Daveboone
Member
For varminting the centerfire .22s may be fine. For eating, rimfire. Not only that you will have the most affordable target /practice gun around. The centerfires will destroy the game and you have much greater concern for where the bullet goes....shooting a 22 hornet or .223 into a tree after a squirrel? nononono.
If you are serious about your small game hunting, then you will also get a shotgun. Don't think in terms of the 12 bore being overkill compared to a .22 or 17 rimfire. The purpose of the shotgun is the shot spread on moving targets...running rabbits in brush, squirrels through tree tops, ducks or other birds in flight, etc. Then you are likely to be hitting/ killing the target with only a few of the many shot pellets, which have a very short relative range and effective area.
If you are serious about your small game hunting, then you will also get a shotgun. Don't think in terms of the 12 bore being overkill compared to a .22 or 17 rimfire. The purpose of the shotgun is the shot spread on moving targets...running rabbits in brush, squirrels through tree tops, ducks or other birds in flight, etc. Then you are likely to be hitting/ killing the target with only a few of the many shot pellets, which have a very short relative range and effective area.