Need advice for type of firearm to hunt grouse

I think you are living in the wrong part of Canada. Here in BC we shoot them with a bow. quite and quick and does not ruin are chances for larger game.
 
10 guage with as big of a round as you can shoot. Don't mess around with grouse. They can be deadly if wounded. Hell I was looking out my window two weekends ago and one came right at my throat. Fortunately he was stunned by hitting the thick glass so I was able to subdue him and have him for supper.
 
powdergun said:
10 guage with as big of a round as you can shoot. Don't mess around with grouse. They can be deadly if wounded. Hell I was looking out my window two weekends ago and one came right at my throat. Fortunately he was stunned by hitting the thick glass so I was able to subdue him and have him for supper.
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Would you suggest a sabot? I'm not used to lethal birds.. in northern Ontario they are quite nicer. Actually one of the more eloquent ones ended up buying me a beer. I was going to shoot it, but it just had the right words.
 
For grouse & rabbits my Ithaca/SKB O/U 20 gauge is the bee's knees IMO.
Not much escapes from it, whether I'm using 7 1/2s on the wooded trails and deep forest or Prairie Storm 6s on sharptails along the field edges.
This pumpgun is another 20.
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mbogo3 said:
I use this for cutting through the brush.
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:D

But in all seriousness..


If you want to cut through the bush, you can use a real firearm like a vehicle mounted .50 cal. Not a whimpy little 5.56mm saw. Its just meant for suppressive fire with a wounding element.



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Even chicks don't stoop to .223 / 5.56 levels.. here's an m240 7.62 ;)

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You could always look at the Savage Model 24, Series P, over and under shotgun, upper 24" barrel .22 Win Magnum, lower 24" barrel 20 gauge shotgun. Will give you the best of both worlds and is inexpensive and easy to maintain.
 
Neo said:
That will certainly do the trick, and in truth my own hunting career started with grouse and a Mossberg 500. But over the years, I've discovered that grouse hunting simply cries out for a nice, trim over/under 20 gauge. I think even the grouse feel better about being shot with a classy shotgun :)
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While I will acknowledge the upstage of using an o/u in 20 ga, you must admit that the true class of the sport is a nice s/s in 28 ga, now that sir is class.............It requires almost the same precision as head shooting with a 22. I use the 28 'cause I really don't like eating grouse and who wants to carry around all those dead grouse all day, anyway. See, I get all the shooting fun and hit very little, keeping the responsibility levels to a minimum. But I look super cool and classy doing it. LOL
 
I'm thinking the 8 gauge with slugs used for knocking slag from the tops of industrial kilns.
One can never be to careful when traipsing through the brush these days with killer spruce grouse in close proximity waiting for hunter contact .
Rob
 
I've recently switched to a light weight .17HMR. I shoot them on the ground because the bush is so thick you'd never get a shot at one in flight. Head shots only, no wasted meat and its still a challenge. Before that I had an H&R single shot 20ga with full choke. Also a great gun. Whatever you go with go with something light and easy to handle in the bush. Grouse hunting usually requires a lot of walking and you often find yourself in very thick cover.
 
Longwalker said:
If you are ground pounding grouse or shooting them out of trees with a shotgun you are collecting meat, not really hunting in my opinion. If you must eat grouse no matter what, using a shotgun and shooting them in the "pre-flight condition" is the most efficient method.
But I am clearly biased and I refuse to shoot sitting grouse with a shotgun. Head shots with a .22 is a thoroughly rewarding hunt, as is shooting only flushed birds with a shotgun. In both cases you have earned the bird, not simply killed it.
You asked for an opinion, that's mine, but do what you enjoy the most!
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100% in agreement!
 
I've hunted grouse lots with shotguns and.22's.

I find the shotgun more fun, but completely unnecessary.

Any decent .22 is an absoulte slayer of grouse.

I took a little single shot savage "rascal" out on my bison hunt and we ate grouse the whole time. Using CCI "quiet 22" low velocity ammo, little .22's like that are pure efficiency at bringing home dinner without a fuss.
 
Good point on the CCI shorts, they are super quiet. My gun of choice for years was the 22/410 Savage, I have since slipped into the murky world of sxs's. I am afraid there may be no way out. I would advocate for the 22/20 as the shot volume in the 410 is a bit light especially in dense brush conditions. The combo's are the best bet because they cover all the possibilities you might encounter in the bush. The reason I went double where I hunt: hunting with a dog and you are extremely lucky if you get a second shot on the fly and the double is the most efficient way to do this outside a semi. Plus I just like handling a double sxs. Pick a gun you want to pack all day is the most important criteria in my books.
 
RyanT said:
You could always look at the Savage Model 24, Series P, over and under shotgun, upper 24" barrel .22 Win Magnum, lower 24" barrel 20 gauge shotgun. Will give you the best of both worlds and is inexpensive and easy to maintain.
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...and a CZ Kadet, in your holster?:)
 
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