Defending livestock with a firearm

[peterlund]

Great informative post. Sadly here in Eastern Massachusetts if I fired off a weapon, even if it was to protect myself after the predator had killed all my chickens, they would arrest me, take my gun permit and put me in jail for firing a gun within 50 yards of a dwelling... Gotta love this state!!! Still I think you touch upon a lot of great sensible safety points, and give you a warm "high five".

 

[Ahab]

Quote:
Over-under shotguns are generally used for competition skeet shooting and are usually more expensive than other types. There are over-unders with single triggers and selector levers on the top to choose the barrel to be fired. This can be complicated and confusing for a new shooter. That's NOT what you need in a high adrenalin situation. My suggestion would be buy a single barrel, a side by side double barrel or a pump action type. All of these are easy to learn to operate, the single barrel being the easiest to master and the pump action being the most complicated of the three I listed. There is also an automatic shotgun, meaning it reloads itself after every shot. I would not recommend that for a beginner.

I think they might mean an O/U combo, like a Savage 24, which has a rifle barrel over a shotgun barrel--.22. .22mag, .222, or .30/30 over 20 gauge (and less useful, a .410). With a receiver-mounted peep, or a large-aperture, low-power scope, this is an ideal predator-control weapon. As long as you really know how to use it, and when to select which barrel. Sometimes, foxes probing the perimeter want a bit more reach than a shotgun can provide; in other situations, you might be confronted with a close-in moving target, where the shotgun excels. The point is, when you hear that noise out by the poultry pen, and you head out into the night in your PJs and bunny slippers, you're not quite sure just what you'll be shooting at. An O/U combo prepares you for either eventuality. If--big if--you've really put in the time to learn to shoot it. It is, after all, functionally a single-shot, and must be reloaded (break-action) after each shot.

 

[jgconnor]

Thank you all for your compliments and responses. I'm honored that you would express your approval publicly.

I have received a few PMs and several emails on this subject and I feel that I might clarify a few points.

One individual noted that I covered nothing about safe handling of firearms. Another commenter noted that I should have included advice on taking a firearms safety class. One emailer even suggested(rudely, I might add) that I failed to mention proper gun care after the shot.

I do most certainly acknowledge that all these points are valid and good. However, the topic was "Defending livestock with a firearm". Given that it takes considerably longer to write than it does to speak, if I had written all that was suggested, it would have turned into a medium sized book and it would have been days before it had been posted.

For those of you that would like to see such instruction posted, give me a hand and post your thoughts on these topics. Lots of people here are new/beginner shooters and they can use all the information they can get.

Again, thanks so much!
Jim

 

[Lbrad7]

Jime, what a great post!!!! Thank you for taking the time to put it together...very informative.

 

[carrlr]

Quote:
Over-under shotguns are generally used for competition skeet shooting and are usually more expensive than other types. There are over-unders with single triggers and selector levers on the top to choose the barrel to be fired. This can be complicated and confusing for a new shooter. That's NOT what you need in a high adrenalin situation. My suggestion would be buy a single barrel, a side by side double barrel or a pump action type. All of these are easy to learn to operate, the single barrel being the easiest to master and the pump action being the most complicated of the three I listed. There is also an automatic shotgun, meaning it reloads itself after every shot. I would not recommend that for a beginner.

I think they might mean an O/U combo, like a Savage 24, which has a rifle barrel over a shotgun barrel--.22. .22mag, .222, or .30/30 over 20 gauge (and less useful, a .410). With a receiver-mounted peep, or a large-aperture, low-power scope, this is an ideal predator-control weapon. As long as you really know how to use it, and when to select which barrel. Sometimes, foxes probing the perimeter want a bit more reach than a shotgun can provide; in other situations, you might be confronted with a close-in moving target, where the shotgun excels. The point is, when you hear that noise out by the poultry pen, and you head out into the night in your PJs and bunny slippers, you're not quite sure just what you'll be shooting at. An O/U combo prepares you for either eventuality. If--big if--you've really put in the time to learn to shoot it. It is, after all, functionally a single-shot, and must be reloaded (break-action) after each shot.

I have one of those and love it. I just have to keep in mind it's a single shot, or if you will two shots one with each barrel. JG thanks for staying on topic with your information. Haven't seen it put that concisely. Thanks!!!

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
In personal defense, when dealing with other humans I most certainly agree. With predators however, I do think you're putting far too much stock in "Rule" number one. Obviously you're well book-educated on firearms, but I have to wonder do you have a lot of actual experience defending livestock with firearms? You say " When a predator becomes aware of the presence of what they instinctively know as a threat, they react in defense by running to escape." and sure by-the-book this is true, animals are expected to fight or flight when faced with confrontation, one or the other and most usually when confronted by a human they're expected to take flight. In reality it's not nearly as black and white however. Obviously you don't want to go out there and have a five minute long conversation with the animal about your intent to shoot it all the while waving your gun around like a lunatic. But I've taken down more predators than I can count and I can tell you stealthiness doesn't exactly need to be a top priority to get a kill. Many predators -- and prey animals alike, as a matter of fact -- tend to freeze and then run giving ample time to take the shot even after they've seen you coming. Some never make an attempt to run at all (raccoons, especially).

IMO telegraphing should be WAY down the list. Much more important is knowing your firearm safety, knowing your firearm and the ammo you're using, shooting when you don't need to shoot (IOW, make sure you can hit a target), and keeping a level head. Calm confidence goes a long way in getting the job done quickly, efficiently and safely. Know what you're doing and be acquainted with the tools you're using to do it.

 

[EweSheep]

Hubby has a U/O rifle downstairs that takes a .22 but hopefully I would never had to use it. Despite of feral cats, possums and occasional coons at night, if I fire them, the cops would be all over me, for sure because I live in the city. Only trapping would work but however I can take the animal out in the country and dispatch it.

Also we have CW reproduction rifles and Remington pistols that we would load only black powder and caps....hubby said he can convert them into real shooters but not sure if it advisable because it may be made differently than REAL weapons. The barrel and firing pin are all the same and can use cloth and ball method if real ammunition is needed. One is a Spencer and the other one is a Thompson. He is talking wanting a Henry repeating rifle but not sure if they will take .22 instead of black powder cartridges. We NEVER use the guns for real hunting, just for reenactments and all we are allow are black powder and caps and tap it down with either flour or cream of wheat. Every one of those weapons have serial numbers so I do not know if that is important for the gun companies to know if they are non weapon made or the real McCoy of firing bullets. I know all of them do not have open end chambers where the nipples for caps are being placed. I do not know if you can pop those nipple covers off the end of the guns.

Could it be done? Or not adviseable for reenactment guns to become real rifle killers?

 

[dogdollar]

I use a Beeman R1 pellet gun:

It fires a .20 caliber hollow point pellet at around 860 feet per second, and is extremely accurate out to about fifty yards. This is my choice because I don't want the drama associated with firing a full-on firearm in a residential neighborhood. I load a pellet, engage the safety, and set the rifle aside while my chickens are out so that it is immediately available. After the chickens are locked up for the night, I discharge the pellet either into the ground or into a safe target so that the spring doesn't take a set. I understand that it is less than ideal, but it IS an option for those who live in an area where the discharge of a firearm would stir up a stink. Besides, in my location, the threats are pretty much limited to dogs, feral cats, and smaller creatures of the night like coon and possums.

Obviously, if I lived on the wilderness somewhere, I could avail myself to other options.

Thanks for your post, it's always good to read an educated refresher course on the proper handling of firearms. Well done.

DD

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
I am sorry for you living in Mess..achusetts, souds like very oppresive State. I am rutinely firing my semi ruger .22 just for practice, on 4'th of July and New year I am also firing my S&W .38. (Fire works got expensive lately).

My neighboors fire shotguns every Saturday also something even more louder. I do not even know what it is.

We do not know around here if it is legal or not nor we really care.

Anyway, if we see a cop cruiser around, that only means that one of the local boys perhaps got too physical with his woman after he enjoyed his six-pack.

Besides that we do not lock houses or cars down here no need for that.

I am sure that frequent evil "gunshoots" keep local and imported crooks at bay.

LOL

 

[33yardbirds]

Quote:
I am sorry for you living in Mess..achusetts, souds like very oppresive State. I am rutinely firing my semi ruger .22 just for practice, on 4'th of July and New year I am also firing my S&W .38. (Fire works got expensive lately).

My neighboors fire shotguns every Saturday also something even more louder. I do not even know what it is.

We do not know around here if it is legal or not nor we really care.

Anyway, if we see a cop cruiser around, that only means that one of the local boys perhaps got too physical with his woman after he enjoyed his six-pack.

Besides that we do not lock houses or cars down here no need for that.

I am sure that frequent evil "gunshoots" keep local and imported crooks at bay.

LOL

Here in New Jersey, it's just as bad as Mass. But in our neck of the woods it is understood everyone has a gun. You can actually go out on your property shoot and nobody gets excited. Even that occasional shot at 2 in the morning is no more than some yahoo taking a deer. You can tell the difference in the pop of the shot what they are using, rifle, shotgon or pistol.