# Best Gun For Dispatch?



## AlabamaGirl (Jun 18, 2020)

What gun do you guys use on your goats, and how much did it cost?


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## Ranger1 (Sep 1, 2014)

All you need is a small gun like a .22 I have the rifle, but I think you can use a .22 handgun as well, and they are cheaper. Probably still a couple hundred for one though.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Ranger1 said:


> All you need is a small gun like a .22 I have the rifle, but I think you can use a .22 handgun as well, and they are cheaper. Probably still a couple hundred for one though.


Hubby uses a 22 rifle for pigs and 22 hand for goats.


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## Wcd (Jan 12, 2020)

For homestead use in general, A lever action is hard to beat giving you the option of 22 short, 22 long, and 22lr.

more important is really the ammo selection, elect to use high quality and that will rule out a lot of problems.

we keep a lever action on the 4 wheeler when we go out back, and it has come in very handy from snakes(venomous) to coyotes, understanding that marksmanship is key here. 

what ever you elect, to use be well versed in it and remember the 4 rules.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

If you are buying a gun now, be aware that there is a massive ammo shortage. My family was looking to get a rifle for deer hunting, and the guy at the gun store said that the soonest he sees ammo being back in stock is six months from now. My dad read an article online saying that all ammo being produced is currently spoken for until 2022.


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## AlabamaGirl (Jun 18, 2020)

MellonFriend said:


> If you are buying a gun now, be aware that there is a massive ammo shortage. My family was looking to get a rifle for deer hunting, and the guy at the gun store said that the soonest he sees ammo being back in stock is six months from now. My dad read an article online saying that all ammo being produced is currently spoken for until 2022.


Until 2022?! Luckily I'm just gathering info right now..


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

MellonFriend said:


> If you are buying a gun now, be aware that there is a massive ammo shortage. My family was looking to get a rifle for deer hunting, and the guy at the gun store said that the soonest he sees ammo being back in stock is six months from now. My dad read an article online saying that all ammo being produced is currently spoken for until 2022.


Guns and ammo is just going to get more scarce i am afraid.....


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

.22 pistol for goats. I hate having to do it, but my goats, my job.

Be sure to learn the best, quickest and least painful way to dispatch your goat. Get lots of kleenex too. ( to dry tears).. it never gets any easier.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Goats Rock said:


> .22 pistol for goats. I hate having to do it, but my goats, my job.
> 
> Be sure to learn the best, quickest and least painful way to dispatch your goat. Get lots of kleenex too. ( to dry tears).. it never gets any easier.


Yes this! Paul takes a scoop of feed with him when he needs to do it. He lets them walk about until they go to the feed to eat.


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## AlabamaGirl (Jun 18, 2020)

Do you guys think that guns are the least painful way to do it? I see videos of people only using knives and that ain't for me...


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

A well placed bullet is not as painful as you would think because the shock isn't over before the pain can begin. 
Someone who actually knows how to cut the incoming jugular properly is not causing as much pain as you would think. Yes more invasive and messy but, not cruel really. The other option is to cut the femoral artery near the backbone. This takes them a couple minutes to bleed out and is best to use if trying to save kids in a terminal doe. They actually can't feel pain from cutting in when their blood pressure drops.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Sfgwife said:


> Guns and ammo is just going to get more scarce i am afraid.....


I know. I'm worried about this. We were going to potentially raise any bucklings we get as wethers to butcher, but now I'm not sure we are going to be able to get ammunition to dispatch them.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All really good advice.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

MellonFriend said:


> I know. I'm worried about this. We were going to potentially raise any bucklings we get as wethers to butcher, but now I'm not sure we are going to be able to get ammunition to dispatch them.


We have ammo but... you don't wanna use it. Paul and i were talkin a few weeks ago. I told him i needed go shoot my pistol since it has been a while. His reply.... you get one pew. ;(.

You can cut the jugular. They bleed out really quickly. But you absolutely have to know how to do it, don't stop mid cut and for all that is holy make sure that knife will slice like butter. Wi5h that once you are in it you are in it til the end.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

My dh used to laugh at me, I'd go to Walmart and grab a box or 2 of .22 for $9. (550 rounds in a little milk carton box). We'd sit on the deck and shoot twigs and leaves. (can you say "easily amused"?). Then the ammo shortage came- the last one. Now we guard our few little boxes like they are gold. Now, they are used sparingly for dispatch or sick raccoons, etc. 

Just keep checking ammo sites and your local gun stores. Ask them to call if they get any in of your type ammo.


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## ALBoerGoats (Dec 27, 2015)

I use my little .22 pistol. It gets the job done. Bullet is painless if placed correctly.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

.22 here as well.


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## Wcd (Jan 12, 2020)

MellonFriend said:


> I know. I'm worried about this. We were going to potentially raise any bucklings we get as wethers to butcher, but now I'm not sure we are going to be able to get ammunition to dispatch them.


 In all honesty rimfire ammo will most likely remain available. Depending on your area you can check the big box stores. I would be cautious about on line retailers unless dealing with one you have done business with in the past.


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## Wcd (Jan 12, 2020)

Goats Rock said:


> My dh used to laugh at me, I'd go to Walmart and grab a box or 2 of .22 for $9. (550 rounds in a little milk carton box). We'd sit on the deck and shoot twigs and leaves. (can you say "easily amused"?). Then the ammo shortage came- the last one. Now we guard our few little boxes like they are gold. Now, they are used sparingly for dispatch or sick raccoons, etc.
> 
> Just keep checking ammo sites and your local gun stores. Ask them to call if they get any in of your type ammo.


the old adage buy it cheap and stack it deep comes to mind.


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

I use 22..hand gun. Alot of pawn shops have decent guns. Military / survival stores carry ammo.


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## Wcd (Jan 12, 2020)

Moers kiko boars said:


> I use 22..hand gun. Alot of pawn shops have decent guns. Military / survival stores carry ammo.


yeah you just have to look around for it. Main thing is not to get caught up in the price gouging trap. I have seen some insane prices for center fire of late.
I will usually go through anywhere from a 1000 to 1500 rounds a month for training. But that's a different scenario.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I have a 22 pistol i call last rites. for proper placement of the bullet draw a line from the right eye to the left ear. then draw a line from the left eye to the right eye. making an x. the x marks the spot. death is instant. i have used CB caps(22 shorts half the power) to put down a bull that got hit on the road. I dropped the bull in his tracks, the cop that was backing me up looked at me and said I never and walked away.


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

In South Africa it isnt common to shoot an animal. Depending on the reason the vet will use an injection to stop the heart.
My springbuck get shot by a hunter with a .22 rifle. Because they are wild. The fellow deer are tame so the vet can inject them. I pray all my animals die naturally. Putting an animal down is very sad for me.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Putting an animal down is the hardiest thing i do.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

It truly is.


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## ALBoerGoats (Dec 27, 2015)

It is definitely a very hard thing to do. But it is far better than letting an animal suffer. I've had to do it twice and you can bet I was definitely crying both times.


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## alwaystj9 (Apr 10, 2019)

Worse than putting an animal down is needing to but not having a way to do it. This is something hard to teach people new to livestock. Have a plan. Know how to dispose of a carcass if it is not for the freezer. I have a 30+ year old horse and I know she may have years to go. The last horse that passed cost $350 to bury and that was 10 years ago. The backhoe guy does not have a backhoe anymore. I even called the zoo and some wild animal sanctuaries, after the mad cow thing they won't take animals from individuals. So I am keeping my eye out for a new backhoe guy. (btw, Cookie the horse is pretty healthy for her age). Most pygmies/nigis are small enough to bury or a vet can cremate. (This topic sucks but is necessary: Good on you, Alabama Girl, for asking!)


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