raccoon problem

Unfortunately a cylinder bore will not get a pattern out to 35 yards unless you used those 00 LE flightcontrol wads. I think 2 and 4 lead are great for a raccoon size animal but they need at least a imp cylinder to get you out to 35 yards. People don't normally realize that 35 yards is further than they think. Heck hide in the bushes with the riot iron and ambush them up close, haha.
 
A .22 LR will kill a coon just fine. Shoot it in the head. I have killed several coons during daylight that were just not acting right, usually with whatever weapon was handy including a shovel. Killed one a couple weeks ago at a friends house and the only firearm he owns in an old .12 ga. bolt action, with a load of #6 at close range there was no pattern to speak of just a dead coon.
 
I live on a creek with permanent water that attracts racoons and am surrounded on 3 sides by a 6,000 acre ranch where no one hunts so over the years we have had huge problems with racoons. To add to this my wife constantly leaves food out on our porch for her cats so on any given night there can be up to 8 racoons feasting at our front door. Years back I found a "local" family that eats racoon as part of their regular diet and made a deal with the older male member of the clan. I have 4 "hav-a-hart" traps and set them out about once a week. I have caught as many as 6 racoons at a time with 2 at a time in one trap. I call the family and they promptly dispose of the critters. One year I caught 68 racoons. Be forewarned. If you catch a racoon and think you are going to drive it down the road and let it loose it has to be at least 3 miles away from your house. Otherwise they will make there way back to "their" territory and cause trouble all over again! :)
 
I'd go with the shot gun and you shouldn't need buck shot. I killed a raccoon on my lawn a few years back with my .410, number 6 shot at about 15 yards.
 
" A .22 is marginal for a 'coon but sufficient if hit right. "

huh? tell that to generations of coon hunters that use .22's in handguns and rifles.
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Re-read the "if hit right" part. A body shot is often not a stopper. A running coon moves faster than it appears and accurate head shots on a moving coon are very unlikely.
Once trapped I use a CB round from my Single Six to the brain.
 
Here's what you need to do..... first send up a flare to illuminate the area then hit him with the 00 buckshot followed by a round of fletchetts then set him on fire with a 12ga Dragons Breath before the fire goes out, run up and finish him off with your glock

I must not forget that I should also be getting a far greater price per head. Roughly 2-6 cents per round as opposed to the considerably intolerable approxamite 1 dollar per shotshell
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Dang I forgot about the price per head..........I would just shoot him with the .22 and bury him in the yard since the price of an average coon pelt isn't worth the time to skin & flesh them.
 
Double-door trap with Friskies salmon flavored cat food.

Trap has to be secured against tipping as does the cat-food tin to the trap floor to prevent tipping / sliding.

You can reuse the trap for decades and it also can be used for skunks, muskrat, ground hogs.

Simple single door rabbit / ground hog traps don't work so well on coons though, they're smart enough to work the latch.

It sounds though like you have your heart set on using a raccoon for test media for your shotgun.
 
A 12ga, 18" barrel with an open cylinder shooting steel bird shot would be effective on raccoons but at a much closer range than with a .22 rifle.

IF you MUST use a 12ga rifle and especially with an 18" barrel I'd strongly suggest using a modified choke for a tighter pattern. Shooting #4 shot would be advisable as well since you'll get more energy deliverance upon impact but it should still produce a good dense pattern. Of course this is also assuming you have no desire to sell the pelts. If pest disposal is all you want then with a shotgun this would probably be the best route.

That said I much prefer a rifle for the job. I use a .22lr (10/22) or a .22WMR (Savage) for killing raccoons and other varmints. Typically the .22lr is for out to 50yds and the .22wmr is for varmints out to 125yds. If they're within 25yds I use my Single Six loaded with 40gr HP .22WMR.

The cost of ammo (especially the ammo you described) is ridiculously high for just varminting. My guess is you're really going more for a "cool" factor and not so much an effectiveness factor. Really you should just try to dispose of the critters as quickly, cleanly and painlessly as possible. The rig you described is not quick, messy and most likely will result in a very painful death.

Also another thing - at 3 yrs old your dog should be well trained and know enough not to run off. Any (yes ANY) dog can be trained by the age of 18 months old to be obedient (in other words obeys all commands they're given) and also respect boundaries (as well as knowing the boundaries). By 3 yrs old the dog is a mature dog and is not too young to know any better. My wife's 5 month old puppy doesn't take off when let outside to do her business and she almost always comes to us on call. Just a couple more weeks of reinforcing the "here" command and she'll have a 100% recall. You shouldn't have to wait till they're 9 to be able to trust that they'll stay around the house.
 
well,,maybe i should just be quiet about the coon killin,,BUT here we go

just remember if you are going to use STEEL you are going to pick up a choke,,,SO if you are shooting an open barrel you could be at a loose modified choke,,at best and tight improved cylinder at worst

steel is one of those things we are all going to have to use in the future,, and i was never a steel guy until i went to a shooting seminar put on by the state here where i live,,man what an eye opener

the state furnished the shells and instructors,, all i had to bring was lunch and a shot gun,,,the gun i was shooting was an old double i have cut to 24" cylinder bore,,i used it for cowboy action when i was doing that a lot

they were throwing clays for us,,i was shooting steel 8's outa my ol double and grinding those birds to smoke,, the yardage varied from incoming at 20yrds to passing at 30-35,,,to out going at 40+,,,,this was the very first time i had ever used STEEL shot,,,i will tell ya i was really impressed,,all the BS i have heard went right out the door

this smaller shot size may or may not work for coons,,, BUT,, i would definitely get the biggest shot size in steel you can find,, i don't know much about steel shot sizes,,, but BB's should work just fine,,if you can get bigger stuff try a box of that

you should put it on a pattern board to see what your gun will do with it,,,once you see where it patterns and what the pattern looks like,, you will know if it will work or not,,,try it at 35yrds,,,i bet you will be surprised with steel,,i know i was

a .22 on a running coon,,,ya right,,,a body shot won't do it,,, i pick the scatter gun

MY .02 YMMV

ocharry
 
I haven't killed many coons with shotguns, but the ones I have fell to 5 or 6 shot in field loads.Works well up to 25 yards, maybe further.
 
Bird shot penetration

5's and 6's don't penetrate very good, even on gel tests. Regardless of how much you dislike these critters, they deserve a quick death. Dead Coyote T Heavy Shot rounds, #4 buck, #1 shot, 00 buck.
 
The following generalizations are typically used where waterfowling is concerned:

1) Steel shot patterns at least one choke tighter out of a fixed / non steel specific choke.

2) Choose two sizes larger that you would normally use with lead. If you would use #4 lead go to #2 steel.

3) Velocity is more important than payload weight. Steel loses velocity and energy quicker.

4) Ricochet is a much bigger issue with steel than lead.

If you want to use steel, #2 , 1, B, or BB will do the job at the specified range; assuming your gun will pattern it well enough. Some gun just won't pattern some brands of ammo for anything.
 
As for the dog thing, couldn't agree more! He obeys commands excellently but if I'm not there to give them then he might go taking off somewhere, either chasing or exploring. I hear it can have something to do with not being neutered. Anyways he does fine when I'm out with him and he'd probably be fine at this point alone as well. I'll give him a chance. As for the critter gitter I might be well suited to use my 28" weatherby with choke tubes. A .22 works great if they aren't moving!
 
Dark thirty at night, neighbors house 200 yards straight east of me and raccoon on the east end of the porch getting into my birdseed. Not shooting a rifle whether it is rimfire or center fire so that leaves shotgun. I hate to tell you 'birdshot is for birds' preachers but #4 birdshot at 12 yards from a 20 gauge worked just fine and I didn't have to worry about the neighbors. I still have a 2" hole in the down spout from my second shot where I missed the second coon but I got blood and hair and he hasn't been back. The first coon was fat and delicious. I ruined the hide though and the neighbors cat stole the tail I had hanging out to dry. Guess I should have salted it instead.

Load up that shotgun and have at it.

If I had not been is such a hurry I could have grabbed a different shotgun and put BB in it but I didn't. I just grabbed my HD gun which is always loaded with #4 because in house distance is 8 yards and less.
 
I have the same problem with them coming to eat the cat food.We have four feral cats that live under the house that keep us rodent free,but every time I put out a trap,,I catch one of the cats!! I guess I'll just have to sit out back and shoot them with my 10/22 or Heritage SA 22 Hey! maybe I should use my Hi-point 995 carbine 9mm with red dot scope and mounted flashlight.Or a shotgun, heck they all would do the job I guess
 
Normally here in Missouri if your caught taking wildlife out of season (Racoon) you have your car impounded, Your firearm is confiscated, your arrested and have to post bond. Last I heard and not sure if thats changed was $500. You loose a day of work going back to court and of that $500 you get back a whopping $2 after the fines. Its cheaper to do a little dog training.
 
Anyways, here is the question: Will 12 gauge 3" steel BB shot take a raccoon down out of an 18" no choke barrel out to a good 35 yards?
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Can you drive a 10d nail with a 12" Crescent wrench?
Just because you have a tool, it's not necessarily the correct one for the job. With shotguns, it often comes down to how that particular gun and shell combination will perform. Similar questions have been asked before, here at TFL, and the typical answer is: you need to pattern your gun with the choke (or lack of one) and load in question.
 
As for the dog thing, couldn't agree more! He obeys commands excellently but if I'm not there to give them then he might go taking off somewhere, either chasing or exploring. I hear it can have something to do with not being neutered. Anyways he does fine when I'm out with him and he'd probably be fine at this point alone as well. I'll give him a chance. As for the critter gitter I might be well suited to use my 28" weatherby with choke tubes. A .22 works great if they aren't moving!
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Dogs and training - it has nothing to do with being neutered or not. I train hunting dogs and none of them are spayed/neutered. They're all absolutely obedient and don't wander in the absence of a handler. My personal dogs are allowed to free roam my yard (no fences) and they stay within my property boundaries. Its all about putting enough time and effort into the training to make it work. All it takes is 15-20 minutes a day, EVERY day.

Guns and coons - Your 28" Weatherby with a modified choke would be fine - just make sure you use large enough shot to give a quick death. I've shot plenty of coons on the move out to 50 yds. Usually one shot does them in - if not a follow up shot puts them down for good. Just takes practice.

Normally here in Missouri if your caught taking wildlife out of season (Racoon)...
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In most states (commie states excluded) there are allowances for land owners in regard to varmints and vermin. Here in WI if you're just out hunting and pick off a coon out of season you suffer some severe penalties too if there's a warden around to get you. On the other hand if you're a land owner and you're protecting your assets from damage by varmints and vermin you're free to shoot/trap/destroy them whenever you see them on your property. It should be the same in most states.
 
I wouldn't hesitate to point my 20ga at any coon out to 35 yards loaded with #4 shot. Might need a follow up at that distance but if the dogs scram from a gun shot, coon will be dead or gone in 20 minutes when the dogs can go eat him if still there...

Brent
 
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