Rimfire in South Carolina 22 WMR

[fpjeepy05]

Small game hunters may possess or use shotguns with shot no larger than No. 2 or .22 or smaller rimfire rifles/handguns or primitive muzzle-loading rifles/muskets of .40 caliber or smaller. Small game hunters may not possess or use buckshot, slugs or shot larger than No. 2. Blow guns, dart guns, drugged arrows or arrows with exploding tips are not permitted. Small game hunters using archery equipment must use small game tips on the arrows (judo points, bludgeon points, etc.).

SC required the use of small game weapons to hunt hogs except during deer season on WMA's. I don't have a 40 cal muzzleloader, and I think that would be the best option. Second best I think would be a 22 WMR with a fast twist barrel and some heavy cast boolits. Hence, I'm here asking for advice. I've done a little reloading not a lot. It's time consuming and I have other hobbies. I can do it if I have to, but the easier the better. I have seen a guy on youtube pulling bullets from 22 WMR and seating with a different bullet and crimping. Seems to be having good result. I will post it here if any one is interested.

I know handloading 22 WMR for a custom twist gun is over the top complicated, but it don't get why. All the 22 WMR ammo I see is lightweight hollowpoints. Which makes sense, great for squirrels and snakes, what most people use them for, but it would be awesome if someone offered an option with better penetration. Buffalo bore sells 25ACP ammo, I can't imagine 22 WMR would be that much different.

Thanks for your time.

[mnewcomb59]

CCI makes a 50 grain soft point, and I think a 40 gr FMJ. I think one of them is called SGB (small game bullet).

Shoot them in the neck-spine or brain on broadside shots. But even a 22lr would work fine for that. The 22LR SGB from CCI is a flat nose and it penetrates well. The Interceptors are more powerful, have harder lead, and also have a flat nose.

Check out youtube - there are lots of videos of people hunting hogs with 22 LR and 22 Mag. There are a few I have seen where they shoot them in the lungs with 22lr and recover them within 100 yards.

The 22 Mag would have the advantage of the hard jacket so you could break some bones, but the 22lr Aguila Interceptor 40 gr has harder lead than usual and a flat nose and it is super deadly. It smokes coyotes at 100 yards - busts both shoulders and passes through.

The Interceptor also is available in HP and it is way better than the Mini-Mags in penetration. Mini-Mags expand to 36 caliber and barely penetrate 11" of jelly while the Interceptor HP (with its harder lead and smaller HP cavity) only expands to 30-31 caliber and penetrates 14". The Interceptor solid can penetrate up to 30" jelly, but more often penetrates around 20" with slight yawing. 40 gr round nose are softer lead and they consistently tumble, which makes them only penetrate about 14", same as the Interceptor HP. A rsoft round nose is more likely to glance off of a round bone than the harder flat nose which will bite into the bone and penetrate.

[fpjeepy05]

CCI makes a 50 grain soft point, and I think a 40 gr FMJ. I think one of them is called SGB (small game bullet).

Shoot them in the neck-spine or brain on broadside shots. But even a 22lr would work fine for that. The 22LR SGB from CCI is a flat nose and it penetrates well. The Interceptors are more powerful, have harder lead, and also have a flat nose.

Check out youtube - there are lots of videos of people hunting hogs with 22 LR and 22 Mag. There are a few I have seen where they shoot them in the lungs with 22lr and recover them within 100 yards.

The 22 Mag would have the advantage of the hard jacket so you could break some bones, but the 22lr Aguila Interceptor 40 gr has harder lead than usual and a flat nose and it is super deadly. It smokes coyotes at 100 yards - busts both shoulders and passes through.

The Interceptor also is available in HP and it is way better than the Mini-Mags in penetration. Mini-Mags expand to 36 caliber and barely penetrate 11" of jelly while the Interceptor HP (with its harder lead and smaller HP cavity) only expands to 30-31 caliber and penetrates 14". The Interceptor solid can penetrate up to 30" jelly, but more often penetrates around 20" with slight yawing. 40 gr round nose are softer lead and they consistently tumble, which makes them only penetrate about 14", same as the Interceptor HP. A rsoft round nose is more likely to glance off of a round bone than the harder flat nose which will bite into the bone and penetrate.

I think I like the look of the CCI 40g FMJ Maxi Mag for 22 WMR the
https://miwallcorp.com/cci-ammunitio...ds-brass-case/

For 22lr I think these look cool. Expensive, but not like I would be using many of them.
https://www.ariaballisticengineering...long-rifle-elr

I think 55gr in the 22 WMR would be better than 40gr. It would also slow the speed down to 1600 maybe less? Which would help with penetration, I think.
https://www.rcbs.com/bullet-casting/...06/355261.html

[Barry54]

It’s expensive, but number two tungsten shot (18 gram per cc) is another option. The consensus is it performs like shot 4-5 sizes larger, so it won’t be quite to #4 buckshot effective, but there will be way more pellets than a lead buckshot load.

Are there .357-358 sabots for the 40 caliber muzzleloader? A 35 Remington boolet wouldn’t leave anything on the table.

If you do pull and load 22 magnum, I’d look into the 40 or 45 grain Barnes triple shock.

Test everything on wet pack or plastic water jugs.

On the farm I use 40 grain 22LR for dispatching domestic hogs. I usually go for a straight on brain shot. Make an X between the eyes and ears. That’s where the bullet goes. A raking shot on a big hog WILL graze off instead of penetrate the skull. Do not shoot between the eyes. It’s sinus cavity there, not the brain.
An ear hole shot is effective but domestic hogs don’t like to present broadside shots. And there is likely another hog behind or beside the one destined to the dinner table.
Sometimes an Interceptor will exit the throat on a 50lb or smaller pig. They are the stoutest 22 in my opinion!

[fpjeepy05]

It’s expensive, but number two tungsten shot (18 gram per cc) is another option. The consensus is it performs like shot 4-5 sizes larger, so it won’t be quite to #4 buckshot effective, but there will be way more pellets than a lead buckshot load.

Are there .357-358 sabots for the 40 caliber muzzleloader? A 35 Remington boolet wouldn’t leave anything on the table.

If you do pull and load 22 magnum, I’d look into the 40 or 45 grain Barnes triple shock.

Test everything on wet pack or plastic water jugs.

On the farm I use 40 grain 22LR for dispatching domestic hogs. I usually go for a brain shot. Make an X between the eyes and ears. That’s where the bullet goes. A raking shot on a big hog WILL graze off instead of penetrate the skull. Do not shoot between the eyes. It’s sinus cavity there, not the brain.
An ear hole shot is effective but domestic hogs don’t like to present broadside shots. And there is likely another hog behind or beside the one destined to the dinner table.
Sometimes an Interceptor will exit the throat on a 50lb or smaller pig. They are the stoutest 22 in my opinion!

I don't think I would be comfortable with #2 tungsten on a pig. Dead coyote in "T" shot would be my minimum. But that's not legal.

Knight Peregrine 40cal is supposedly capable of 3000ft/s with a better-than-average BC pill.

Which begs the question, what is the purpose of the law? Is it to make small game hunting safer by limiting the distance a bullet can travel? Or is it trying to prevent "honest" guys from poaching deer out of season? Because the Knight Peregrine can kill someone from 5 miles away and reliably drop any SC buck within 400 yards.