Not for faint of heart!! Which gun is best to dispatch dwarf goats

[silky ma]

Ok bought house with some land and i will be rearing rabbits-turkeys-chickens-have and dwarf goats for our consumption.
My dominate right hand is weaker than my left and i cannot handle the kickback any longer from firing my hubbys ruger 9mm. I have disk issues in my neck that mess with my hands- especially my right.
How low of a calibur/ and what gun can i use that is still able to dispatch a dwarf goat but not cause me issues with my hand?
I do not have alot of knowledge with guns and technical jargon about them leaves me more perplexed- but so far i have landed upon a ruger LC380 pistol
Which if im told right is an actual 38 without the kickback and much lighter so my hand wont get fatigued and is pretty close to a 9 mm.
Can you guys help n
Me out here?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My husband uses a 22, but I have no clue about guns either. He aims for the heart.

 

[silky ma]

Im told its best to aim between the horns - place muzzle of gun on the depression located there and aim gun as if the bullet is going to exit via mouth.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

No good way to do it, it can depend if they are still mobile or not. Some of our goats over the years have been pretty wild, even at the end. Between the eyes is good if they are down or very tame.

 

[tastyacres]

We use a 22rifle to butcher all our goats. Works great.... Aiming right above the ear knocked all of ours dead.

 

[007Sean]

A .22 cal rife is adequte to dispatch an animal, if your shot placement is good. Aim about 1" above the eyes and center of fore head. At the base of the ear is another good shot placement. Use solid nose bullets, hollow points will break up and splatter, and only wound the animal, especially if it's a hog.

 

[Cajun_MikeR]

another vote for the .22LR rifle. I've seen everything from mice to whitetail deer and 600lb hogs killed with one. The recoil is minimal, ammo is cheap, and as long as you practice good marksmanship (assuming shooting from a distance) there shouldn't be any issues dispatching an animal humanely.

 

[TwoCrows]

I agree with the other posters here a .22 caliber will do the trick, either small hand type gun or rifle is easy to use with very little kick back. Practice with it first to become comfortable using it. The more comfortable you are with using a gun the more confidence you have in using it. If you don't have a friend with experience to guide you along, there are lots of videos on line to help you learn how to properly use firearms, clean them and the all important, gun safety. Good luck with your goats!

 

[itsasmallfarm]

am with the .22, now depends what you use, the .22LR or the .22WMR, at the moment my grandpa dispatches coons with a .22 works great quick clean kill aimed at the head. how ever i would recommend only head shots if you can. (with a small round they cause less damage) for example a 30-06 has much more power with the ability to drop moose with heart/lung shot, a .22 rim fire is not even legal for them. so go with head shots it the lesser rounds (such as rim fires, plus it damages less meat)

 

[SOHC-FTW]

Jist a fyi a 38spl, 357, 9mm, 380 use the same bullet but different case lengths and powder loads the projectiles are the same diameters. Manufacturers variations in handguns run barrels from .355" to .360 so if you get into reloading remember this but also factor in bullet weight diffrences as u can put more powder to carry a heavier bullet further/faster in the larger casings.

That being said yes a 22 will get the job done if placement is correct, but in my opinion an all around good rifle caliber for livestock and predators would be a 223 very little recoil at all and a very accurate caliber even more so with proper hand loads. As far as pistols the 380 or aka 9mm short due to case length would be my choice if you can get good with one.