Gun recommendations?

[bigoledude]

I'm with bearfoot. When you install a scope on your gun, you must sight-it-in. If you don't smack it hard, it stays sighted-in. Even on a .22 rimfire, shooting a coon at 50 yards is no easy-peazy task for a person who rarely shoots. Whereas, having a scoped rifle that coon is HISTORY at 50-100 yards, even for most novice shooters.

 

[flyboy129]

When it is a zoom scope, it does.

Or at least mine had to be re adjusted evertime I used it. It might have been a bad scope, either way, I didn't like it. It seemed at home on a much larger gun. One that someone setting in a treestand overlooking a feeding area might use and adjust the zoom to better capture a sight picture of the feed plot area. The scope itself was in focus. I didn't like throwing it up on a coon and seeing the fleas in the coons fur.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: No, it should never have to be "focused", even if zooming in or out.
It sounds more like your mistake was keeping it set on too high a power to begin with.

If you keep it set on low power, you will almost always have plenty of time to adjust it higher, but it's still not necessary to take a shot

Most shots with a 22 should be under 50 yds anyway, so a really high powered scope isn't NEEDED, although they do make it easier to get a good aiming point

 

[duckinnut]

For less than $100, you can also pick up a single shot, break in half, 20 gauge. Brand new. Shotgun shells are not expensive and having a shot gun, you can have everything from bird shot to #6 type "rabbit" loads, some double aught or even some slugs. A shotgun is just so useful in countless ways and situations. To reach out further, the 22 is the starting point and the ammo is cheap. If you are confronted with even large game or large predators then the choices really get expansive. Lots and lots to choose from in the rifles. Can anyone really have just one gun?

You got that right Fred! Just like can anyone have just one chicken. Of course not. Don't want my guns to be lonely either.

But on a serious note the OP should kind of decide what they are trying to accomplish with said gun. How much investment they want to make as well. IMO I would suggest maybe a 410/.22 combo, The .22 for vermin and smaller varmints and the 410 for larger varmints and pheasants.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Over and under combo's like a 410/.22 or 20/.22 are awesome for general use. The downfall of them is added weight when trying to pull on flying pheasants (in my neck of the woods we go for partridge). Some hunters believe a 20 ga. doesn't have enough shot for pheasant and duck. As a person who was introduced to shotguns at age 9 with a single shot 12 ga. I simply can't recommend them. The recoil is rediculous and simply too much gun for most small game. If I had my druthers and wanted a pheasant gun then would shell out the extra cash for Remington's 870 express 16 ga. full choke. The added cost of shells isn't a problem really as who target practices with shotguns? Ok, yeah I've spent a day shooting skeet now and then but that's not plinking through 50 to 100 rounds every other week.

My first gun (after my Daisy of course) at age 8 was the Ruger 10/.22. They are just a fun short gun that's very accurate. The 10 bullets in it's rotary clip are plenty back up without reloading for an afternoon of running rabbits and squirrel. Now as an older person living in closer quarters to neighbors than I'd ever been and in town limits what I use for stray cats and skunks is a Beeman's .22 air gun. It's overkill on the nuisance chipmunks and red squirrels but what the heck, it's big enough to take down a fox or raccoon if needed. One easy break open pump of the barrel, insert the .22 cal pellet and voila! A lethal 900 fps hunk of .22 cal. lead that wont ricochet and is legal for in town use.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Thanks so much for bringing up the beeman .22 for close quarters shooting in case we start off on a small patch of land without a real coyote threat around.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

No problem. They really are a great alternative and not at all the air guns most kids had. My neighbor turned me on to them and he kills skunks and stray cats with the typical .177 cal pellets. I went with the .22 in case we ever get a raccoon. I'm typing this now as I was hanging outside puttering on winterization projects and was seeing a river rat making trips to the chicken feeder, well, he made his last trip a few minutes ago. These things are so accurate with the fiber optic sights you really don't need a scope.

 

[jbull380]

I’m a lot more familiar with firearms than I am chickens. That being said there is no perfect long gun for all applications but you can get a good general purpose firearm that will do an adequate job on most. I literally have a firearm for every occasion but have realized the superb all around usefulness of the 12 ga pump. The wife and I take 3 or 4 day canoe camp trips and I have included an old Sears Model 120 12 ga pump that I bought broken for 50.00 and fixed for another 50.00. I can load it with #6 or #8s and kill small game such as rabbit’s birds etc. Load it with 00 buck and take care defensive situations or large animals and use slugs for any large game (or man) in North America. The pump is simple, reliable and not too expensive if you look around. I have an 18" bbl on mine to make it a little easier to pack in the canoe. Ammo can be found anywhere and his less expensive than most center fire ammo. It can be used for pheasants too!