.12 ga for grouse seem too hard!!!

[Brian46]

My humble opinion is that 12g is too much gun for grouse.

I prefer 20g shotgun with 7/8's of #8 with mod or improved mod choke.
Sometimes the single shot .410 comes out.
Or, .22 rifle for neck shots.

you can get 12g loads with 7/8's so how is that too much by your reasoning?

 

[scout3006]

what are you fella's thoughts on shot size? I always hunted with crappy # 7.5 or #8-shot. it more or less worked fine but I got pissed off one time cuz I shot a rabbit (it was running) and I know I hit it, but maybe not hard enough- It didn't go down until the second shot. So I switched to #2 - for EVERYTHING. I still hit grouse (aiming a bit high) but I find the likelihood of pepperring the breast to be a little less (fewer BB's). Furthermore, I will not hesitate to rattle of a shell at a rabbit in the alders with a couple little branches in front of its head (whereas I would with #8's). Thoughts?

x2 for me; after years of using smaller (6 or 7-1/2) I now use #4 for all my upland hunting; not too big for grouse, and not too small for even larger rabbits.

 

[JohnC]

I use 4s or 5s fewer hits needed

 

[eltorro]

410 for me.
The little backpacker was awesome 7 shots - 5 grouse. One of the shots was a miss and another a ground head shot for a flopping bird, previusly wounded.

one downside : the 12" bbl makes for a great noise maker. All guys within a mile sweared they heard their frind sporting the 300 RUM. I had 2 guys on ATVs drive up to me and ask if the guy shot or not a moose. What kind of retarded signal would 7 shots in the air be?

I might go with the 12 ga this year, because the border agents of the US don't endorse people crossing their border with 12"bbl (the shotgun was ritght next to a high precision rifle that never bother them).

These posts are quite hepful for thinging up a strategy ahead.

 

[Pathfinder]

I used #4's - All head and neck shots when aiming above the bird, they fall where they stood.

- #7 and 7.5 didnt cut it as I was losing some birds on the longer shots.....

I also use .22 lr to add difficulty - Im also finding Im making fewer kills with this caliber - nothing seems to beat 12 and 20 Ga for Grouse.

 

[Chopperhead]

I used to think 12ga was too much for grouse but i bought one and used it this year and I love it. Beats the hell outa the .410 I used to use.

Im using #6 shot and most of the time I never get any pellets in the meat but if i do happen to get one or 2 in the meat they go right through so it don't really matter.

plus It works well for rabbits all in the same gun.

so no matter what happens I can be ready for em. I have the long range to take farther shots, and the versatility to take them on the wing or on the ground witchever it happens to be. and if I happen to see a rabbit he is game also.

Oh I should mention also that Im using a single shot H&R with no choke. and I don't destroy my birds so maybe the people who are having problems should just learn to shoot better???? I dunno but remember, you don't aim a shotgun you point a shotgun. I don't consider myself to be a very good shot so if I can take em cleanly without a problem I don't think it should be much of problem for anyone to either.