CoalTrain49
Member
I used to hunt Ruffed grouse around here, (western WA). They almost require a special type of gun. I didn't have anything that I thought was suitable so talked to a lot of bird hunters online in MI, MN and the NE, where there seems to be a lot of grouse. I concluded that they like light, fast, short barreled guns with open chokes and light loads.
I eventually purchased a light British game gun from Hill Rod and Gun in MT. It was a 12 ga. sxs with 28'' barrels that weighed 6.5 lbs. There were a few things weird about it that most wouldn't consider having but it worked like magic. First, it was a double trigger gun which allowed one to choose your choke on the first shot. Second, it had a 2.5" chamber. Third, it had no choke in the first barrel, second barrel had mod. I found that double triggers were easy to master. Most of the time I didn't have to think about it because birds would flush inside of 10 yds. and the first barrel was open. Sometimes they flushed closer than that, like 5 yds. Late in the season when the leaves were off the trees I might get a second shot out to 20 yards. That didn't happen very often, I could probably count the number on one hand. Usually just too much vegetation for a second shot. I built my own 2.5" shells by cutting down 2.75" hulls, put a card over the shot and rolled crimped. The ammo is actually available from several mfgs. A 1 oz load is plenty for grouse. I killed one with one pellet in the breast.
That would also make a pretty decent quail or woodcock gun. For huns, chukars and pheasant it was worthless. I hunted those also with a different gun and a pointer. Got to have a dog on those birds.
I eventually purchased a light British game gun from Hill Rod and Gun in MT. It was a 12 ga. sxs with 28'' barrels that weighed 6.5 lbs. There were a few things weird about it that most wouldn't consider having but it worked like magic. First, it was a double trigger gun which allowed one to choose your choke on the first shot. Second, it had a 2.5" chamber. Third, it had no choke in the first barrel, second barrel had mod. I found that double triggers were easy to master. Most of the time I didn't have to think about it because birds would flush inside of 10 yds. and the first barrel was open. Sometimes they flushed closer than that, like 5 yds. Late in the season when the leaves were off the trees I might get a second shot out to 20 yards. That didn't happen very often, I could probably count the number on one hand. Usually just too much vegetation for a second shot. I built my own 2.5" shells by cutting down 2.75" hulls, put a card over the shot and rolled crimped. The ammo is actually available from several mfgs. A 1 oz load is plenty for grouse. I killed one with one pellet in the breast.
That would also make a pretty decent quail or woodcock gun. For huns, chukars and pheasant it was worthless. I hunted those also with a different gun and a pointer. Got to have a dog on those birds.
Last edited: