hey guys, do any of you out there go after smaller game rabbits, squirels, coyotes, ect. what would be a good starting out gun to hunt these animals ?
thanks in advance


Skeets

Hey Skeets13... well a couple of questions to think about first... are you looking to kill them or just run them out of your yard? How close is the nearest neighbor? I have had luck several ways… I have killed several raccoons that didn't seem to get the hint with the pellet gun with my hunting bow… I have run squirrels away with dumb-dumb blunts in my blow gun… I have got rid of several pesky birds with the pellet gun… since I live within a neighbor hood a quite weapon is the best!… Also, I like to perfect my hand eye coordination…

If you want to get a good actuate, single shot pellet rifle try a Gamo, I have really enjoyed mine… Good Luck!

Shoot Straight...

im looking at getting a Gamp 890 hunter neighboors are close i live in a neighbor hood but the neighbors are cool with it and yes to kill them just get em out for good no questions

skeets

Not smart to post things that arent legal. I'm not one to say things about intelligence, but I'm just guessing that talking about such things isnt a good idea.

Not meaning to start anything.

Curtis

Is shooting a raccoon with a bow or pellet gun illegal?

The only thing I see in this post is that he may wanna watch out when shooting wabbits, make sure its in season and depending on your location, identification may be crucial, because jackrabbits and pygmies are closed statewide.

FYI,, rabbits are not classified as varmits, they are small game..

Squrriels I know are illegal to shoot at anytime. I doubt discharging a firearm within city limits is terribly legal, either.

So you are assuming he is within a city boundry where they have a no firearm discharge ordinance?

I know there are some protected species of squirells , matter of fact there were plans to build some kinda sky bridge for them.

Are all squirells/chipmunks species illegal to shoot?

Still dont see anything illegal this guy is doing, unless we start making assumptions for him.

Are you just sticking up for your jailbait's statement?

Well first thank you for all the concern about my post.

Ok, Voodoo Daddy,… Shot one raccoon on Oct. 5th, 2002 and the second on Nov. 12th, 2002 Nov. Now let's see, the last time I READ the regulations the Raccoon Season was Statewide: Sept. 3, 2002 – Mar. 15, 2003. So, unless someone reads the regulations different, I guess the coons were legal.

And CWUgirl,… well, no where in my post did I say, nor imply that I shot a squirrel. I stated “… I have run squirrels away with dumb-dumb blunts in my blow gun…“ Now as far as the “discharging a firearm within city limits” I believe that I didn't say nor imply that I had discharged a firearm within city limits. Since both of the raccoons were harvested with a bow and a bow is not a firearm, I guess that is legal. And since a blowgun is not a firearm, even though I suppose the term “gun” is a part of the overall word, I guess that was legal also. I also, never said nor implied that I had killed squirrels just “run squirrels away”. And that is not illegal.

Not to start anything either, so again I say, Thanks for the concern!

Lastly Driftboater... I would like to say a great big THANK YOU to you! As most people seem to do these days, they assumed my guilt before an understanding of the law or a full and correct reading of my post! So again THANK YOU!

P.S. I also float a driftboat and if you are of legal age and of notion, I have a beer in my cooler for you! Thank

Shoot Straight and Tight Lines!

Wabowhunter, I actually was responding to the original post, not yours!

I could see you weren't descimating the squrriel population.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I've just had people tell me that it's illegal, so I've never gone after them.

Never actually wanted to kill a racoon... Can't see myself eating THAT.

Actually coon is rather tasty! (roastbeef) but I take em just for the hides.. I earned my extra spending money while growing up trapping coons.

WaBH,,
Glad to help clarify facts I hate assumptions and insinuations!
What rivers do ya float? I'll be on the Green later this week and the Nooksack the following week, then maybe the Yakima in a few..

I was going to mention that young Skeets is in the town of Kirkland, same as me. Probably in the city limits too and if not in Kirkland's limits then one of the surrounding town's limits.

It wouldn't be fun to have the local police called because of "shots fired".

Now... if we're talking about out of town varmints like eastern WA... then a .223 does pretty good, but at times the wind kicks up and something that bucks the wind better is useful. I've been over on Highway 26 and had to hold 3 foot of windage at times to get a hit.

The .223 would not be a good gun to use within the city limits of Kirkland though.

The best way would be to call up the local Animal Control number and work it through there. Probably the end result would be a nuisance trapper through the Game Department would show up.

Use a box trap or a water trap.

Ok guys and gals, I just wanted to know a good gun and if anyone else hunts them. when I wrote the thing about my backyard it meant in the woods around here there are lots of forests (public). I haven't shot any yet. And I wasn't planning on shooting around here (my actual backyard) I dind't realy mean that they are a pest problem although that's what it seems like in the post, I just meant to hunt them and asked what a good gun to use would be. thanks and sorry for the confusion.

Try the new .17 hmr Marlin Cheap,fast and pretty quite. it comes with a bull barrel, I have one and like it alot.

very accurate and usefull to 200 yards.
Walmart has them for $179.

Skeets, how old are you? With 13 at the end of your name it makes me think your 13 or something like that. Well, if you are, then theirs no way your gonna have the money to spend on ammo to shoot the 17 HMR
Take a look at how close to were your gonna be hunting and look at were that bullet is gonna be flying. Were is it gonna hit when its all burned out?

And a list of good guns that I think would work just fine.

A good Ruger 10/22 with a 4x scope is fun and a good hunting gun. $180 bucks, gun, scope, ammo and a few small toys for it.

Marlin 880 SQ, now that's a 22 lr sniper rifle. $200 bucks or so for the rifle. For about $300 bucks (give or take a few bucks), gun, scope, tripods, sling, ammo.

If you are wanting to do coyote and coons at long range (100-200 yard if you are a good shot) The Marlin 882SSV, About $230 for the gun. Put a little over $300 bucks down and you can get another really good sniper rifle. Gun, scope, sling, tripods ammo. I get 1/2 inch groups with mine with cheap ammo at 100 yards.

If you really want to spend some money for coyotes get the Marlin's .17 Hornady Rimfire Magnum bolt action rifle, for $300 bucks an SS gun and a scope. For about $380 you can get the gun, scope, tripods, sling and some ammo.

If you wanna have some fun. Get a Ruger Mini-14 and for about $400 bucks you can get a NIB all weather model 223, add another 100 bucks for a good/cheap sniper scope, another $20 per mag for 20 round mags, $10 bucks for a sling, $50 bucks for a 1000+rounds of 223 and go out and have fun! My Mini-14 shoots really well at 100-300 yards!

With the guns I just listed, you gotta think on were that bullets gonna hit.
If I was you and knew that I could discharge a firearm with out getting the cops called on me I would use a good 12 GA

$220 you can get a Mossberg 500 all weather model 12 GA shotgun and for 10-15 bucks you can pick up a choke tube.

For about the same price you can get a Remington 870 with a wood stock.

For like $300 bucks you can get a very good Winchester 1300 12 GA pump shotgun with the all weather model stock.
Or if you wanna keep it simple and use the good old single shot shotgun, New England shotgun with the 12, 20 GA barrel or the 410 bore barrel.
I use a New England single shot 410 for rabbits and grouse using 3 inch mag #4 shot but if its all really close range, I'll go up to the #6 shot. Only 3 inch mag for me though.

For 12 GA, shoot #4 buck for coyotes and maybe even coons. I use 6 to 8 shot for rabbits, grouse and other small game.

If that does not work, a good old ten pump BB/pellet gun works just fine. Stay away from CO2.
Them gamo single shots are really nice to.

Hope this helps

thanks for that kingfisher! I put 13 at the end of the name when I was 13 but a few months and a birthday turned me 14 so disregard the last 2 digits
I was looking to hunt not around as much altough there are alot of woods around here so maybe... but my uncle lives in Mt. Vernon and thers hunreds of acres of woods back there, after to talking to a couple people they said a good all around gun would be a .270 so im looking into that right now what is your opinion on a gun like that? thanks for all the help!

Skeets

Are you looking into doing some big game hunting? Cause thats what them people are telling you. The 270 win is a big game gun, ya you can use it on coyotes but lets keep it simple$$$.
I have a remington 700 270 win and a 270 weatherby that my grandpa gave to me. And yes, them are the best all around gun. But see me, I'm a fan of the 300 win mag (more power)but I'll tell you this. The 270 win is a flat shooting long range deer round with a good shot can drop an elk with no problem at a closer range.
I also have a Ruger M77 all weather model 308 win and I out shot (in range)flat shooting that is) my Remington 270 and my buddys 270 and that was shooting 150 gr. for me (308) and 130 gr for him(270)
Look at your game area, tell me what the GMU of were you will be hunting. Some spots are shotgun unit only and others you can use moder firearms.
I'll get back to you on this later in the day, I got to go.

In that last post, I was a little high price on the Marlin 17 HMR, not that much.

You might want to look into H&R AKA New England or a Mossberg single shot guns. Cause the way your sounding to me is that you might deer hunt, you might coyote hunt, and so on and so on.
For them 3 guns I just listed you can get different barrels for them.

Look into Winchester or Remington. Good guns for a cheap price till a point$$$.
All you need to be set for life is 3 guns.

Big game: Look into a 270, 308, 30-06, or maybe even a 300 win mag.

Small game: I say get a Ruger 10/22 22 lr. Simi auto 22 lr. You can get so many cool little add on toys for it. With the right ammo and just the standard barrel, a dime at 50 yards would be easy to hit with just one shot. Also if you use it for coyotes, you got 10 round mags to go fully auto on.

And the last gun you really need is a good 12 GA pump shotgun. You can pick up a very good used Mossberg pump shotgun for like $150 bucks. Right there you can hunt just about all birds, coyotes with buckshot, deer with slugs and have fun shooting trap or clay.

So, all you need is a High powered rifle, a shogun, and a good 22 lr. 3 guns and your set for life. No reason to stop at 3 guns though (more more more). But that's all you really need.
Another tip, I only use one gun for big game hunting. Don't be like other people I know and have a 243 for deer and a 300 win mag for elk, go out deer hunting with the 243 shoot it a few times. Then go out elk huntin with the 300 mag and miss the biggest bull elk you ever seen cause you got your two guns mixed up (u got the 300 but you think your shooting the 243) pull up and think you only got to rase so much and end up shooting over it or under it . Get what I'm saying? Get good with one gun and know were it shoots.

oh ya, if you and your dad don't know anyone with a 300 win mag, 243 win, 308 win and or a 270 win and would like to shoot one before getting one. I have them 3 calibers and a few more that I could let you shoot. You will be a better shot with a gun that your not scared to shoot.

Skeets, it looks like you have gotten some good advice so far. First thing you need to figure out is what you are going to hunt? If you are looking to hunt just deer I would recomend a good bolt action in .260 rem up tp 30/06. If you are going to hunt deer and elk I would say the .270 is a bare minimum. If you are just going to hunt varmints I would recomend the 22-250. A great small game rifle is the .22 fimfire. I personally wouldn't use it on cyotes though. a littel under powerd even the hot new littel .17hmr is a little to small for them. IMO. It is hard to just buy one gun. I would say you definitely need a .22 rimfire and then a big game rifle. And don't forget to take the hutner safty course!!

And about the earlier post on killing squirles Well the littel gray things that you all see running around the neighbor hoods are an introduced species, therefore they are legal to kill! The western grey and red squirells are protected in this state and are smaller than the big greys that everyone thinks are so cute So go ahead and thin the population!
Buck

Kingfisher85

Mini14, love mine

You said “another $20 per mag for 20 round mags”

Since our beloved Brady Bill went into affect it will run you 50-100 for any functional mag any more.

Love my mini but if I did not already own 2 twenty rounders, 2 thirty rounders and 2 forty rounders I would not repurchase this gun. The mags have just gotten to far out of hand for anything that is quality and will actually feed. Plus the Mini has never been known for accuracy. We use ours for Jackrabbits in Utah and for waging major wars on Pepsi cans in gravel pits. Great gun just with the lack of mags anymore I would not suggest this rifle unless you want to be limited to the factory five round mag. There are some good quality 10 rounders that function flawlessly

http://www.johnmasen.com/Merchant2/merch...tegory_Code=RMA

All those mags you may see in say Cabala's or Bass Pro shops are JUNK, they will not feed.

Mini 14 Mag Facts

Mini-14 Magazine FAQ
Draft Edition 2
By Martin 'Ace' Mershon
12/14/99

This is a listing of various magazines for the Mini-14.

The magazines may be divided into two general categories - Factory Ruger
and Aftermarket. All factory magazines have good reviews. If they were
just more available (like GI M-16 mags) there would be no need for the
aftermarket mags.


Factory Ruger Mags.
------------------
The best magazines are mfg by (for) Ruger. They are excellent quality
and are long lasting (made of steel). They (have) come in 5, 10, 20 &
30rd capacities.

The 5rd mag fits flush into the stock of the rifle and is still
available to the public. The rear mag catch is stamped and the butplate
is plastic w/ the ruger logo. All factory magazines have no taper and
are smaller at the front (w/o a step).

The 10rd mags are not currently mfg and are rare.

The 20 and 30rd mags are uncommon and quite expensive these days ($50 to
$100 each). They may be identified by the ruger logo and Mini-14
stamped into the floorplate. The 20rd has a stamped rear mag catch
while the 30rd has a welded mag catch along with a dimple for additional
support. There are also some older 20rd (and mabey 30rd) factory mags
with pinned bottoms. The plastic bottom plate is held in by four
spring-loaded pins. One hole in each sid of the mag, about an inch down
from the top and 3/4 inch in from the back. Welded mag catch with sharp
corners. Smooth plastic follower. RUGER stamped on the side. No taper
that I can see. New 20 and 30rd mags are still available from Ruger for
sale to LEO only per the '94 AW ban.

Aftermarket Mags.
----------------
The quality of aftermarket magazines is much more variable. Many mags
are good but bad mags can be found from
any mfg. It is best to buy from a source that will allow returns and
test them promptly. Generally the mags made just before the ban give
more trouble than the mags mfg prior. Often bad mags can be made to
function with some work <G>. There are also some no-name mags out
there (unmarked). Some of these are good, some are bad. The
aftermarket magazines are mfg from plastic and or steel.


Eagle: 35rd
-----------
These magazines have a good reputation.

These are clear or plastic bodied magazines. The springs are a unique
coil type spring, functioning similar to a tape measure. They may be
identified by 'Eagle' molded into the side. They are said to be the
same as the Millet Magazines

(were some of these bad or was it just the mini-30 eagles?)

John Masen: 30rd
-----------------------
These magazines have a good reputation. (They are my prefered
aftermarket magazine.)

These mags are a good copy of the factory ruger 30rd magazine except
they are painted instead of blued. (currently available in 10rd -
Diminished Capacity)

These magazines are made of steel with a welded, rounded edge magazine
catch. The magazine has no taper (top to bottom) and the front of the
magazine is narrower all the the way from top to bottom. The magazine
has the factory style dimple below the mag catch and the follower has
'legs' to help prevent canting.

The magazine inserts and feeds well. The bolt is held open after the
last shot. These were the only aftermarket magazines that function
properly in full auto according to reports.

There was at least one batch of these magazines with the mag catch
welded to high on the magazine (causing the mag to hang low). Most were
recalled by masen for repair. I had some this way and they repaired my
magazine free of charge.

Mitchel:
--------
These magazines feed ok but are difficult to insert properly.

The magazine is made of steel. The mag catch is pressed out of the
steel in a sadle shape.

MWG: 90rd drum
--------------
These are black plastic bodied magazines. They are a drum type magazine
with an interchangable mag well. The rear of the mag is clear plastic
so the rounds remaing can be verified.

No functional reviews of these mags were received.

Precision Magazine Industries (PMI): 10, 20, 30 and 40 rd
------------------------------------
These magazines have a good reputation except among full auto users.

These are steel or Stainless steel bodied magazines. The square
cornered mag catch is welded on and the magazine body has taper from the
top to the bottom. The magazine has no dimple below the catch and has a
step (becomes wider at the front below the mag well). The follower does
not have 'legs' and is not of the anticant design. Some mags are
stamped with mfg information (PMI, Precision, etc.), others are not.

The mags insert, feed and hold the bolt open ok.

Full auto users have experienced feeding difficulties.

Ramline: 30rd Combo Mag (also fits AR)
--------------------------------------
I have recieved mixed reviews of these magazines.

These are clear plastic bodied magazines. These mags fit the mini-14
and the AR family of weapons. These
mags have Ramline Combo Mag moulded into the mag body.

They do not hold the bolt open reliably. There were some reports of
insufficent spring pressure. Early production magazines seem to
function fine. Those produced just prior to the magazine ban are much
less reliable according to reports.


Thermold: 30rd
--------------
I have recieved mixed reviews of these magazines.

These are black plastic bodied magazines.

Some reported the mag lips needed to be trimmed slightly to allow the
cartridge to feed reliably.

USA: 10, 20, 30rd
-----------------
I have recieved mixed reviews of these magazines.

These are steel bodied magazines. They have solid stamped rear mag
catches. The body is tappered - narow at top and wide at bottom. The
magazine has a step at the front below the mag well. There is no
dimple. Some mags are marked with mfg information, some are not.

These magazines are often reported to have problems although some are
good and most can be made to work (according to some). The mags with
blue followers are reported to be superior to later production with
black
followers.


Your comments/additions are greatly appreciated.

Please note the mini-30 is a different rifle and this information do not
apply to the mini-30.


Hey what can I say I used to belong to a mini 14 forum. You think the fishing forum gets boring with the hook threads try reading about mini 14 mags for a year.

Anyway IMHO get a Browning BLR in .223

Or get the Mini but don't really expect to get mags over 10 rounders unless you want to pay big and know where to find the GOOD ones.

lead thrower
Looking right here in the Cabelas catalog
High capacity magazines
Mini 14
Mini 14, 20 rd......$24.99
Mini 14, 30 rd......$29.99

(Ruger Mini-14, 223) I see after market 20 round metal type mags for sale all the time for 20 to 30 bucks.
I say stay away from the 30+round mags, a lot of them will not feed right. But the 5, 10, 15, and 20 rd mags work just fine.

Now the ruger 10/22 22 lr, for one 25 round buttler creek(spelling) mag, yes, 50 bucks! And thats a good deal to. Most the time there $75 bucks give or take a few bucks.

You are absolutely right Cabalas does sell them. I was just trying to say that in my experience those magazines they sell are the cheaper ones and the lips are made from such thin metal that they do not feed. I think Cabalas sells the KKK brand. It has to do with the Brady Bill, once it went into affect the manufacturers just pumped out the product with no quality control because they new people would be swarming the store for the product.

Take USA mags for example, I have 2 thirty rounders that function flawlessly. In order to get those I had to buy 6. Only 2 out of the six worked so I returned the other 4.

On today's market you are looking for brands such as Precision Magazine Industries (PMI): These are the good ones. These will be very very very difficult to find in any gun shop. You can find them on some of the Mini 14 forums. Some guys let them go for what they paid for them, which is around $30 before the Brady Bill. However most sell them for what they can get in today's market, which is around $60-100.

The Mini is a great economical gun until you start to find decent mags in today's market was the point I was trying to make.

You said &#8220;Now the ruger 10/22 22 lr, for one 25 round buttler creek(spelling) mag, yes, 50 bucks! And thats a good deal to. Most the time there $75 bucks give or take a few bucks.&#8221;

Could not agree more. Really gets me how they can get that for a dollars worth of plastic which eventually the feed lips on those also wear out and the mag is junk. I have eight of those butler creek 25 rounders and about half of them jam the last 3-5 rounds or so. Some of them fall out of the gun every once and a while they are getting tired. But then again I have probably pumped 50,000 rounds through my 10/22 at least.

The mini is a great choice and anyone who owns one will love it. I have personally been through mag hell with that gun though.

We should go tear up a gravel pit sometime together.

Ya it sucks about them lips on the 10/22, I've gone thought a few mags in a short amount of time. Out of 4 mags, only one works perfect (butler creek mags), the rest, the first 2 or 3 rounds might jam up but the last 4 or 5 rounds will not feed into the gun at all.
To bad them lips cannot be replaced. To bad we cannot get mags from Canada!

I found a web page and they are selling NIB 25 round butler creek mags for 34 bucks! But look were they are located at. http://www.rugermags.com/

I have not even see the factory Mini-14 mags (20+) for sale in a long time. Sure wish I could fine some.
But like I said before. All the aftermarket mags for the Ruger Mini-14, I have yet to find a good 30+round mag that feeds good all the time.
I picked up some very cheap mags, you could tell they were cheap just by the way they felt. I got 20 and 30 round mags for 15 and 18 dollars each. The 20 rd mags worked just fine but the 30 round mags I ended up trading off.

LOL kingfisher, I called the game department about those squirrels and they said as long as it's done humanly it's alright. I will pretty much be hunting dear, coyote, and eventualy elk. One of my friends has a 25/06 with a good leuopold scope and has dropped deer from 400 yards away with it, he'll let it go for 300 bones. I think im going to go with that. And my dad has a friend who gives the hunters safety class for 20 bucks so I will be doing that before the summer gets here to be ready for deer season. Thanks for all the advice!

Skeets

Kingfisher85

I know it would be illegal to bring those Butler Creek mags back across the border but I wonder if it would be illegal to warranty them across the border.

Alas I can quit dreaming, anything that would benefit me is probably illiegal

All that Brady Bill did was cost honest gun owners more money.

I think that is only like the third time I have used that mad smiley so you know Clinton pissed me off on that one.

What type of a 25-06 is it? That gun would work very good on deer and coyotes.
Tell me the gun make and model and I can tell you if not me other people can tell you if its worth more or less then 300 dollars

Its a Ruger, synthetic stock, blued and it's bolt action. Im not sure of the model he was going to bring it in and show me it. He is also going to throw in some ammo. My other friend when I told him about the deal called one of his buddies up at a gun shop in edmonds and he said to go for it.


Skeets

If it's a heavy barrel you might not want it for deer hunting. You might want to check on that.

Im pretty sure that it isn't heavy barrel. He said it was a great dear gun but then he got a .300 ultramag.

Skeets

na, you don't want that gun. You better tell him to sell it to me
You better get that gun! Thats a good gun.