ChanceMcCall wrote:
Zbigniew wrote:
Try a .22 rifle or pistol. Opens up a whole new world, especially when you can hit them running.
I know this is a shotgun forum - but - I absolutely agree with you. I have been hunting rabbits and squirrels since I was eight with .22s. First it was with my Marlin 39A and for the last 40 years with a Ruger Mark series and as soon as they came out, with an Aimpoint on the top.
Less destroyed meet;
Cheaper to shoot;
Lighter weight to carry in the field.
Surprisingly to some, when hunting rabbits with a group driving the field, I generally get more shots and bring home more rabbits than the guys with shotguns.
My biggest concern with using a .22 for rabbits (especially running shots) is safety. Where I hunt, it is usually public land where other hunters could potentially be just out of sight behind some brush but well within .22 range. Not to mention roads, buildings, and livestock that all could easily be within .22 range of where I am hunting. Trying to keep track of all of that when a rabbit flushes and make sure the shot is in a safe direction at the same time is a tall task where I hunt. Shotgun is much safer since max range a pellet will travel is around 300 yards compared to up to a 1 1/2 miles for the .22.
If shooting a sitting rabbit with a .22, I can see where you can ensure that you have a suitable backstop or direction of fire much easier than when the rabbit is running. Also, if you are out west somewhere where your closest neighbor is 5 miles away, there are very few roads or buildings, and there is no public land/public hunting then it would be much easier to ensure a safe shot on a moving rabbit. But where I hunt anyway, I would have to pass up a lot of shots with the .22 that I can take safely with the shotgun.