Who's harvested small game with reduced loads?

[kawasakifreak77]

I've always been enamoured with reduced rifle loads to fill the pot while camping. I've read probably a hundred articles on the subject & made up a handful or two over the years in the grand ole '06, 30-30 & recently my blackout relatively successfully.

I've never gotten to use them on small game however. I don't get to hunt a lot & when I do, most likely I've got my trusty single barrel shotgun for birds with me. Quail is about all I get to hunt nowadays, maybe the occasional bunny between camp & the fields.

So I'd like to hear some tales from dudes that have actually 'been there, done that'.

What rifle / load works for ya & what'd ya bag with it?

Excited to hear the campfire stories!

[Blanket]

I have shot a bunch of squirrel, rabbit and grouse with a Obuck in a 30-06 over a little Unique. Need to drill out the flashholes and mark the cases so they don't get used for full power loads

[s mac]

My single shot 308 Win is my favorite squirrel rifle since 22 LR became scarce. 120 gr RN over a pinch of Promo. Ditto to what Blanket said for case prep.

[Outpost75]

I've used 115-grain #3118, seated to crimp in the top lube groove of a .30-30 case, with 4 grains of Bullseye, as a small game load for 40 years. My father and grandfather, who was a Maine guide, did so before me.

With rimmed cases you don't need to be concerned with primer blast shoving theshoulder back, so there is no need to enlarge flash holes or segregate cases.

Reduced load in. 30-30 case is more accurate than using. 32 ACP or. 32 S&W rounds in the Marbles adapter, which I have also done.

Both are more effective on larger animals, such as coyotes, than. 22 LR.

[kawasakifreak77]

Rimmex cases?

I had a doll of a reduced load in 30-30 using .32 S&W SWCs passed down to me over a few grains of green dot but for some reason the load impacted several inches to the left at only 25 meters. Not wanting to regulate the sights to it, effectively rendering the rifle useless at longer ranges with full power loads, I shot them all up one day & put the cases back in their coffee can.

[Wolfer]

I've always found this stuff interesting but since I carry a pistol always when I'm huntin I've always used it for camp meat.
Mostly grouse when elk hunting.

[bruce drake]

6gr of Red Dot in a 303 Brit with a Hornady 100gr .312 HXP Hollowpoint...Devastating on small game. Use the 300 yard sight settings for out to 100 yards.

[ammohead]

.375 round balls sized first .357 then .349. Seated over 9 gr of bullseye in a 348 win case and fired in my model 71 flattens jack rabbits.

[MaLar]

I use my B92 in 357 mag for rabbits and fools hens here in Idaho.
I like to tell the boys I shot a handful of fools hen with my 357. They laugh with the idea that I blow them up with a "357" thinking I'm using a handgun. I just tell them if you hit them in the head it doesn't do any damage. They just look at me incredulously, I just smile. Favorite load is any 357 case and a 158 grn round nose cast bullet over 6 grns of Unique. This is my plinking round.
LaMar

[35remington]

I've used a lot of reduced loads on small game. Here I'm looking for not so much "devastating" as clean killing without damaged meat. Most centerfire rifles allow reduced loads with fast powder that are a step above .22 long rifles in terms of killing power without any bloodshot meat spoiling the party.

Most recently we've had great fun with 3.0 grains Red Dot in a .308 Marlin boltgun using the Lyman 313492 wadcutter (90 grains) for about 975 fps over the chronograph. Most times I've had poor luck getting wadcutters to shoot in most centerfire rifles in the 35 calibers but this little wadcutter for 32 revolvers and 30 rifles has been a sweetheart, averaging around 1 inch groups or even a bit less for multiple groups of five shots at 50 yards. It may be that the front section measuring .302" rather than full diameter may be helping, as this is a "semiwadcutter wadcutter" (type 3).

The bullet is seated in the case with only a little of the forward section peeking out. The rifle must be loaded one at a time as these will not feed smoothly but that's no big deal. I hunt with single shots a lot already anyway.

[histed]

Since .22 mag dried up, I've been using a 50gr jword (don't cast for rifles yet) over 7 gr of Blue Dot in my .223. Turns it into a .22 mag and works well on everything up to turkeys at .22 mag ranges (for me, that's 100 yards max) Want to try 000 buck in my 30-30 next.

[Outpost75]

Rimmex cases?.

Small keypad on Android. Fixed.Thx.

[Blanket]

Just FYI I pour beeswax in a pan about an 1/8 deep and after charging the case push it up into the wax to make a wad under the ball. It works for me out of my old Springfield

[MT Gianni]

Rabbits and grouse with 32 Long, 32 H&R, 38 special, 357 reduced loads, 44 special, 45 colt and I don't remember if the 44 mag has been involved with harvesting, shooting jacks yes but I left them for the coyotes.

[TXGunNut]

Never harvested small game with a reduced load but I can see the attraction. I now have a small game rifle and I'm looking forward to toting it afield for rabbits, turkeys and maybe a little pig for camp meat.

[str8shot426]

It's funny I come across this thread. I took this menacing racoon tonight on my porch. With a 105 lee over 3.0 gr. BE from a 38 special.

[sthwestvictoria]

I have used the Lee TL-90-314-SWC sized to .311 over 7.0grains TrailBoss in the 30-30 for two rabbits at 20-40 metres from a Win 1894. Very effective humane kill albeit ruins the forequarters if it is not a head shot. This load chronographs at 1400fps

[gds]

this past season hunting with my AAC model 7 in 300 blk. for deer using a NOE 247gr with a 3/4 inch deep 1/8 diameter hollow point using the forster jig and a 1/8 drill bit. for squirrel, rabbit, and even 1 coon I used the lee 120gr with some trail boss and used the forster jig with supplied bit to hollow point them. Very very effective. more then 20 tree rats fell to this combo. as well as a few taken with the NOE boolit.

[Bullshop Junior]

I used to carry a handful of loaded down 30/06 in my pocket when out moose hunting for the unfortunate grouse or squirrel that came across my path. I had a grouse come out i front of me once, and reached into the wrong pocket and loaded up a 150gn hornady Vmax instead of my 130gn cast. Cast load hit three inches high, so I aimed dead on the chest to try and hit him the head....after that I bought a Ruger single six...

[Bullshop]

Jr. remember our deal? I don't want to embarrass you Son but it is a fond memory for me.
Remember the contender carbine in 22 hornet with a cast boolit load. I told you I would take you hunting when you could hit a quarter size dot with every shot off hand at about 25 yards.
Some weeks later you came and told me you were ready and I said show me. You did show me and indeed you were ready so we went hunting. On you first shot at game you shot the head off a snowshoe hare.
I still have in my shop a pic of you at about the same age holding up another snowshoe also head shot with one hand and holding the old Marlin 94 in 32/20 with the other. Its a favorite pic that generates the fondest of memories for me.