What shotgun should i use for rabbit hunting?

Question

need one cheap as possible

Answer 1

NEF single shot in 20 ga or 12 ga

Answer 2

Pawn shop - buy a Remington 870 or Mossburg 500A 20 GA - it has more than enough power to kill a rabbit and can kill any gamebirds too. Shell are cheaper than a .410 (nice gun shells cost $$$) I prefer 6 or 7 1/2's, if you might be going for birds (pheasant, quail, partridge etc) I'd stick with the 6's.

Answer 3

G'Day mate lets cut the c**p and just get a 12g 870 express combo or a mossberg 500a.cheers mate

Answer 4

a single shot 12 gage. Me personally I use a .22lr and take head shots on rabbits.

Answer 5

The "best" gauge, choke, and load would be a 12ga improved cyinder with high brass 6's.

That combination gives you the best combination for margin of error, kill power, and you won't applesauce out of them.

A 20ga modified with high brass 6's would be a close second

gun --- 870 of course

Answer 6

A pawn shop twelve

The maker is really not that important

Gun shows are also good sources but stick more toward private sellers because there are many many scammers at shows waiting for the unitiated

Go through the guns and find one you like that handles the way you need it to

Your better deals will be found on old Savage or dept store brands like Montgomery Wards, Sears, Revelation, Western Auto or Westernfield

These guns were made by major manufacturers like Mossberg, Savage and Winchester for the different store to put their name on

A good used pump should cost no more than $150

Two of my purchases are a $130 Winchester 1300 and a $150 Winchester 1400, both bought in as new condition from a pawn shop

But my prize possession is an old Savage 6A that I bought for $10

The deals are out there but you must be  educated on the gun you want to buy

I have also seen $450 run of the mill Mosin Nagants because it was Russian and a $2000 dollar Colt black powder revolver that listed in the book for $65 ,both of those guns were eventually sold to people with no education

Answer 7

  Definitely DO NOT use  a full choke, unless you just enjoy the taste of lead in your rabbit. It doesn't take much to kill a rabbit. Go with 7 1/2 shot in a 12 gauge and use an open choke so you don't hit the rabbit with too many pellets...improved cylinder for example.

  If you're  not in a big rush, go to a gun show when they come around and save a few bucks. I love Browning shotguns but they do cost more then Remingtons.

Answer 8

A water pistol. Sorry hon, totally against it.

Answer 9

For a new hunter those Remington 870 express shotguns are a good value. Dont be afraid of a 12 guage.. in the long run it more versatile that a 20 and easier hit with and cheaper to feed than a .410.

If you are small fraimed the youth version offers a shorter stock ... recoil is a matter of correct stock fit.

Mossberg offers a 500 series that will be within a few dollars too.

Used shotuns are out there all over the place. Find one that fits you and it's likely that you will get into a peice with superior fit and finsh for a pretty low price. Cant go wrong with Browning, older Winchesters or Remingtons,Stevens, etc ...

Any can be altered to fit you by a good gunsmith.

Answer 10

A new shotgun doesn't shoot any better than a good used one.* Buy used and save a lot of $$$.* Get a 20 or 12 gauge.* You can't get any cheaper than that.*

Answer 11

Why a wabbit gun of course!!  

Answer 12

First, depending on where you live, you can pick up a good used Remington 870 or Mossberg 500.  As for gauge, any will work but the two most popular are the 12 ga and 20 ga.  Use 4,5, or 6 shot.  Any choke will work.  Forget about all this talk about headshots with a shotgun.  You have to be really close (like right on top of a rabbit)to keep all of your pellets in the head of a rabbit. A modified choke is the middle ground, and a good choice for anything.  Plus, you will be shooting at a lot of running rabbits, and you are going to get shot in them no matter what.

The combination I personally favor is the 20ga loaded with 5 shot.  This is heavy enough to make clean kills out to 30 yards.  I generally use modified choke.  This gives me a lot of pellets on target, but a wide enough pattern to catch a running rabbit.

I have used 410ga, 28ga, 20ga, 16ga, 12ga, and even 10ga to hunt rabbits.  It just depended on what I had available at the time.  I know a 10ga is overkill, but it worked.  So, if you are a good shotgunner then just pick what you feel comfortable with.

Answer 13

I use a single shot .410 mostly for rabbit, but sometimes use my 12 Gauge when have it handy. So really any shotgun will do with the correct load  

Answer 14

I use a 12 gauge for everything.

If price is a major consideration, you can't go wrong with a Mossberg M-500.

Doc

Answer 15

use a 410 small gauge won't destroy to much meat

Answer 16

For this task I would use either a good quality pellet gun or a .22LR

Answer 17

My dad taught me that if you cant hit em in the head with a 22 you shouldnt go, so I never used a shotgun. In the rare times I did shoot one with a scattergun it was out bird hunting and the rabbit was unlucky enough to present itself. In those cases it was a 12 or 20 guage but you have to pick alot of shot out of the meat.