Best 22LR bullet for rats?

[41magsnub]

Bonus points are given if you dress like Carl!

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

CB 22Lr 710 fps is more than enough to kill those rats. Shine em at night.
Norway rats (warf rats) around the docks get those beady red eyes when the light reflects back at you. Report back to THR on eye color of a barn rat. We need to know what the color is.

 

[Hiaboo]

I'd use yellowjackets. I like them, they do make a good hole, shoot quite flat from my .22.

 

[Hutch]

Gophers! Not golfers!
The little brown furry rodents!

 

[76shuvlinoff]

I use CCI Stingers in my Marlin 39A and 60. Drops woodchucks on my place and it sure oughta drop dump rats.

 

[mossberg702]

I go with any 22. short or lr. it is a rat you can kill them with a bb gun at 20 yards.

 

[Hypnogator]

I can't believe we're on a "what's the best caliber for rats" thread!

 

[Jeff F]

The CB longs have worked for me. At close range they will be just as dead.

 

[22-rimfire]

375 H&H.... oops. 22 only... okay. Hey those furry rodents are pretty tough to kill on the spot. You hit them and they run somewhere and die (I think) or they morph into more rats. Hollow points a good choice.

 

[ndh87]

I've always gotten the best groups with CCI mini mags. their hollow points work well on most small critters.

But like everyone said, sight in for the ammo you plan on using and you should have no problems.

 

[Vaarok]

I have found that for close-range flushing-from-cover, the best medicine is Winchester Super X .22 shotshell from a levergun. Since shot won't cycle a semi, the lever is your fastest and best bet.

It's kinda like skeet-shooting downward.

 

[22-rimfire]

Did those shot shells actually kill them?

 

[CTPistol]

Id use my sweetly accurate silenced Savage with accu-trigger....the other rats wont hear a thing....

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I can't believe we're on a "what's the best caliber for rats" thread!

We're not. The calibre has been pre-determined.

We're on a "What's the best boolit for rats?" thread.

 

[telomerase]

Stingers kill humanely (hey rats have feelings too). But the other guys are right about "whatever shoots best in that gun", because you have to hit them first.

 

[Grandpa Shooter]

From experience I'd like to suggest you shoot very carefully! Depending on your skill level you may discover rats, particulary 10-14" long can be hard to kill. Head shots are the only certain way they die on the spot. If injured, in addition to being inhumane, they will crawl into a tiny little spot and die. In about 3 days you will have a heck of a stink and more food for other rats. You could create a worse problem than what they started out with!

 

[Cueball]

Since you said that the shots will be 10-50 yds, there is no way that CB Longs, shotshells, or any type of 22 short will be accurate or deadly at 50yds. A standard velocity hollow point would be my suggestion for this particular application.

 

[22-rimfire]

I'm with you grandpa. Use standard veloctiy hollow point ammo (high velocity if it shoots well in your rifle) and aim carefully. My experience is that they don't die easily unless you make a good hit.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

With as much fun as we've all related from past rat-sniping experiences...I'm going down to the County Landfill (small, rural Kentucky County) and ask if they'd mind me picking-off a few of the unwelcomed varmint rodents. My scoped Volquartsen Superlite should be just the ticket. It's fun, it's beneficial, it's great practice, and it's one of the few critters I can shoot without feeling obligated to EAT. Standard velocity HP (Federal) will be my ammo of choice. Oh! If I get continued permission it might be JUST the excuse I've been looking for to buy a .17 M2 of some sort. That flat-shooting little fireball should be a PERFECT rat caliber.

 

[Rey B]

You might try the Federal Auto Match. My Mossberg likes them and they seem to be consistent in their grouping.

 

[Slugless]

At close range the Winchester shot shells (#12?) are highly effective. I've never had a rat or mouse even twitch afterwards. Not a real high sample population, but still...

I dislike the CCI shotshells. Rodents still twitch & flop.

Effective range - pattern it on paper.

 

[oakme2]

Rat Heaven

Any 22 , shooting rats with a 22 is loke shooting deer with a 50 bmg. I have killed hundreds of them with an old dasy 880 BB gun, man it slays them. Shoot them in the front sholder, or if you are that good right between their eyes. Happy rat hunting, it is a blast. Remember to recycle them and feed them to your dogs. LOL

 

[Stover954rr]

oooo, if they were up close 20 yards or less, I would say that nifty bird shot... i use to use it all the time in the barn for the rats... great stuff... I just don't think it would work to well at any sort of distance

 

[Hardtarget]

I had a relative that raised chickins. There were two barns, so he alternated "cleaning house". When he sold off the birds in a barn he would let me come in before they stripped all the "litter".

My .22 single shot and shorts...bad juju for rats. I'd haul a trash bag full out with no problem!

I miss those shoots.

Mark.

 

[230RN]

My .22 single shot and shorts...bad juju for rats. I'd haul a trash bag full out with no problem!

Any problem with fleas while you're picking them up?

OT, but a concern in this subject area for me.

Also, .22 shot cartridges at 20 yards ? ? ?

Did you mean 20 feet ? ? ?

Someone enlighten me, please.