Posted by Centex Farmall on March 08, 2015 at 10:47:51 from (72.105.161.205):
In Reply to: Shot gun vs 22 posted by jayinNY on March 07, 2015 at 20:27:10:
You have a lot of replies but I'll go ahead and throw in my two bits since I also have chickens and regularly engage in varmint control. I also have neighbors, not real close but not too far away.
If it's between 12 gauge or .22 then go with the 12 gauge. I've killed a lot of predators with a .22 and 90% of the time they don't die right away, although one hit is enough for them to die eventually. You will need "hotter" ammo, such as CCI, for the .22 to be more effective.
Most of the time I find predators out at night trying to get at the birds or get into stuff and it's easier to get a hit with a shotgun on a moving target in the dark while you're holding a flashlight. Or if you're half asleep and stumbling around in your jammies because you heard some noise outside.
The other factor is that the varmints are always in and around buildings, vehicles, equipment etc. A miss-placed or ricochet rifle round will do significant lateral damage. Possums and racoons like to climb up in trees and with a shotgun I don't worry about a stray bullet that misses or over-penetrates. Even a cheap .22 round can travel over a mile.
On shotguns, a 12 gauge is definately overkill for smaller predator like a skunk or possum. It will certainly be dead but a direct hit on one of those will literally reduce it to little pieces over a table sized area. The upside is you can handle the largest predator with a good buckshot load and ammo is easy to find. It will kick though!
My favorite predator gun is an ancient single shot 410 that I bought a few years ago. Even with BO in the White House I only had to exchange 30 dollars for it. The ammo is higher but I last bought a box 2 years ago. I typically use #4 shot and it is most definately more lethal than a .22 (even with good ammo) and one shot will drop a big raccoon in its tracks. Overall length is a little shorter than typical 12 gauge and it's lighter which helps with aim and swing. It throws enough lead to be lethal but not so much that I'm worried about lateral damage. That said, a 20 gauge would also be an excellent compromise and offer a wider choice of ammo.
Like any tool, it's easy to get carried away with gun features and configurations but I would stick with a single shot or pump action. For general varmint use the single shot is terribly cost effective. For not a whole more the pump offers a quick reload if your birds are attacked by a pack of animals. On a rare occasion I've had a group of dogs show up and get after my birds and it was nice to have something that held more than one round.
The best thing at this point is go shopping and handle some of the guns. Then you can get a better perspective on the weight and grip of the different ones. Ammo availability is more important that absolute price. It all costs something and unless you're hunting or target shooting you won't go through but about a box a year. Find something that fits you and is comfortable to handle.
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