Hare and Rabbit Caliber

I’ve never hunted cottontails, but I’ve shot lots of snowshoe hares. Sometimes during big game seasons I see them on the side of forest service roads and the shots get a bit long, but when you’re actually hunting them in the brush in the winter time (when it’s the most fun) most shot opportunities are under 10 yards. And that big black eye makes a great target
 
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I would not shy away from the 22 mag if you want one. When I lived in Sudbury I used one almost exclusively for grouse and hare. Headshots on hares and base of the neck on grouse, never lost meat. I wanted the extra power in case I saw a fox or something like that.
 
grelmar said:
Whatever rifle you have in hand. I've taken rabbits with everything from .22lr to 7.62x54R.

Generally, you're taking them at close enough ranges to manage a headshot, so wasted meat is a non-issue.

If I was going to buy something dedicated for rabbits... The lightest weight .22lr single shot I could find. I know a few guys who get those kid-trainer single shot bolts for rabbits, because they're so small and lightweight to pack around in the bush. Length of pull sucks, but you can manage, and you probably will only be firing a couple of shots or so a day, so not like it needs to be comfortable at the shoulder, it just needs to work. They also tend to be cheap, so you're not worried about messing it up, wandering through the scrub.

Cabelas has the Little Badger on sale at the moment for $169.00, which is an "Ok" choice. I got one 5 or 6 years ago. Enjoyed it at first, but then kind of moved on.

Little .410 shotguns make a nice choice for rabbits too, just a bit hard on the ears.

TradeEx has a pile of Husqvarna single shot .22s in stock at the moment, in the $150-$180 range. It would be hard to go wrong with a $180 Husqvarna.
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Were they effective? And bunny left to eat after? Or do the round butcher it for you? If so 7.62x54r might be the best choice !
 
philhut said:
Were they effective? And bunny left to eat after? Or do the round butcher it for you? If so 7.62x54r might be the best choice !
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Lots left to eat. Punched a mostly clean hole through the neck, actually. Granted, it was a prairie jack, so quite a bit larger than a cotton-tail, although it would have had the same effect on the smaller bush hares. (FWIW, I was looking for a problem 'yote that day, the jack was just a target of opportunity).

People overstate the destructive effect of full powered cartridges on small game, especially in the .30cal class of bullet. Shooting them in profile, there isn't enough meat behind them for the bullet to expand or for it to create a significant hydraulic shockwave through the meat. The bullets tend to blast right through them without expanding, leaving a clean hole on both sides.

The biggest problem is overpenetration/pass-through, which is more of a safety issue than anything. The critter ends up dead, and the bullet keeps on trucking.
 
I tend to use .17 hmr, .22LR or my 20 gauge with #4 for grouse and rabbits. I prefer to have fewer bigger pellets in the shotgun. .22 is just right, .17 is hard on rabbits if you don't head shoot them but the range with a good scope and a good rest is awesome. I had a .22 mag, but it was a short barrel and it made my ears ring. I didn't like it.
 
grelmar said:
Lots left to eat. Punched a mostly clean hole through the neck, actually. Granted, it was a prairie jack, so quite a bit larger than a cotton-tail, although it would have had the same effect on the smaller bush hares. (FWIW, I was looking for a problem 'yote that day, the jack was just a target of opportunity).

People overstate the destructive effect of full powered cartridges on small game, especially in the .30cal class of bullet. Shooting them in profile, there isn't enough meat behind them for the bullet to expand or for it to create a significant hydraulic shockwave through the meat. The bullets tend to blast right through them without expanding, leaving a clean hole on both sides.

The biggest problem is overpenetration/pass-through, which is more of a safety issue than anything. The critter ends up dead, and the bullet keeps on trucking.
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Yup
Hit them in the right spot, its just a small hole.

Flip side, 30-06 center mass makes a big mess.
 
.17HMR with FMJ is wonderful for grouse and rabbits. I've used .223 FMJ too because it's all I had on me. I'm going to try a 9mm this year to see if that's more fun.

Regardless of what you use, hit them in the head and you'll be fine, with no risk of wasting meat
 
My father and I hunted jacks, cottontails and snowshoes for decades. We never took a 22 in the bush, it was always shotguns. If a rabbit is running full out in the brush, good luck with a 22. Safety is also a factor if you are not hunting alone. A 22lr or 22mag flies a long way. A very small percentage of rabbits I ever shot were sitting in front of me, you kick them up.
 
Hard to beat the .22 LR. for rabbits. Good for grouse too, but not up in the trees, bullets can go too far!
I have used my sweet Marlin .32 H&R also handloaded down with full wadcutter bullets with good success, but mostly carry the lighter savage MK-II or ruger 10-22

There is also some talk lately that Ruger may introduce the .32 H&R mag cartridge in the 77 bolt action pistol cartridge rifles like their 77/357 & 77/44 guns...
For the handloader it would make for a nice rabbit gun as well.

Happy rabbit hunting...
 
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ruffbird said:
Hard to beat the .22 LR. for rabbits. Good for grouse too, but not up in the trees, bullets can go too far!
I have used my sweet Marlin .32 H&R also handloaded down with full wadcutter bullets with good success, but mostly carry the lighter savage MK-II or ruger 10-22

There is also some talk lately that Ruger may introduce the .32 H&R mag cartridge in the 77 bolt action pistol cartridge rifles like their 77/357 & 77/44 guns...
For the handloader it would make for a nice rabbit gun as well.

Happy rabbit hunting...
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Ruger may well introduce a .32 in their PC M77 rifles, but it will most likely be in .327 Federal which be a tad longer & loaded to around twice the pressure of the 32 H&R. I hope they do 'er as the 77's are great little carry rifles for bolt gun hunters. Ruger sells revolvers in the Fed, so it only makes good sense on their part to include it in the 77 line.

Wabbit doom and more with hardcast boolits.;)
 
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JoKa said:
Yup
Hit them in the right spot, its just a small hole.

Flip side, 30-06 center mass makes a big mess.
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If you ever get bored, take a Mosin out gopher shooting. If you hit them, it'll pass clean through any part of the body, nothing but a hole, no mess. Shoot the ground just underneath them, and when it comes down from orbit, it lands pre-skinned.
 
Sold my .22 a few months ago. For small game hunting, I use a shotgun. If I see a hare or grouse while sitting for big game, I use a mouse-fart load* in my 338-06 to pop it in the head.

* 145 grain wadcutter, 5 grains of 700X, mag primer.
 
22 will work just fine for rabbits. There is lots of potent 22 ammo out there and a lot of research has been done over the years to maximize the effectiveness of this popular round. There is certainly much more choice available than with the 22 mag. To me the 22 mag was too little, too late. I would go .223 before going 22 mag. Cheaper ammo and lots more range and power in a 22 if that's what you want.

My choice for your application would be CCI 22 Velocitor and head shots only. Rifle choice would be Ruger 10/22 with a nice RF scope - Easy and light to carry, good mag capacity, fast second shot if needed, tons of after market accessories - hard to see you going wrong with that!
 
22 long in a ruger 77/22 or any other bolt gun is good
But then a lever guns is fun and gives you a fast follow up shot.
 
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