It's a slow time of year so I thought I would start a poll of sorts, what shotguns have you used to shoot crows from crow #1 to present day? My list follows:
Stevens 12ga external hammer sgl barrel
Remington 870 12ga
Remington 1100 12ga
Ithaca 51 12ga auto
Parker Bros. doubles, various guns various grades, 10ga, 12ga and 20ga
Remington 1900 12ga double
Remington 1894 10ga double
Stevens 20ga double
Baker 12ga double
Fox Sterlingworth double 12ga
Remington Model 17 pump 20ga
Charles Daly (Miroku) O/U 20ga
Lefever 10ga double
Browning BPS 10ga pump
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Thursday 5th of May 2016 08:04:46 AM
Great topic, being still fairly new to the sport I have only used a Winchester Mod. 1400 mk 2 and am currently using a Remington Versa Max both 12ga. But in the near future I will open the safe and use some from earlier years hopefully.
Fun topic, NH... Here are some (shotguns, rifles and handguns) I have used in this pursuit:
Remington 870 20 gauge
Winchester M12 in 20 gauge (full choke, all original)
Remington Model 11 in 12 gauge
Ithaca SXS Model 100 20 gauge
Winchester Model 70 in .22 K-Hornet
US Springfield M1922 Training Rifle in .22LR
Remington 1100 Skeet in 12 gauge
Remington 870 in 12 gauge
Remington 700 in .22-250
Browning A5 in 12 gauge
Browning BPS in 12 gauge
Beretta 390 in 12 gauge
Winchester 9410 in .410 bore
Beretta 391 in 12 gauge
Browning Gold Hunter in 12 gauge
TC Contender in .410 bore (10 inch barrel)
Volquartsen Rifle in .22LR
Browning Gold Hunter in 10 gauge
SKB Model 785 in 28 gauge
Winchester Model 42 in .410 bore
S&W 617 revolver in .22LR
Winchester M12 Skeet in 20 gauge (Cutts Compensator)
Volquartsen Rifle in .17M2
Winchester Model 37 in 16 gauge
Browning Maxus in 12 gauge
Volquartsen Rifle in .17HMR
Benelli M4 in 12 gauge
Browning T-Bolt in .22LR
I am sure I am missing some, but this list is fairly complete. I do have a personal goal to take a crow with my Bond Arm derringer in .45 Colt/.410. One will land in a tree over me some day and I will give it a go.
I like all of these guns (Parkers and Foxes, wow!) you boys have employed. One I want to snag one day is the Remington 31 that Bob A. mentioned. With the "ball bearing" smooth action!
However, I am not in the same league as most of you more refined crow busters.
* Stevens Hammered single shot 20ga * Rem 11-87 SP in 12ga * Winchester Super X2 in 12ga * Rem 870 SuperMag in 12ga * Browning Maxus in 12ga. Credit goes to Gadget Bob on this one, he was kind enough to let me shoot a few birds with his fine weapon a few years back.
BH
-- Edited by Big Honkers on Monday 9th of May 2016 04:39:14 AM
Winchester mode 12 12ga (no poly)
Winchester 1300 12ga
Remington 870 wingmaster 20 ga
Remington custom 6mm ppc
Remington 22-250
Benelli M2 12ga
I may have missed a few.
Crows have been targets of opportunity for the most part so shot with whatever gun was at hand.
Everything from .17mach2 rifle to 10ga shotgun to .22 handgun.
When I've set up a blind w/decoys it's either a Winchester mod 12 or Lefever SXS both in 16ga or a combination of the two.
Traded for an original Marlin lever action .410 and a case of 2-1/2" .410 ammo that I intend to try some day.
While assigned to the National Training Center, 86-90, I spent a LOT OF TIME in the Mojave Desert (The High Desert™) assisting in the training efforts of field artillery (surprise) units. Due to the increased troop activity in that location over the years, the local crow and raven population had increased exponentially, as they had quickly learned to follow units around because feeding operations (remember “mess halls?”) produced a considerable amount of yummy trash that was left behind as the units moved—to be picked up later.
As a trainer (known as OCs – “Observer-Controller”), my equipment included being “armed” with one of these archaic 37mm “Pyro Pistols” which fired “star shells” or much more fun--air-burst rounds--to simulate incoming enemy artillery or mortars. It didn’t take me and my partners long to figure out that crows and ravens (illegal to shoot at in CA—but nobody was watching) would be a challenge to hit either on the ground or in the air with an air burst round. Not only would a proper lead need to be taken, but the range of the air burst (about 50-80 yards), down range, also needed to be taken into consideration. Bottom line—I don’t think I ever killed one (maybe) but it was satisfying then (and now) to know that we were annoying the hell out of them. Besides, they had also learned to eat the highly-protected desert tortoise hatchlings which had very soft shells—perfect crow hors’dourves—so we were doing the tortoise population a big favor as well. So, yes, this is one of the “guns” that I used to “hunt” crows.
Afterthought:
I knew I had one of these in the garage, but just found it. This is one of the 37mm Airburst “hulls.” It loaded exactly like a single-barrel shotgun. The protocol for firing this pistol was to (1) wear gloves (2) fire it above your head (wearing the helmet and driving goggles—remember those plastic-lensed “driving” goggles? Real protective…not!), looking downward, just in case (a) the pistol malfunctioned and blew apart (remember, these were really old) and (b) in case one of the shells malfunctioned and you had an in-bore detonation or it burst a foot or two or twenty feet from the muzzle (darn--those embarrassing premature detonations!). But, one had to ignore the precautions to take potshots at the crows. It was worth it.
-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Friday 13th of May 2016 04:36:34 PM
First crow I killed was with an 870 Express. But Ive used Beretta 686 SPI Sporting and plan to use my 11-87 once I get a new 30" barrel. Oh and my Remington .223 SPS Varmint
I recently added a 30" 11-87 Special Purpose. I rescued this poor girl from someone who painted her covering the natural beautiful wood.
-- Edited by Lefty2Barrels on Tuesday 24th of January 2017 10:53:40 PM
Let's see, there was a model 12 12 GA, A model 12 20 (Istill like to shoot once in a while), an A5 12 light, and currently a Model 870 in 20 GA. Almost forgot, a 12 GA single shot the brand of which I don't recall. It was originally my squirrel gun.
Hey I jumped in on this to see if any of you have tried any of the new Inertia guns coming out since Benellie's patent expired. I've picked up two in the last couple weeks a Stevens 212 (Shot a few geese with it) and then I found a Dickens with a 30" barrel so I ordered that to. Like some of the other comments, I use benellie, Remington, Browning, Mossberge, and Stoeger to. My almost favorite though is a couple old charles daly's , but I keep breaking them. I used the 3" this last weekend and the bolt handle broke again and the 3.5" haven't figured out what's wrong yet. Anyway looking forward to trying these new players.
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Stoeger Condor 12g O/U is the only gun I've "hunted" and killed crows with. But I've killed 1 for sure and maybe others that werent DRT but probably eventually died with a Marlin 795 .22lr. Oh and I can't forgot to 400yd or so shot I took with my Smith and Wesson M&P AR in .223 haha right off my porch the wife didn't think I could do it, proved her wrong.
-- Edited by JTNorthArk on Tuesday 24th of January 2017 05:48:27 PM
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I cannot touch a one of you but here goes anyways...
Remington 870 (Police Model "riot" gun-the best for me...) 20 inch barrel...
Stoeger Arms IGA double "Mad Max" I nicknamed it...overland hammers style and enclosed...
Ithaca Featherlight model 37...all 12 gauges....
The longest runner was the Winchester Model 1200 which I strongly suspect was designed for game birds...it had lousy balance..you could tell..it was clearly inferior to the aforementioned...(probably designed for wood **** and or bobwhite quail?)
REmiingtton 1100..what a gun!
Breda 3 shot....
Browning field model BPS....
REmington 11-87 "tomato stake" as nicknamed by NH Crowshooter..man that was funny! I think it was a super magnum 11-87....
I used a mossberg bolt action poly choke .410 once... it stunk! Not good for anything but empty coke bottles at the time...and even then it was marginal!
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