chicken gun help please

Rick said:
If you're going to ground sluice them, a .410 is going to be about the best combination of small and lightweight going. There's a skinny, tiny little CIL break open, hammer .410 that my brothers and I ground sluiced grouse with growing up. Didn't weigh anything, and very very short in length. If you're looking for shotgun for ground sluicing grouse, that's hard to beat in my opinion.
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And, as it happens, there is one of them little single shot .410's in the EE right now...

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=797120
 
I've hunted chickens for over fifty years, and I've tried everything from 22's to 12ga.

22's are great, as long as you catch them on the ground or perched in the trees and you can get a clean shot to the head, hit them any place else and you're going to make a mess of the bird and lose some meat, and there is not a lot there to begin with.
The other problem I found was, after you take that first shot all his buddies flock off, if you are lucky it might take a couple of seconds for them to figure out he's not taking a nap, and you get a second shot off.

The 12ga #7 shot, is over kill if you're too close, too often I have had to back off to get that first shot on the ground and then hold off on the flying shot so I don't end up with a plucked, gutted and skinned bird before it hits the ground.
The other drew back for the 12ga. is that it's too heavy to carry all day long.

The best gun I've found for chicken hunting was a Franchi 20ga semi-auto. I could carry it all day, next to nothing recoil, easy to point, a joy to shoot on the fly and even my wife liked it, and she is just a little city girl.
 
Grouse006.jpg

20 gauge in this M37 Ithaca or the Ithaca/SKB O/U with Mod/IC barrels.
 
I've carried an old single shot 20ga for years as my go to grouse gun, it's light, not too long, easy to carry, very few moving parts and simple simple simple. Not to say a 410 won't do the same job, but i just stick to what i know.
My first one was a no name brazilian import, but when it comes to single shots you don't need to worry about reliable moving parts or jamming or cycling like you do with a semi or pump gun.
I have also been looking pretty hard at some of the single shot H&R's.
Like stated earlier, if you find a used one on the EE you can't go wrong.
 
The 22/410 or 22/20 gauge combos are probably the best all around guns for grouse. The 410 is a bit light for wing shooting but it works. I am getting into doubles because I want that second shot on the wing. We have dense bush around here so a second shot is a major bonus. If you can pick up one of the combo guns you will not be disappointed.
 
H&R 20ga with a full choke has been my grouse gun for the past 3 years, I Love it. Nice and light to carry all day when hiking miles into the bush and just short enough to not get in the way of itself when your in the really thick stuff. Used to use a 12ga pump because it was all I had. Glad I switched to the lighter gun. I chose the full choke over the mod because my shots are usually far and through a lot of bush early in the season. The single shot is fine because in most cases a quick follow up shot is not needed. Its either dead, or you missed and its long gone before you get that second shot off anyways. If I were to every change guns it would be for a 20ga o/u or sxs with dual triggers just so I'd have the options of which choke to use depending on distance.

66330_439893908300_3587241_n.jpg
 
i use my mossberg 500 in .410 for grouse. took 3 blues this weekend with it, only one shot was less than 25 yards. It was my first shotgun and I am by no means a "shotgun marksman"
 
sharpys%20004_zps25214961.jpg

Not a flattering picture at all. But I just proved to myself that sharptailed grouse live nearby.
The irony of today was I could have really used more effectively the pump action Ithaca with it's full choke barrel on this field edge.
But the SKB O/U was utilized today and I really stretched out those Mod/IC barrels. Both are in 20 gauge.
 
I have a Tamer in 20 guage,rather then a 410 for grouse -mainly so I can use a slug if I see a deer.The shell holder is useful to carry slugs-I carry the shot shells in my pocket
 
Sbarkowski said:
H&R 20ga with a full choke has been my grouse gun for the past 3 years, I Love it. Nice and light to carry all day when hiking miles into the bush and just short enough to not get in the way of itself when your in the really thick stuff. Used to use a 12ga pump because it was all I had. Glad I switched to the lighter gun. I chose the full choke over the mod because my shots are usually far and through a lot of bush early in the season. The single shot is fine because in most cases a quick follow up shot is not needed. Its either dead, or you missed and its long gone before you get that second shot off anyways. If I were to every change guns it would be for a 20ga o/u or sxs with dual triggers just so I'd have the options of which choke to use depending on distance.

66330_439893908300_3587241_n.jpg
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This is a great post, and an even better photo. Damn. I've had an H&R in my hands a few times, but the Remington (shotgun) lover in me won. Picked-up a 1968 Wingmaster 20ga., just love this gun. I've had it out for trap a few times, and next Saturday it goes out for it's first hunt with me. With some luck, I'll have some photos to share.
 
Brutus said:
sharpys%20004_zps25214961.jpg

Not a flattering picture at all. But I just proved to myself that sharptailed grouse live nearby.
The irony of today was I could have really used more effectively the pump action Ithaca with it's full choke barrel on this field edge.
But the SKB O/U was utilized today and I really stretched out those Mod/IC barrels. Both are in 20 gauge.
Click to expand...

That's some dark meat on those birds! How do they compare (taste) to ruffed grouse?
 
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