I Was Wrong About .22 Creedmoor

Not long ago, I wrote an article comparing .22 Creedmoor and 6mm Creedmoor. As a huge fan of 6mm Creedmoor, I saw little reason to invest in yet another caliber for a slightly smaller projectile. There are already plenty of good reasons not to buy another rifle, another caliber, another stack of ammunition, and another ballistic profile to learn. And I’m generally not the guy who jumps on the newest bandwagon just because everyone else is wearing the same new sunglasses.

This time, though, I was wrong.

I’ve been predator hunting since 2007. Over the last 19 years, I’ve hunted coyotes, bobcats, and foxes in multiple environments, from Texas helicopter hunts to California while I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, and now through my current efforts chasing predators throughout Arizona. For years, I watched serious predator hunters praise the .22-250. More recently, many of those same people began talking about .22 Creedmoor as the next evolution of that concept. Eventually, I decided too many experienced predator hunters were saying the same thing for me to ignore. So I built one.

Building the Rifle I Had in My Head

The rifle I wanted was pretty specific: left-handed, a sixteen-inch barrel, very lightweight, and capable of half-inch groups. I wanted a rifle I could carry all day without feeling like I had dragged a PRS gun through the desert. Finding the parts was not easy. Left-handed .22 Creedmoor options are still limited, and the options I did find were expensive. Eventually, I found a left-handed action and later found a matching barrel. Almost overnight, the rifle came together.

The First Two Coyotes Didn’t Prove Anything

I spent three days hunting coyotes in northern Arizona, about three hours from my home in Phoenix. A few friends came along, including a gentleman just north of 70 who had hunted medium and large game before but had never hunted predators. I warned him ahead of time that predator hunting would be different. We kept the hunts to half-days and started the first afternoon. On the very first stand, two coyotes came in separately. I took both cleanly with the .22 Creedmoor. Great start, but honestly, an AR-15 in 5.56 would have done the same thing. Those first two coyotes were simply the first two notches on the rifle. They did not prove anything about the cartridge. The following day started teaching me more.

The 423-Yard Shot

The next day brought several frustrating opportunities. One coyote came hard from the left and gave us maybe two seconds of exposure before disappearing. Another came in behind us and winded us before we could get into position. Then, on a very open stand, we spotted a coyote way out in the distance. I immediately got behind the rifle and increased magnification. The coyote was already heading out. I reached for the rangefinder, but it became clear I'd lose the opportunity if I waited for an exact distance. So I estimated.

I held slightly high and fired, but I couldn’t identify the impact. The coyote immediately began running outbound and to the right. I made another estimate, held somewhere around 1.3 to 1.4 mils, and fired again. The coyote did a forward cartwheel. I saw him disappear near a bush, held my reticle on that location, finished the remaining time on the stand, and then hiked out to recover him. He was in the same bush where I last saw him. The bullet had entered through the hindquarters and created substantial internal damage through the gut region. It wasn't ideal placement, but the terminal effect was enough to stop the animal’s escape immediately. Once everything was finished, I ranged back to the shooting position: 423 yards. That is when the cartridge started making sense to me.

Unknown Distance Is Where Flat Trajectory Matters

After the engagement, 423 yards is an easy number to talk about. During the engagement, I didn’t know it was 423 yards. That's the part people sometimes forget when discussing ballistics. If you know the exact distance, you can take a relatively slow cartridge, dial the correct data, and make the shot. Predator hunting often does not give you that luxury. A coyote may appear, give you a few seconds, and begin leaving. You have to estimate, and that is where a flat trajectory becomes incredibly valuable. I still love 5.56 because of my military and private military background. It has served me extremely well. But at that distance, a 5.56 would have required much more attention to bullet drop and wouldn't have carried the same energy. The .22 Creedmoor gave me a larger margin for error in both departments. And then the following morning really sold me.

The Shot That Changed My Mind

On the third morning, I called in four coyotes together—a quad. Two became nervous and peeled away early. The other two continued almost all the way to the call. I shot the coyote on the right, expecting my partner to engage the one on the left. Remember, this was his first predator hunt. He did not get his shot off.

I immediately ran the bolt. The remaining coyote was now running from right to left at full speed, only about 80 yards away. A coyote can run somewhere around 35 to 40 mph, so I gave him a substantial lead and fired. Before I could completely process what happened, I heard the impact. The coyote cartwheeled and did not get back up.

The shot had hit mid-body. Many people would call that poor placement, and they would not be wrong. But this is where the cartridge surprised me.

I was running an approximately 80-grain projectile around 3,200 fps. Even at only 80 yards, the combination of velocity and energy produced an incredible terminal result. The projectile caught the coyote mid-body and created enough disruption to stop him immediately. 5.56 would not have produced the same result from a similar hit.

The Terminal Performance Surprised Me

When we recovered the coyotes, I was even more surprised. The amount of internal damage was greater than I expected from such a small-diameter projectile. This is where velocity begins doing interesting things. The .22 projectile is small, but it is carrying tremendous speed. That speed translates into impressive terminal performance when the bullet performs as intended.

For a dedicated predator rifle, that combination suddenly made a lot of sense: a light rifle, short barrel, very flat trajectory, low recoil, excellent accuracy, and far more terminal performance than I had previously given the cartridge credit for.

That is exactly what I had been missing when I dismissed the .22 Creedmoor the first time.

I’ll Put My Foot in My Mouth

Previously, my argument was straightforward: Why buy a .22 Creedmoor when I already own and love 6mm Creedmoor? That is still a fair question. The 6mm Creedmoor remains far more versatile. It carries heavier projectiles, excels at long-range target work, and gives me more flexibility with medium-sized game. But if the mission is specifically predator hunting, the argument changes.

To get my 6mm Creedmoor into the same velocity territory from a similarly short barrel would require a longer barrel, a very aggressive load, or both. My 16-inch .22 Creedmoor gives me the flat trajectory and terminal performance I want while staying extremely light and easy to carry. That was the entire point of the build. I didn’t appreciate how well the cartridge would actually fulfill that role until I took it hunting.

So yes, I was wrong about .22 Creedmoor, and I’m perfectly happy to admit it. I enjoy learning far more than I enjoy protecting an old opinion. At this point, good luck getting the .22 Creedmoor out of my hands. It has very quickly become my new best friend in the predator world.

About The Author

Rob Orgel enlisted in the USMC in 2004 as an Infantry Rifleman (0311), serving with 3rd Bn 1st Marines in Iraq, including roles as a point man in OIF-3 & team leader in OIF-6. Later, he joined the 1st Marine Regiment, achieved the rank of Sergeant in 2010, & continued service in Afghanistan. Upon returning, he became a Combat Instructor at the School of Infantry West. He transitioned to private military contracting with Securing Our Country (SOC) and instructed at the American Embassy in Iraq. In 2018, Rob became Chief Instructor at GPS Defense Sniper School and revamped their program. Now, as owner & lead instructor at Emergency Response Tactical, he focuses on training novice to advanced shooters on the range over 300 days a year. Rob also hosts the Silencer Analytics channel on YouTube.