Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires .22 Set Up for Grouse

What round do you like for grouse hunting and why?

Prefer open sites or scope?

This is a 17hmr and not a .22, but I've been using CCI gamepoints with a reflex/red-dot sight. That setup works pretty well and I try to go for head shots to save as much meat as possible. This fall I might try putting on a little 4x fixed power scope to see how that compares. Also want to try the FMJ bullets to see if those do even less damage. I wasn't thinking about grouse when I bought this rifle or I might have gone with the 22 version instead, but it is pretty accurate at grouse ranges and packs super easy!

Ammo is the most accurate round in the firearm I am using. Target velocity or standard velocity. Once that is determined I file a flat point using a Hanned tool. Very seldom is the CCI Small Game Bullet the most accurate but it all ready has the flat point. Hanned is no longer made but Reeder or Paco Kelley make a similar. tool. Firearm is dependent on what kind of trip I am on. If I specifically target grouse I use a 28 gauge shotgun and a German Shorthair Pointer. If I am on a wilderness backpacking big game trip where every ounce counts, I use a titanium S&W model 317 Kit Gun. If I am otherwise big game hunting I use a Walther PP in 22 rimfire with MMC adjustable sights.

Aspen: What rifle is that? Thanks.

Ruger MkII 6.7/8" Bbl Gov't Model w/ Leupold 4X EER scope running std velocity 22LR ammo.

X the nose of the 22LR rounds w/ a razor blade.

Head/Neck shoot grouse & ptarmigan to 75 yards.

Bobmn, it's a Chiappa Little Badger. They make them in 22lr, 22mag, and 17hmr. Inexpensive little single shot rifle that shoots quite well. I added on a barrel shroud and paracord wrapped the upper wire stock (much more comfortable that way). Weighs like 3 pounds and breaks down to 16 or 17 inches. I've packed pistols before, but I can shoot something like this so much better.

Thanks Aspen.How does it compare to a Henry Rifle? My Henry rifle weighs ,6 pounds more and is more of a pain to assemble. I get 3/4" five shot groups at 50 yards with peep sight. Thanks for the paracord idea. Going to use that idea on my Mech Tech carbine

You can kill them with rimfires, who knew.

Tweed;
Good morning to you, I hope that the week treated you okay and this finds you well.

When our girls were younger and starting out hunting they used to be pretty hard on the local grouse population, which we encouraged because it was good practice for shooting under field conditions.

The rifle was always a 1958 Brno Model 5 and it ran a few different scopes starting with an 3X El Paso Weaver, 6X Leupold Compact and finally a 4X El Paso Weaver. Of them all I'd say that the 3X was the best for head shooting grouse, but the experimenting with the 6X led us to pick up a Tasco rimfire scope with an adjustable objective for our eldest daughter's Ruger American Rimfire.

Aim point was for the base of the neck as much as possible since the head bobs around on a walking chicken, but the base remains relatively stable.

Any standard velocity match grade ammunition which shoots well in your rifle would be our choice. We ran Federal Gold Medal Match I believe it was called - was something north of $15 CDN for 50, but my goodness did the Brno like that stuff! There was very little bloodshot meat with that type of round even if the wing butts were hit on the neck shot. Much less time to clean up than any shotgun hit birds in our experience.

Hopefully that was useful information for you or someone out there. All the best to you as we head into spring.

Dwayne

Huh?

Thank you so much for the thoughtful response.

My 10 year old daughter will probably start this year and birds and small game is the best way to get kids hooked.

I have never shot a Henry, so not quite sure on that. The Chiappa is more of a survival / minimalist rifle, so simplicity and super low weight and portability are its strong points. Last time I took it out to target shoot it was pretty breezy so I only shot it at 25 yards and 50 yards. 25 yard groups were pretty much touching holes, 50 yards it was about an inch with vmax, inch and a quarter with gamepoints. Need to try that again on a dead calm day since those tiny .17 hmrs get blown around pretty good.

Aspen: Thanks for the info

Been a lot of years since I've found many grouse here so don't get to crazy about it. In Montana and Alaska grouse hunting was great. My favorite grouse gun was a Browning Double auto in 12ga. Then don the road some years I picked up a Rem 870 Special Field. Had it bored out to IC and it was a really fast gun. If I get back into it like I would like I'll use my AyA 28ga Matador, not expensive gun just handles great! I have shot a couple with it and one with my 410 AyA!

It's a joke. I've killed them with 6mm/284, 270, 30/30, 30/06, 35 Whelen and 357 but never a rimfire.

Forgot, 6.5x54MS and 223AI

I have an old Remington 514 single shot I used often for grouse. I started with the factory open sights but later had it drilled and tapped for a scope. I had a number of cheap scopes on it but my favorite was a 6-18x store brand I think may have been made by Tasco. That scope sat atop that gun for nearly two decades before replacing it with a cheap 2.5-10x BSA. I haven't shot anything but ground squirrels, starlings, and rabbits with it so far.

Other rimfires I have used have been a Marlin 39A with factory sights and a Bushnell 3-9x Legend scope, a Ruger 10/22 with 4-12x Burris, a Browning Buckmark with 2x Leupold, a couple different Ruger Single-Sixes with either 22 LR or 22 mag cylinders, and a High Standard Supermatic Trophy.

Ammo most commonly used was whatever 22 LR I had on hand. Most often it was high velocity Federal or Remington in either hollow point or round nose. Ammo choice hasn't changed much though the 10/22, Buckmark, and High Standard are fed target or standard velocity ammo more often as they do shoot that better. CCI and Eley are most often used today, back in the day it was Wolf.

At first glance, I thought the rifle was a Bronco made by Garcia back in the '60s.

First off let me say that I admire your stealth for being able to see one sitting still long enough to draw a bead on the bird. I usually blunder my way through the woods until they explode at my feet and scare the chit out of me. That said are you sure that offing one with a rifle is even legal in your state? Our DNR would hang you by the thumbs if they caught you with a grouse with a bullet hole in it. We can't use a rifle for any game bird in Wisconsin. They are just such a neat bird that it just seems fitting that they meet their end in front of a german short hair and a load of 71/2's out of a classic double.

Some states let you hunt grouse with rifles including my state of Idaho. Here is a quote from the Idaho Fish and Game website in answer to a question on whether it is legal to hunt grouse with a .22 instead of shotgun:

"Forest grouse represent an exception to the rules governing hunting of most game birds. Forest grouse may be taken legally with shot, rimfire, centerfire or muzzleloading firearms as well as with bow and arrow. Rocks and sticks are allowed for forest grouse. Unlawful are traps, snares, nets and crossbows. Air rifles and pellet guns are not legal. The reason for the liberal rules about taking forest grouse is that the birds are traditional camp food for big game hunters. Big game hunters often do not want to fire a loud firearm in their hunt area." https://idfg.idaho.gov/question/can-i-legally-use-22-shoot-forest-grouse-or-it-shotgun-only