Rabid Raccoon Gun?

[Baldanders]

Just one of my phobias.

I'm sure other platforms will come up.

[rd62]

I didnt see 12ga listed so I'll go with the .357 GP.

Racoons can be tougher than some may realize. I haven't had to deal with a rabid one but I'd rather err on the side of DRT.

[03RN]

Just one of my phobias.

I'm sure other platforms will come up.


Ive probably shot 15-20 animals that i thought were rabid. 12 gauge wins. #4 buck works really well with the hornady flight control style wad.

.45 auto works better than 9mm ime, 45 colt with heavy swc even better. 556 works very, very well as well.

Eta, just saw the poll. Ive used the .22 mag coon hunting with my 5.5" single six. Works as well or better than a 22lr rifle. I cant tell you how many perfectly mushroomed bullets ive found against the offside hide.

Never shot a coon with a 125gr .357 but i have no doubt it would be awesome

[Jason M]

I didnt see 12ga listed so I'll go with the .357 GP.

Racoons can be tougher than some may realize. I haven't had to deal with a rabid one but I'd rather err on the side of DRT.

This!

In my experience, suburbanized trashpandas (STPs), especially rabid suburbanized trashpandas (RSTPs), cling to life with record setting enthusiasm. We had a report of one that was attacking a resident's decorative plastic lawn fauna in broad daylight. The SUTP was caught in the act and shot through the eye with a 147gr HST. Opened its cranium but it remained on its feet snarling for a bit. Eventually fell over and died but it was not the "bang, flop" type of shot that I would have expected with that shot placement. 12ga would be my first choice.

[OlongJohnson]

Ive probably shot 15-20 animals that i thought were rabid. 12 gauge wins. #4 buck works really well with the hornady flight control style wad.

I like this as well. Lots of tissue damage without being explosive. The thing about rabid animals is you may not want to splash them or turn them inside out too much, as it seems a good idea to keep the biohazard mess that needs to be cleaned up as limited as possible.

https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/diagnosis/animals-humans.html

The brain tissue is used to diagnose whether it actually had rabies, so you may want to stay away from head shots, too. Which points toward as immediate incapacitation as possible so it doesn't run down a sewer drain to die, without taking out the brain and without spraying their anatomy around the area. Lots of holes all at once with not too fast moving projectiles seems like a good bet.

[Lester Polfus]

I keep a supply of #4 buck on hand for all of the reasons mentioned above.

Works well on raccoons and coyotes that can't take a hint.

[RevolverRob]

The one time I tried to kill a raccoon with a .410, made me a believer in 12-gauge shotguns for such tasks.

Of the two, a .357 mag would be my choice. They are tough little buggers and harder to kill than one might think. I think I'd rather be in a biker flash mob with a 1911 and two spare mags than face a horde of rabid raccoons.

[vtfarmer]

Back in the early 90's I had a clan of racoons move in under the barn. Over the course of a year I shot 14 coons with the Remington 125 gr. SJHP in a 4" GP100. Every one was dead on impact. That's still my go to.

[JonInWA]

Another thought is you might want a platform with greater than 6-shot capabilities, particularly if the target is moving and light is low and/or contrasty. Out of my battery, my general preference for .40 as a wilderness chambering comes to the fore, using my Glock Gen4 G22 (or HK VP40) with Underwood Lehigh Xtreme Penetrators, or similarly my Gen 3 G21 with Underwood Lehigh Xtreme Defenders.

Out of the OP's choices, I'd go with the GP100; in my case a 4" with Federal 158 gr .357 magnum HydraShoks, chosen as an available good all-around .357 round, or Hornady's 158 gr Custom XTP (that's my load of choice for my Blackhawk).

Best, Jon

[Rick R]

I had some on game camera behind my house that looked like small bears. Of your choices I’d take the GP100 but use a heavier bullet. Of my choices I’m grabbing an AR15.

[Totem Polar]

Another fan of the .357 here. Waaaay back in the day, I shot a ‘coon with a 6" GP100. It was loaded with CCI Blazer 158 jhp, but the results were reasonably spectacular.

I’d be fine going after a racoon with a .22mag, so long as the rounds were coming out of a 20" pump gun. JMO.

If it’s worth shooting, it’s worth shooting well.

[CCT125US]

I have put down dozens of coons over the years. One summer, I stopped counting at 25. A headshot with a .22 puts them down just fine, but their nervous system forgets to tell their muscles. 9mm rolls the runners pretty good and always seemed like overkill. Either of your choices would be sufficient.

[Clusterfrack]

A friend of mine schwacked two trash pandas that had been sneaking in his cat flap. One .22 to the head—dead right there. But I heard a horrible story about a lady who was attacked by a rabid raccoon, and wouldn’t hesitate to use a heavier caliber.

[PNWTO]

Another thought is you might want a platform with greater than 6-shot capabilities, particularly if the target is moving and light is low and/or contrasty. Out of my battery, my general preference for .40 as a wilderness chambering comes to the fore, using my Glock Gen4 G22 (or HK VP40) with Underwood Lehigh Xtreme Penetrators, or similarly my Gen 3 G21 with Underwood Lehigh Xtreme Defenders.


Best, Jon

All these reasons plus a semi-auto gives the ability for a light and laser. Between living in a very rural area and lots of solo trips Wilderness trips all over the NW have made me really appreciate the whole “EDC a light+laser” discussion for woodsy applications.

So far my only AAR is from a skunk but the X-400 was vital.

[Irelander]

I've terminated several coons, groundhogs, and skunks with subsonic 22 hollowpoints from a suppressed 22 rifle. All well placed head shots left them drt. One coon was on the move and required 2 shots. All from the safety of my deck.

If a rabid coon was on my heels I'd rather have a 12 ga.

[gato naranja]

Based on my observations, more raccoons have been escorted off the premises by 12 gauge shotguns and .22LR rifles/pistols than anything else because those are what the proprietors had handy. Iowa has always tended towards the utilitarian.

One gent of my acquaintance whose place is by nature plagued with raccoons keeps a Mossberg 500 by the back door along with two boxes of shells- one box is for "when the @#$%^&s are in the yard" and the other box is for "when the @#$%^&s are in the barn." He wants to drop them with one shot be it day or night, and the animal(s) healthy or sick... and he does not want bullets howling off into the surroundings.

Of the two choices given, I would prefer the .357 in some loading that removed a nice core sample from the critter over a .22 Magnum.

[BN]

I have two possibilities. #1 is a Joe Biden Special double barrel shotgun with 5 rounds of low recoil buck in a butt cuff. That doesn't spread much in 30 feet. 51858

The other is a S&W M&P 15-22 with a TRL-1 light and a 1-4 scope that has a green dot. I keep the scope set on 1 power and I have three 25 round mags loaded with CCIs.

[Caballoflaco]

I’ve shot 3 raccoons that were infected with either rabies or distemper. Head shots with a .22 killed each of them just fine. One advantage of .22’s is they’re easy to shoot quickly and accurately.

ETA: I did have a less than desired result with águila colibrí .22 .

[RevolverRob]

One advantage to head shooting a raccoon with a .22 vs. something bigger is if they have to test it for rabies there should be enough brain left to do it.

One downside of shooting potentially rabid animals with a .22 is the chance it gets away and you end up taking the a ride on the Lockjaw Prevention Express for no reason.

I prefer to thwack them in the shoulder with a load of buckshot. It kills them humanely, but keeps the carcass intact enough if you need.

Last thing you want is to think you’ve been exposed to rabies, but have no way of confirming...

[willie]

Raccoons, foxes, bats, and skunks are the four common rabies vector species. When an animal suspected of being a carrier is killed in Texas, the head is removed and sent to a state lab.

[Hambo]

In low light, they blend into their surroundings very well. On two such shots, I used a .17 HMR and a .22WMRF when I should have used a 12ga. In broad daylight or with a blinding light on your gun, use whatever you want. Low light, questionable shot, 12ga is the winner.

[medmo]

They are plentiful here in central TX. My fave is a Ruger 10/22 loaded up with CCI Stingers. A lot of rounds quickly and it’s a lot quieter than anything center fire. I’ve yet to come across one I thought was rabid.

[SCCY Marshal]

Longtime fan of #4 birdshot in a 12, 16, or 20 gauge. It's been the longtime local standard henhouse defense load for longer than my grandparents could remember and I've found it to be for good reason. A fair few 'coons, bobcats, foxes, and even those pure hate-fueled fishers have been hammered right quick with minimal damage needing repair done to the structure in my experience.

Of the poll choices, I'd go for the Single-Six with WMR cylinder.

[wvincent]

215gr SWC .41 Magnum is a one shot stopper. One added benefit, when fired in the confine of my barns hayloft, it gets all the pigeons in the cupola to exit, RFN.

As a firm believer in tradition,
I always sing the Beatle's "Rocky Racoon" on the way to the burn pit to dispose of the body.
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beatles/rockyraccoon.html

"Rocky Raccoon checked into his room
Only to find Gideon's Bible
Rocky had come, equipped with a gun
To shoot off the legs of his rival"

A proper burial for sure.

[45dotACP]

My brother once dropped a coon from about 30 yards at night with a single shot from a Marlin model 99 M1

That was a fun little rifle handed down to us by my grandfather.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

[Doc_Glock]

One downside of shooting potentially rabid animals with a .22 is the chance it gets away and you end up taking the a ride on the Lockjaw Prevention Express for no reason.

Minor point, but Lockjaw is tetanus. Developing advanced tetanus is as horrifying but not as deadly as rabies. Both diseases are on my "do not ever get" list. If you want to scare yourself, google images of tetanus, or risus sardonicus and to be truly frightened, videos of rabies victims. It is truly the source of all our zombie fears.

Anyhow, back to the thread. I vote shotgun.

[GJM]

I remember shooting three different rabid raccoons — one with a Glock 23 with 165 HydraShok, one with a 1911 with .45 something, and one with a Benelli with buck shot. In each instance, after the shot, the raccoon ran off about twenty yards before dying.

[RevolverRob]

Minor point, but Lockjaw is tetanus. Developing advanced tetanus is as horrifying but not as deadly as rabies. Both diseases are on my "do not ever get" list. If you want to scare yourself, google images of tetanus, or risus sardonicus and to be truly frightened, videos of rabies victims. It is truly the source of all our zombie fears.

Anyhow, back to the thread. I vote shotgun.

Pedant! No valid point and for some reason I have always confused those two.

[rd62]

I remember shooting three different rabid raccoons — one with a Glock 23 with 165 HydraShok, one with a 1911 with .45 something, and one with a Benelli with buck shot. In each instance, after the shot, the raccoon ran off about twenty yards before dying.

Exactly! Tough little f#&$ers

[claymore504]

Out of those two choices I went with the GP100.

[Caballoflaco]

Unfortunately I can’t use anything louder than a suppressed .22 when it’s in the back of a parking lot at a large business park that’s full of people

ETA: a solid brain shot has put them down every times

Edited out an irrelevant quote

[Wendell]

I didn't vote in your poll because there was no 12 gauge option.

[jtcarm]

I've killed one racoon ever. One shot from a .44 did the trick.

[Bergeron]

Louisiana experience checking in here- rimfires and 12 gauges, because similar to Iowans, that was what we had handy. Personally, having had to clean the guts and blood of a critter off of concrete, I'd lean towards whichever options made less mess.

[Salamander]

Many years ago, LE had to put down a raccoon with distemper on the roadside near one of my research sites. This was in Mettawa (upscale far north suburb of Chicago) and I had to get involved because Suzy soccer mom with young daughter in the car had stopped and wanted to "put it in this cardboard box and take it to the vet." As the biologist, I got delegated to convince her that wasn't an option and get her out of there, it was telling her the kid really doesn't need to see this that finally worked. Anyway once she was gone, the officer put it down with one round from his service semi-auto. Don't recall what Lake County Sheriff was carrying back then, this was about 1987.

I've never personally had to put down a raccoon, wouldn't hesitate because they're badly overpopulated in most places. Have gotten a couple of skunks that were raiding the garbage, one well aimed 22 LR was sufficient and they just slumped and died, the trick is the have the hole dug, put the rifle on safe, grab the shovel and sprint and push the critter in the hole before the musk seeps out. Did it successfully three or four times.

Possum aren't so easy with 22, tried that a couple times and it took multiple shots. I can't discharge anything big at the current residence because of being 200 feet inside the city limits, so the last one was dispatched with a six-foot steel pry bar. Only took one whack, even a primitive marsupial with a thick skull goes down from that.

If out of the city limits, of the two OP choices I'd pick 357.

[rob_s]

I trapped and snot one a few months back. Used a suppressed .22LR from a Ruger mkiii with sub-sonics. Shot her right in the head and she just went nuts. Wound up having to shoot her a whole lot more, which neither of us was happy about.

Next time, it’s the 9mm pcc.

[Hambo]

Possum aren't so easy with 22, tried that a couple times and it took multiple shots. I can't discharge anything big at the current residence because of being 200 feet inside the city limits, so the last one was dispatched with a six-foot steel pry bar. Only took one whack, even a primitive marsupial with a thick skull goes down from that.

Get down with your primitive self. I use a piece of rebar on cane toads. :cool:

[rd62]

I trapped and snot one a few months back. Used a suppressed .22LR from a Ruger mkiii with sub-sonics. Shot her right in the head and she just went nuts. Wound up having to shoot her a whole lot more, which neither of us was happy about.

Next time, it’s the 9mm pcc.

This was my experience too the one time I tried with .22 subsonics

[gato naranja]

Anyway once she was gone, the officer put it down with one round from his service semi-auto. Don't recall what Lake County Sheriff was carrying back then, this was about 1987

If out of the city limits, of the two OP choices I'd pick 357.

That made me reflect on the LE pistols back when I was younger, which were almost always .38/.357 (city police) or .357 (sheriff's department) revolvers. Our city cops and the sheriff's deputies definitely had different sidearms and cars in those days... the deputies had heavier revolvers loaded with .357s and Plymouths with the biggest engines they could order. The officers and deputies were frequently tasked with putting down critters with problems, and IIRC, they generally did fire one round and that was that (whether from a pistol or a shotgun). The few knowledgeable gun cranks in the area who actually hunted with a handgun or were asked to put down an animal tended towards .38 or .357 revolvers with loads using Keith-style lead bullets which were regarded by the old guys as very effective. To this day, I still have a - probably excessive - respect for a lead SWC as a general purpose small-to-medium game bullet.

[OlongJohnson]

This was my experience too the one time I tried with .22 subsonics

I see several subsonic loads on CCI's site.

Quiet-22 LRN @ 835 FPS

Suppressor 22 LR 45gr HP @ 970 FPS

Quiet-22 Segmented HP @ 710 FPS

Quiet-22 LRN @ 710 FPS

Segmented Hollow Point 22 40gr HP @ 1050 FPS

Sub-Sonic HP 40gr @ 1050 FPS

Seems like quite a range of terminal effect available. Any recollection where your load was in that spread?

[Vista461]

Of the 2 I’d go .357.
A couple years ago we had a bunch of rabid/diseased raccoons we had to shoot over the course of a few months. I’d want more than a .22 with those ring tailed bears. :D

[rd62]

I see several subsonic loads on CCI's site.

Quiet-22 LRN @ 835 FPS

Suppressor 22 LR 45gr HP @ 970 FPS

Quiet-22 Segmented HP @ 710 FPS

Quiet-22 LRN @ 710 FPS

Segmented Hollow Point 22 40gr HP @ 1050 FPS

Sub-Sonic HP 40gr @ 1050 FPS

Seems like quite a range of terminal effect available. Any recollection where your load was in that spread?

If I recall, mine were Remington Sub Sonics. I'd have to dig around and see if I still have any to confirm though...

[rob_s]

I see several subsonic loads on CCI's site.

Quiet-22 LRN @ 835 FPS

Suppressor 22 LR 45gr HP @ 970 FPS

Quiet-22 Segmented HP @ 710 FPS

Quiet-22 LRN @ 710 FPS

Segmented Hollow Point 22 40gr HP @ 1050 FPS

Sub-Sonic HP 40gr @ 1050 FPS

Seems like quite a range of terminal effect available. Any recollection where your load was in that spread?

I almost certainly have the box I load my mags from sitting on top of my safe. When I wander in to the big house for lunch after a bit I'll try and check.

IIRC I re-loaded my mags with something more potent after my last encounter. I'm far enough out of the city to be legal to do about whatever I want and generally only use the subs out of excessive politeness to the neighbors.

Which is why I think the next one will get a 147 grain hollowpoint 9mm of some variety right between the eyes from a suppressed PCC (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?37271-quickest-cheapest-route-to-USPSA-PCC-from-where-I-am-now&p=995309&viewfull=1#post995309).

[flyrodr]

When I was a kid, maybe 12, I was wandering around an outbuilding that was occasionally used to store hay. Just at the corner, in some lush weeds, I spotted the back of a 'possum. I ran back to my Granddad's house, where "my" .22 single shot was kept, told him what I'd seen, and asked if I could take the .22 and some shells and go after the 'possum. He said sure, so off I went.

I stalked the critter, using the best techniques I had learned from the Saturday afternoon westerns shown at the local theater. Not particularly thinking it unusual, I saw it in the same place. Even though it's head was hidden in the weeds, I could pretty much tell where it was, and so unleashed a round. The possum didn't move, so I figured I had either an instantaneous kill or . . . well, I finally began wondering what the heck was going on. Popped it again, with the same results.

Approached the possum, poked it with the barrel, nothing. Rolled it over and . . . realized it was already dead. Apparently, it had been hit by a car on the nearby road, and crawled that far before dying.

Still, I was confident - - - as only a 12 YO can be - - - that my .22 would handle any possum . . . living or . . . well, already dead.

[rd62]

I see several subsonic loads on CCI's site.

Quiet-22 LRN @ 835 FPS

Suppressor 22 LR 45gr HP @ 970 FPS

Quiet-22 Segmented HP @ 710 FPS

Quiet-22 LRN @ 710 FPS

Segmented Hollow Point 22 40gr HP @ 1050 FPS

Sub-Sonic HP 40gr @ 1050 FPS

Seems like quite a range of terminal effect available. Any recollection where your load was in that spread?

51991

[Joe in PNG]

Why you would want to give a gun to a racoon with rabies is kind of questionable.

Keep in mind the fact that Raccoons have small paws, so a NAA mini in .22 short would probably be the best bet for them.

[Baldanders]

Evidently, I forgot the "nuke it from orbit" option.

More thoughts later. Nice job, y'all!

[OlongJohnson]

51991

That's a 38gr HP @ 1050 FPS.

OK, I'm in with the 9mm and up crowd. Although I guess a .32 rimmed mag of some variety may work well.

[Caballoflaco]

I trapped and snot one a few months back. Used a suppressed .22LR from a Ruger mkiii with sub-sonics. Shot her right in the head and she just went nuts. Wound up having to shoot her a whole lot more, which neither of us was happy about.

Next time, it’s the 9mm pcc.

That’s probably because you didn’t hit the brain. Raccoon brains are a lot further back in the skull than what we might think and a shot between the eyes, especially from a downward angle won’t necessarily hit anything vital. The old trick of drawing a diagonal line from each eye to the ear on the opposite side of the head and shooting the x gives a good target indicator.

51996

51994

[rd62]

That's a 38gr HP @ 1050 FPS.

OK, I'm in with the 9mm and up crowd. Although I guess a .32 rimmed mag of some variety may work well.

That coon soaked those up and was still all "come at me bro".

[rob_s]

I see several subsonic loads on CCI's site.

Quiet-22 LRN @ 835 FPS

Suppressor 22 LR 45gr HP @ 970 FPS

Quiet-22 Segmented HP @ 710 FPS

Quiet-22 LRN @ 710 FPS

Segmented Hollow Point 22 40gr HP @ 1050 FPS

Sub-Sonic HP 40gr @ 1050 FPS

Seems like quite a range of terminal effect available. Any recollection where your load was in that spread?

Appears that was mine
52003

[03RN]

51991

Those are the absolute best squirrel rounds. Period.

I just cant find them anymore. The bricks used to be the same price as blazers. Once the suppressor rage got fire up they disappeared and doubled in price when i could find them:(

[rd62]

Those are the absolute best squirrel rounds. Period.

I just cant find them anymore. The bricks used to be the same price as blazers. Once the suppressor rage got fire up they disappeared and doubled in price when i could find them:(

Thats what I'd bought them for

[Baldanders]

The handgun here would be used for redneck CQB with a critter tangled up with a dog or cat. For non-brain hits, I would prefer the .357.

It probably makes more sense to have the Win 94 loaded up with 125 grainers, tho. That should work well. If I am using a handgun on a rabid animal, it's probably going to be whatever CCP I have on my person. (.45 230 grain Gold Dots right now, often .38 short barrel Gold Dots )

Whenever I re-do my shottie ammunition set-up, I might switch to #4 Flite Control with slugs on the side.

I will endeavor to commit the "lines from eyes to ears" rule to memory!!

[Baldanders]

I like this as well. Lots of tissue damage without being explosive. The thing about rabid animals is you may not want to splash them or turn them inside out too much, as it seems a good idea to keep the biohazard mess that needs to be cleaned up as limited as possible.

https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/diagnosis/animals-humans.html

The brain tissue is used to diagnose whether it actually had rabies, so you may want to stay away from head shots, too. Which points toward as immediate incapacitation as possible so it doesn't run down a sewer drain to die, without taking out the brain and without spraying their anatomy around the area. Lots of holes all at once with not too fast moving projectiles seems like a good bet.

And this is why #4 makes a lot of sense to me. Funny, I had thought about the "aftermath" of shooting Rabid Rocket Raccoon in terms of having to call a Game officer, not about needing a brain to test.

With my cw45 or 640 I'm going for brain shots. With my p32, I'm running to get a long gun, unless Rocky is chewing on me, a pet or a loved one. Then it's near-contact shooting time.

[OlongJohnson]

If you're going down the .300 BLK rabbit hole for your PDW needs, and also pick up some kind of manually-operated firearm chambered in .300 BLK such as a CVA single shot, Hornady makes a .309 diameter, 90-gr XTP intended for 7.62x25 Tokarev that can be loaded to subsonic velocities if you're not depending on it to cycle the action. The bullet is so short and you're so far below max pressures that the +0.001 in. diameter is a non-issue.

Through a 16 1/2-in. barrel and a can, with no port pop or action cycling, that should be a lot like a sub from a .22LR rifle, but twice as much. Makarovs proved their worth for shooting much larger mammals in the back of the head at close range for decades. I reckon it would work for a rabid raccoon.

[Lost River]

This .44 wadcutter will do the trick:


https://i.imgur.com/qZzZAd5.jpg

[SteveB]

I shot one as he staggered down my front walk in CT; my ditzy Brittany kept running at him. One 230 gr old-style Hydra-Shok out of a 1911 went all the way through, lengthwise. It rolled him, DRT.