Thread: 22 wmr vs goats

A .22 mag was the first rifle I got after I got my firearms license as a teenager. The sheep and beef farm where I worked weekends had huge mobs of goats on it at times. I chose the cartridge because a packet of 50 was only $18-20 at the local sporting goods store at the time. Like you I wanted a rifle that could be used for possums, rabbits and goats. It makes a great “jack of all trades” cartridge providing you usually hunt private land and have a reasonable knowledge of animal anatomy. As many have already mentioned it is adequate for goats providing you are not shooting too far. Something awesome about the .22 mag that hasn’t been mentioned yet is that a couple of 50 round boxes easily fit in your pocket and weigh practically nothing. This is useful if you are cleaning out large numbers of goats in steep hill country. As I rarely shoot on private land anymore I now find the .357/ 38 special more versatile, not to mention more effective on the larger critters. I know it’s not what you want to hear but have you considered using your .357 for both the small game and goats? If you reload you can cook up some fairly quiet yet effective small game rounds.