The Best .22LR Rimfire Ammunition For Small Game Hunting

Powerful and highly accurate ammunition is essential for hunting to ensure you can deliver a quick and clean dispatch.

Small game hunting animals have a more concentrated population than big game animals, so you never have to venture far for your next dispatch. Therefore, this type of hunting is less tiring, as it requires less equipment than big game hunting.

Small game hunters often use smaller firearms than big game hunters, as the animals are smaller. This guide recommends the best .22LR rimfire ammunition for small game hunting.

What is small game hunting?

Small game hunting refers to hunting smaller animals, often weighing under 40 pounds. It requires smaller firearms than big game hunting, such as pistols and rifles.

On the other hand, big game hunting of animals such as deer, elk and wild boar requires hunters to use more powerful firearms meaning that small game hunting licences often cost less than those required for big game hunting.

The aim of small game hunting is to get a quick and clean dispatch without making too much of the meat inedible. Whether you’re a seasoned hunter or just now heading out on your first hunting trip, small-game shooting offers a number of benefits over big-game.

For example, small game hunting has no specific ‘off-season’; you can hunt small-game animals all year round. This will help you keep your shooting skills sharp while there is a lull in big-game hunting.

Due to most small-game animals also being prey, they are super sensitive to movement and noise. Slow and smooth movements are vital for hunting small game. Practice like this makes you more successful as a big-game hunter.

The rich population density and range of small game means you don’t have to travel far for your hunting trip. Small game can be right in your backyards and local fields.

Regarding kit, shooting small game requires much less equipment and is a great entry point, which also has an advantage post-hunt. Hauling your game home is a lot simpler. With small game, you eliminate the need to move animals that can weigh upwards of 250 pounds.

It’s important to note that each state has different classification standards for small-game animals and which licences are required. However, small-game typically includes:

•             Rabbits

•             Hares

•             Squirrels

•             Prairie dogs

•             Gophers

ELEY High-Velocity Hollow .22LR ammunition

ELEY High-Velocity Hollow .22LR ammunition is a supersonic hunting round that guarantees world-class accuracy, penetration and expansion. A high-velocity ammunition round delivers a lethal blow to vermin such as prairie dogs and squirrels. It is the perfect round for hunters and pest controllers who need maximum velocity without compromising accuracy.

Michael R Shea in Field & Stream magazine noted: “At 1,250 fps, this ammo is the fastest ELEY says they can push the .22 LR and maintain their high standard of accuracy—which still shows when you shoot groups with the stuff. The famous ELEY beeswax lubricant isn’t here. Instead, they use a thin petrol-based lube, making the ammo noticeably less ‘wet’. It’s my first choice in hunting loads in the 1,200 fps class for any accuracy-obsessed hunter who wants hollow points. It shoots cleaner than most other .22 LRs and has that sweet smell of blown British primers.”

High-Velocity Hollow .22LR ammunition is best suited to .22LR Rifle or .22LR Lightweight Sports Rifle. Finished off with a paraffin wax lubricant to ensure the firearm mechanism runs smoothly, High Velocity Hollow ammunition can reach a mean velocity of 1130-1250 feet per second.

ELEY Subsonic Hollow Point .22LR ammunition

ELEY Subsonic Hollow Point .22LR ammunition is one of the quietest and most accurate rounds, which is increasingly popular among hunters. Subsonic Hollow Point .22LR ammunition offers a quieter muzzle report than other .22LR hunting rounds but doesn’t compromise its target shooting accuracy and reduced velocity.

With its innovative hollow-nosed profile, the ELEY subsonic hollow projectile delivers unequalled expansion characteristics, resulting in short penetration with outstanding stopping power, essential for vermin control.

Subsonic Hollow Point ammunition can reach a mean velocity of approximately 1000-1040 feet per second and is completed with a paraffin wax lubricant. Paraffin wax picks up less debris than its beeswax-tallow counterpart, as well as helping the mechanism of the firearm to run fluidly.

Find the best ammo for small game hunting at Killough Shooting Sports

RangeCraft stocks both ELEY Subsonic Hollow Point .22LR and ELEY High-Velocity Hollow .22LR ammunition to help improve your shooting accuracy for that quick and clean kill. Need more shooting accessories to ensure you are fully prepared for hunting small game? Keep track of your target with the latest shooting sights, or keep your firearm in pristine condition with gun care accessories.