# Rabbit hunt load and choke



## bassdaddy00 (Jan 23, 2014)

I will be going on a rabbit hunt with a buddy soon and wanted the experts opinion on what load, shot size and choke I should use from either a 12 gauge or .410. What say ye?


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## rhbama3 (Jan 23, 2014)

bassdaddy00 said:


> I will be going on a rabbit hunt with a buddy soon and wanted the experts opinion on what load, shot size and choke I should use from either a 12 gauge or .410. What say ye?



I would say #8's with both. For the 12 gauge( improved cylinder) and the 410 i'd use a modified choke since your pellet count will be smaller. My .02.


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## buck1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I use 4,5 and #6. It don't matter what size shotgun. The pellets are the same size in them, you just usually get more shot in bigger guage. I personally use 12 and 20 guage. In 12 I use 5 and 6 in 1 1/8 up to 1 1/2 just according on sagers or swamprabbits. In 20 I use 4 and 6 in 1 oz. I like bigger pellets for faster kill and to blow on through the rabbit, less pellets to pick out while cleaning to eat also.


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## Hardwood (Jan 23, 2014)

410 modified 4 or 6 shot. Shooting a 12ga at a rabbit is like shooting a yearling doe with a 300 mag. No fun and not much left when its over!


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## buck1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Hardwood said:


> 410 modified 4 or 6 shot. Shooting a 12ga at a rabbit is like shooting a yearling doe with a 300 mag. No fun and not much left when its over!




I got to disagree. I have killed a ton of them with a 12 guage. I use a sxs with 20 inch barrels one IC and one mod. It don't really do a lot of damage usually 2 to 6 pellets hits it. Its has more to do with patterning than the gun. Not saying your wrong, just my opinion.


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## Hardwood (Jan 23, 2014)

Aint sayin anybodys wrong. But if ya shoot a rabbit at the same distance, mod choke, #6s out of a 410 and 12 ga, the 12 will tear em up more. Heck, Id rather miss anyway, the music stops when ya kill em. Some of my favorite hunts were a 2-3 hour run followed by a miss.


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## Jeremiah Glaze (Jan 23, 2014)

I killed hundreds w a 12 gauge and didn't tear em any worse than w 20 or 410... I prefer a 20 gauge now bc shells are so cheap an available and I recently bought a 870 youth 20 an love it


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## p&y finally (Jan 23, 2014)

Im with Hardwood on this. A 12 is just more gun than whats needed to kill a rabbit. My son hunted with a 12 for awhile because thats all he had. We figured out by accident one time that a field load of STEEL shot does great though. Use the most open choke possible.


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## bassdaddy00 (Jan 24, 2014)

Thanks for the input. Looks like I will use the 12 gauge. The .410 is a fixed full choke.


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## smackdown51 (Jan 24, 2014)

i hunt with 6's out of a full choke 410 pump. don't have no problem shooting them but a lot of hit and miss has to do with the shooter. my grandpa uses a 22 or his slingshot.......but he is a heap better shot than I am and I get made fun of for using a shotgun. 410 full choke will work just fine if your confident you can shoot


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## Hardwood (Jan 24, 2014)

Full chokes fine. Aim for their nose!


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## Beagler282 (Jan 24, 2014)

12 guage skeet choke with #8 low brass.The thickets I hunt you need a pattern to spread or you will damage the rabbit since the shots are close in.


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## p&y finally (Jan 24, 2014)

Oh yeah! Full choke is fine in a 410. Im shooting a Mossberg 410 with a full choke and it patterns about like my 20 with a skeet choke when I shoot 2.5" #6's. 3" shells get more of a "full choke" pattern though.


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## specialk (Jan 24, 2014)

I've killed bunnys with everything from 12g to .410....single barrel to revolving cylinder shotgun.....right now I'm using a 28g semi-auto and lovin'it.........nobody ever asked me'' how bad did you shoot them up today'' or ''how many times did you shoot today''.....all they wanted to know was ''how many did u kill''....


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## T.P. (Jan 24, 2014)

Full choke 410 is bad rabbit medicine.


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## T.P. (Jan 24, 2014)

Plus, you stomp and bull through 3 miles of briars, swamps and cutover and you'll be glad you got a lightweight gun on ya shoulder.


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## BIG HUNT (Jan 24, 2014)

specialk said:


> I've killed bunnys with everything from 12g to .410....single barrel to revolving cylinder shotgun.....right now I'm using a 28g semi-auto and lovin'it.........nobody ever asked me'' how bad did you shoot them up today'' or ''how many times did you shoot today''.....all they wanted to know was ''how many did u kill''....



yea i have hunted rabbits my whole life and have used 12-.410. i bought me a single shot 28g a few years back and i will not rabbit hunt with anything else! its not real heavy and it is not an expensive single shotgun.i beat the briars with and dont worry about scratching it up.i rabbit hunt 3-4 times a week and this gun has proven its self.


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## mlandrum (Jan 25, 2014)

I use only a .410 O/U, but this year switched to a .410 Pistol, shooting 2 1/2 super 6's and am enjoying the  out of it!! Very light, Both hands free, Don't tear the meat up, Great in close quarters, and quite a challenge for a 66 year old  war veteran!!!


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## dotties cutter (Jan 26, 2014)

We always used 410s and 22s and if we were in the briers or roughs we would use number 4s and everywhere else we used number 6 shot. I also hunted sometime with a 12 and my 16 guage and didn't tear the rabbits up any more than with the 410.


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## smackdown51 (Jan 27, 2014)

I had to eat my words Saturday. went rabbit hunting and couldn't hit nothing so looks like im goin back to the 20 ga with 6 shot. last time I brag about my shooting


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## Hardwood (Jan 28, 2014)

mlandrum said:


> I use only a .410 O/U, but this year switched to a .410 Pistol, shooting 2 1/2 super 6's and am enjoying the  out of it!! Very light, Both hands free, Don't tear the meat up, Great in close quarters, and quite a challenge for a 66 year old  war veteran!!!



I love my Rossi pistol Preacher. Great little gun and a lotta fun to hunt with!


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## Nascar Nutt (Jan 28, 2014)

In my 20ga I shoot 1oz 6's high bass or not in IC


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## Atlanta Dawg (Jan 28, 2014)

*410 for Rabbits.....*



bassdaddy00 said:


> I will be going on a rabbit hunt with a buddy soon and wanted the experts opinion on what load, shot size and choke I should use from either a 12 gauge or .410. What say ye?



Don't use a 410 for Rabbits--use a 12 gauge with #6 shot in high brass and improved cylinder choke.  That will get your pellets thru the briars and brush.


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## Hardwood (Jan 28, 2014)

Never had a problem w 410 shooting through brush. Kills em just as dead.


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