Good day all! I use a 22lr for most of my small game hunting, and I find that most 22lr bullet destroy a lot of meet if the birds are shot in the chest cavity, there has to be better bullets than others, I’m thinking of trying to find some lead free ammo maybe it will be better! I try for head shot most of the time but they have pretty small head those little buggers !!
22lr and grouse.
- Thread starter DGY
- Start date
Thunderhog
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Kootneys
Head shots are the only way to go with chickens. Body shots usually do a fair amount of meat damage.
In saying that, CCI Blazers do okay if you don't rip through the breast meat.
I have tried shorts, longs and LR 22 rimfire ammo. I'm not sure there is one out there that doesn't do a lot of meat damage. They all seem to have some carnage to them.
A 20 gauge, 28 gauge or 410 is handy, but it takes a knack to ground sloooosh them and keep the pellets in the head and neck only.......
Thunderhog
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Kootneys
CCI Quiets and other sub-sonic 22 rimfire ammo still do meat damage if they contact the breast meat.
Breasts are something that need to be handled with care!......
Head shots are the only way to go with chickens. Body shots usually do a fair amount of meat damage.
In saying that, CCI Blazers do okay if you don't rip through the breast meat.
I have tried shorts, longs and LR 22 rimfire ammo. I'm not sure there is one out there that doesn't do a lot of meat damage. They all seem to have some carnage to them.
A 20 gauge, 28 gauge or 410 is handy, but it takes a knack to ground sloooosh them and keep the pellets in the head and neck only.......
Or an open choke. The year I hunted most was a with a 21”/open choke 20ga. Bushy/northern Ontario but at the distances you could spot them-seemed to be very effective. Never more than a pellet or two in the breast.
I’d be inclined to try LV ammo types like CB long or short, even CCI Quiet-22 maybe?
Big bore dinosaur
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- NORT OF COW.TOWN.EH
Ive been lucky with the eley subsonic ammo. Accurate
Head shot at close range . Little belly crawling to close the gap..lol
They sell solids that might not chew up the meat as much..
Head shot at close range . Little belly crawling to close the gap..lol
They sell solids that might not chew up the meat as much..
I have tried many different kinds of ammo to solve the grouse loss vs meat damage equation.
I generally use an ultralight single shot 22 with shorts and take grouse under 15 yards at the base of the neck.
Grouse that are further get a pass with that rifle.
If i happen to have my grey birch with me, i can easily head shoot them at 50 with RWS match ammo.
I have shot them with 12, 16. 20, and 410 gauge and even 9mm.
The 22 shorts (or Quiets) are the best chance at a pinhole thru the breast meat.
And Don’t leave the legs behind!!
Delicious!!
I generally use an ultralight single shot 22 with shorts and take grouse under 15 yards at the base of the neck.
Grouse that are further get a pass with that rifle.
If i happen to have my grey birch with me, i can easily head shoot them at 50 with RWS match ammo.
I have shot them with 12, 16. 20, and 410 gauge and even 9mm.
The 22 shorts (or Quiets) are the best chance at a pinhole thru the breast meat.
And Don’t leave the legs behind!!
Delicious!!
thanks guys! I know in Norway they hunt ptarmigans and capercaillie with fun center fire rifles. That is why I was thinking of lead free rounds they are faster but maybe less meat damage due to just a hole?
I have a friend that used to use short low velocity 22 ammo and he lost a lot of ptarmigans using them!
I just need to be a better shot I guess and find the most accurate ammo for my rifles!
I have a friend that used to use short low velocity 22 ammo and he lost a lot of ptarmigans using them!
I just need to be a better shot I guess and find the most accurate ammo for my rifles!
I'm a cci SV or similar kinda guy. Lead Round Nose stuff typically, I've found them more accurate than the hp stuff I've tried. Accuracy is king for me, the only ammo I've had issues with is CCI quiets at like 710fps.
Head/neck shots out to 50+, if they're farther than that I will still go for the headshot if possible but if I'm not steady enough I'll take a body shot. I'll take a 22lr through a breast over not having grouse for dinner.
Head/neck shots out to 50+, if they're farther than that I will still go for the headshot if possible but if I'm not steady enough I'll take a body shot. I'll take a 22lr through a breast over not having grouse for dinner.
Our thinking is headshots or no shots.
What’s the point of shooting a grouse in the body and ruining the meat.
We would rather see them walk away and live than waste.
Same goes for shotgunning. We aim high with full choke.
Someone mentioned 17hmr. I took mine this year with high hopes but dound that it wasn’t ideal for grouse. Any type of leaf or twig in the bullet path made the rounds explosive grenades and at long range it seemed unethical to be shooting them at 50 yards with such an accurate round.
What’s the point of shooting a grouse in the body and ruining the meat.
We would rather see them walk away and live than waste.
Same goes for shotgunning. We aim high with full choke.
Someone mentioned 17hmr. I took mine this year with high hopes but dound that it wasn’t ideal for grouse. Any type of leaf or twig in the bullet path made the rounds explosive grenades and at long range it seemed unethical to be shooting them at 50 yards with such an accurate round.
I don't know if it will help or not, but back when there were birds to hunt I would aim at the neck. That way you have some margin for error in the vertical, and you can concentrate on windage. CCI standard velocity is pretty accurate stuff.
On grouse you have two good options for shot placement to save meat... best of course is the head shot, and it is not difficult with a scoped or red dot mounted rimfire rifle, no reason why you can't shoot a nickel every time at 25 meters. In this case, shoot whatever ammo is most accurate for you. The other option is the high back shot on a bird facing away from you. This shot breaks the back and will miss the breast meat. As for bullets, I like CCI Subsonic HP's most of the time, or 45 grain Quiets when big game hunting with folding/takedown rifles.
Thunderhog
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Kootneys
Grouse are not as dumb as some people believe. A well hunted grouse, or grouse in an area of huge hunting pressure, they take off at the sight of a vehicle, UTV or quad. When the grouse are pressured, one is lucky to get 50 yards away. That 10-30 yard rule is no longer possible.
Back in the late 1990's, I guided for Kettle River Outfitters in Christian Valley. We had hunters from Pennsylvania, apparently their state grouse are so spooky, they take off at 100 yards away or even farther in some instances. The hunters stated the grouse were tougher to hunt than their WT Deer. When I had them shoot grouse with a Ruger 10/22 at those 10-30 yards distances, they enjoyed this more than shooting their WT bucks.
Grouse that are not hunted, can actually be harvested with a rock or slingshot. I would like to see a hunter try this in Pennsylvania!......
LOLI have taken grouse with a sling shot early season.
I forgot to mention, I have tried a couple lead free rimfire options,
Norma Eco Power and Eco something.
One of them is designed to frag.
I will not use that again as it caused massive damage. way more than I generally get with standard Eley Hollow Points.
Lead free 22 ammo is terribly inaccurate in my experience.
I have also shot a bunch with a Savage .17HMR which was super accurate but the lead free stuff caused massive damage too.
The new 21 might change all of this and revolutionize small game hunting for me if it can solve the accuracy problem with mono copper rimfire bullets.
Definitely gonna give it a try if it takes off and gets available here.
I forgot to mention, I have tried a couple lead free rimfire options,
Norma Eco Power and Eco something.
One of them is designed to frag.
I will not use that again as it caused massive damage. way more than I generally get with standard Eley Hollow Points.
Lead free 22 ammo is terribly inaccurate in my experience.
I have also shot a bunch with a Savage .17HMR which was super accurate but the lead free stuff caused massive damage too.
The new 21 might change all of this and revolutionize small game hunting for me if it can solve the accuracy problem with mono copper rimfire bullets.
Definitely gonna give it a try if it takes off and gets available here.
Grouse are not as dumb as some people believe. A well hunted grouse, or grouse in an area of huge hunting pressure, they take off at the sight of a vehicle, UTV or quad. When the grouse are pressured, one is lucky to get 50 yards away. That 10-30 yard rule is no longer possible.
Back in the late 1990's, I guided for Kettle River Outfitters in Christian Valley. We had hunters from Pennsylvania, apparently their state grouse are so spooky, they take off at 100 yards away or even farther in some instances. The hunters stated the grouse were tougher to hunt than their WT Deer. When I had them shoot grouse with a Ruger 10/22 at those 10-30 yards distances, they enjoyed this more than shooting their WT bucks.
Grouse that are not hunted, can actually be harvested with a rock or slingshot. I would like to see a hunter try this in Pennsylvania!......
Damn, 100 yards sounds like a challenge. Just let me get my benchrest set up, and we'll be good, lol.
I've actually thought more than once about packing a slingshot for those grouse I see when I'm far from my truck and my 22.
