dgill 6 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 (edited) a friend of mine just got a licence for a .22 rimfire and we have been doing a bit of rabbit shooting but were wondering would a.22 rimfire be powerful enough to kill a fox cleanly or would it be to light Edited November 16, 2011 by dgill Quote Link to post
hairyface 211 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 not suitable mate,it could be done if you were close enough with a well placed shot, but not suitable really Quote Link to post
kenny14 656 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 There's been a lot of debate on this subject here and on other forums, and the simple answer would be, 'yes a 22 rf is powerful enough to kill a Fox cleanly' (and many other larger animals, for that matter) . But there is a 'but', and that 'but' is that range and accurate shot placement are much more vital than with larger, centrefire calibres. I assume your friend is thinking that he may like to have a go at Foxes, and if so it's important to remember that the ideal outcome of every shot should be a quick, clean kill. If in doubt, don't shoot. Quote Link to post
Jkm 1 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 I've killed many foxes with my 22rf just comes down to knowing you distance and bullet drop and placement of shot. i take shots out to 60yards normally but have taken longer but need to know your gun as said above,i always shot them between the eyes or nice neck shot drops them stone dead on the spot Quote Link to post
kevmag 10 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 I have .22 which i lamp foxes with and i never have any problems with it. I have shoot foxes at 50 to yards and have killed them. The rifle i use is a very cheap marlin .22 Quote Link to post
The Seeker 3,048 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Do not shoot foxes with a .22 rf unless at close range. What ever people say it is just NOT a suitable calibre for fox, there is far more chance of wounding the fox and much better calibre's out there suited to the job. Also check the wording on the firearms cert does the .22 section give permission for fox? Quote Link to post
THE GRIFF 8 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 (edited) Also check the wording on the firearms cert does the .22 section give permission for fox? I had this discussion with basc regarding a .22 hornet and fox is covered under vermin. Certain police forces have made this condition on your ticket up and tell you that it has to say fox, if they decided to take you to court for shooting a fox because your ticket only says vermin the first thing they would have to do is define the meaning of the word vermin, a fox is vermin, it would be thrown straight out of court. I aren't saying a 22 rimmy is suitable for fox, but it could be capable with the correct person pulling the trigger within a suitable range. Edited November 16, 2011 by THE GRIFF Quote Link to post
The Seeker 3,048 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Also check the wording on the firearms cert does the .22 section give permission for fox? I had this discussion with basc regarding a .22 hornet and fox is covered under vermin. Certain police forces have made this condition on your ticket up and tell you that it has to say fox, if they decided to take you to court for shooting a fox because your ticket only says vermin the first thing they would have to do is define the meaning of the word vermin, a fox is vermin, it would be thrown straight out of court. I aren't saying a 22 rimmy is suitable for fox, but it could be capable with the correct person pulling the trigger within a suitable range. Yep I hear what your saying but my local police force are clear no .22 rf or HMR is permitted for fox, I will let somone else go to court and potentially lose the fire arms ticket to argue if a fox is classed as vermin.... Atb Quote Link to post
dave1372 83 Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Do not shoot foxes with a .22 rf unless at close range. What ever people say it is just NOT a suitable calibre for fox, there is far more chance of wounding the fox and much better calibre's out there suited to the job. Also check the wording on the firearms cert does the .22 section give permission for fox? :thumbs: ...as the man says it can do the job but would not be the preferred choice for the simple reason of animal welfare. I have seen foxes run on when shot with bigger calibres, so I would imagine the number of runners you would get would be significant to say don't use a .22rf . There are people who maybe shoot very well with them and have a very high success rate but we all have a bad shot now and again and the margin for error with .22rf is far greater. Quote Link to post
TWOTWOTHREE 152 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hi This one pops up slot on this forum and produces good debates, I have rimfires and cf on my cert which states vermin and fox,first of all I do think it is enough to kill a fox at close range but unless it was licking the end of the barrel I wouldn't shoot,we may shoot straight 99% of the time but like said you can get runners with the centrefires so a badly placed shot with the rimmy is bad news,just get a bigger cal for that job, we should all shoot to kill with a humane dispatch in mind.if were going to do a job let's do it propperly Atb 223 Quote Link to post
dgill 6 Posted November 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 thanks lads for the info Quote Link to post
kingnewport 19 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Take a shotgun with you that's whatt we do, but I've had plenty of foxes with the old .22 but they have there limits Quote Link to post
kenny14 656 Posted November 18, 2011 Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 My above views on the subject are pretty clear, but I should add one thing: The .22 rf is an invaluable tool for Fox control in certain situations. Quote Link to post
Terryorr 27 Posted November 18, 2011 Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 I have shot plenty of cubs outside their den with the old .22rimmy, probably 30/40 yards away stone dead, but in reality I could have done that with the old 12gauge. The .22 is a brilliant rifle but don,t over estimate it. Quote Link to post
andyf 144 Posted November 19, 2011 Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 Hello: The .22RF is ok as long as it's only 50>75 yards, but really it's not enough gun. If it's what you can get where you have permission, then OK. I have lots of rifles, and plenty of land, but I can only carry one at a time, so I still shoot the odd Fox with my 22 but only at a push. My 22,250 is what is needed, no runners from that 'bad boy' , maybe keep a magazine of high velocity CCI's in the back pocket just in case? Quote Link to post
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