wolf calibers

220yotekiller

220yotekiller

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Oct 15, 2017
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l have been watching a lot of wolf hunting and it seems like a lot of guys use the big 30 calibers all the way up to the 338's for the most part, a couple use the 6.5 prc but that seems to be it on the low end.
what have you guys used... l think for me within 400 l wouldn't feel under gunned with one of the fast 22's, say the 22 creedmore, 22-250, or the 220 swift, providing it was loaded with a slightly tougher hollow point or softpoint. but having said that l know that if l was going on a dedicated wolf hunt l would grab the 7mm, just because l don't want to wonder about it, l might need a spool of thread to sew him up but he certaintly wouldn't be going anywhere.
 
Leinenkugelsfreak said:
243 is the answer to so many things. Love that caliber.
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Seems that way! I’ve owned one for 10 years or so and still never shot anything with it. Has been the answer for deer in three states and a pronghorn here in WY, but always as a loaner rifle. Everyone shoots it well and I have a solid load for it. Seems like it would be just the ticket for wolves.
 
Jbotto said:
Seems that way! I’ve owned one for 10 years or so and still never shot anything with it. Has been the answer for deer in three states and a pronghorn here in WY, but always as a loaner rifle. Everyone shoots it well and I have a solid load for it. Seems like it would be just the ticket for wolves.
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Other than elk which I don't hunt often at all, if all I had was a .243 I'd be just fine with that. I know a lot of guys use it for elk which is fine but for me it's an excuse to own a diff rifle.

Also there's some that say it's too small for deer sized game- those people need there head examined...
 
220yotekiller said:
l have been watching a lot of wolf hunting and it seems like a lot of guys use the big 30 calibers all the way up to the 338's for the most part, a couple use the 6.5 prc but that seems to be it on the low end.
what have you guys used... l think for me within 400 l wouldn't feel under gunned with one of the fast 22's, say the 22 creedmore, 22-250, or the 220 swift, providing it was loaded with a slightly tougher hollow point or softpoint. but having said that l know that if l was going on a dedicated wolf hunt l would grab the 7mm, just because l don't want to wonder about it, l might need a spool of thread to sew him up but he certaintly wouldn't be going anywhere.
Click to expand...
I presume you mean 7mm mag......although we have a long wolf season up here, I know of no one who targets them....they are most often taken while hunting lions with hounds or ''popped'' by black bear hunters.........there is quite a hatred by island black-tail deer hunters for wolves so they are shot with deer/bear calibres.
any centerfire caliber is allowed for wolf in B.C.
*****p.s. actually ANY big game can be hunted with ANY centerfire caliber EXCEPT BISON.....there you need a caliber of 2000ft/lbs of energy at 100 yards..........
.......basically,its up to hunters to use a round to suit whats being hunted !!
 
Most anything that will kill a deer will work on a wolf.
But, a wounded wolf can cover a LOT of ground before it bleeds out.
I think of my 6mmrem and an 80gr Barnes as the smallest I would use.
 
I'd shoot one with a 22lr if I seen one and all i had was a 22, but if I went hunting for one it'd be the 7mm rem mag. I have a strong dislike for foxes,coyotes,wolves. I prefer a cartridge that makes up for possible poor shot placement with sheer energy and explosiveness. Also my 7mm with good high bc bullets has an extremely flat trajectory and minimal effect by the wind, I would most definitely want those advantages to help me put the bullet on target to start with.

The biggest advantage I see of going to a smaller cartridge (233) is the very fast follow up shots an AR platform gives you over a bolt action rifle.
 
220yotekiller said:
l have been watching a lot of wolf hunting and it seems like a lot of guys use the big 30 calibers all the way up to the 338's for the most part, a couple use the 6.5 prc but that seems to be it on the low end.
what have you guys used... l think for me within 400 l wouldn't feel under gunned with one of the fast 22's, say the 22 creedmore, 22-250, or the 220 swift, providing it was loaded with a slightly tougher hollow point or softpoint. but having said that l know that if l was going on a dedicated wolf hunt l would grab the 7mm, just because l don't want to wonder about it, l might need a spool of thread to sew him up but he certaintly wouldn't be going anywhere.
Click to expand...
I have shot a bumch of foxes with a 223, most are dead right away, some have managed to run their wounded butts a ways before expiring. Your comment about sewing them up is true. I've got one fox while deer hunting with my 7mm rem mag. Shot him with a hornady SST. It literally blew him in half. A small strip of hide all that remained connecting the two.
 
I would assume they are well within the size range of whitetails, but with a lot more fur, which would make a hot 22cal plausible, but perhaps on the marginal side of things. It also seems as though a lot of the guys doing it are planning on rather distances. For long distance I would want high BC and high velocity. That would make me consider a 6X47 or larger 6mm with a 105gr or heavier bullet to be the minimum. Not the minimum that could get the job done, but the minimum combination of trajectory, drift and impact momentum that I would want for myself for 600-1000yd shots. There’s a reason you don’t see competitors using 22cals at 1000yds. A 22-250 sized cartridge could get the job done I’m sure, but I wouldn’t want to handicap myself in the drop and drift department of planning to shoot extreme range. I would strongly consider something similar to a 6CM with 105’s, 6.5-284 with 140’s, or 280AI with 168’s. There are a host of cartridges that will approximate the performance of those three. I know nothing about wolf hunting, but it seems like a lot of wolf hunters are preparing for 1000yd shots.
 
Seems to me 25’s up through 6.5 would make ideal wolf medicine. They aren’t made of steel so I don’t see a reason to pack anything bigger. Most people will shoot smaller calibers better and be able to stay on target better if a follow up shot is needed.
 
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