Is it okay to ask a gun question....okay, several gun questions?

[Cara]

I agree you will probably need more than one gun to effectively do all of the things mentioned. Shotguns for hunting birds, rifles or pistols/revolvers for euthanising livestock. You should see what my husband did to my barn killing a bobcat. The only thing to hand was a 12 gauge, now the tin siding has a huge hole in it. I like the .22 rifle because it's easy enough for me to handle if needs be, typically he's out and about somewhere when I have an emergency! I wish there was something the same size that I could use to hunt quail.

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
I share this opinion.

Possibly adding a large caliber handgun (Big and slow bullet), such as a 45. For the long rifle it depends on its uses, but either a 22 long rifle with a scope, or a .223, .308 or something like that.
ON

 

[farmerlor]

Does anyone know the velocity on something like that mini ranch rifle .223?

 

[deek248]

velocity depends on the weight of the bullet.

 

[bheila]

I asked a very similar question about getting a gun on another forum. We have a bobcat that's been coming around and I want to be able to protect our livestock and my family if needed....BUT I also need a gun for putting down our livestock in case of emergencies. We narrowed things down so that I need to get a .22 for the livestock and a .410 for the bobcat and yotes. I really don't want to be putting my animals down and blowing them to pieces. We put 2 of our goats down within the last 2 weeks with our neighbors .22 pistol....worked like a charm. Good luck with whatever you end up choosing.

 

[SillyChicken]

I've hunted deer for years and use a 20 ga. They're a good all around gun to have. I have a .22 for varmit control. You have to be careful with rifles and higher caliber bullets because they can travel farther than a slug. If you're in the middle of no where, it wouldn't really matter, but if you're in a rural area and have neighbors close, you may want a less powerful gun.

Just about any bullet to the head will kill an animal - IMHO a slug would not be pretty, no, but there's no way anything could survive a direct shot and they wouldn't "know what hit them"... a small bullet like a .22 can actally bounce around inside.

Also, you should check your ordinances etc... last thing you want is a felony charge for discharging a firearm in the wrong area.