22lr shotshell

Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
1,082
Reaction score
741
City & State/Province
Chesapeake, Virginia
Got some CCI 22lr 31gr shotshell at Wally, 20rounds for $7.63. It says it contains #12shot. What other purposes is this ammo effective for other than pest control? Could it be used it as a deterrent to chase off a large animal without causing much harm?
 
Last edited:
Got some CCI 22lr 31gr shotshell at Wally, 20rounds for $7.63. It says it contains #12shot. What other purposes is this ammo effective for other than pest control? Could it be used it as a deterrent to chase off a large animal without causing much harm?

You would have to be really close for that ratshot to make an impression on a coyote sized critter. Like 20' max out of a rifled bore.
 
You would have to be really close for that ratshot to make an impression on a coyote sized critter. Like 20' max out of a rifled bore.

20 ft and he's stand there and laugh at you......they are only good for around 5 ft on VERY SMALL critters from a pistol/rifle. what little pattern there is is fan shaped due to the rifling.
 
20 ft and he's stand there and laugh at you......they are only good for around 5 ft on VERY SMALL critters from a pistol/rifle. what little pattern there is is fan shaped due to the rifling.

Not talking about drawing blood. I'm thinking a deterrent to something you really don't want to maim.
Five feet is some penetration, and overkill for a gentle nudge to leave.
 
Doughnuts

Found out when I patterned some that with a rifled barrel the farther away you are from your target the bigger the doughnut shaped pattern. Far enough and what your shooting at is safe in the middle where you are aiming!
 
You might as well fire blanks as a deterrent. At one time, there were guns with smoothbore barrels made for .22 shot loads which gave a little better performance, but from a rifled barrel it's best to limit living targets to rodents and snakes within 10 feet or less. In a revolver they are effective on snakes at close range, and that's probably their best use.
 
Last edited:
I use 22 shot shells to introduce my granddaughter to shooting moving targets: balloons with a little water in them so they can be thrown by hand. Ranges are 10-20 feet.

The only other use I’ve found for them is shooting dragonflys.

Standard 22 ammo is best for varments. 22 shot is virtually useless for this purpose.
 
I remember at one time, someone was selling kits for backyard skeet shooting with .22 shot loads consisting of a smoothbore rifle, some kind of target thrower, and small breakable "clay pigeon" targets. It had a name which I don't remember. It never caught on in a big way.
-------------------------
I looked it up - seems both Mossberg and Remington sold them. Mossberg called theirs Targo, Remington's was MoSkeeto. Might be fun, but I have never tried it.
 
Last edited:
Shooting balloons sounds like fun, but you can use a bb gun for that too.
 
the most fun I have ever had with shot shells was when I was about 12... I was solo on the farm and my dad let me use his model 12 pump Remington 22, but he would not give me anything but shot shells... walking thru the alfalfa field wing shooting grasshoppers was the only real "use" I have ever found... try it sometime... it is pure fun...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rpg
I use 22 shot shells to introduce my granddaughter to shooting moving targets: balloons with a little water in them so they can be thrown by hand. Ranges are 10-20 feet.

The only other use I’ve found for them is shooting dragonflys.

Standard 22 ammo is best for varments. 22 shot is virtually useless for this purpose.

I did the same thing when the G-Kids were younger .. was easy to hit the balloons and the kids made a afternoon of it .. blowing up the balloons and then taking turns shooting !!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rpg
Got some CCI 22lr 31gr shotshell at Wally, 20rounds for $7.63. It says it contains #12shot. What other purposes is this ammo effective for other than pest control? Could it be used it as a deterrent to chase off a large animal without causing much harm?

NO, and it isn't that great for pest control either. Reload some 38 or 44 shotshells with #10 and you can handle some close vermin.
 
.22 shot shells are pretty useless for other than up close and personal for use on very small creatures. Don't count on it for more than a Chippy at 3 feet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rpg
If that LR has the case crimped at the top.......

as a young boy with a Remington single shot, bolt action
I drew a bead on a black bird at 15 paces and fired.

The bird ruffled its feathers and flew off.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rpg
They're fun for wing shooting flying grasshoppers. I never found any other use for them though.

They were great on flying carpenter bees around my shop from my 2" 34. However the old 50 rds pack apparently aren't available anymore and those 20 rd packs are too expensive. My cheap alternative is 38 spl cases loaded with 1.5 grs of Bulleye/cardboard wads and #9 shot. Much cheaoer and much more effective.
 
S/B 'MoSkeeto'. The clay targets and traps are harder to find than the smoothbore rifles.

Dragonfly: known as "DF4B". Between the .22 LR shot and a BB Machine gun; they had no chance.
 
They were great on flying carpenter bees around my shop from my 2" 34. However the old 50 rds pack apparently aren't available anymore and those 20 rd packs are too expensive. My cheap alternative is 38 spl cases loaded with 1.5 grs of Bulleye/cardboard wads and #9 shot. Much cheaoer and much more effective.

You can find Federal 50rd boxes - they go for around $11.99 a box. Win are harder to find and are seldom available. Rem doesn't appear to produce them any more.
Cascade ctg make them in 50rd boxes using #10 &#9 shot - they bring around $8.98 a box
Yes expensive but if you carry a 22 in the yard they can be useful
 
Several years ago I had an infestation of "Bushy Tailed Rats" aka squirrels get into my attic. Not wanting to punch holes in my roof, walls, ceilings ... I got some of the CCI 22 Mag rat shot. I ended up killing 17 squirrels with the 22 Mag shot shells fired from a Ruger Single Six. Two other squirrels wouldn't come within the kill zone, max 15 feet. I ended up shooting one in the attic with a Ruger SBH 44 Mag loaded with rat shot and the other out of the trees in the back yard with a Winchester M42.

I've been known to call the neighbors and tell them not to call the police about shots fired, it's just me doing "Preventive Maintenance."

Class III
 
Back
Top