.22 vs dog?

[oldschool88]

What .22 round (if any) would be adequate for taking down the average stray dog. I live in the country and in a shoot zone so it is totally legal to do so. I have had a couple dogs in my back yard chasing my cats. Of course I would like to use a larger caliber but I do have neighbors within range so I worry about that. So do you guys think .22 would be enough or would it not?
I have regular, HP, jacketed, and CB longs. Thanks.

[milsurpshooter]

cci stingers. just be ready for a follow up shot

[Chewyoates77]

What do u guys think of just using a 17hmr instead of the 22? That was my thought

[new cal shooter]

Would Animal control come out? Not a dog lover, but someone may claim that dog as his and issues may arise, just a thought, plus then you have to dig a hole, too much work

[toopercentmlk]

Arm your cats, it's their business.

[Turo]

I'd say make sure to aim for head shots. And like milsurpshooter said, make sure to follow up. I'm pretty sure a well placed .22 would work, but even then it'd probably do you good to use a few more than one shot.

[oldschool88]

We have called animal control before and they took around 5 hours to get here. If I can just chase it off I will, but if it turns on me or my pets its over.

[doc1buc]

I understand your situation. I had the same scenario when i lived in North Carolina with packs of stray dogs on the property. .22 worked fine if the shot was placed right.

[oldschool88]

Arm your cats, it's their business.

I would if they weren't so fat and lazy. They wouldn't know what to do with a mouse if it was sitting right in front of them.

[VegasND]

When I lived out beyond the pavement/streetlights in AZ, I found .22 lr adequate for animal control in the yard. Dogs go down pretty easily--mountain lions get exciting but they go down pretty quick as well (um, I only did that once).

I worked with a guy who was mountain lion crazy. He kept over 2 dozen dogs and you could call him any hour of the day or night to come hunt your cougar problem down with his horses and dogs. He let the dogs tree them and then took them out with a Ruger Single Six.

[oldschool88]

When I lived out beyond the pavement/streetlights in AZ, I found .22 lr adequate for animal control in the yard. Dogs go down pretty easily--mountain lions get exciting but they go down pretty quick as well (um, I only did that once).

I worked with a guy who was mountain lion crazy. He kept over 2 dozen dogs and you could call him any hour of the day or night to come hunt your cougar problem down with his horses and dogs. He let the dogs tree them and then took them out with a Ruger Single Six.

Sounds like fun, Im jealous.

[SB643]

Get some dogs of your own, or a llama.
Failing that, .22 shorts work fine for a situation like mine where I've got both stray cats and dogs & where noise & overpenetration could be an issue. Effective range is the main limiting factor.
A .22lr will work, but be ready to follow-up.
If noise/overpenetration isn't a problem where you're at, the .22WMR would be my #1 pick for pest control.

[CSACANNONEER]

.22-250, .223, .221 fireball, .22 hornet, etc. If you're only talking about .22lr, any ammo should work fine with proper shot placement.

[tyrist]

Get something larger than a .22lr for feral dogs. If you use such a small round you may cause needless suffering for the animal.

[oldschool88]

Ive got a 10/22 in 22lr, the next step up that I have is .223 and thats just too much. My only other reasonable choice is 12 gauge, but I would like to avoid the noise.