.22 vs .22 mag.

[duckslayer]

All my groundhog shooting now is done with a .223 and honestly~it's a better tool for the job. However, I do miss the 22WMR days where a pocket full of ammo, and a bit of a sneak was involved to get into 22WMR range. More hunting than the .223 and the 6.5-20X scope sitting on it. No sneak required when I'm on my game. Just a range finder, rear bag=gone.

Yes back in my late teens and most of my 20's I lived for popping groundhogs every spring. Started with my 22 and dad's 22mag, then I picked up at 22-250 and loved the long range shooting. I had to sell the 22-250 to purchase a .270 to moose hunt with, shot many a hog with it for a few years but I eventually I added another 22-250 as the .270 was just too loud and big. Later on when they came out with the lighter gr polymer tipped ammo for the 22 mag (rem 33gr) I tried them in my 597 22mag and it absolutely loved them so gave them a try on some hogs and was really happy with them. Bang flop every time and very deadly out to 150yds. I had always used the 40gr HP's but these polymer tipped 33gr'ers had explosive results on hogs and a flatter trajectory to boot. The last few years of chasing them hot and heavy I always had the 22mag in hand, the 22-250 never left the truck as it's usually not an issue getting to within 150yds of a hog and I just loved the performance of the mag and without the louder report of the 250 other hogs tended to stick around rather heading for their holes when the 250 went off. Don't shoot many hogs anymore and the few times I have actually went for a drive to find some in the last several years I only pack the 22mag. Kinda past the long range shooting and just enjoy getting a little closer to them and shooting them with the mag.

[jaycee]

Great post above, just tell it like it is from experience, to those whose only experience is from books/articles.
I really like my .22 mag . ruger model 77 rifle, great for jacks and the odd groundhog I see plus the odd coyote when jack hunting, even thou I do have, .204, .222, and .243 rifles , these are mainly used to hunt coyotes with.

[GrouseWhisperer]

Yes back in my late teens and most of my 20's I lived for popping groundhogs every spring. Started with my 22 and dad's 22mag, then I picked up at 22-250 and loved the long range shooting. I had to sell the 22-250 to purchase a .270 to moose hunt with, shot many a hog with it for a few years but I eventually I added another 22-250 as the .270 was just too loud and big. Later on when they came out with the lighter gr polymer tipped ammo for the 22 mag (rem 33gr) I tried them in my 597 22mag and it absolutely loved them so gave them a try on some hogs and was really happy with them. Bang flop every time and very deadly out to 150yds. I had always used the 40gr HP's but these polymer tipped 33gr'ers had explosive results on hogs and a flatter trajectory to boot. The last few years of chasing them hot and heavy I always had the 22mag in hand, the 22-250 never left the truck as it's usually not an issue getting to within 150yds of a hog and I just loved the performance of the mag and without the louder report of the 250 other hogs tended to stick around rather heading for their holes when the 250 went off. Don't shoot many hogs anymore and the few times I have actually went for a drive to find some in the last several years I only pack the 22mag. Kinda past the long range shooting and just enjoy getting a little closer to them and shooting them with the mag.

^sounds like we've been down the same road! I've shot groundhogs with almost every caliber/gauge I've ever owned, including .204R and .243 Win. (both rifles now gone) I really liked the .204 Ruger too, but my fussy 1:12" twist took forever to find a good load for and that loaded ended-up including 39gr. Sierra BlitzKings. Issue was~will all that pep that much powder capacity provided, that bullet would pass right through a groundhog. I once hit a good sized adult quartering towards me and it exited the opposite, rear/right hip close to the tail. Through a groundhog almost end-to-end. Lots to love about .20cal bullets, so for about the third year in a row...I'm looking at the oddball (smaller) .20cal offerings like 20 Vartarg, 20 Practical, etc. If I can find a barrel/twist that I'm 99% sure will shoot 32gr. V-Max...I may get a rifle built.

However..I digress. Making groundhog shooting more involved has always been a bit of a "flight of fancy"...but has never made it more fun than the .22WMR groundhogging was.

[duckslayer]

I really like my .22 mag . ruger model 77 rifle, great for jacks and the odd groundhog I see plus the odd coyote when jack hunting, even thou I do have, .204, .222, and .243 rifles , these are mainly used to hunt coyotes with.

Yes the 22mag is also great on jacks's although I like to switch back to a 40gr as I hit a few jacks in the spine and front shoulder with the 33gr'ers and they had considerable more meat damage than the 40's due to bullet design. I mostly chase yotes in the winter and turkeys in the spring now but it used to be cotty's and jacks all winter and hogs in the spring. Really like my semi-auto 22mag for the jack drives, used to be all shotty work but later on I switched to the 22mag for some added distance as well as challenge.

^sounds like we've been down the same road! I've shot groundhogs with almost every caliber/gauge I've ever owned, including .204R and .243 Win. (both rifles now gone) I really liked the .204 Ruger too, but my fussy 1:12" twist took forever to find a good load for and that loaded ended-up including 39gr. Sierra BlitzKings. Issue was~will all that pep that much powder capacity provided, that bullet would pass right through a groundhog. I once hit a good sized adult quartering towards me and it exited the opposite, rear/right hip close to the tail. Through a groundhog almost end-to-end. Lots to love about .20cal bullets, so for about the third year in a row...I'm looking at the oddball (smaller) .20cal offerings like 20 Vartarg, 20 Practical, etc. If I can find a barrel/twist that I'm 99% sure will shoot 32gr. V-Max...I may get a rifle built.

However..I digress. Making groundhog shooting more involved has always been a bit of a "flight of fancy"...but has never made it more fun than the .22WMR groundhogging was.

Yup I went through plenty of calibers on hogs, .22, .22mag, .17hmr, .204, .222, .223, .22-250, .243, .270win.

Still own .22's, .22mag, .204, 2-.223's, .22-250, .270win. It's all .22's and the .22mag for hogs now (but that's few and far between) and all the bigger stuff is for yotes. Really thinking of purging a few as I mostly carry ether a .223 or a .204 now while chasing yotes, the rest are collecting dust.........

[jaycee]

^sounds like we've been down the same road! I've shot groundhogs with almost every caliber/gauge I've ever owned, including .204R and .243 Win. (both rifles now gone) I really liked the .204 Ruger too, but my fussy 1:12" twist took forever to find a good load for and that loaded ended-up including 39gr. Sierra BlitzKings. Issue was~will all that pep that much powder capacity provided, that bullet would pass right through a groundhog. I once hit a good sized adult quartering towards me and it exited the opposite, rear/right hip close to the tail. Through a groundhog almost end-to-end. Lots to love about .20cal bullets, so for about the third year in a row...I'm looking at the oddball (smaller) .20cal offerings like 20 Vartarg, 20 Practical, etc. If I can find a barrel/twist that I'm 99% sure will shoot 32gr. V-Max...I may get a rifle built.

However..I digress. Making groundhog shooting more involved has always been a bit of a "flight of fancy"...but has never made it more fun than the .22WMR groundhogging was.

Another experience based post about the .22mag.
It seems that those with no or minimal experience with it, have the most to say against it.

[Big Jack]

Well dammit I missed mine so much with all this talk of 22mag I just bought a Ruger American in 22mag with hawke 22 mag scope.

If it's half as accurate as the volquartsen was I'll be pleased.

[GrouseWhisperer]

Another experience based post about the .22mag.
It seems that those with no or minimal experience with it, have the most to say against it.

^this is true. If you have one you love it, if you HAD one and sold it~you miss it. If you NEVER owned one, you probably think it's a useless, antiquated caliber. lol