Gun, Choke & Load for Rabbits

You’re posted at the corner of a briar thicket when the beagle’s voice tightens. A cottontail explodes from the brush at 15 yards, cuts left, and is gone in two seconds. Did your gun and load give you a real chance — or were you over-choked, under-loaded, or both? This lesson settles the gear question once and for all.

Quick recall

Quick recall from the Primer track — which of the four firearms rules most directly covers knowing where your shot will go AFTER the target?

Quick recall from the Primer track — which of the four firearms rules most directly covers knowing where your shot will go AFTER the target?

Be certain of your target and what is beyond it Treat every firearm as loaded Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot

Check answer

Gauge: any common gauge works, but 12 and 20 are the sweet spot

Rabbits are not hard to kill with a well-placed shot. A 12-gauge gives you the most pattern density and the widest choice of loads — a great all-around option if you already own one. A 20-gauge is lighter to carry through heavy cover all day, still delivers plenty of pellets at rabbit range, and is the most popular small-game choice for good reason. A 16- or 28-gauge will also work fine.

What does not matter much: action type. Pump, semi-auto, or break-action — pick what you shoot well and can safely operate. A shotgun you can mount quickly and smoothly beats a fancier one you fumble.

Edge case What about a .410?

A .410 bore can kill a rabbit, but the tiny payload leaves little margin for error on a jinking, low-running target. It’s a specialist gun that rewards experienced wingshooters. For a beginner learning the swing and handling the chaos of a dog hunt, start with a 20- or 12-gauge. Build the technique first, then try the .410 if it interests you later.

Choke: open it up for the brush

A choke constricts the muzzle to control how fast the shot pattern spreads after leaving the barrel. For rabbits in typical Piedmont cover — brushy fencerows, briar thickets, cutover edges — shots almost always happen fast and close: 15 to 30 yards at most.

Improved Cylinder (IC) is the standard rabbit-hunting choke. It opens the pattern quickly so you don’t need a precise aim point on a moving target at 20 yards — a fist-sized pattern at that range gives you a real window. Full or Modified chokes keep the pattern tight, which is exactly wrong for this situation: you need spread, not a rifle-like column.

Choke	Pattern at 20 yards	Best for rabbit hunting?
Full	Very tight	No — too much misses
Modified	Moderate	Only in open fields
Improved Cylinder	Opens fast	Yes — the standard choice
Skeet / Cylinder	Very open	Acceptable; barely more open than IC

The why Pattern test your gun before season

Every barrel-and-choke combination patterns differently, and the numbers above are averages. Before season, shoot a 30-inch paper circle at 20 yards and count the pellet holes. A usable rabbit pattern for an IC choke should put 70–75% of pellets inside that circle. If your combination patterns thin, try a different load brand or drop back to Cylinder. Ten minutes at the range beats a frustrating day in the woods.

Shot size: pellet count wins at close range

At 15–25 yards, you want enough pellets to reliably hit vitals on a cottontail-sized animal. Two sizes dominate:

• #6 shot — the most versatile rabbit load. Enough pellet count for close shots, enough energy for a clean kill. The go-to for most Piedmont hunters.
• #7.5 shot — slightly more pellets per charge; excellent at 15–20 yards. Some hunters prefer it in thicker cover where shots are truly close.

Heavier shot (#4 or #5) has more energy per pellet but fewer pellets in the same payload. At 15 yards you don’t need penetration power — you need pattern density. Save the heavy shot for longer shots in open terrain; for close brush work, #6 or #7.5 is the better tool.

Standard 2.75-inch field or target loads — the kind sold in multipacks — are perfectly adequate. Magnum loads at close range give you more recoil and noise for no meaningful gain on a rabbit.

The setup in context

IC pattern: wider window at 20 yards Full choke: tight — misses more at close range Rabbit-range shots: 15–30 yards

Make the call

Knowledge check

You're hunting a brushy Piedmont fencerow. Most shots will be 15–25 yards at a fast-moving cottontail. Which choke is the right choice?

You're hunting a brushy Piedmont fencerow. Most shots will be 15–25 yards at a fast-moving cottontail. Which choke is the right choice?

Improved Cylinder (IC) Full choke Modified

Check answer

Knowledge check

Which shot size gives the BEST pellet count and clean-kill performance for a cottontail at 20 yards?

Which shot size gives the BEST pellet count and clean-kill performance for a cottontail at 20 yards?

#6 shot #4 shot #2 shot

Check answer

Take it to the woods

Pre-hunt gear check: gun, choke, and load

0/5

Reset

• Verify Improved Cylinder choke is installed and hand-tight. Take it out and put it back in before season — loose chokes can damage the barrel.
• Confirm shells are #6 or #7.5 shot in a standard 2.75-inch field load. Double-check the shell head stamp, not just the box.
• ⚠ Safety Shells match the gun's chamber gauge (printed on the barrel). A mismatched shell that chambers can cause catastrophic barrel failure.
• If you haven't pattern-tested this choke/load combo, do it before the first hunt — 30-inch circle at 20 yards.
• Blaze orange vest or hat — required or strongly recommended on a group dog hunt.

Sources

• Shotgun Gauge Selection for Rabbit Hunting — Dive Bomb Industries
• Choosing the Right Shot for Rabbit Hunting — Dive Bomb Industries
• Snowshoe Hare Hunting — Shotguns, Chokes, and Shot Size — Project Upland
• Rabbit Hunting 101 — Bass Pro Shops / 1Source
• SC small-game regulations (bag limits, season dates, license requirements): verify current SCDNR regulations before you hunt — these change yearly. See https://www.dnr.sc.gov/regulations.html.