My favorite guns for Indiana hunting

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HoosierPathX8

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What guns do you use for hunting in Indiana? Considering here are a lot of animals to hunt, I use

  1. Remington 870 (12-gauge) for turkey and ducks.
  2. Ruger 10/22 for small animals like squirrels.
  3. Savage 110 for deer in rifle areas.
  4. Benelli Super Black Eagle for wet duck hunts.
  5. Mathews bow for archery in Hoosier National Forest.
 
Good list. I'll add that a .450 Bushmaster has become popular for deer here since it's straight-walled and legal in a lot of counties.

I run one in an AR platform and it's a hammer inside 200 yards. Great option if you want something different than the usual bolt gun.
 
For deer, Marlin 30AS chambered in 30-30 has been a favorite since the State allowed rifles.
Prior to that, I hunted deer with a T/C .54 Cal Muzzleloader. I still do in the season.
Ruger 10/22 for squirrels and small varmints
Mossberg 500 for anything requiring a shotgun.
 
@Young104 That .450 Bushmaster in an AR does sound like a hammer. How's the recoil compared to your bolt gun?

@4stringdude I've thought about trying muzzleloader too. do you find it more rewarding than rifle, or just different?
 
Muzzleloader hunting is just a different animal. I started in the early '90s. I was fortunate to have a buddy mentor me. We shot together at the range and that helped me become proficient. At that time, muzzleloaders were mostly traditional side lock models. We shot loose powder and patched round balls or conical bullets. Now you have a wide variety of rifle styles, propellants and projectiles available. If you can, find someone who is already into muzzleloaders and take a trip to the range. Jumping into muzzleloader shooting without guidance could be expensive and frustrating.
 
An old 2½" B.S.A. 12 bore side by side bored skeet & full for small game & birds. A Henry X Model .357 Mag. & a stainless steel, target sighted Uberti .44 percussion revolver with .45 Colt conversion cylinder & a 4" S&W Mod. 66 in .357 Mag. for everything else.
 
Mostly Varmint hunting:
I like my Rem. .22-250's for most any Varmint.
.222 Rem. for the smaller critters @ 150yds. or so.
6MM Rem. for the larger ones==AND Deer now...Bill.
 
About 50 years ago I bought a rifle chambered in 222 Remington. I think it was a Steven’s, but I could be wrong. I picked it up for ground hog hunting. I was just a kid and honestly knew nothing about center fire rifles. All I had ever shot was .22 calibers and shotguns.

Anyway, it was a sweet shooting rifle. I left it at my parent’s home when I joined the Navy. A couple of years in, they let me know, someone broke into their home and stole all of the guns. Including the 20 gauge break open single I got on my 16th birthday.
 
4stringdude said:
About 50 years ago I bought a rifle chambered in 222 Remington. I think it was a Steven's, but I could be wrong. I picked it up for ground hog hunting. I was just a kid and honestly knew nothing about center fire rifles. All I had ever shot was .22 calibers and shotguns.

Anyway, it was a sweet shooting rifle. I left it at my parent's home when I joined the Navy. A couple of years in, they let me know, someone broke into their home and stole all of the guns. Including the 20 gauge break open single I got on my 16th birthday.
Click to expand...
Damn, sorry to hear about the theft..
Yeah, the Stevens was like the Savage Model 340 (Ithink?).
I had one of those at one time..I DO remember that the Magazines for those 340's were hard to find and VERY $$$..Bill.
 
4stringdude said:
Muzzleloader hunting is just a different animal. I started in the early '90s. I was fortunate to have a buddy mentor me. We shot together at the range and that helped me become proficient. At that time, muzzleloaders were mostly traditional side lock models. We shot loose powder and patched round balls or conical bullets. Now you have a wide variety of rifle styles, propellants and projectiles available. If you can, find someone who is already into muzzleloaders and take a trip to the range. Jumping into muzzleloader shooting without guidance could be expensive and frustrating.
Click to expand...
Not to mention we were limited in choice in those days. Shotgun, muzzle loader, or bow. It was sidelock percussion or flintlock. It sure has changed.
 
4stringdude said:
About 50 years ago I bought a rifle chambered in 222 Remington. I think it was a Steven’s, but I could be wrong. I picked it up for ground hog hunting. I was just a kid and honestly knew nothing about center fire rifles. All I had ever shot was .22 calibers and shotguns.

Anyway, it was a sweet shooting rifle. I left it at my parent’s home when I joined the Navy. A couple of years in, they let me know, someone broke into their home and stole all of the guns. Including the 20 gauge break open single I got on my 16th birthday.
Click to expand...
Gun thieves, I have no tolerance there.

It seemed like everybody had a .22 and shotgun. Right or left, it was the norm here. Anything center fire was called a “high powered rifle”. They didn’t really serve a purpose. .22 and shotgun did it all. Funny looking back.
 
Yeah, as the years go by, I'm dawned more into my .222Rem. caliber.=Hardly ANY Recoil + is Lights Out Accurate in my 2 Rem. bolt guns.
If the tooling ($$) that I have is not considered, I can handload this caliber for not too much more $$ than my rimfire purchase.
Not bad considering that I can get around 3X the FPS over a .22LR., and tailor the loads to what I am shooting.

With the "Carry over" of projectiles, powder + primers from my "Stock" for loading .22 Hornet, .223Rem., and .22-250Rem., I am pretty well set on components.
I have bought 1 fired brass for the "Duce" over the years so I'm setting on a pretty good stock of that. A few hundred New/Virgin cases too.
Hell, I have even made .222Rem. cases out of the LOADS of .223Rem./5.56 brass that I have around. Kind of a PITA to make, but it CAN be done.?? HA HA..

To ME==The .222Rem. is a much overlooked caliber that deserves a strong comeback.

Fun FACT==The .222Rem. caliber/case IS the Parent Case that the .223Rem/5.56NATO round was formed.==The .222 is just a little slower than the .223, and would not meet the Specs. that they wanted in the mid '60's for Kevlar Helmet penetration @ 500yds.--Been AWHILE since I have thought of Kevlar @ 500yds.??HA HA...Bill.

Edit to Mods==Did I do a GOOD job of Jacking this thread??..SORRY...
 
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