shot gun for rabbit hunting

[Hornet 6]

I love my Miroku 28 bore, 14 grams of 6's is plenty in the warmer months when there is lots of cover, and the range is about 30 yards.
After that I go with a .22lr or HMR, the rabbits may learn all about shotgun range, but that don't help much when the HMR is there

Neil.

 

[Crazy Fingers]

Any shotgun will kill them. Only the 28 gauge kills them with true gentleman style.

 

[earlthegoat2]

i do about 50 hours of rabbit hunting a year, my favorite shotguns are a 20ga Browning BPS Upland with 22in barrel, or a 20ga double, or a 410 double. All of these have straight grip stocks and point perfectly. Fit is the biggest thing if your serious about rabbits

The BPS 16ga is also viable and it is made on its own receiver so the thing doesnt weigh as much as a 12. You can get it in Upland configuration or pistol grip and longer barrel.

 

[Hunter123]

i own a single shot 20 gauge. it is very good for running rabbits. But i typically usse a 17 HMR for rabbits. it shoots very flat and far. I have a very good scope on it. It is a ruger. I would reccomend this gun to anybody but, it is kinda pricy. I have been able to kill rabits at 150 yards before. A other good gun is a 22 hornet. They are very accurate and are very nice guns

 

[frank c]

I use a stoeger side by side coach 410 ga.with 3 inch shells.Great bunny IMHO

 

[PT1911]

unfortunately I dont have much opportunity to hunt rabbits locally. If I get much chance to do so I will probably use my 311 in 16 ga or remington 20 SXS. I wouldnt say any gauge is overkill for a rabbit only the loads you choose to use.. I have taken squirrel on occasion with a single shot 12 ga loaded with low brass bird shot. Not my first choice but tastes as good as any shot with a .22 or smaller shotty.

 

[MCgunner]

Rabbits aren't very tough, and it only takes a few good pellet hits to bring them down. Sure, the shells are more expensive than 12 or 20 gauge shells, but the guns are nice and light for long hunts through the brush.

Well, it's hard to figure why ammo cost would matter in a rabbit gun. I never shot more'n 10 rounds on the best of days shooting rabbits. Usually it's 2 or 3 maybe even using a dog.

.410 is an excellent rabbit gitter. I use my little 20 gauge Remington Spartan coach gun, though, now days, though the last rabbit I took was with a .410 Contender pistol and a 10" barrel. I wasn't actively hunting rabbits, just a target of opportunity on a hike to check my hog trap. The little Spartan has choke tubes and is a great dove gun as well.

 

[oneounceload]

Any shotgun will kill them. Only the 28 gauge kills them with true gentleman style.

ESPECIALLY true if it is a lithe SxS weighing about 5-5.5#

 

[Blue Brick]

12ga H&R break open

 

[oletymer]

I use a 22. A shotgun is not very sporting for rabbits.

 

[MCgunner]

I use a 22. A shotgun is not very sporting for rabbits.

Depends on how good you are. A running cottontail is not an easy target. If I get time to get on him before he reaches heavy cover, I can hit, but usually don't have that kind of time before he's gone. Jacks out west are easy targets, but when you're shootin' at a running bunny at 15 yards dodging and darting, the shotgun just seems like the tool to have. If you are from Washington, you may never have hunted cottontail in the briars to know what I'm talkin' about.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I have a Savage 24f combo gun, with .22lr on top and 20 gauge on bottom. Walk around with it on 20 gauge for running rabbits. If the rabbit stops, switch the trigger to .22lr. Perfect rabbit gun, IMO.

 

[Gary A]

I use a 22. A shotgun is not very sporting for rabbits.

Sniping rabbits at 150 yards strikes me as a bit less sporting than using a shotgun. Of course, it does remove all risk of the rabbit charging.

Anyway, I'm in Blue Brick's camp, though a 20 ga. would be just fine too if I had one.

 

[Fryerpower]

I've used my single shot, break back H&R 20 ga in the past.

I've also used my father-in-law's break back 410 to keep them out of his garden. I sat out working on my truck for a couple of hours. I got 6-8 of them. They just kept coming back every 15 minutes! His dog would perk up when one showed up. I would smoothly pick up the 410 and scratch another rabbit, dispose of the carcas, and go back to work.

This year I am going to try some squirrel hunting with a .22 SA. If a rabbit shows it's head I'll give the .22 a try.

-Jim

 

[627PCFan]

I like the 16 gauge idea. Old school is the new cool