Shot gun, or .22 for small game.
 

Hey guys, as you know, I'm getting into small game.. I'd like to do squirrels, rabbits, and maybe birds. Wondering if y'all think I should go with a .22, or some kinda shot gun? I don't really know what size shot gun I would need, 12 gauge? I'd most likely Get a Savage .22 Long Rifle, or Marlin 22LR Semi-Automatic. Dunno about shot guns though. I'd like to keep it cheap, under 150 AT THE MOST, 130 would be better.

I know I would not be able to shoot birds with a Rifle, but not sure if I would go after them or not for sure, just one more tag to pay for.. :violin:

So what are the advantages of a shot gun over a rifle with rabbit and squirrels. We've got mostly slash pines round here, so the squirrels don't have much to hind behind as far a leaves go. To me it seems like a sighted rifle would be better rot he rabbits (I'd shoot them more then squirrels because the season is year round).

Thanks for any help! :)

Shotgun for small game

i think a single shot .410 would be perfect, you can pick up a used one for fairly cheap. Its the smallest of the shotgun gauges and its small enough that it wont damage your game as much as a 20 gauge or 12 gauge would.

If later on you would like to have more of a challenge than the marlin model 60 .22 is a great choice.

Shoot'emdead. Although I see you want to know what to buy, a shotgun or 22 rifle, and I'll try to give you my opinion, I can see you are trying to figure out how to start with hunting as a whole. I'll try to give you my feedback but keep in mind that what I'm saying here is my personal opinion based on a couple of years hunting in Florida and making a lot of mistakes, most of them involving a lot of $$$. Just to answer your question, I suggest you go with a shotgun. A shotgun will give you more options once you get hooked with hunting and start looking at other game besides squirrels and rabbits. Something you need to keep in mind is that in Florida, small game also means hogs. I'm sure that you will cross paths with more than one at some point and a 22 is not your best option.

Now, I'm going to give you some additional pointers.

Hunting, even if it is small game, can become expensive in a flash and this is important to keep in mind if you have limited resources to spend. I'll start by saying that although I'm not rich, I do have some resources and I can afford to pay for a lease, I can afford to buy guns, equipment, gear, etc. However, I don't approach my hunting experience that way. On the contrary, hunting for me is the experience of been outdoors with my wife and sons. I only hunt public land and if you do your homework, you'll be successful. Now, if I was going to start all over, I'll do as follows:

1. If I can only afford one piece of equipment to hunt, I'll definitely go with a 12 gauge shotgun. Although I enjoy archery a lot I'll probably won't jump into archery immediately. The archery season in our state is your best chance to score a good deer or hog, however, archery can become expensive in a very short period. An average bow, a dozen arrows, broadheads, release and other things you'll need will suck a couple hundred dollars in no time. As an example, my 2 bow setups with associated equipment had taken probably more to $2,000 from my checkbook.

2. Now, once the gun season starts, a shotgun will let you hunt from early August (depending on region) to late April (Gen. gun/small game/spring turkey seasons). Obviously you'll need to travel across the state, but that is one of the benefits of hunting, you get to travel across the state if you want.

3. Buy a Remington 870 Espress 12 gauge shotgun. Most of the time, with a little research, you can find them for around $250. I'm my opinion they are very reliable. A box of No. 6 Remington shot for squirrel/rabbit is only around $6.00. For Hogs and deer a box of 00 buckshot is probably less than $5 (box of 5 shells) and Remington rifled slugs are also $5 a box of 5. Winchester rifled slugs are $8 a box of 15 at Walmart. If the cost of a Remington is too much for you, try getting a shotgun at Walmart. I remember seeing them for around $100 but not sure what brand, quality or if they still selling firearms.

4. Hunt public land. You'll read a lot of negative information, and yes, public land is challenging, but we have more than 1 million acres of land to hunt in Florida. Do your homework, scout and you'll be successful. There is no harm on getting on a lease if you can afford one, but leases also come with issues (poaching, stealing of equipment, etc.)

5. Buy camouflage wrangle jeans ($20) and camouflage t-shirts ($9) from Bass Pro Shops. I don't know about other hunters, but me, I'm sweating like crazy one minute after leaving the truck so I'm not sure how effective are scent blocker clothing, and bottled scents. They work, don't get me wrong, but again not priority for me.

6. Buy a thermacel. This one you really need. Learn how to refill the cartridges (super easy- just search Google) and use mosquito coils to replace the pads.

I know this was a long post, but also know you'll be getting into other type of hunting once you start with small game. I'm under the impression that $$$ is a factor you are considering and your choice between a shotgun or rifle will be key to additional spending.

I myself use a 410 bolt action for sqiurrels and rabbits

Thanks for the replies guys! :)

Lolo, after reading your post, I'm leaning to the shot gun, for the sake of versatility. I would hate to run across some hogs and not have what it takes to take 'em down or at least ward them off (not piss 'em off!).

Not sure about the brand anything yet, I may go to Gander today to check stuff out.. The Remington you mentioned is way to expensive, and I'd rather not get wally world guns.

I went to Gander today, and checked out a few guns. I saw the Savage, and the Marlin, I liked the Savage better I think. Pretty light gun. Didn't seen any shot guns in my price range though. :sad:

Keep searching the used shelves, this gives you a chance to learn prices of different kinds of guns and manufacturers. Buying a gun is something you dont want to rush into. Good luck on whatever you decide.

A shotgun is one of the best all around guns IMO. From small game to fowl and even big game you'll be set with a 12 or 20 guage. just be sure to shoot the squirlls in the head or you'll be chewin on some lead.

The only thing you'll be hunting with a .22 is.... wel squirlls and maybe rabits.

I use my bolt .410 in the earliest part of the season when the leaves are still on the trees. Usually you don't have much time to aim before the squirrel is lost in the leaves. After the leaves drop I switch to my Ruger 10/22 or if I'm feeling lucky my Single Six.