Thread: Shotgun on Goats

We used to shoot pigs on a pine block growing up with 00 buckshot. Max range was 40mtrs,very effective if you hit them in the shoulder, head/neck area. We would encounter them when spotlighting for bunnies and possums. The dairy farmer was happy as one winter we took 50 pigs. Lots of fun for 17yr olds.

Almost any centerfire rifle caliber will be better
Something around 243
Shotguns can and will but it's messy and slow deaths
They are just too inconsistent and it sounds like you want to shoot more than one.
You really need to be really close to see the effectiveness with 12g
It will mean you'll have to pass up shots that would be piss easy with a rifle

from a chopper in search n destroy by DOC and will go up as more S&D happening as numbers creep up...thar are shot same way,many a big bull has been recovered with 00 in its body somewhere.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

from a chopper in search n destroy by DOC and will go up as more S&D happening as numbers creep up...thar are shot same way,many a big bull has been recovered with 00 in its body somewhere.

Actually more than 10 years – prob more like 20. They using on Tahr too ??

Originally Posted by Sarvo

Actually more than 10 years – prob more like 20. They using on Tahr too ??

surely do...article in R&R mag a while back was "the buckshot bull" has buckshot embedded in horn from memory.

I've used a semi with 00 buckshot on pigs out to 40 metres - devastating is all I can say. Would happily use it again given the opportunity. And many years beck Graham Henry did a test fire for the Rod and Rifle, using 12g slugs, rifled barrels, rifled chokes etc. He shot many 3" groups at 100, off the bench, and was happy to use slugs on deer to 150 metres. Obviously best results were with a fully rifled slug barrel, but the rifled chokes were very very close to the 3". The best slugs were the saboted ones.

I don't like the idea of using anything smaller than a slug on an animal larger than a hare, but that's just me. I have no experience of such things. What's the benefit of a shotgun with a rifled barrel over a rifle?

Originally Posted by MB

What's the benefit of a shotgun with a rifled barrel over a rifle?

The amount of lead that makes things dead.

Close range buck shot is very effective
Im talking 25m though

I've heard that some rifles make things dead too, but fair enough.

To me, the important thing is a clean kill, even on pests. Any decision should have that as a baseline.

.357 mag lever gun gets the job done, .44 mag for that matter. I tend to find getting close to goats is a problem where I've gone, but 00 buck gets the job done within 30m with a tight choke. To be fair slugs are what I'd consider as they can be pretty accurate even out of a smooth barrel cylinder bore. My mossberg is reliably accurate with quality slugs. There are some Italian rounds called target slugs that are cheap and reasonably good about $35 for 25 that I buy from Wills Outfitters in Kumeu.

Id see whats available in semi or lever 22mag or ill thin them out for you

As you mentioned neighboring properties and safe back drops buck shot seems sensible. I have shot hundreds of pigs and goats with it. Just pattern your gun starting at 25 yards and go up from there, what ever range it still throws a decent pattern out to is the range you stick with. Sometimes modified choke throws better patterns than say full so try a couple of chokes.
Before mag extensions became a prohibited item one could sneak right into the middle of a mob of goats and often there wouldn't be many that got away.