15-22 gator gun ??

Anybody using the 15-22 as a gator gun ? I watch the Swamp People ( Troy Landry ) TV show and it looks like they use a lot of Ruger 10-22s along with some other rifles for gators and I wonder why the 15-22 wouldn't be just a good a gun or better than the Ruger for that purpose. It looks like it is a lot more than meets the eye to hit a twisting and turning gator in just the right small spot for a kill. No I don't believe everything I see on that show but it does interest me as living in Montana there is no chance I will ever see gator hunting. Looks like a good way to put $$$ in the pockets of those folks in that part of the country.

The 15-22 is too expensive and I would think a bit bulky for their application....they are shooting one handed and using their arm to more or less aim the rifle....that wouldn't work as well with a pistol grip in my opinion.

I bet they aren't all paying extra to get Troy's CCI gator ammo either...lol.

DIXIEDOG1 said:

The 15-22 is too expensive and I would think a bit bulky for their application....they are shooting one handed and using their arm to more or less aim the rifle....that wouldn't work as well with a pistol grip in my opinion.

I bet they aren't all paying extra to get Troy's CCI gator ammo either...lol.

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Lol Troy wouldn't even be able to afford his own ammo at these crazy prices. He better go choot up some more so he can buy it.

With the lack of ammo they're going to start using baseball bats!

I heard the season opener for next year shows Troy driving around for two weeks looking for ammo and missing half the season.

team sidewinder said:

Anybody using the 15-22 as a gator gun ? I watch the Swamp People ( Troy Landry ) TV show and it looks like they use a lot of Ruger 10-22s along with some other rifles for gators and I wonder why the 15-22 wouldn't be just a good a gun or better than the Ruger for that purpose. It looks like it is a lot more than meets the eye to hit a twisting and turning gator in just the right small spot for a kill. No I don't believe everything I see on that show but it does interest me as living in Montana there is no chance I will ever see gator hunting. Looks like a good way to put $$$ in the pockets of those folks in that part of the country.

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Did they stop issuing permits for gators in the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers?

Bush Pilot said:

Did they stop issuing permits for gators in the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers?

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Pretty much. Special permit only.

Bush Pilot said:

I heard the season opener for next year shows Troy driving around for two weeks looking for ammo and missing half the season.

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He should be getting all the free ammo he can carry... or probably does... it's just a " reality show"...

team sidewinder said:

Pretty much. Special permit only.

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You've got a better chance of getting a gator permit than a sheep tag in Montana

Shooterjgs said:

He should be getting all the free ammo he can carry... or probably does... it's just a " reality show"...

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I'm pretty sure the original post was a joke Looking for ammo might make for a good reality show, "Ammo Wars". When one person finds something the other "chasers" could make snide comments about the lucky winner.

All jokes aside, mine will be used to take care of a nuisance gator this coming weekend. I will be using the Choot 'Em rounds I have too! Followed by a nice gator tail fry. It's that, or my mom's and her neighbors' dogs could be in trouble. All legal requirements have been met to dispose of the big fella'.

Well, it depends on how u want to look at it. Up close and on a line, yeah the .22 works. Now out in open water at distance the .22 doesnt work near as well. Yes i know they do it on the show, lol. But lets be realistic about it. There is a very small soft spot on the gators head u need to hit because the rest of the skull it just soo damn thick. If u dont hit that spot, ur SOL. Even a .22 a distance hitting that spot, doesnt hit it that hard at all. I've had to shoot a few of them several times with a .22 before they were dead. Sometimes u get lucky and knock them out, but thats only sometimes. I've shot a few with my .22 Magnum and it works better, but still wasnt good enough for my liking.

Now my little 22-250 on the other hand, solves this problem. Up close on the line or out in open water. You dont even have to hit the right spot at distance. Just hit em in the head and its lights out.

Here is a few of ours from last year out on our hunting property. As you can see from picture #2, the 22-250 does a great job.

Smitty357. Thanks for the pics and your firsthand input on this subject. Nice to hear from real people who know what they are talking about. Very interesting.

Smitty357 said:

Well, it depends on how u want to look at it. Up close and on a line, yeah the .22 works. Now out in open water at distance the .22 doesnt work near as well. Yes i know they do it on the show, lol. But lets be realistic about it. There is a very small soft spot on the gators head u need to hit because the rest of the skull it just soo damn thick. If u dont hit that spot, ur SOL. Even a .22 a distance hitting that spot, doesnt hit it that hard at all. I've had to shoot a few of them several times with a .22 before they were dead. Sometimes u get lucky and knock them out, but thats only sometimes. I've shot a few with my .22 Magnum and it works better, but still wasnt good enough for my liking.

Now my little 22-250 on the other hand, solves this problem. Up close on the line or out in open water. You dont even have to hit the right spot at distance. Just hit em in the head and its lights out.

Here is a few of ours from last year out on our hunting property. As you can see from picture #2, the 22-250 does a great job.

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Ouch

The ole big one was a 10 footer if my memory serves me correct. I guarantee u the last thing that went through his head was a Hornady, lol.

You can shoot them with a .22LR, dont get me wrong. I'm just saying it isnt as easy as the show makes it look. Think about the moving, bobbing up and down a bit while u are shooting. If your bullet is off the mark by the least little bit, u'll end up having the .22 ricocheting off his skull. Sometimes it knocks them out (as i said above). And if ur lucky, then u just pop him with another one in the right spot.

Trial and error is what i've learned by. Ever since i've moved up to the 22-250, I havent had a problem with them not wanting to go to sleep. And as i said, shooting from a moving boat doesnt matter that much. Because i dont have to hit the small little target spot dead on. So in a sense, the 22-250 allows you a little "play" room with your bullet. In the end it gets the job done and 99.9% of the time it gets the job done with 1 bullet.......All hunters have different ways of doing things. This is just the way that I have found that works best for me.

Bush Pilot said:

Did they stop issuing permits for gators in the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers?

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Yup and they have to use those funky, low displacement, bidirectional drift boats...

Smitty357 said:

The ole big one was a 10 footer if my memory serves me correct. I guarantee u the last thing that went through his head was a Hornady, lol.

You can shoot them with a .22LR, dont get me wrong. I'm just saying it isnt as easy as the show makes it look. Think about the moving, bobbing up and down a bit while u are shooting. If your bullet is off the mark by the least little bit, u'll end up having the .22 ricocheting off his skull. Sometimes it knocks them out (as i said above). And if ur lucky, then u just pop him with another one in the right spot.

Trial and error is what i've learned by. Ever since i've moved up to the 22-250, I havent had a problem with them not wanting to go to sleep. And as i said, shooting from a moving boat doesnt matter that much. Because i dont have to hit the small little target spot dead on. So in a sense, the 22-250 allows you a little "play" room with your bullet. In the end it gets the job done and 99.9% of the time it gets the job done with 1 bullet.......All hunters have different ways of doing things. This is just the way that I have found that works best for me.

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Yup, on an episode I was watching the other night, don't know if it was new or old, one of the guys shot it and hit it around the edge of the mouth and it ricocheted off and hit his son. Scathed his right arm and under his left eye. Whether this actually happened or not in "real" life, I doubt it as it's a "reality" show. I'd guess it was make-up to add drama, but those gators have thick enough skulls that it's definitely possible

Big rifle or big bore handgun will give u a much better chance. You dont have to be right on target just put it close enough. The big rifle will cause more damage upon entering the skull and thus will damage the brain if the bullet is put close enough to that particular soft area. It's just like shooting any other animal with a big rifle versus a .22LR. The bigger rifle just does more damage internally and has more energy upon impact of the target.

A big bore isnt going to stand much chance at ricochet. The skull is hard, but its just isnt bullet proof, lol........The problem with big rifles is the ending result of the head damage. The head is a valuable piece of the gator and is often mounted (if thats the term) and sold to people who just want to have one laying around. Here in Louisiana you see them all over the truck stops for sale and places u find out of state visitors. This is why you dont see guys hunting gator with a 30-06 or a .308. I wouldnt even shoot one with my .300 BLK although im sure it would also work great. The less damage you do, the more of the animal can be used.

The object is to kill him with as little damage as possible. Which is why the .22LR is most preferred when catching them from a line. Any experienced hunter wouldnt have a problem popping them on a line with a .22LR because he knows the steps to take in order to make it a nice clean 1 shot kill.......Open water is the game changer. Try shooting a car door with your .22LR at 75yards. You would be lucky if you hit it hard enough to make a nice dent. Now hit the Window of that car door, and it'll break like glass.......Thats kinda how I look at hunting the gators in open water.