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Joined: 03 Sep 2013 Posts: 30 Location: Central Florida

What have you guys found to be the most effective on crows? I see online everyone goes from #4 shot full coke to #8 shot IC and everything else in between!

Joined: 20 Nov 2008 Posts: 171 Location: VA

My Granny used the No. 6 high power 20 gauge shells Pa always bought her for that bold action Mossberg - Poly Choked to x-full.

Worked well at +/-30 yards, from the bathroom window, because Pa said she couldn't kill the crow messing up her garden.

Also helped Pa out a little bit, as he was in the other bathroom and unaware of the impending "BOOM!" Laughing

m12 3'' mag with SX filler loads of 2's - way out there ! or... some of the 20/28 loads in 16ga 7/8 that some of the guys posted in 2.5 cases are the better way . 1350 + loads in moderate pressure range are the bomb for reaching out . Start with 7.5's .

Member Joined: 02 Jan 2008 Posts: 451 Location: La-Tx

It's crows. I use whatever I can get the best price on but also I don't buy anything smaller than 7 1/2 shot.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

2nd that

Member Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 1863 Location: Wisconsin

1 oz. of sixes in the open barrel to 25 yards and 1.125 of fives in the left Mod barrel. Reno

Crows are similar in size to pigeons and aren't all that tough to kill if you can get close enough to hit them. They are too damned smart to let you do that more than once. #7 shot should drop them out as far as you can hit them. Make the first shots count. that's all you will get. Very Happy

I prefer a .222 w/50 gr. V-Max or SX reloads. Smile

The few I've dropped with a shot gun have typically been with 1 or 1 1/8 oz. of 7 1/2s. I've never tried to call them in much, just happen to be in the right place at the right time while quail or pheasant hunting.

In my experience, they are not hard to kill. A TIGHT PATTERNING 1 oz. of load of #6's should do the job. By way of illustration: The last one I brought down was this December. Mr. Crow was flying at about 35 yds. (I paced it off) and offered a crossing shot. My 16 CZ Bob White was loaded with Rio 1 1/8 -6 loads. I hit him with the right barrel and tried to hit him again with the left as he was calling May Day! May Day! on the way down.

He had quite a bit of life left in him when the dogs found him. He put up a spirited resistance and the long sharp beak made them decide he was not the kind of bird they wanted to retrieve.

The right barrel of my CZ is marked "Imp Cyl", but it mostly patterns Skeet. That would explain why the crow wasn't KIA in the air. My patterning shows that 35 yds is just about the limit for most loads with this barrel, especially the Rios.

Had I been using one of my cache of old Super-X 1 oz or 1 1/8-6's the pattern would have been tight enough to have "settled his hash". They pattern one choke degree better than the barrel marking.

Member Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 1863 Location: Wisconsin

.222 is my favorite calibre. Reno

Reno, what brand are using for a .222? I now have a CZ527 American. I don't shoot prairie dogs anymore, so I don't have much need of a heavy barrel rifle. I like the CZ for it's portability. It is a MOA shooter with some handloads.

Member Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 1863 Location: Wisconsin

When I use one, it's an old savage that has a drop clip and a bad trigger. I had a CZ with a European stock, which was a bad idea. I had to use really tall mounts for the scope, and had a hard time acquiring a moving target when I swung the gun up. Wish I had had the American stock because I love the drop magazine and the set trigger. For many years I shot this calibre in a Remington 700 that had a floating barrel and a custom trigger. My uncle trashed it and I traded it for my rainy day gobbler gun.

I now shoot a .22 Hornet Ruger 77 Teflon coated stainless. The .222 savage is still on the farm down south. It shoots anything you feed it. It's an armadillo/coyote/ occasional deer rifle, ugly and cheap enough to ride the tractor when the cows get fed.

Reno

About 1965, I ordered a Springfield 840 .222 with a scope package out of the (believe or not) J.C. Penney catalog. I think I paid something like $80 for it. I shot a lot of prairie dogs with it during and after my high school years. For a brief time, I sold it to my brother who gave it back. My son has had it for a while. The scope was a Japanese made optic of good quality. I still use it on a .300 Savage custom Mauser. For the money, the 340/840 guns were good shooters. Guess I kind of hi jacked the post. Embarassed

Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 63 Location: N E OHIO

Just finished up crow season here a couple weeks ago.

I was burning up some old paper Remingtons.

I use whatever I can get on the cheap anything between 5's and 7 1/2.
Here's some old Victors and Ted Williams'

Benjo

It pays to look in gun stores for obsolete 16 ga loads. I have found two boxes of the old Super-X ammo in two different stores in the past four months or so. I think I paid $10 for one box. In my guns, the old Super-X has always patterned the best. Plus, I get the empties to reload.

Member Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 1863 Location: Wisconsin

I loved those old super x paper shells. I killed my first gobbler with a 2.75" 12 ga. paper load of #6's; seems like the powder smelled different too.

Reno