I have a friend who lives in the country. His wife has had several close encounters of the "critter" kind. He is not gun-savvy (by his own admission). He asked my opinion about buying her a .22 rifle to deal with future critter incursions. I cautioned him about bullet carry (they do have neighbors) and suggested a .410 as an alternative. She would probably have a better chance of hitting her target and less of a chance of hitting, well, a "non-target".
I welcome any comments on my recommendation as well as specific model choices.
I think I would go with at least a 20 gauge, if not a 12 gauge. .410 is just too small for my liking. With 12 or 20 gauge you can get a wide selection of loads for many different purposes. They would just be a lot more versatile.
I'd look for a good 20 ga. youth model. A .410 is a false sense of security - what if the noise doesn't do it (the shot probably won't)? A 20 will end the conversation with reduced recoil and predictable results. You can add a recoil pad and pick the right ammo to go with it.
The Mossberg .410 HD is a neat and handy little gun. The wife uses it as her preferred HD long arm. There are a lot of them around my area used. For somebody not dedicated enough for a pump though, how about one of the H&R single shots? Can't get much simpler than that and they sell for less than $90 around here used.
The Mossberg .410 HD is a neat and handy little gun. The wife uses it as her preferred HD long arm. There are a lot of them around my area used. For somebody not dedicated enough for a pump though, how about one of the H&R single shots? Can't get much simpler than that and they sell for less than $90 around here used.
+1 with Superhouse. A Mossberg .410 pump or a single shot is good for critter control around the homestead. Just keep several different shot sizes for the critter at hand. The recoil of the .410 will be a lot less on your friends wifes' shoulder than a 12 ga.
I have a old Stevens .22 - 410 that I think a lot of as a critter gun. Over under with .22LR upper and .410 down below.
Later on Savage (who bought out Stevens) also made this gun in same 22/410 configuration later on as the Model 24 and made it also in .22 and 22mag over 20 gauge, 30-30 over 12 guage and some other various configurations. Including the 24C model with ammo storage in the butt stock.
This is a great choice for versatile critter gun plus for a survival or camp meat gun.
These were the precursors to survival models and used as such early on.
A 12 gauge with trap loads should do the job - my little sister shot a couple rounds when she was 12 and never complained. The recoil isn't bad, and ammo is easier to find (Wal-Mart). I would get a pump just because they are cheap and easy to find.
Thank you everyone. I'll share your feedback with my friend and let you guys know what he and his wife decide to do.
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