Best 22LR bullet for rats?

[Fatelvis]

I just got permission to blast rats at a local recycling plant, and the manager wants 22LR only. What ammo is the best bet for rather large rats (about 10-14" without tail) out of a Remington 581 scoped rifle. Shots will be from 10-50 yds. Thanx!

 

[22-rimfire]

Sounds fun. I would use what shoots best in your rifle. There is no single 22 ammunition that shoots best in all rifles.

If it were me, I'd use standard velocity ammunition that won't be quite as loud as the high velocity. Standard velocity ammo tends to shoot more consistantly. Off the top of my head, I'd use Wolf Match Target if I had only one choice and could not shoot anything else.

 

[kludge]

Just about anything will work, solids or HP. I would choose a high velocity hollow point that is accurate in your rifle, but I agree that a standard velociy will tend to be more consistant

 

[Onmilo]

I used to use .22 Short hollowpoints for shooting dump rats.
I now use RWS standard velocity hollowpoints when I can find them but those SHPs will still do a bang-up job with minimal ricochet.

 

[RoadkingLarry]

If your little bolt gun will feed .22 shorts I would consider that. nice and quiet and less chance for "collateral" damage. I realized you host specified .22 LR but did he mean no bigger than .22LR or??

 

[Ghost Tracker]

Rats are the Varmintcong of the pest world. Even SPCA types encourage their demise. A pig-farming friend asked me to join him one Saturday morning for a few hours of Rat Sniping in his feed-lot. An accurate, scoped .22 rifle with Match Solids is the ideal medicine. We had a BALL & you will too. Take a buddy if you can. A spotter with binoculars makes you more effective, and you get to share the grins.

 

[Fatelvis]

Any kind of 22 rimfire (excluding 22magnum). Will 22 shorts have alot more drop @50 yds?

 

[Mr. Designer]

Sounds fun. I shoot cheap Federal HPs that also happen to be very accurate. Any 22LR or short should do.

 

[22-rimfire]

What ever you choose, sight your rifle in with that ammunition. Yes, shorts will drop more than LR's at 50yds. If they are okay with LR ammo, I wouldn't choose shorts. Sight your rifle in at 50 yds.

 

[DonP]

We used to look forward to old sheds and temporary corn cribs in our rural area being burnt because it would always produce a lot of shooting practice.

Federal makes a nice High velocity hollow point that runs really well in my Marlin 60. I can't recall the specific name of it now, but it's a bulk pack with 550 rounds in a box for abouit $12 or so.

By the way "ground baiting" with some old apples or peanut butter is not only allowed but encouraged.

Have fun playing rat sniper!

 

[bakert]

Any hollow point should work well. If you decide to try .22 shorts, be sure to test first. In some guns they're not as accurate as the LR rds.

 

[cyclist]

You could also try out some CB-Longs. They work nice in a 6" barrel revolver and not too loud.

This is probably too far away for me to ask to come along for the fun.

 

[40SW]

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=972593

 

[cyclist]

This is interesting stuff as well:

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=862015&t=11082005

 

[40SW]

I've used the quickshocks, but boy are they HOT!!!, I prefer the quieter Remington subsonic hollowpoints.

 

[OpFlash]

I second quikshoks, not for the power but for their lack of penetration. They literally come apart when hitting anything, and therefore should be less of a ricochet or overpeneteration risk. The fact that they are very flat shooting and blow up the critters real good is a bonus! The only drawback is they are loud (like a stinger) and they are not as accurate as a standard velocity round. Some rifles shoot them well, some don't.

 

[cpttango30]

I would go with some CCI CB Longs. nice quiet and shoot good in my rifle. Out to about 15 yards.

 

[Cougfan2]

A little off topic, but when I was in High School, my brother and I would go to a dump outside of Olathe, KS and night shoot rats. We would station ourselves about 25 yds from a likely trash pile and listen. When we could hear the rustling of a fair number of rats we would turn on the flashlights we had taped to our shotgun barrels (I know this sounds really redneck ) and just point the light and shoot. Tons of fun!

 

[eliphalet]

Whatever is cheapest should be plenty accurate and have plenty of power to hit rats at 50 yards with a Remington 581. Shorts are not as loud as LR and a CB though lacking in range and power will be almost silent.

 

[Geronimo45]

The CB longs are very, very quiet. Plenty powerful to take out an armadillo at about six yards, probably further out as well. Should be enough to take out rats.
Those or standard velocity rounds ought to be plenty. Have fun!

 

[ZeSpectre]

Anything will work, just remember that rats tend to scurry and then pause and look around. Don't shoot while they scurry, wait for the pause and then ring their bell.

 

[shooting time]

I use 22 long CB caps around my barn it kills them dead with minimal damage if you miss and the noise don't bother them

 

[prism]

sounds like a job for .22 short hollowpoints. less noise.

 

[Gustav]

Best rounds I have found are the CCI Stinger and Remington Yellow Jackets simply devastating on the vermin well worth the extra cost IMO.

Don't care for CB caps unless noise is a problem and the range is kept short and you can't use something better.

Standard long rifle especially 40 grain solids will often kill them but they do not expire on the spot unless hit right they can run off and die in some places you may not want them to.

The hollow points work better but the best I have found are the two rounds stated above, simply splatastic on the little garbage dumpster diving vultures.

 

[Ed Ames]

Only rat hunting I've ever done (actually, the only hunting I've ever done) was clearing out a mess of rats with a crossman CO2-powered revolver and an assistant to flush the rats. We traded off flushing and shooting and kiled a lot of rats that day.

I'd use the cheapest round that was accurate in my rifle ifI were you.