22 mag for goats?

Some feral goats have turned up on the farm. First time I or any my neighbours have seen any in our neighbourhood. A billy and 3 or 4 nannies that probably wandered down the valley from the pine blocks.

I'm going to clean them out. They were not afraid of me so I presume have never been shot at, and I want to get as many of them at first opportunity.

I've only ever shot them with a centrefire (35ish years ago) but I'd like to use a semiauto 22 mag (CZ512). Is that going to cut the mustard?

Plan B is 223 for long sniping shots, plan C is either 308 or 30-30 brush guns for when they retreat to the bush.

Well it's gonna need to be head shots so if you are confident with the shot, it's not going to be a problem.

Cheers

As long s you’re a competent shooter there’s nothing wrong with a .22 magnum, they can be a bit dearer to run than .223 these days but only a hand full of goats so ‘run what ya brung’ scenario. Private land of course.

DOC goat cullers used to use it a bit.

As long as you’re not too far away you should be good. Don’t be too close either otherwise it gets harder to keep track of things. 35-75m is good for what you want to do.

Use 40 grain ammunition fiocchi, Winchester etc even chest shots out to 100 or so yards will penetrate well and do serious damage within the rib cage. Unless you can shoot the atlas joint avoid the light stuff like Hornady it tends to "skin pop"
There was an article in the long gone guns and hunting magazine that included some terminal damage autopsy work with 22 mag on goats.

It's a similar velocity at the muzzle, to a .223 with a good 80gr at 500 metres. But half the bullet weight.

By 100 metres, the 40gr .22WMR bullet is similar velocity to an 80gr .223 at 800 metres.

Consider that.

Much easier to hit the right spot at 100m than 800 though.

Certainly, however with 50% of the bullet mass - bullet mass = penetration. The construction of a .22WMR bullet is different and can be expected to expand at a lower velocity of course.

It's an interesting thought to work through this recommendation in relation to opinions about the use of .223. I haven't offered an opinion about whether .22WMR works or how well.

I haven't shot goats with my .22WMR in probably 15 years. I shall have to add it to the list of things I need to go do.

Yep its doable. Ive even shot them with 22lr and they died

I used to shoot the odd small one with a 22lr when I was a teenager back on the farm.
Not sure if still available but when I had my 22mag I brought a pack of Hornady FTX Critical Defense .22 WMR 45gr.
Never shot much with them but the description sounds like they could be effective.

I've shot literally hundreds of goats with .22lr and my mate who had a tiny scope was much better than me as I only had open sights. Four goats close together.head/neck shoot first and second if it stands still then poke holes in chest of other two asap...they will go down screaming so finish off quickly. It will work but centerfire is better. You can get 50grn magnum rounds but bog std Winchester works well.ive shot many wallabies a couple of goats and a red stag using it.

My father has shot a shitload of Fallow with 22magnum and even more goats.
It will work fine given good placement and short ranges........
But if you have a more powerful chambering I would use that...223rem annihilates Goats.

it will do the job, but in bulk 223 is just as cheap. but if 22m yanks your crank i have anfired 22m semi, suppressor and nv scope i may part with

I chickened out and went with Plan B, the 223.

Attachment 257794

Good man.thanks for update on how it went.223 rules lol

Dam I was a bit slow. Going to say I shoot a fair few with 22mag, any heart lung shot side on is going put them down as long as you are't using the 30 gr TNT type loads, and at sensible ranges.
PS as those bush blocks getting tall or are the trees still small and not yet thined out.
Z

Better outcome for the goats using the 223 and you don’t have to listen to them scream ,I still remember the days before I had a gun license and went hunting with my mate and his bow and arrow for goats….his not very well placed arrows made the poor goats scream like a small child and scarred me for life I reakon!!

Once again it all boils down to shot placement and using a cartridge within its (and your) limits. You can make them scream using a 223rem too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The bomb

Better outcome for the goats using the 223 and you don’t have to listen to them scream ,I still remember the days before I had a gun license and went hunting with my mate and his bow and arrow for goats….his not very well placed arrows made the poor goats scream like a small child and scarred me for life I reakon!!

---

Goats don’t scream if they’re dead. As I said in earlier post if you’re a competent shooter the 22 mag is more than adequate for the job as long as you recognise it’s limitations, same as any caliber. Seen plenty of screaming goats after being hit with 270,3006 and various other heavy hitters. Lost count of numbers shot with 22 mag. but haven’t used it for years , 222 & 223 ammo as cheap or cheaper to run and offers more capability at longer ranges. Getting back to screaming goats, it wasn’t unheard of to tag the lead nanny and clean up the rest of a mob while they looked for guidance, go back and kill the nanny last. Not for the squeamish and frowned upon these days but was what it was back in the eighties.

Apparently they used the same technique for the big mobs of deer back in the day,gut shoot the lead hind and clean up the rest while confused with no leader.

I always found it best to identify the lead animal as best you can, then have a rough plan as to what which animal is best to shoot next each time.
Variables being dominance, sex, age and proximity to cover.
A short whiles observation can make a huge difference to mopping up more of the mob.

Yeah, it’s a number’s game. Always has been, always will be. Same as minimum shots per animal makes money or keeps you employed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ZQLewis

Dam I was a bit slow. Going to say I shoot a fair few with 22mag, any heart lung shot side on is going put them down as long as you are't using the 30 gr TNT type loads, and at sensible ranges.
PS as those bush blocks getting tall or are the trees still small and not yet thined out.
Z

---

@ZQLewis This is right on the edge of the paddock under some 100 year old macrocarpa trees. I fenced this off when I took over the farm to stop pregnant cows nibbling the macrocarpa and the young natives are coming back. These buggers stripped the young pururis, taraires and nikaus.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Moutere

I always found it best to identify the lead animal as best you can, then have a rough plan as to what which animal is best to shoot next each time.
Variables being dominance, sex, age and proximity to cover.
A short whiles observation can make a huge difference to mopping up more of the mob.

---

One got away. The first was an easy stationary shot just inside the bush edge from about 75 metres. Then they broke cover and ran into the paddock across the face of the hill but they didn't see where I was hiding. The next two were running shots, and then I got the billy in the head when he stopped and looked around for where his girls were. One black one just kept on going and was out of sight before I got a shot away.

In hindsight, if I was using the semi 22WMR with a 10 shot mag instead of the bolt action 223 I reckon I would have got them all. The first shot was the longest.

22 hornet is good goat medicine

I remember reading an article a very long time ago about a goat culler. His main rifle a lever action 22mag

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by blip

I remember reading an article a very long time ago about a goat culler. His main rifle a lever action 22mag

---

Possibly was but around top of Sth Is. was mainly Brno bolt and semi’s plus the odd cheap one made in Phillipines, can’t remember brand but they were reasonable shooters until their trigger broke.Stirling was name I couldn’t remember

Those stirlings were a pretty good work horse untill they broke

Mostly anecdotes about cullers and pros are exceptions and not the rule. Some are/were exceptional, most ordinary and some hopeless. The best dont/didnt piss around with oddball stuff or approaches, they just picked up their fairly ordinary gear and got on with it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by schwen

In hindsight, if I was using the semi 22WMR with a 10 shot mag instead of the bolt action 223 I reckon I would have got them all. The first shot was the longest.

---

Are you suggesting that a semi-auto is more effective at culling animals? Wow, brave move (but completely accurate).

As far as the goats, be aware that you got four of the five of the only mob you found - those things came from somewhere and they did not teleport in. There will be more!!!!!

I have shot a few goats and more than a few wallabies with the 22Mag but always went back to the 243 .
Never had much faith in the 50 Gr 22Mag.

Attachment 257830Attachment 257831

Agree tedz50, 22mag can do the job no doubt. But no room for error. More bang is better.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by No.3

Are you suggesting that a semi-auto is more effective at culling animals? Wow, brave move (but completely accurate).

As far as the goats, be aware that you got four of the five of the only mob you found - those things came from somewhere and they did not teleport in. There will be more!!!!!

---

My neighbour saw a mob a couple of weeks ago on his place (I'm thinking the same mob), and he reckons they came from the pine blocks further up the valley. I warned the lifestylers today to look out for goats if they value their fruit trees and to give me a call if they see any. I'm going to carry the semi CZ a lot more now. I took it out this arvo when moving the pregos out of the paddock those goats were in, just on the off chance.....

go for a wander at night with a light as well. I often see them when I'm possum shooting on the place I go on

Have enjoyed experimenting with heaps of calibers over the decades, and in last 3-4 years bought and thoroughly range and field tested the 22 Magnum. Marlin model 982S heavy barrel. Nice little caliber - I like it. BUT...while mine was capable of 0.3-0.4" groups at 50m for two of us, and 0.7" at 100m, it was quite wind affected and not the rifle I'd pick for head shooting in a range of conditions. Proved ideal in near still conditions for popping light framed bunnies and hares. But would I use it as best caliber for medium frame animals - eg 40-60kg goats? No. 223 and 243 much better.

It may be old school but the key requirement in caliber choice for any game species is ethical shooting, ethical killing. If we go out there to kill animals - for pest control or meat - we need to make that killing as quick and painless, as humane as possible. 22 magnum 'can' kill some medium frame animals - sometimes - but the kill is much more assured with the much harder hitting 223 or 243. Both the latter ideal also for wider target zone shoulder or lower chest shots. They no longer rely on head shooting.

22 magnum a fun little round, and may at times drop a wallaby or goat, but its not the ideal caliber this task. I also have 223 and 243 in the closet and would pick one of those every time. I have found the 243 hits hard and drops goats very efficiently.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mudgripz

Have enjoyed experimenting with heaps of calibers over the decades, and in last 3-4 years bought and thoroughly range and field tested the 22 Magnum. Marlin model 982S heavy barrel. Nice little caliber - I like it. BUT...while mine was capable of 0.3-0.4" groups at 50m for two of us, and 0.7" at 100m, it was quite wind affected and not the rifle I'd pick for head shooting in a range of conditions. Proved ideal in near still conditions for popping light framed bunnies and hares. But would I use it as best caliber for medium frame animals - eg 40-60kg goats? No. 223 and 243 much better.

It may be old school but the key requirement in caliber choice for any game species is ethical shooting, ethical killing. If we go out there to kill animals - for pest control or meat - we need to make that killing as quick and painless, as humane as possible. 22 magnum 'can' kill some medium frame animals - sometimes - but the kill is much more assured with the much harder hitting 223 or 243. Both the latter ideal also for wider target zone shoulder or lower chest shots. They no longer rely on head shooting.

22 magnum a fun little round, and may at times drop a wallaby or goat, but its not the ideal caliber this task. I also have 223 and 243 in the closet and would pick one of those every time. I have found the 243 hits hard and drops goats very efficiently.

---

The only reason I considered the 22WMR was for the rate of fire from my CZ512 because I wanted to get as many of them as possible the first time they'd been shot at. The reason I opted for the 223 Sako bolt action was for the ethical and humane reasons you describe.

What ever you use its all about shot placement you can still get inhumane kills with a 223 or 243 or whatever

Am a real fan for the old 22 magnum and may soon buy another. I enjoy the extra smack over the 22LR putting down big hares at 70-80-100 or so. But not to be compared with 223 etc.

40ish grain hollow point 22 magnum has retained energy of around 90-165ft/lbs at 100m - ideal for varmints. But .223 has 950-1050 ft/lbs at same distance, while 243 has 1500-1750ft/lbs. Different ball game.. Massive advantage which translates into much greater impact shock, wound channel damage, bullet penetration = which all mean very quick death for a bigger medium frame animals. Last time I went out on goats we were shooting for meat so only head/neck shots. Came on a small mob 125m away on opposite hill face. Got quietly into prone position and popped five in neck and one in head - dropped like stones. That was using a very accurate 243. Would not like to have tried that with little magnum - esp with touch of breeze.

Fun little caliber though. Just have to take that extra second or three for precision shot placement - and be prepared to let some go until next 243 visit.. :)

I’ve always owned a .22 mag of some description and have had my current one ( Anschutz) for about 5 years . It is the most accurate.22 mag I’ve ever owned .
The main reason I’ve had the cartridge is because for a farm / property rifle they are just honest tools that are a definite step up from the .22lr in regards to shooting sick/injured stock etc .
But to be honest I’ve never really hunted with my .22 magnums because if I’m chasing rabbits or possums then the .22lr is cheaper / quieter, and if I’m after something bigger then the choices start at .223 and go up from there .
The .22 mag is kind of in “ no mans land “ in regards to effectiveness for me .
I use it to put things out of their misery at close range , not put them into misery at longer ranges .