The Ultimate Hunting Caliber Chart: Quickly Pick the Best Cartridge for Each Species

Choosing the correct hunting caliber and cartridge will keep you legal and make you more successful during your hunts.

Read on to discover which cartridges are the most popular for hunting each species. Note that you should always check your local and state hunting regulations, as some states only allow specific cartridges for hunting certain game animals.

Squirrel Hunting Calibers

It’s always best to match the size of the game to the size of the cartridge. Doing so allows you to destroy less meat and have a better hunting experience.

The most popular handgun and rifle calibers for squirrels are:

  • .177 Pellet
  • .17 HM2
  • .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire (HMR)
  • .22 Long Rifle (LR)
  • .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR)
Caliber Description
.177 Pellet As a kid, I ran around with a BB gun until upgrading to a .177 air rifle. Air pellets are great because they destroy less meat and are nearly silent. Take care that they are more affected by wind, and have a shorter effective range compared to other rifle cartridges.
.17 HM2 Designed for varmint hunting, the .17 Hornady Mach 2 is accurate and flat-shooting, with virtually no recoil. It ballistically outperforms the .22 LR and is often better for hunting small game in populated areas.
.17 HMR My introduction to the .17 HMR was squirrel and rabbit hunting. I was shocked at the tiny projectile’s effectiveness (up to 200 yards), but it also ruined more meat than the .22LR we used.
.22 LR The .22 LR has caused more nightmares for squirrels than any other cartridge. It’s my top choice for squirrel hunting because it’s cheap, accurate, and effective out to about 75 yards. (.22 LR aficionados can stretch it to 100 yards.)
.22 WMR The .22 WMR has a flatter trajectory and more range than the .22 LR. It can be used on some medium-sized game, but it will damage more meat and is more expensive to fire.

Shotguns are another fine choice for squirrel hunting. Common squirrel hunting shotgun gauges are:

While the gauge is important, the shot size is the most critical consideration when hunting with shotguns. #6 shot is my go-to shot size for squirrel hunting, but #5, #7, #8, and #9 are also effective. Lead is commonly used, but many public lands require you to use non-toxic (e.g. steel, tungsten or bismuth) loads while hunting. Always check the local regulations before heading out.

Common squirrel hunting shot sizes:

  • #9 Shot
  • #8 Shot
  • #7 Shot
  • #6 Shot
  • #5 Shot

Rabbit Hunting Calibers

Since rabbits are still relatively small, you can often use the same calibers and cartridges for both. You can also use some slightly larger cartridges. Common rabbit hunting cartridges are:

Caliber Description
.17 HMR The .17 HMR is effective out to 200 yards on rabbits and is very accurate. However, it can damage the meat of cottontail rabbits because they’re smaller.
.22 LR The .22 LR has likely harvested more rabbits than all other cartridges combined in the last 100 years. However, because of the trajectory, accuracy tends to decline at 75 yards.
.22 WMR The .22 WMR is more powerful than the .22 LR, so it has a flatter trajectory (out to 100 yards). It has the same caliber bullet, but it’s also more expensive.
.22 Hornet The .22 Hornet fires a high-velocity 35 to 45 grain bullet. It has largely fallen out of favor during recent decades, and will be very difficult to find for sale.
.204 Ruger The .204 Ruger is an incredibly high-velocity, flat-shooting round. It is best for long-range shots (150-400 yards). It’s also much more expensive than .22 LR, so if you plan to shoot a lot, this probably isn’t the cartridge for you.
.222 Remington The .222 Rem is another flat-shooting, high-velocity cartridge – perfect for long-distance shots, but certain to damage more meat and cost more than .22 LR.
.223 Remington The .223 Rem offers lightweight bullets at high velocities, but it’s sure to damage lots of meat on cottontail rabbits. It’s best reserved for jackrabbits and long shots.

When hunting rabbits within 50 yards, I often opt for a shotgun. The gauge will affect your range, recoil, and pattern density, but I grew up using a .410 Bore and 20 gauge and currently use a 12 gauge. Shot size that should be your primary concern. The best shot sizes for rabbit hunting are:

  • #9 Shot
  • #8 Shot
  • #7 Shot
  • #6 Shot
  • #5 Shot
  • #4 Shot

Dove, Quail and Upland Hunting Loads

In most cases, you must use a shotgun when wingshooting (turkey is the lone exception). Small game birds like dove and quail require smaller shot sizes to avoid damaging too much delicate meat. I typically use the following shot sizes when dove, quail, and upland bird hunting:

  • #9 Shot
  • #8 Shot
  • #7.5 Shot
  • #6 Shot
  • #5 Shot
  • #4 Shot
#6 Shot #6 shot is often the largest shot size I use for dove hunting (unless I’m desperately low on shotgun shells).
#7 Shot #7 shot is an excellent choice. It’s not so large that it will destroy the meat, but it is large enough to drop a hard-to-hit bird.
#8 Shot I also like the #8 shot. If you find yourself struggling to hit birds with a shotshell loaded with #7 shot, try switching to a #8 or #9 shot (or changing your shotgun choke).
#9 Shot I don’t use much #9 shot, as the tiny pellets don’t retain as much energy downrange as the larger pellets do. If you plan on close shots, then #9 is a suitable option.

The Smaller shot size has more pellets in the shotshell than a larger shot size. A #9 shot pellet is smaller than a #6 shot pellet. The same can be said for increasing the gauge: a 12 gauge shotshell will have more pellets per shotshell than a 20 gauge shotshell of the same shot size and length.

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Fun notes on this article :+1:

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30-06 done.

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I do love 22 Hornet and 12 gauge in #6 (though I admit I use #4 more often because it is more available).

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