Small centrefire caliber that will keep rabbits whole

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Small centrefire caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by joojoobeans » 21 Oct 2014, 8:02 am

Are rimfire rifles the only option to keep rabbits whole?

If you did minimum loads with the lightest pills with small rifle calibres like .223 Rem or .204 Ruger can you get them soft enough to keep the rabbit pretty much whole or are they still just too powerful and blow 'em apart?

Thanks guys.

Edited: My original title "Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole" didn't say what I was trying to ask. Sorry.
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Shotfox » 21 Oct 2014, 8:32 am

You could choose an air rifle calibre or a subsonic .22 . It depends where you shoot them as head shots are the prefrence and if you are a crack shot you could use a 50 cal.
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Pilch » 21 Oct 2014, 12:26 pm

:lol: .50 cal might still be pushing it with a headshot I think :P
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Shotfox » 21 Oct 2014, 12:37 pm

Pilch wrote::lol: .50 cal might still be pushing it with a headshot I think :P


Mabey so but think of the fun element
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by 1290 » 21 Oct 2014, 12:49 pm

12g.

I've shot most rabbits with the shotty....a few with a 22, none with a 223Rem...

Shotty doesnt mess them up if you use the appropriate shot size and theyre not at your feet when you shoot them. Also not many pellets to remove.....
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Aussier » 21 Oct 2014, 1:12 pm

You wouldn't have to shoot rimfire, it would be doable with centre fire cartridges, any of the lower velocity ones e.g. 17 Rem, 22 Hornet... .204 Ruger, .223 is getting up there though.

I'd draw the line there though. Past that cartridges like .220 swift, 22-250 and up are going to do too much damage.

A clean head shot with any of the first ones mentioned would work.
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by joojoobeans » 21 Oct 2014, 2:49 pm

1290 wrote:12g.

I've shot most rabbits with the shotty....a few with a 22, none with a 223Rem...


Shotty is heavier recoil that I really want if I'm honest.

Thanks for the answer though, and all others. It's coming together.
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by tom604 » 21 Oct 2014, 3:21 pm

head shot and if your really good just the top of the head :o as a neck shot with a 223 will still bruise the meat if thats what your after, haven't tried light pills and reduced charge :)
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Baronvonrort » 21 Oct 2014, 3:28 pm

It depends on the distance, if doing it at longer range >120m then maybe a 223 is better than 22lr.

I always try for headshots with rabbits mainly with 22lr.

I thought about minimum loads for the .243 so i could forget about carrying a .223, the start loads for a .243 with 55 gr pill give around 3650fps
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by joojoobeans » 22 Oct 2014, 8:21 am

Distance is part of it.

I don't want to be limited buy the range of a .22lr or 22mag. But it'll be useless if I go with a further reaching rifle that blows them apart.

This is what I'm working out.
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Bennybigbores » 22 Oct 2014, 11:42 am

Head shot fmj any cal. Or buy one of my ferrets and $30 worth of nets, fresh clean unbruised rabbits on tap any time of day, or leave the nets at home and shotgun much more fun much less meat
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by AusC » 22 Oct 2014, 1:00 pm

Are you losing many of your ferrets, Benny?

I know nothing about ferreting warrens, I ask as a mate has had a few stabs at it back in the day and lost a few ferrets in the process.

We assumed they thought they'd struck gold and just decide not to come out. Eventually he had to go of course and leave them...

Is losing the occasional one par for the course or was he doing something wrong?
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Bennybigbores » 22 Oct 2014, 4:10 pm

ive been lucky only lost two in 20 years of ferreting, patience is the key, but I'd avoid burrows joining onto wombat burrows wombats will crush and kill them, I've smoked mine out after waiting an hr, best tip I got was buy a cheap possum cage type trap put one of their rags in it and some food and leave it overnight if you have to, has worked for me 1/2 a dozen times so far, and always give them a little food before putting them down the hole and avoid rabbit breedingbirthing season they will much kitten rabbits allday before they have a nap underground now that's painful, sandy burrows can be troublesome too can collapse when they get thumping, and lastly it ain't alway rabbits coming outI've had feral cats roaring out and more than my share of snakes
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by bigfellascott » 22 Oct 2014, 7:28 pm

Just stick to the 22 mate, by far the best rabbit cal out there when it comes to eating em. Poke em in the head for best results.

Cheap to run too and the rifles can be bought fairly cheaply too.
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Westy » 22 Oct 2014, 8:55 pm

As kids we would train ours to come to the rattle!!!!Had a can with a couple of stones in it and when we rattled they would 90% of the time come to the rattle for a feed. As Benny has said when they find kittens it's a different thing, at that point we would block all the holes on the warren and come back the next day and always they were there waiting for you !!!!But that was 40 yrs. ago
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by North East » 22 Oct 2014, 9:25 pm

If you are looking at fairly long range shots I would go with .204 Ruger….the speed king.

But if you miss their head it's going to be splatter bunny.
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by MeccaOz » 22 Oct 2014, 9:42 pm

If it were me, I pretty much limit to shooting wabbits with a shotgun or a .22LR BUT like everyone else has stated it's a distance thing. I could be persuaded to do head shots with "powered down 223's, or headshots with a 22 Hornet ... But it really is headshot or splatter time. I have headshot a wabbit with a 308 ( it was giving me a nasty look, so I wasnt taking any chances ) yeahhhh nahhhhhh Not a good look lol.
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by North East » 22 Oct 2014, 10:00 pm

joojoobeans wrote:Distance is part of it.

I don't want to be limited buy the range of a .22lr or 22mag. But it'll be useless if I go with a further reaching rifle that blows them apart.

This is what I'm working out.


What you have here is called the tyranny of distance. A .22 just will not get out to the distances of the smaller center fires.

Besides it's only a rabbit. If I was shooting them for food a shotgun would be my preference and a good chance you can knock over a fox as well. Recoil can be reduced with different loads and after a while you will not notice it. But at least you will not have splatter bunnies like if you went down the risky center fire head shot route.

A .22 can only do so much.
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Oldbloke » 22 Oct 2014, 10:06 pm

Bennybigbores wrote:Head shot fmj any cal. Or buy one of my ferrets and $30 worth of nets, fresh clean unbruised rabbits on tap any time of day, or leave the nets at home and shotgun much more fun much less meat

Brings back memories of ne and Pop, many yrs ago. :D
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Oldbloke » 22 Oct 2014, 10:11 pm

Bennybigbores wrote:Head shot fmj any cal. Or buy one of my ferrets and $30 worth of nets, fresh clean unbruised rabbits on tap any time of day, or leave the nets at home and shotgun much more fun much less meat

Brings back memories of ne and Pop, many yrs ago. :D
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by Hennie Dreyer » 23 Oct 2014, 4:23 am

Shotfox wrote:You could choose an air rifle calibre or a subsonic .22 . It depends where you shoot them as head shots are the prefrence and if you are a crack shot you could use a 50 cal.


Honest and best answer imho
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by bigfellascott » 23 Oct 2014, 5:14 am

Hennie Dreyer wrote:
Shotfox wrote:You could choose an air rifle calibre or a subsonic .22 . It depends where you shoot them as head shots are the prefrence and if you are a crack shot you could use a 50 cal.


Honest and best answer imho


Bloody expensive bunnie bustin at $18-$20 a shot with the 50 cal! :lol: and ya wouldn't want to shoot em with it at long range with that banana like trajectory they have but having said that it would have to be my favourite cal to shoot, so much muzzle blast and pure knockdown power, just awesome to use :D
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Re: Small rifle caliber that will keep rabbits whole

Post by joojoobeans » 23 Oct 2014, 7:58 am

I've just realised I might have not been crystal clear when I posted this, I might have used the wrong terms?

When I said "small rifle" I meant like 22lr is rimfire, .223 is "small rifle" because it uses "small rifle primers", .308 is "large rifle" and so on.

The smallest centrefire rifle is what I should have said. Sorry. Updated title now.

Thanks for all answers still :)
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