Got some pesky rabbits getting into the garden and also destroying fruit trees and fruiting shrubs. I discussed this briefly with some of our members and came to the conclusion that I want a pellet gun. Can anyone tell me what I need to avoid/ look for to keep from picking up a POS? Also, I was considering getting a handgun style pellet gun for culling our livestock meat rabbits before butchering.
I have a Crossman Storm XT with a Center Point scope. Picked it up at Wallyworld a few years ago for the nephews to use when they visit. I never thought I'd use it much, but it's been useful. Good to about 30yrds with .177 pellets. It's a single shot break- barrel, so not speedy for the second shot but usually the first one is adequate. Pellet pistols I've really not messed with. For dispatching, go for the highest FPS and hope it's enough.
I use .22 low powder cartridges. The couple pellet guns I've tried ($100 dollar range) couldn't kill even a squirrel. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/16...0-grain-solid-point-box-of-500-10-boxes-of-50 According to that sight is says not to use in a long gun. I'm not sure, there is no warning like that on the box. It's worked just fine in several of my .22 rifles. Enough power to kill a feral cat at 30-40ft and that's about it.
What's your budget? I have a gamo big cat model that came with a scope and is around 1200 feet per second. It was roughly 129$ from wally world. Honestly I would categorize a pos as anything under that price point. Definitely keep it at 1000fps or above. As far as not killing a squirrel, shot placement is key. I dropped plenty of rabbits with mine. Some make it out of the yard, if I hit em right behind the shoulder, they usually only take 1 or 2 more steps. I just watched Jackie Bushman kill 28 squirrels in 4 hours so they are deadly Fo sho! They make 22 caliber ones also but I have no experience with them. Stay away from the pistol models.
I have a Crosman(sp), break barrel single shot. 1000 fps., wooden stock at about 7lbs.,, deadly on "cat" sized critters, and pretty accurate with .177 ammo, it's kinda' loud. A .22 cal rifle firing cb caps is quieter at aprox. 710 fps. At 120-150 bucks you can't go wrong with one of these break barrel air rifles, with practice and good shot placement, rabbits and squirrels can be easily dispatched. I had bought this airgun to "blister" or "hurt the feelings" of strays to just chase them off, it's actually too much for my intended purpose but it really is a lot of fun to plink around with doing informal target plinking with a couple buddies every now and then. An el cheapo 888 pump is what I need to chase off the occasional stray/loose dog/cat that wants to tip over trash cans and sech.
Go with 1000+ fps in an air rifle. As far as pistol at point blank 750+ fps should do fine with headshots on rabbits. (Not so much on a groundhog though.) The PBA gold pellets are to fast and light in my opinion in an airgun. I like the lead pellets with the small BB in the front. More accurate and heavier.
I keep hearing air riffle- that the pump kind? Or does that include co2? Also, someone want to give me a quick primer on pellets themselves? Hearing lots of different kinds of ammo.
When I get home I can take pics of my set up, that I bust up ground hogs with. Its got the silencer dampener on the end its the spring breakover barrel. Pretty quiet shooting from inside the garage. But as the others have said, its all about shot placement. I try to aim right behind the ear on a side shot or between the eyes on a frontal shot.
I'm going to look and see what's available after work. Smaller town I'm going to, so no idea what I will find.
I would not use a pistol as they dont usually have the power. I have only used junk when I was younger..there fun for hitting cans or nuts or whatever but would not kill anything but birds! Your gonna want a Gammo rifle probably. There good for squirrels and I guess rabbits would not be more difficult. There lead pellets some other lighter alloy pellets and all different profiles from wadcutter to pointed to domed. I would use lead pointed as they will retain down range energy better than some lightweight pellet. But for point blank the light ones may be better? C If they make the velocity they probably will have more energy cause remember velocity is squared in your energy equation....remember back to your physics class . I personally would use cb .22 or whatever the equivalent auguilla brand of powder less .22 ammo is called. I had some one time and there no louder than an air gun but were way more accurate. There basically a .22 without powder..just the primer to drive bullet I think?? If money not an issue get a walther p22 pistol with the silencer on it. They have im at gun shows all the time. I think the permit though from ATF is like $300 and now the walther is probably close to $400 so its not cheap but you can shoot normal 22 and they are quieter than an air rifle.
You don't want pump or co2. A break barrel is what u need. It uses a spring to cock a piston when u load it. Open gun, load, Close barrel, take safe off, kill critter, and repeat. Pellets have different uses. Most say weather it's a hunting one or target. I use pointed lead ones. I have some pba alloy ones also but they like to ricochet due to their hardness.
A much more efficient way to butcher meat rabbits is to pick them up by there back feet give them quick sharp crak to the back of their head/neck with a schedule 40 steel pipe. when you hold them like that they are still and subdued but with a pellet gun you will have to really worry about the shot placement and if it's not perfect you will cause them stress and chance the meat not tasting as good. We raised meat rabbits growing up and it was probably the quickest easiest way we were able to do it. Check out this article: http://www.raising-rabbits.com/killing-rabbits.html
Good timing on this thread. I had a gopher starting to tunnel around in my garden about a week ago. After a little research, I picked up a daisy 880 bb/pellet gun off of amazon for about 59.00. came with 500 pellets and 750 bbs, yellow lens safety glasses and a ridiculously cheap scope (which I threw away without ever mounting). Shot it at a target just to see if the iron sights were reasonably accurate (they are) then kept an eye on the garden for a few hours. Gopher finally reappeared and I nailed him with a pellet from maybe 40 feet...he somersaulted once and is now burrowing around up in Heaven. Cheap, fairly accurate and does what I'll ever need it for. Fun to plink at cans off my porch but if I was using it for humanely killing rabbits for food, I'd probably look for something a bit different. Daisy claims it throws bbs out at around 750 fps and pellets at around 715 fps. First bb/pellet gun I've had since I was a kid...I forgot how fun they are.
This site has a really good selection of pellet rifles of different types: http://www.pyramydair.com/air-rifles It's worth looking at just to get an idea of what's out there, different mechanisms, caliber and power levels and price ranges.
I just picked up a Crossman Optimus, 1200fps, scope. $140. Got pointed pellets and some other cheaper hollow tips to practice with.
