What happens with a .22 RF when..

[cubix]

Hello All

 

This will be a stupid question to those of you who know (I don't), but if you shoot a rabbit, or wood pigeon toddling along the ground with a 22RF sub sonic at say 50yards - does the body of the animal actually stop the bullet, or does it continue straight through ?

 

If it goes straight through how much energy does it have left?

 

Regards.

[Poacher]

how longs a piece of string

depends on where and what it hits inside the rabbit, as well as how well the bullet deforms etc etc

 

Yes sometimes the bullet goes straight through but i'd have no idea as too how much energy was left after that...

[Graham M]

Which is why............................you make sure you have a backstop

G.M.

[dusk2dawn]

Hello All

 

This will be a stupid question to those of you who know (I don't), but if you shoot a rabbit, or wood pigeon toddling along the ground with a 22RF sub sonic at say 50yards - does the body of the animal actually stop the bullet, or does it continue straight through ?

 

If it goes straight through how much energy does it have left?

 

Regards.

 

If you assume you have missed and the round continues it could be a danger for over a mile, hence the obvious need for an effective backdrop well within sight. It is essential to shoot safely at all times.

 

At 50yds if the round struck solid body tissue, was hollow nosed and subsonic, it would be unlikely that it would exit the body and travel very far, this is my opinion and it is a difficult question to answer precisely.

 

I have only ever used Eley subs and cannot comment on other ammunition.

 

D2D

Edited March 6, 2008 by dusk2dawn

[tweedledee]

i would say no 2 shots will be the same and exercise a little thought and be sure of a backstop.

[cubix]

Thanks for the input - backstop point is always well taken, hence the shooting pigeon on the ground.

 

It was more from the point of view of not wanting to eat bits of the bullet! The Brown Ale has done it's damage, god knows what lead would do.

[Treestalker]

I've shot tens of thousands of rabbits with hollow point subsonics (mainly Winchester). I've rarely recovered bullets from head shots but have recovered them from foxes.

The .22 subsonic can penetrate more than people realise. I once had a bullet pass through a rabbit and was deflected off course by 45 degrees to hit another also in the head 20m beyond.

Even with a good backstop you can get ricochets either by deflection as it passes through the target or off stones. On quiet nights these sound like they have travelled 100m+. I once had a subsonic ricochet up vertically to rattle through a large electricity pylon one night.

Some subsonic bullets are softer than others and seem less prone to ricochet. I used to swear by the old 1980s vintage Lapuas and the slow and greasy RWS.

Take care with the .22. They can travel further than you realise.

[Graham M]

I've shot tens of thousands of rabbits with hollow point subsonics (mainly Winchester). I've rarely recovered bullets from head shots but have recovered them from foxes.

You shoot foxes with .22 subs :yp:

G.M.

[casts_by_fly]

With standard velocity ammo I've always had bass throughs on squirrels, even ones that were hit behind the ribs where the bullet came out the front shoulder, opposite side. Holes are larger than entry holes, but not by much. With hypervelocity stuff (stingers and velocitors) the bullets have always fragmented inside the animal and left multiple holes coming out. They always exit though. I've never recovered a 22 bullet that has gone through an animal.

 

thanks,

rick

[al4x]

I've shot tens of thousands of rabbits with hollow point subsonics (mainly Winchester). I've rarely recovered bullets from head shots but have recovered them from foxes.

You shoot foxes with .22 subs :yp:

G.M.

 

 

who hasn't thats had a .22lr a long time. At the right range they're lethal on foxes as Frank on here used to show by regualrly posting pics. On one hand we're worrying about thr round killing people a mile off then lashing out at people who take 50yard head shots on foxes

 

Back to the original topic the worst I've witnessed was firing down at a 45 degree angle the bullet exited the rabbits head ricoched off the ground and hit the post to a footpath sign another 20 yards on leaving a tidy little dent. So yes they can exit no problem all in I prefer not to shoot them simply because I hate hearing the zinging noise

[JohnGalway]

I've shot tens of thousands of rabbits with hollow point subsonics (mainly Winchester). I've rarely recovered bullets from head shots but have recovered them from foxes.

You shoot foxes with .22 subs :yp:

G.M.

 

So have I, at the appropriate range in the appropriate conditions. It's extremely effective. Head shots only though.

[luckytrigger]

Through the pidgeon iwould say straight through almost every time. As for rabbits ive head shot them at 60yds+ and heard the zing of a ricochet many times as the bullet has gone straight through.

[Graham M]

who hasn't thats had a .22lr a long time. At the right range they're lethal on foxes as Frank on here used to show by regualrly posting pics. On one hand we're worrying about thr round killing people a mile off then lashing out at people who take 50yard head shots on foxes

We have all been told about the dangers of a .22rf regarding the fact that they CAN kill a human at ½ mile. The operative word is CAN.!!!!

You would never expect it to be a certainty and this also applies to a fox.

I have shot foxes with a .22rf ….but never again as I have explained in the dim distant past. I have also made it clear that I don’t consider a .17hmr to be a dedicated fox round either.

Not going down the .22rf/fox road again other than to say I now only use a .22 Hornet on my local farm and a .243 anywhere else.

A .22rf CAN kill a fox, yes, but a .22 Hornet is a more certain round, whilst a .243 is almost definite.

And no I wasn’t “lashing out†at anyone, just thought it didn’t seem an appropriate thing to say and said so. I’m sure that if anyone came on the site and wrote that they shot Red deer with a .222Rem it would bring a flood of protests, and yet the .222Rem is capable of killing a Red deer………but it certainly isn’t a certainty.

G.M.

[lock&load]

Hello All

 

This will be a stupid question to those of you who know (I don't), but if you shoot a rabbit, or wood pigeon toddling along the ground with a 22RF sub sonic at say 50yards - does the body of the animal actually stop the bullet, or does it continue straight through ?

 

If it goes straight through how much energy does it have left?

 

Regards.

 

have shot hundreds of bunnies and never yet recoverd a bullet,from a body shot,at variouse ranges from 30-100yds,these little rascales can do a lot of damage,even for a sub round.

l&l

[Soulboy]

Have only ever recovered one from many many rabbits.

 

The shot was a rabbit facing me at 65 yards,it entered in the chest travelled the entire length of the body and came to rest,very deformed under the skin by the tail.

 

All headshots and side on chest shots go straight through.

 

Only use Eley subs so can't comment on HV stuff.