What do I need to kill a gopher?

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Ok..

please read before replying...

Here's the story, so I'm telling my gf "Honey, I need a 416Rigby". :uhoh: Ok, didn't work that well. "But Honey, H&H Hunter said I needed one!!" She's like, "and what for?" So I'm trying to explain how world safety depends on me needing a big bore..

She didn't buy it...

So I'm trying to convince her that I need a big bore for "pest control".

So I'm going to do is, later on, reedit this post, and have it say:

"What caliber do I need to effectively do some gopher control?"

And your replies will all be "Oh, at least a 416 Rigby." Or a 375H&H. Then later on, I show her the post, and the replies...

OK?? Help me out here guys!!
 
Well she doesnt want to finda buried carcasses right?

Use the rigby to vaporize the Gopher. no burial needed and no wild animals larger than a bird whill hang around to dig up or scavenge the meager portions left. You wouldn't want those dangerous scavengers like coyotes or feral dogs or wild cats coming around right? Vaporize that gopher. And if anything ever does come around bigger than a gopher, well guess what? he gets vaporized too :p
 
45-70 is a minimum for your smaller rodent type varmints.

If it doesn't have Rigby, Lott, H&H in the name...it just won't do the job efectively.

Smoke
 
Big bores help eliminate the advantage gophers have with ground cover, they allow better penetration. They are a must have in the never ending battle aganist the dreaded "lawn miners".:evil:
 
Soaking a rag in ammonia down the hole will usually do the trick.

Dynamite works in a pinch. Viet Cong Gophers are tough to kill.

Rob
 
I'm going to go on the light side and say that with proper shot placement a 375H&H should do the trick nicely.

I would consider it more of an "expert's gun" in this role, however. To be really safe pick something with a caliber that starts with a 4 or 5.

Tallpine,

I suggest you re-read the initial post and perhaps rethink your original recommendation. We all have a duty to our fellow hunters/gun owners to insure that our advice is on target. ;)
 
i don't know. i dare say that the .375 H&H is the bare MINIMUM that you should use. gophers are tough critters and can be extremely dangerous. you need a round that is capable of qucik one shot stops. i think that the .460 WM is the most common round used by gopher hunters, at least that's what i've used for years with great success. a few of my friends use .458 win mags and .416 rigbys. heck, a few guys down the road have .470 NE and .577 NE rifles. good luck in your search. oh, and make sure you pick a good load to go with the caliber of your choice.
 
It may be a bit of a strech for the average guys wallet. But, I think in order to anialte the gofer population you should get an A-10 Thunderbolt. The gun that that platform holds will cover your yard in short time and the penetration should be just good enough.
 
Brian,

The double is certainly the king of rifles, but I'm not aware of any current source for 4 bore ammunition or even reloading components. I'm going to have to cordially disagree with your recommendation for this reason.

Perhaps something in .577TRex? Although not quite the stopper that the 4 bore is, the ballistics ARE similar to the .50BMG round. More importantly the ammunition and components are available from Accurate Reloading if I'm not mistaken. There are also some videos of this rifle being fired on their website www.accuratereloading.com

Phoenix. :) :)
 
Go organic.

A 5-critter squad of tactical attack skunks armed with .458 SOCOM ARs.

Are you formulating Rodent Logistics with that .375???
 
Are you formulating Rodent Logistics with that .375???
Click to expand...

Didn't you hear the man??

Anything that starts with 4...

As in 4 bore double rifle...
Click to expand...

:D

I'm thinking anything less than 500 grains is just not going to get it done right??

Ohh... a 45-70 with a 500 grainer... That would be great for a buffalo AND a gopher...
Honey, look, I'm saving money, 2 for 1...
 
gophers..dont they razor sharp teeth..can move like greased lightening and carry deadly diseases?..

I would think a 416 would be absolutly perfect..you can get em from a distance so you dont expose your vital areas to a frontal or worse...a rear attack.they come out in the thick grass and start munching on gmas prized hyacynth plants..with that 416..doesnt matter where theyre hiding..they're dust.

I have an uncle that insists hanging the dead ones near the entrance to their dens. He says it "scares" the others into moving away.it only draws flies and is disgusting.the 416 will solve the mess issues-and after an afternoon of shooting..you wont have flocks of birds leaving droppings all over the windows.

beware those irradiated glowing gophors like the ones seen in scandal magazines..ive heard they reach epic size and can eat a dog in 1 bite.
 
oh sure a .375 H&H can kill a gopher ... with the proper shot placement etc, but to stop or turn a charge I just wouldn't trust the .375 to get the job done. I'm thinking something with a bit more bullet weight and penetration is really the only safe way to go after gophers.

My choice would be a fine double rifle in .470 NE ... you've got a fast follow up shot and enough power to stop a charge. Those gophers can get nasty when they're only wounded.

Spinner
 
oh sure a .375 H&H can kill a gopher ... with the proper shot placement etc, but to stop or turn a charge I just wouldn't trust the .375 to get the job done.
Click to expand...
I'm setting here picturing a guy like the old tv series back in the late 70s,mutual of omahas wild kingdom, riding around in a jeep..(insert the original drum music from the show)this foaming at the mouth gopher comes charging out of the underbrush like some rino on steroids..kerpooowww..(perkins voice)"whereditgo?"
 
Why are you justifing this to a girl friend????:eek: Just buy it and see if she sticks around if not...you didn't need her any how!:D LOL... Ya gotta test the waters some how this seems like the moment! Besides everyone NEEDS a 416 Rig. It is a classic!

Good luck
 
The first time I saw a .416 Rigby I was :what: OMG ! that is a gopher killin' machine ! I shot at a gopher once with my .416 and it left a little crater where the gopher's burrow was at, no sign of the gopher at all !:D
 
I'm here for you bro. The 375 is the absolute minimum for gophers. I've seen 338's just bounce off of their Kevlar like hides. To be on the safe side, I would step up to one of the 40's.

Now I expect some reciprocity. When I start a thread about "the cheapest rifle that will reliably hit a squirrel", I want to see answers such as Cooper and Kimber.

Good luck.
 
griz, cooper is about the cheapest you ever want to go. the accuracy needed to down a squirrel is only found in very few custom made guns. even the anschutz target rifles have a hard time zeroing in on them. :evil:
 
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