New Grouse Gun?

[xtrail]

I've hunted grouse with a 12 gauge and 22lr so far. I find with the 12 gauge, sometimes a lot of the meat gets wasted because of the pellets and with the 22lr, sometimes the bird gets injured and it is very hard tracking a grouse. I am thinking about getting a 20 gauge, possibly a semi automatic, looking at the weatherby sa-08. What do you guys think?

[adriaticum]

I am using .410.
Its perfect.

[Gateholio]

Wingshooting-20 gauge
Sluicing- .410

[MRP]

Savage Model 24. 22/4-10

[250 sav]

I like the 20 gauge even on big blues,
You said your wounding them with a 22, are you not shooting in the head ?

[Mikey Rafiki]

I like the 20 gauge even on big blues,
You said your wounding them with a 22, are you not shooting in the head ?

I'm a fan of the .22 myself. Might miss a few that the shot will get but it's either a clean miss or a clean kill and you don't get to bite down on those lovely pellets.

[drum_boy101]

Love my .17 HMR for grouse. Quick head shot, doesn't know what hit 'em!

[boxhitch]

20 or 410 with heavy pellets , #4

[russm]

I've got a new 17 hmr to get sighted in one day this week that'll be my new grouse gun

[E.B.]

I've hunted grouse with a 12 gauge and 22lr so far. I find with the 12 gauge, sometimes a lot of the meat gets wasted because of the pellets and with the 22lr, sometimes the bird gets injured and it is very hard tracking a grouse. I am thinking about getting a 20 gauge, possibly a semi automatic, looking at the weatherby sa-08. What do you guys think?
20 gauge is awesome for grouse and if you can mount a red dot or iron sights on it , it is awesome for deer as well. You will never regret your purchase.

[xtrail]

Thanks, I am leaning more towards a 20 gauge because I can use it for ducks too. The 410 would be a grouse only gun. Thanks for the help everyone.

[xtrail]

Picked up a weatherby sa-08, which choke do you guys use in your 20 ga for grouse and rabbits?

[B-rad]

I like the full choke as a personal preference with 2 3/4"-----#6,,,,,,,,,,,,5-10 yards takes the head off cleanly,,,,,,,15-25 yards the pattern of birdshot is concentrated around head,,,,,,,and 25-45 yards still a tight enough pattern around head and neck for those long shots on the long straight stretches

[Foxton Gundogs]

Picked up a weatherby sa-08, which choke do you guys use in your 20 ga for grouse and rabbits?

Modified for everything from quail to geese with my wife's SA08 20 it kills $hit just fine thank you.

[itsy bitsy xj]

I too have an SA-08 but in 12g. I love that gun, it has never let me down. I'm now loking for a used 30g to have as a back up/loaner gun

[dime]

I use a 12 guage, key is hit them in the head. 10 grouse so far this year, not a pellet in the meat.

[mcmullmar]

have you considered a .410?

[Foxton Gundogs]

have you considered a .410?

Personally I see no sense in a 410. They are expensive to shoot and not very versatile, (most who use them ground sluice so why not just use a 22, practise a little and head shoot grouse for pennies a shot). A 20 ga on the other hand is cheap and easy to get ammo for and if you ever want to shoot waterfowl it will do the job just fine thank you. If you feel you need a scattergun to ground sluice your birds, you can shoot them in the head with a 20 as easy as a 410.

[Gumsehwah]

I inherited an old 16 ga. Ranger. Wouldn't trade it for the world. :-)

[Gumsehwah]

Btw, I noticed that there is a Cooley 20 gague up for grabs in the guns & bows classifieds on this board. Should be the cats a$$ for grouse
hunting.

[Sasquatch]

Personally I see no sense in a 410. They are expensive to shoot and not very versatile, (most who use them ground sluice so why not just use a 22, practise a little and head shoot grouse for pennies a shot). A 20 ga on the other hand is cheap and easy to get ammo for and if you ever want to shoot waterfowl it will do the job just fine thank you. If you feel you need a scattergun to ground sluice your birds, you can shoot them in the head with a 20 as easy as a 410.

I haven't met a lot of people who could successfully wingshoot grouse with a 410. I know they are out there, but they must be a way better shots than average.

[shelg]

Bought my son (14 years old)a Mossberg 20 gauge pump last year. He shoots ducks, geese, grouse, turkeys, and rabbits. The variety of shells are good and responsibly priced. He head shoots the grouse and I have not seen a pellet yet. I used a Cooey single shot for years.

[adriaticum]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/2014-08-10_18_50_21.jpg

[stevo911_]

Btw, I noticed that there is a Cooley 20 gague up for grabs in the guns & bows classifieds on this board. Should be the cats a$$ for grouse
hunting.
Thanks for promoting it. It is a great grouse gun! nudge, nudge (wink, wink), granted every time I see a grouse I have my 308 in my hands and every time I see a deer or bear I have the 20 gauge :\

[kurtl]

I'm using a .22wmr and a 20 gauge shotgun. I have shot all of my grouse except for 2 this year with the 20 gauge. Mine is a semi-auto too.

[badgreenbird]

I've long ago given up on the rimfires for grouse shooting. Too many lost/wounded birds. Even with head shots, I've 'beaked' a few. Not pretty. .410 is fine for most ground shooting, and I've taken a few on the wing with it. But I think the 28 gauge is pretty much the perfect grouse gun, and that's what I've used for all of my upland hunting over the past several years. Of course, the ammo can be hard to find, and relatively outrageous..

Nothing wrong with the 20 gauge for upland bird shooting, and it's also suitable for ducks