What would be a good firearm for grouse hunting?

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LifeIsOnTheWire

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Hey everyone. I grew up hunting and shooting, but never bought any of my own firearms, and I've never been hunting as an adult. I have an expired FAC from years ago, I'm gonna get a PAL right away.

I was about to get an SKS (because theyre cheap, and I grew up shooting one) just for target shooting, and maybe Whitetail hunting. However, after some thought, I've decided against Whitetail hunting for now. I don't know that my family would enjoy deer enough to invest that amount of time, energy, and resources into that.

I think I'd like to start off with birds. Mostly because I think I think it would be something my family eat more. Also it would be something that I can clean and dress myself, and not have to pay a butcher.

Grouse looks like a good place to start, and I know I like eating them. What would be a good firearm recommendation, with consideration given to the idea of hunting other things in the future too?

My instinct tells me to buy a 12ga Remington 870, because they are cheap, reliable, and I'm familiar with them. But is 12ga birdshot going to do too much damage to a grouse?

I would really love an over-under shotgun, but they seem to be very expensive.
 
Hi bud. I use an 870 12 gauge with #6 shot and it does the job great. The bonus of a shot gun is you can use it for almost any kind of game hunting. I would go for the 12 gauge.
 
870 works just fine :)
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If you have an open bore with no choke, you might want to aim a bit high on the head of them, you'll figure it out making a few mistakes along the way like the rest of us.
 
An 870 12 gauge will work fine but aim high on them for a head shot as you say you can do a lot of damage with the 12 if you are not careful!
I prefer to use a 410 or 22 on grouse but to each there own!
 
I do a lot of walking for grouse and find a 20 gauge pump easier to carry all day. Remington 870wingmaster. Autoloaders are too heavy for me.
 
kc34 said:
I prefer to use a 410 or 22 on grouse but to each there own!
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I was actually thinking of both a .22 and a .410 shotgun for Grouse, but both of them would be more or less useless for going to most other types of game.

A .410 sounds a little more attractive than a 22. It does have the option of using slugs, or .45 Colt. It just seems too dead-end for me. And I've stuggled to find a .410 shotgun for a better value than a 12ga 870
 
I use my Ithaca 300 semi 12 ga with #6 shot. Only weighs 5-6 lbs so very nice and light to carry. You could always look for a 22/410 combo gun but they usually go for a pretty penny. I had a Savage 24 22/20ga that I used to use but was heavy to carry and with cylinder bore the extremely open patterns drove me nuts. Shot a grouse one time at 20 yds or so with a #7.5 and only had 1 pellet actually hit him. Lucky I even got him.
 
870 Wingmaster... yes.

870 Sportsman... NO! Total pice of crap.

OP... if you want to get into wingshooting for grouse a 20 gauge semi or pump action is a decent way to start out. But, if you get into waterfowling you will feel a strong pull toward a 12 gauge repeater, so you might as well start out there, if waterfowling is a possibility. If you get more refined on grouse down the road, you will probably be attracted to O/U or SXS shotguns, with good reason.

Every hunter/shooter should have a .22 LR and a 20 or 12 gauge and a centerfire (of your choice) for medium game.

Start out with the 12 gauge and light field loads. Go handle as many as you can and see what "feels right" to you and what consistently comes to your shoulder with your eye "down the rib."
 
If you live in northern ontario you can just use a plain .22lr. But in the south its wing shooting. Thats an art on its own. Have yet to get my first grouse wing shooting.

But for bush/field, if its within your budget i would absolutely get an over/under shotgun. They are king for wingshooting.
 
I have used a Savage 24H-DL o/u in .22 and 20ga. since 1967 or thereabouts. Couldn't get much simpler than that. I've used the same little old toffee tin for ammo since about 1969. I've shot Prairie Chicken on the ground with the .22 at some pretty hefty ranges, using solid nose bullets. I aim for the body, and the little bullet does little or no damage. Shot plenty of Ruffed Grouse (called bush partridge in my area) with either .22 or 20 ga.

Used to go "chicken hunting" with my Dad as a kid. He used his Tobin double 12 ga. with Imperial Special Long Range paper shells. I was the retriever. :pView attachment 126269
 
last time i was grouse hunting we were using .22s.they're so stupid you can walk right up to them.heck,you can run them over and save the ammo.the right vehicle pops their heads right off.
 
I used to use either a. 22 bolt or a 16 gauge, now I use a 10-22 or a 870 20 gauge, 20 gauge ammo is usually cheaper and easier to find than 410 or 16. With a shot gun I used #6. And always shot to the side. Occasionally if I am feeling generous I will walk up tap their tail feathers with my foot and try a wing shot.
 
Slaymoar said:
If you live in northern ontario you can just use a plain .22lr. But in the south its wing shooting. Thats an art on its own. Have yet to get my first grouse wing shooting.
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^^ This is the best advise given so far in this thread!! ^^ ........... I grew up shooting grouse in N. Ont with a 22 and thought it was great till I moved to NB where the birds usually flush even before you see them. I flushed 7 birds two weeks ago and only saw two. Without a shotgun with open chokes I wouldn't have got either. A 22 would be totally useless here.

Slaymoar said:
But for bush/field, if its within your budget i would absolutely get a 20ga SxS shotgun choked IC/M. They are king for wingshooting.
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^^ Fixed it for you ^^ :)
 
hemifoot said:
last time i was grouse hunting we were using .22s.they're so stupid you can walk right up to them.heck,you can run them over and save the ammo.the right vehicle pops their heads right off.
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Go walking for them and your opinion of them will change. It's amazing how fast they can fly through thick brush once they've been flushed.
Totally different hunting grouse in the bush on foot then seeing them on the road and then jumping out of the vehicle and popping them.
 
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