6mm Norma BR, 6x45 or 6TCU would probably be very good choices if you are a handloader. .222 Rem works for bird shooting, but ideally I would prefer a slower cartridge if you are going to keep the meat.
Ethically? about 350-400 lb animal from a perfect shot angle (no heavy bone & less than 14" to vitals) and an ultra premium, heavy for caliber bullet. That would be for a body shot. I never take headshots as a rule unless on a wounded animal to try to drop it. Headshots have a high probablity of wounding without killing. That rules out anything larger in my opinion.
I am not a fan of the .17HMR but many are. I have the .17WSM and it is the most incredible rimfire ever conceived. It will take down everything you’ve mentioned. But to better answer your original question the .22 Hornet is great and would do the job well. Philip
I LOVE the Hornet. Why: 1. ULTRA COOL name 2. no recoil 3. quiet - i can usually shoot it w/o ear defenders 4. it's my go to gun for my farm... I've put down alot of critters with it: skunks, pick-u-porks (porcupines), wounded critters, etc... 5. VERY accurate... I usually shoot 100 yds or less. I use: a. a CZ 527 American (LOVE the single set trigger) b. a Burris E1 Fullfield 3-9 (did have a Weaver fixed 6x) c. ammo: Winchester soft point i consistantly get 1" groups off a bench. SUPER fun to shoot. a GREAT rifle for training for a hunt.
It’s a .27 caliber nail-gun blank necked down to .17 caliber. Velocity-wise it blows all other rim fires completely out of the water. It’s more expensive than .17 HMR and .22mag too, but you’re getting 3000fps for the money.
No that’s what the .17 HMR is. The .17 WSM is like .25 caliber case so much bigger than any rim fire. I love it and have a nice Ruger bolt action in it. Philip
Hey guys so I’ve made up my mind. I actually decided to go with neither of them. I think the right gun for me is a .22 lr made by cz I’m looking at the 455 lux. It is probably a better gun for hunting meat because it doesn’t do as much damage. I looked into the .17 wsm but it also does a lot of damage, bullets are expensive and difficult to find in africa.
I would not shoot a baboon or bushbuck with 22LR, but for birds, rabbits or similar it should be perfect!