
Jerry