Should I use high velocity or hyper velocity rounds for small game hunting with a .22 pistol?

I am getting tired of shooting at targets, and would like to try some small game hunting with my .22 pistol next fall. I am wondering what power cartridges to use. I'm going to keep my shots within 30M. I know pistols have less power than rifles (to my understanding, about 15-20% less), so I don't know if I should use hyper velocity rounds like CCI Stingers. How deep will a high velocity round penetrate?Should I use high velocity or hyper velocity rounds for small game hunting with a .22 pistol?
Any modern .22LR pistol is capable of handling HV rounds. Check out the Aguilia supermaximum hypervelocity. They are the most powerful .22LR, with 204 ft/lbs of force (from a rifle). You can hunt small game just fine with standard .22lr also, but from a pistol you may benefot from the extra power. CCI stingers are pretty good as well.
well, the problem is that I don't know what your pistol is capable of shooting, I bet some can't handle hyper velocity(thus higher pressure) rounds, you might be playing with something dangerous here, I'd talk to a Gunsmith before trygin this, letting him see the gun so he can clear the gun for these rounds.

a hyper velocity round won't penetrate much, they pretty much explode when entering the body, tearing it to shreds, a head shot would take some of the head away.Should I use high velocity or hyper velocity rounds for small game hunting with a .22 pistol?
a standard velocity .22 long rifle with a copper plated hollow point will pass straight through a squirrel at 30 yards with a pistol and make a clean kill no problem.Should I use high velocity or hyper velocity rounds for small game hunting with a .22 pistol?
I have a revolver with 6" barrel and hunt rabbits and squirrels with standard high velocity ammo.
Like the previous poster said, make sure your pistol can handle .22 long rifle. I've never heard of anything other than a .22 LR in HV. It will be stamped on the barrel. Chances are, it will say, ".22 short/.22 long/.22 long rifle." Otherwise, it will say one or two of the three. I don't know your level of knowledge about firearms, but there IS A DIFFERENCE between .22 SHORT, .22 LONG and .22 LONG RIFLE. That said...



Yeah, at 30 meters (approx. 100 feet) you'll absolutely need a high velocity round. a .22 short will barely penetrate a tin can, and a .22 long will barely reach out to 100 feet, fired on a flat trajectory. Little furry things don't sit still for long, and a humane head/vital shot is difficult at best with a .22 at 100 feet. With a pistol, even more so. It will take about 3/4 of a second for the bullet to travel 100 feet, and a squirrel could be on the other side of the tree by then. Or worse, it would wound the animal terribly (My first kill was ugly, inhumane, messy, and made me seriously reconsider whether hunting was for me.).



I would highly recommend investing in a $100 rifle for small game like squirrel and rabbit. you'll get better accuracy, longer range, and you'll avoid the strange look the DNR officer is going to give you when you hand him a pistol when he asks to see your license and your gun. ;)



If it's an option for you, a .17 HMR is a wonderfully underrated round. I've personally seen a prairie dog taken with a clean head shot from around 1,000 yards. It's a round the size of a pellet or BB, but it freaking COOKS. I think it's something like 2,500 feet per second (it'll cross almost a mile in two seconds, or your anticipated 30 meters in 1/25 of a second).