What should i use for small game

duncansuds said:
Combo gun. Savage 24, or a Baikal combo in 22/410 or 22/20. Excellent selections for what your looking for. I know where there is one in the EE......;-)
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I would love to get a 22/410. However they are WAY overpriced these days since they became a bit of a fad. I know guys that got them for 150 not too many years ago and now they go for 450-600 even with the bluing worn off.
 
nowarningshot said:
Someone will say it ...so that guy is me. Where exactly are you, and what type of hunting are you going to do. I have never even seen a Wild Turkey so how could i suggest a 12 ga set up for them?

Can't go wrong with a 22lr, a 410 is a great small game gun. Something like a 22 bolt gun, and a 410 single. If you want to do a bunch of shooting you cant beat 22lr, the cost of 410 shells is a negative.

When it comes to Center fire...again where are you? A great number of people are going to propose 308 or 30-06 in a bolt. However, i believe there is a 270 size limit in much of southern Ontario, and in areas where Moose is the main Big game a 308 is a minimal caliber.
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I live in Quebec will be hunting partridge or grousse with my uncle in autumn he uses a single shot 20ga. and when i went with him last year he bagged 1 out of 8 we spotted.
 
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blasted_saber said:
I challenge you to shoot a flushing grouse at 30m with a .22LR. Also, he cant hunt waterfowl with a .22
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I can't argue that at all, but from what I gather, the OP seems new to shooting/hunting, and what better way to learn to shoot than with a lower recoiling and cheap to shoot .22? Its very obvious that the 12ga is a much more versatile round for hunting purposes, but no good in the hands of one who hasn't learned the shooting basics. (I apologize to the OP for making assumptions regarding skills/ability). I first started shooting .22s when I was very young then started shooting the 12ga as soon as I could handle the recoil. I would hate to be the poor bunny on the receiving end of a 12ga from an untrained shooter.
 
For your chosen task a 12-16-20 gauge will do the trick indeed. 16 is a little harder to feed though with any kind of flexibility. 12 is very versatile, and a 20 gauge (maybe a 3inch capable?) is hard to beat for an all around upland gun. And added plus, is that the 20 bore is usually lighter than the first two chamberings. Very nice for all day hunting indeed. Bonus over the 410, the 20 gauge slug is more capable on varmints/deer.

maybe.....
 
Artine666 said:
I live in Quebec will be hunting partridge or grousse with my uncle in autumn he uses a single shot 20ga. and when i went with him last year he bagged 1 out of 8 we spotted.
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My example is the opposite. Last year I took ten grouse with my 20 gauge. And in the last three years I've taken 64 rabbits (some help though) in one heavily forested quater section, not far away from Cold Lake/Bonnyville. A very small number were taken with 12 gauge and 22 LR and one with a replica blunderbuss. But the vast majority have been harvested with an M37 Ithaca pumpgun or and O/U SKB which are both in 20 gauge.
 
Artine666 said:
I live in Quebec will be hunting partridge or grousse with my uncle in autumn he uses a single shot 20ga. and when i went with him last year he bagged 1 out of 8 we spotted.
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I use a 12g pump (rem 870) for small game. I mostly hunt partridge and grouse. A .22 is fine for grouse but good luck getting many partridge with it, if any. Go with a 12.

marsden said:
If you want to blow the the game into next week... use a 12g.
For small game, use a small round.
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Hmmm. The small game in my freezer seems to be just fine.
 
I was shooting a .22 at 8. By the time I was 12, I carried it on my trap line. My first small game hunt was with the .22, single shot cooey. Rabbits. My first grouse hunt was with a borrowed single shot .410. I got a single shot 20ga for Christmas the year I turned 14 since I could now hunt big game and my father thought the .410 a little light for bear.
I have harvested countless grouse and rabbits with that as well as 3 deer (one of them a buck that stood as my largest until last year).
i could shoot a round of skeet with a single shot 20 when I was a kid and not miss the doubles. Not sure I can today without a lot of practice. I used to shoot trap and skeet with a .410 every so often, but the 20 was my baby and I used a buddy's Load All a LOT! When was 20, I bought a rifle. Then kids took over and didn't need a gun for anything for 10years too busy working and providing.
nothing wrong with a .410, my buddy shot and killed his first deer with one and harvested plenty of grouse. But we spent our early lives hunting and shooting so there was plenty of practice. I don't believe you need to have a 12ga, I don't believe you need a .300WM. I believe you need practice and you get more of that with low-recoiling weapons. The OP stated pheasant and grouse. My experience with a .410 on pheasant is less than favourable. Grouse, yep. My minimum for the OP would be a single shot 20ga, all day.
Today My upland hunting is all done with a .410 because I can carry it ALL day and never know I have it. Kills squirrels, close range gophers when I don't want bullets flying around, rabbits (#4shot), and grouse. I know it would kill a deer or a bear, but I wouldn't choose it.

just my experience and opinions.
 
I would recommend learning to shoot/hunt with a .22lr first. Once you have become more comfortable and capable, you could look at a shot gun. If I was starting over, I'd buy a Ruger American Rimfire. If you wanted to get a combination .22/.410 a Chiappa double badger would be my choice.
 
The OP has made a basic error. No one has one gun that I know. A 12 ga. is the most versatile firearm out there for sure. Hunting season is a ways off yet, so get a nice little 22 and practice for a cheap price. When September rolls around find a 12 ga. and you are on your way. You can see by the comments already made that opinions vary. If you are keying on grouse then a 20 ga. would be fine, but you may want to hunt ducks, geese, which brings you back to the 12. Good luck and enjoy your time in the bush.
 
20 gauge for birds, rabbits, deer, etc
.22 for small game and target shooting

Start with these and upgrade in a season or two after you've figured out what you prefer to hunt the most and your preferred methods of hunting those species.
 
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