Ammo for grouse hunting?

Slaymoar

Slaymoar

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I took some minimag RN's today. BAD IDEA. 1 grouse went down with no flight, one flew away, and one inherited 7 bullets. I thought I kept on missing, but when I opened 'er up, she had at least 4 clean-throughs. The rounds zipped right through without making enough damage.. The first 3 headshots seemed to graze the neck. I really tried headshots, but the damn offset of the scope to the barrel was way too much for anything under 30 yards.

I was thinking of a flat nosed hollow point like the CCI SGB, or something that would probably win in the accuracy department like the subsonic HP.

And for the offset, I am getting rid of the troy chassis and returning to the good ol wood stock for low scope mounting.

Lessons learned today; bring rubber boots, and toilet paper.

CHeers

Edit: Not getting a shotgun yet. Maybe years down the road.
 
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Shotgun....6,7 1/2 or 8 target or field loads...any gauge.
Rifle.....anything you can hit them in the head with will work fine.
 
Well that's just plain crazy talk! You'll never kill a grouse with a wood stocked rifle! They'll see you comin without your tactical .22 and just laugh at you.
 
I love rimfires, but grouse hunting for me means a 20ga shotgun, #7.5 shot, and a modified or IMP cyl choke. No survivors. Bang/flop. To your question though, I'd say shot placement is more critical than bullet type. I appreciate that they won't always sit still while you line them up, but I'd be aiming for the base of their neck (=shoulder) if you want to stick to .22. Head shot is lethal, next best would be limiting their ability to fly.

My last bird from last year, 22" open-choke shotgun from about 60' away. 3 pellets in the breast.

GROUSE102112-3.jpg
 
Slaymoar said:
I took some minimag RN's today. BAD IDEA. 1 grouse went down with no flight, one flew away, and one inherited 7 bullets. I thought I kept on missing, but when I opened 'er up, she had at least 4 clean-throughs. The rounds zipped right through without making enough damage.. The first 3 headshots seemed to graze the neck. I really tried headshots, but the damn offset of the scope to the barrel was way too much for anything under 30 yards.

I was thinking of a flat nosed hollow point like the CCI SGB, or something that would probably win in the accuracy department like the subsonic HP.

And for the offset, I am getting rid of the troy chassis and returning to the good ol wood stock for low scope mounting.

Lessons learned today; bring rubber boots, and toilet paper.

CHeers

Edit: Not getting a shotgun yet. Maybe years down the road.
Click to expand...

4 clean through? That's one bad@ss bird!

I don't use any "particular" ammo for grouse. Have taken some with cbshorts, and some with CCIminimags too. Depends on my rifle. My favourite is a fussy eater, so I have to use round nosed in it. I have had to chase a couple wounded birds, but have never had more than 2 hits on one.

I think the reason it was a chore to kill it might be the tacti-cool stock. Birds are well known fudds, and it probably refused to be knocked down by anything mall-ninja as a matter of principle.

If/when you do go shotty style...I love disintegrating their heads with a #4 out of my 12G. Can get messy if you're trying to knock one down on-the-fly, but when they are grousing it's great.
 
+1 for subsonic HP. TBH I've had decent luck with Federal bulk as well. RN can fly through, HP usually sticks and transfers energy well.
I've battled superhero grouse as well. It'll be the one you remember forever.

EDIT: and drop the scope. Iron sights FTW.
 
When you say clean through shots where on the body is the bullet passing. Since one pellet from a shotgun will drop a bird if it hits the right place I am wondering where these bullets are actually going. A bullet thru the chest cavity will down them right now. We used a slingshot for years and for spruce grouse we used rocks with good sucess when deer hunting.
 
Shot hundreds with Winchester dynapoints purchased years ago for $13/500 at Walmart. Cheapest fodder there used to be. Grouse have trouble flying away with a hole in their head, no matter the ammo-though they will flap around in anger for a while.

If you're in southern ontario, likely a .22 isn't even a reasonable option with the skittish version of the Ruffie. In northern ontario......it's the bomb!
 
My favorite trick is when i go up to my cabin in Latuque, i carry my Trapper 44 mag while hunting big game and daily i will see grouse in the gravel road, i just shoot 3 feets in front of them and the little rocks that ricochet, kill them on the spot, got maybe 25 this way in the last 10 years, never lost one doing that... JP.
 
.22LRGUY said:
I love rimfires, but grouse hunting for me means a 20ga shotgun, #7.5 shot, and a modified or IMP cyl choke. No survivors. Bang/flop. To your question though, I'd say shot placement is more critical than bullet type. I appreciate that they won't always sit still while you line them up, but I'd be aiming for the base of their neck (=shoulder) if you want to stick to .22. Head shot is lethal, next best would be limiting their ability to fly.

My last bird from last year, 22" open-choke shotgun from about 60' away. 3 pellets in the breast.


GROUSE102112-3.jpg
Click to expand...


Good God that is a beautiful shottie. 20ga Wingmaster?
 
lookout said:
Shot hundreds with Winchester dynapoints purchased years ago for $13/500 at Walmart. Cheapest fodder there used to be. Grouse have trouble flying away with a hole in their head, no matter the ammo-though they will flap around in anger for a while.

If you're in southern ontario, likely a .22 isn't even a reasonable option with the skittish version of the Ruffie. In northern ontario......it's the bomb!
Click to expand...

Yup first ruffy I got in Muskoka was with a 12ga 2 3/4" #7 1/2 shot MOD......blasted him and then he flew away! Crap I though, how could I have missed a sitting bird @ 20yds?!....then he hit a tree and fell out of the sky, upon recovery I noticed he had NO HEAD! ...I've tried to hunt them with a 22LR but forget it. Shot guns are better since 9/10 times they flush and you rarely get a sitting bird to shoot at.
 
I grew up shooting them with a .22... until I discovered a single shot .410. Never once went back or changed. It hangs on the back seat everywhere I go during hunting season. Nothing removes their heads like a .410 3 inch
 
I've used a Savage Rascal the past 2 years and do only headshot's.
Only lost a couple this year cause the didn't wait around for the second shot.
 
Why not try changing your optics? I use a cheapo NCstar red dot, and got my first grouse with my 10/22 (I usually use a 20 ga with #5 shot), right through the neck!
And that was using CCI SV round nose.
 
fiddler said:
I grew up shooting them with a .22... until I discovered a single shot .410. Never once went back or changed. It hangs on the back seat everywhere I go during hunting season. Nothing removes their heads like a .410 3 inch
Click to expand...

ciphery said:
A savage. 410/22 combo gun seems a reasonable choice
Click to expand...

I have an old 22-410 on the projects pile. Figured it would great for grouse. I bought it for m'boy, but at my current rate it may go to his kids!
 
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