Taking out a beef steer

[Big Bill]

How many of you guys have actually killed a steer with a .22?

I was elk hunting with a couple of my friends when my horse broke his leg. So, we send my friend Ben to Yellow Pine - Idaho, to get a Vet. But, all that he could dig up was a hunting guide. So, after they got to our camp, this peacock came strutting up to my horse and looked him horse over and said that about the only thing we could do is put him down.

We all had long faces and so he volunteered to do it and proceeded to pull out his .22 LR pistol. He put the muzzel behing Smoky's ear and fired. That horse just stood there stunned. And, that damn fool fired three more shots into my horses head and finally Smoky just snorted blood and started trotting off. So, my other buddy, Earl, grabbed his 30-06 and ran after Smoky and shot him in the head with it. I was out of my mind with anger.

LESSON LEARNED - USE ENOUGH GUN TO DISPATCH THE ANIMAL AS HUMANELY AS POSSIBLE! It was damned hard to watch my good ol horse suffer like that. And, it's a good thing that half-a$$ed cowboy got out of there when he did.

I suspect there isn't much difference between killing a steer and a horse. But, if it were me doing the killing, I'd use enough gun.

 

[creativetownsman]

That story was real sad. That is the type of situation we'd of course, wish to avoid and I'm really sorry that you had to be witness to that, and your horse went through such suffering..

But many posters seem to think a .22LR is plenty. I should think putting down a horse with a .22LR would be more difficult than these cows/steers.

That slaughter/butcher said .30-'06-that is how he apparently does it-at least that is what my friend said he was told. That seems like a bit much with a shot to the head, but rather too much than too little.

 

[creativetownsman]

Sagetown The .22 cal bullet will penetrate a skull much easier than a large caliber bullet.

Then why does one hear so much about .22's being deflected by human skulls?

 

[Mp7]

so getting a designated cheap TT33 or CZ52 with the high penetrating 7.62 x 25 as a butcher gun would be okay?

( just trying to sum up )

 

[BADUNAME37]

An SKS (or cheaper) with cheap steel case ball ammo.
Be careful though, you have a second shot immediately ready to fire after the first shot (unless you load one round at a time).

 

[harro]

G'day
The question was asked by Big Bill about how many of you have actually killed a steer with a .22 .
Well as a matter of fact I have.
Up until last June that is what I did for a job.
Now I must say that about 98% were killed not with a .22 , but with a captive bolt gun . I knocked ( that is what it is called here, not killing) approx 7 - 10 animals a day, five days a week.
The ones we had to shoot with a rifle ( .22 magnum ) were ones that had hurt themselves in the yard ( broken leg etc ) and couldn't walk up the race into the knocking box.Even with a broken leg you can't get close enough safely with the captive bolt .I have done it ,but it nearly turned into a rodeo clown act.
Draw a cross between the ears and eyes and always make sure you drive the bullet in at 90degrees to the flat of their forehead, not at a angle.
When facing them in the yard make sure they have a lowered head before you shoot, unless of course you are shooting from up high.

Thankyou for your time

harro

 

[Sagetown]

Then why does one hear so much about .22's being deflected by human skulls?

Different conformation I suppose. Unlike Humans, Cattle and Swine have large flat foreheads with the thinnest bone area in the center between the eyes and ears.

 

[BADUNAME37]

I would think the "trick" is what harro said, and that is make sure it is a 90 degree shot into the flat part. I can see if you were to shoot on an angle, even a slight angle, the bullet may ricochet.

 

[Sagetown]

I would think the "trick" is what harro said, and that is make sure it is a 90 degree shot into the flat part. I can see if you were to shoot on an angle, even a slight angle, the bullet may ricochet.

+1 Yep, that's the trick.

 

[MCgunner]

When I was a kid and we'd slaughter, we used a .22 rifle to the flat of the head. It worked. We didn't have a pistol, but the .22 rifle went everywhere as a go to when a firearm was needed. .22s were our "ranch rifles".

 

[caribou]

We Alaskans buy a couple of these Southern attack Wolves and set a pair out for ten of so minutes, and just slaughter the herd.

Knee deep in blood, we wade about and pick up steaks.

All we do is wrap the meat and put it in the freezer

 

[wild willy]

I'll ask big bill a question have you ever seen anybody kill a steer that knew what they were doing.If your watching and you blink you'll miss it thats how quick it is

 

[Mike2]

Just be sure to aim well because if you miss and the steer gets pissed, you could be in deep doodoo if you don't have a follow up shot ready. I have been on the receiving end of a12-1300 pounder before and it ain't fun.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

In my family, we use a 22 pistol as others have already described. They just fold up and fall down.

 

[rondog]

I would think the "trick" is what harro said, and that is make sure it is a 90 degree shot into the flat part. I can see if you were to shoot on an angle, even a slight angle, the bullet may ricochet.

EXACTLY! We're not talking about shooting a cow like a deer or something, we're essentially talking about "executing" the animal, at point blank range, right square in the center of the flat spot on top of the head. A round-nose .22 long rifle will put 'em down right now. NOT hollowpoints.

Regular old cows die fast, but I watched a really pissed-off bull damn near destroy the steel "squeeze corral" thing they'd herded him into for the shooting. Guess his skull was a little thicker. Big pigs and hogs can take a few shots to put down too, but it's the same deal, get right up close and personal with 'em.

Trying to slaughter an animal up close like this with a .30-06 to the head is insane, IMO. That bullet's gonna go clear through and go somewhere else, and where might that be?

 

[wild willy]

Good post rondog I don't think half the people posting have any idea how its done the barrel is inches from their head not feet or yards your not hunting them

 

[rondog]

When they're killed in big commercial slaughterhouses, don't they use an air-powered contraption that just drives a 1/2" steel rod through the skull and into the brain? I'm almost positive that they don't use firearms to kill cattle in commercial slaughterhouses.

 

[rcmodel]

Years ago, the local butchers / locker plant processors around here used either a big hammer, or a .22 rifle.

They had their throat cut before they hit the floor, or woke up again.

rcmodel

 

[redneck2]

Way back when on the farm, we'd take steers to the slaughter house. They always used a .22 solid at about 3 inches. He had a big glass jar full of the empty shells.

It isn't like they jump around. One shot and they're down like a sack of rocks.

 

[BADUNAME37]

You can read about it here.

http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/print.php?id=7662

CAUTION: GRAPHIC CONTENT

 

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Worked in a slaughterhouse in highschool. They used something like rondog discribed, only fired by a ery large cap. This may be the captive bolt gun harro mentioned. Different caps for cows, sheep and pigs.
They did have an old 22 lr rifle that they used like harro talked about.
And I have also seen pigs shot with a 22 lr or just have throat cut.

 

[MCgunner]

Anyone see "No Country for Old Men"? I've never seen one of those slaughter house devices the bad guy used, powered by a nitrogen cylinder. I have seen a "stun stick", was a long pole with a little .22 on the end. It went off when you tapped the head with the barrel part. Killed hogs right now. They were using it on hogs, not steers, but same deal.

 

[harro]

G'day

A captive bolt gun is what others here have described.
It is a hand held device that is powered by a blank cartridge .25 cal although they used to use .22 cal years ago. There are three different colored cartridges which have different power factors.When the captive bolt gun is discharged it forces a rod or bolt out of the end approx 3 inches. It is a single shot device ,and to reload it the bolt is pushed back in , the top half of the gun turned a half turn which then frees it from the lower half. The spent shell is manually removed, a new one inserted ,and the two halves screwed back together. To cock it you must pull up the cocking piece on the top .
It is not like a pistol with a grip but is basically a foot long tube.The trigger which is a pad, not like a trigger on a gun is mounted half way down .You grasp the gun in your hand with the trigger facing away from you ,place the bolt end firmly on the animals forehead , and sq ease your hand which fires the gun.You must make sure you keep firm pressure downwards as the recoil and a moving animal may mean that the bolt doesn't penetrate properly.I have heard about gas powered ones but have never used one.

Thankyou for your time

harro

 

[supercopjason]

Most slaughter houses use a captive bolt gun. I have worked in 2 slaughter houses in both they called it a slaughter hammer it used a .22 charge.

Lived most my life on a cattle ranch in Amarillo Texas. I have never needed anything more than a .22. Always used a .22 papoose (this includes cows, bulls, and steers) All you need is a .22 just like described in the flat spot.

Pigs drop in 1 .22 shot as well but you tap them in the ear. I dont really know of much a .22 wont kill with a shot to the head.

Just talked to my brother who used to work at Internation Beef Packers and they used a pneumatic captive bolt gun (he calls it a cattle stun)

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Big Bill,

That stupid guide shot the horse in the wrong place...nowhere near its brain. The 22 would have worked just fine if he had shot him from the front and a little lower.

Where he shot him a 38 wouldn't have killed him.