What accuracy do I need for crows?

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Moe

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The spot I hunt is a 200m shot. I was wondering how accurate the rifle needs to be in your eyes to make that shot. 1 MOA is what I thought but perhaps I am too demanding and something less accurate will do. I use a Tikka T3 lite now that produces 1 MOA but I would like a different rifle and want to know how accurate I need for that shot. 1 MOA? 1.25, 1.5 1.75 etc...

Chime in guys.

Moe
 
uuuummmm....

this is a weird question.

So your rifle is 1 MOA i.e. approx. 2 inches at 200m.

Well.........how big is a crow ?

I'm not saying this with a bad attitude, but this appears to be common sense.

"chime"
 
The most accurate rifle you can get in your price range is the best advice I can give.

A one moa rifle will do it, but a half minute rifle will do it more often. Chances are if you play with a good handload, the gun you have now will be just fine.
 
OK well then I will fill in more detail. I want to use a semi auto. The bolt gun works fine but I would like a fast second shot because I think there are times that I might have got a second crow if I had a semi. I did some testing today with an HK SL8. I think this might be the most accurate semi 223 available. It could not print consistent MOA. Usually about 1.25 to 1.5 MOA with good match ammo and handloads. I am basicly trying to determin if just over MOA would due for the distance I shoot crows.

Moe
 
You can use any gun on a crow, it all depends on how often you are willing to miss or wound the bird.
 
Ask Larry and Curly.... Can you support a rifle sufficiently in the field to get the kind of accuracy you want @ 200 m? As Andy said, any rifle will do. Take it out and try it, report back to us.
 
I think an important question here is how you are hunting them?

In used to bait magpies when I farmed. I'd put a little pile of cheap cat food out in an open area and sit somewhere out of sight and wait. Magpies are damn smart and I had to keep moving the bait and my blind/hide. It got to the point that I was setting up over 200 yards from the bait. That took a very accurate rifle!

I haven't had a chance to tryit , but I always thought the same type deal would work with crows.

In my experience there was never time for a quick follow up shot. If I missed, they were gone for at least an hour.
 
If you set a bait at 200 yards and sight in a MOA rifle at 200 you will have good results.
If you make improvements to rifle or load to 0.5 MOA your results with be better.
Known input always adds to outcome. GIGO applies - Garbage In Garbage Out.
Narrow down the things you can change.
 
I actually happen to disagree with some here. Have you ever plucked a crow, they ain't that big without feathers, so in my opinion 1/2 moa would be the minimum standard I would use. There are enough forces at work against you in the field that your rifle shouldn't be one of them. As far as semi auto for a second shot..........I would concentrate on getting 100% kills on my first shot, then worry about potential follow ups. My personal choice for this type of sport is a Rem 700 Stainless Varmint in 22-250 with a 26" tube and 52 gn Sierra HPBT match at just over 4000 fps and shooting 3 shot .375 groups pretty consistently. Big cloud of black feathers before you hear the boom, gophers turn from solid to liquid in a micro second right out to 300+ mtrs, everything I have turned this rifle loose on has been seriously impressed, if not favorably, definitely seriously. JMHO
 
I've used a 597 on grackles and starlings with ranges of about 20-50yds or so. I've seen the ground just black with hundreds of the buggers and very rarely can 2 birds be shot at the same time unless its being done with the same bullet as a pass through. A second shot is nye impossible. Once the first shot gets there the little buggers move fast. Even with an air rifle from a distance, once you hit one the others just scatter.
Speaking of scatter you should try a layout blind next to road kill bait and some 12ga skeet shells

For your set up however I would go with accuracy over follow up shots, and as much as $$ posible
 
I agree with Doug. Having shot a lot of crows....they are just not that big! I would suggest you try for ½ moa.

Additionally, they will wisen up and start moving away, so soon your 200M will be 300, etc.

Follow up shots....that is dreaming!! One shot, they will be long gone.

I have shot the majority of my crows with the Swift, and it is very effective at turning a crow into a "puff" of black feathers, lol.

But my Swifts have been sub-½moa rifles, and that is definitely an asset when shooting small pests.

Regards, Dave.
 
Crows can tell the difference between a gun and a stick. They make tools and they also recognize faces and clothing. A friend had more success with a .22 pistol than with long guns - they didn't immediately relocate out of range. For some perspective, look up TED Talks about crows.
 
I too have shot a pile of crows ... with 222RM, 223, 257, 25-06 and 270. 1/2 MOA or better will get you good results ... 1 MOA in the wind @ 200 can be a miss.

Multiple shots ? ... multiple crows ? ... much more fun with an electronic caller, decoys & a shotgun !!!
 
c-fbmi said:
I actually happen to disagree with some here. Have you ever plucked a crow, they ain't that big without feathers, so in my opinion 1/2 moa would be the minimum standard I would use. There are enough forces at work against you in the field that your rifle shouldn't be one of them. As far as semi auto for a second shot..........I would concentrate on getting 100% kills on my first shot, then worry about potential follow ups. My personal choice for this type of sport is a Rem 700 Stainless Varmint in 22-250 with a 26" tube and 52 gn Sierra HPBT match at just over 4000 fps and shooting 3 shot .375 groups pretty consistently. Big cloud of black feathers before you hear the boom, gophers turn from solid to liquid in a micro second right out to 300+ mtrs, everything I have turned this rifle loose on has been seriously impressed, if not favorably, definitely seriously. JMHO
Click to expand...

I totally agree. I have used a very accurate .22-250 with sierra 52gr HPBT bullets for many years and cannot remember ever wounding a crow with it.
with this bullet at this speed it is either a miss or a clean kill.
 
Moe said:
The spot I hunt is a 200m shot. I was wondering how accurate the rifle needs to be in your eyes to make that shot. 1 MOA is what I thought but perhaps I am too demanding and something less accurate will do. I use a Tikka T3 lite now that produces 1 MOA but I would like a different rifle and want to know how accurate I need for that shot. 1 MOA? 1.25, 1.5 1.75 etc...

Chime in guys.

Moe
Click to expand...
Very tight groupings are great to have, however; wouldn't the POI (point of impact) be just or more important to your hunting of crows? I would certainly want my "spitzer" bullet to hit where I want it to impact. Wouldn't those birds just flock off after the first shot? Crows are very prudent birds, I really can't see them hanging around for another sizzler.
 
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