If you had to use a .22

[MARINE96]

Rather than pursue .22 ammo, your time would be more nobly spent submitting a bill to change the law.

Changing the law in Ma is like dying a slow death.

We as hunters have a better chance of getting an ammo company to make a new round first then ever seeing Mass law change.


As for ammo I would use Velocitors, as many as needed. Stepping up to a .22mag if possible would be better if funds were available to do so.

 

[strangenh]

Changing the law in Ma is like dying a slow death.

We as hunters have a better chance of getting an ammo company to make a new round first then ever seeing Mass law change.


As for ammo I would use Velocitors, as many as needed. Stepping up to a .22mag if possible would be better if funds were available to do so.

+1!

Does that law allow .22mag? If so, yeah, that's a much better choice than any .22LR. But if 22LR is all there is, Velocitor holds to 1.5MOA at 100Y and is still doing 1080+fps there.

 

[KMM696]

AH. It all becomes clear.

Does "no greater than 38 caliber" include .357 magnum? How about "rifle" rounds in pistols? Because then the "real" answer is a Contender with 14" barrel and an appropriate round.

The reg states "Rifles chambered to take larger than .22 caliber long rifle rimfire ammunition and pistols and revolvers chambered to take ammunition larger than .38 caliber are prohibited between the hours of 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise (night time)." DF&W's interpretation of the rifle rule is that the chamber of the rifle can't be larger than 22LR - so 17 HMII is acceptable.

Assuming that the same regulator who decided 22LR was a coyote cartridge also didn't know that the pistol cartridge they were thinking of is called a '38 special', not a '38 caliber' , the field is limited. (Although if they really meant 38 caliber, I can think of a lot of Contender calibers that would work great!)

Staying inside the 38 special window, the first cartridge I thought of for a Contender was the 7.62x25 - handloaded with good bullets instead of FMJs.

 

[Coyote33]

...Assuming that the same regulator who decided 22LR was a coyote cartridge also didn't know that the pistol cartridge they were thinking of is called a '38 special', not a '38 caliber' , the field is limited. ...

Think about when this law may have been enacted. It was probably in the early 20th century. Does anybody know how to find out when this law was passed, by whom, and for what reason? Surely there must be a record of this stuff somewhere at the statehouse.

 

[MARINE96]

Like I said we as Mass hunters have a better chance of getting an ammo company to tailor a new load verus changing a hunting law.

Look at the recent election results, Ma voters dont like change. The tree huggers in this dump damn sure dont want hunting period, let alone change a law to allow larger caliber firearms to be used on the poor innocent animals.

 

[strangenh]

Like I said we as Mass hunters have a better chance of getting an ammo company to tailor a new load verus changing a hunting law.

Look at the recent election results, Ma voters dont like change. The tree huggers in this dump damn sure dont want hunting period, let alone change a law to allow larger caliber firearms to be used on the poor innocent animals.

Well, that does suck.

The NH rule isn't so different for night-hunting coyotes, but caliber limits apply only in "shotgun-only" towns, and the wording is a lot more precise: "shotguns, 22-cal. rimfire rifles, muzzleloaders or bow and arrow to hunt coyote." So that at least leaves 22WMR available. The legislature left the rulemaking to F&G, which is a lot more agile and experienced than the legislature tends to be.

So back to the original question - I'm not sure I'd hunt coyotes at night limited to 22LR at all, but if one must, then Velocitor, and a really good hide with FOV well cleared to the target for shots up to 75 yards. Heck, plus night vision if'n ya got it.

 

[MARINE96]

Yes back to the OP. Velocitors would be the best way to go if and when hunting yotes at night.