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67L48
PostPosted: Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:29 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jan 2009
Posts: 9

I've done some online searching, but it's tough to find good advice because most people speak in terms of 3"+ 12 ga loads. Probably most of the advice translates decently to 16 ga platforms, but I'm not sure.

I just moved out to the country onto some acreage and am looking to dust off my old 16 gauge BPS. Mainly, it will be used for raccoons (though people mainly hunt big game with shotguns out here -- different topic, though). My brother hasn't had very good luck with .22 LR and uses an AR chambered in .223. I don't have that option and am not wild about the reach of that cartridge, anyway.

My shots would be well within 100 yds and most would be within 50 yds. I had a preference for buckshot, but the Federal #1 Buckshot loads are nowhere to be found. So, would #4 shot be heavy enough to efficiently take down an adult raccoon? I want one-shot kills and, providing the aim is good, don't want wounded animals.

Thanks for the advice.

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beretta_shooter916
PostPosted: Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:33 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 05 Oct 2020
Posts: 6
Location: St Clair Shores, MI

Ive killed a lot of coons with my .17 hmr
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kennedy756
PostPosted: Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:50 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 30 Sep 2015
Posts: 637
Location: NEW SALISBURY INDIANA

Last year we had 8 coons bothering our chickens at nite, we have cameras set up, anyway caught them in a live trap using a chicken leg as bait and finished them off with a 22 mag in my colt revolver.

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Jim Atlas
PostPosted: Sat Mar 26, 2022 5:52 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 25 Mar 2013
Posts: 36
Location: Southern Michigan

I've always used a marlin 60 for coons. Buck seems like way overkill to me--it's just a coon. Try #4 shot and see what happens.
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Dave in Maine
PostPosted: Sat Mar 26, 2022 5:59 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 12 Sep 2010
Posts: 1972
Location: Maine

You should be able to find some light (#1 or #4) buck at the gun show(s) near your home. There's always old ammo available, sometimes for a decent price.

If you can get lead #2 or #4 birdshot, that should do for raccoons. #2 lead would do double duty for coyotes.

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Riflemeister
PostPosted: Sat Mar 26, 2022 7:23 pm  Reply with quote
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I've found 16 ga Fiocchi Golden Pheasant #6 works great on the porcupines I've encountered out west while bird hunting. It should do a good job on racoons too.

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fn16ga
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 5:24 am  Reply with quote
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Riflemeister wrote:
I've found 16 ga Fiocchi Golden Pheasant #6 works great on the porcupines I've encountered out west while bird hunting. It should do a good job on racoons too.


+1 I would think any #5 or #6 load should work just fine on coons especially if you head shoot them .
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Charlie16ga
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 6:01 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 924
Location: Eastern Tennessee

Trash pandas…..are we talking about saving the meat and fur?

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MSM2019
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 6:37 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 04 Mar 2019
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Location: Central ND

After my GSP was bitten by a raccoon with rabies, and I ended up having to take the full series of rabies shots, I have no use for the bas*****, 2 1/4 oz. of #4's, a hand grenade, mortar or an ICBM.

I killed the one that bit my dog with an 1 1/8 oz. of 6's at a range of about 18".

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67L48
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 10:35 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jan 2009
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beretta_shooter916 wrote:
Ive killed a lot of coons with my .17 hmr


kennedy756 wrote:
[...] finished them off with a 22 mag in my colt revolver.

Odd responses. Not sure exactly how to feed rimfire cartridges into my 16 gauge shotgun, but I can give it a try, I suppose.

Dave in Maine wrote:
You should be able to find some light (#1 or #4) buck at the gun show(s) near your home. There's always old ammo available, sometimes for a decent price.

If you can get lead #2 or #4 birdshot, that should do for raccoons. #2 lead would do double duty for coyotes.

No gun shows out where I live. I don't think there were ever any #4 buckshot factory shells ... I've only seen #1 buckshot, but I certainly haven't seen everything life has to offer. For buckshot, since I'm not a reloader, I think I'm stuck waiting for Federal to crank out another batch.

I'll try #4 and #2 shot. I have some #4. I'll see if I can find #2 anywhere. 16 gauge shells are getting harder and harder to find. Cabelas/Bass doesn't even list it anymore.

Thanks for the other replies. I've read a lot about #6 working with raccoons, but it just seems light to me. I'm probably wrong. In any case, I'm not looking for fur or meat (and I don't really enjoy killing small animals) ... just trying to protect some other animals I have on my property and the property itself from destructive raccoons (and opossums).

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robp
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 6:02 pm  Reply with quote
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If you can't find any 2s I may be able to spare a pound or 2
I would buffer them so they shoot tight


Last edited by robp on Mon Mar 28, 2022 5:56 am; edited 1 time in total
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Old colonel2
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 8:09 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 07 Jun 2020
Posts: 224

#4 buck, for raccoons and people too.
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AmericanMeet
PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 10:42 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 3172
Location: NCWa

Can't help you much here as all the raccoons that I've shot were treed by hounds and were facing the spotlight. For those a 22 hollow point was effective. at a distance of sever yards in the open, you are probably on the right track with #4 Buck.
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fn16ga
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2022 3:40 am  Reply with quote
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Buckshot is overkill for coons , 4-6 shot will do just fine .

If you want save the meat and hide shoot them in the head with a 22lr .

Either way don't over think it , it is pretty dam simple.
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putz463
PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2022 3:54 am  Reply with quote
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Foolish question; do you reload? robp's suggestion makes good sense, open up some factory shells and swap the pellets or start from scratch. Even if you don't reload prying open a factory crimp just enough to swap the pellets then should be able to close the crimp by pressing down with a dowel rod or the like then some nail polish crimp seal for cheap insurance. IMO, much beyond 40+y pellets of any size is going to be a bit of hail Mary on essentially a <1 square foot target that is as tough as shoe leather, maybe slugs. Watched the Nephew hit one ~35y w/20ga slug, only movement was ~15' straight down from a tree limb.

https://ammoseek.com/ammo/16-gauge?ss=slug

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