Need a pistol / rifle for vermin control HELP
Discussion
You are going to need a rifle, pistols have to be sub 6ft/lbs muzzle energy not enough for rats at any sort of range.
The rifle will be sub 12ft/lbs muzzle energy to be legal without a license. Rapid fire isn't the way to go though you can't get semi automatic air weapons legally in the UK as far as I know - controlled head shots (a necessity with a legal limit rifle) is what you need. .22 calibre, using a wadcutter or hollow point pellet.
As to an individual rifle type what is your budget?
The rifle will be sub 12ft/lbs muzzle energy to be legal without a license. Rapid fire isn't the way to go though you can't get semi automatic air weapons legally in the UK as far as I know - controlled head shots (a necessity with a legal limit rifle) is what you need. .22 calibre, using a wadcutter or hollow point pellet.
As to an individual rifle type what is your budget?
The maximum power of a legal pistol is half that of a legal rifle so, unless you are able to hold the barrel no more than a few inches away from the head of the rat you are trying to kill, most people would consider an air pistol as inhumanely suitable for vermin control.
The difference between a .22 and a .177 is the size of the pellet. The legal power for each is identical, which means that the muzzle velocity of a .177 can be higher by virtue ot the lighter pellet.
Either a .177 or a .22 rifle will be suitable for shooting rats, but if you are not used to either, a .177 might be a bit more forgiving as it has a slightly flatter trajectory than a .22. What this means in real terms is that it is slightly more forgiving if your range estimation is slightly out.
Until you have practiced to improve your skills, I would limit the range you try and shoot any living creature to 25 yards or less. and only push this out once you are confident of hitting a 2p sized target at the limit that you wish to shoot to.
The difference between a .22 and a .177 is the size of the pellet. The legal power for each is identical, which means that the muzzle velocity of a .177 can be higher by virtue ot the lighter pellet.
Either a .177 or a .22 rifle will be suitable for shooting rats, but if you are not used to either, a .177 might be a bit more forgiving as it has a slightly flatter trajectory than a .22. What this means in real terms is that it is slightly more forgiving if your range estimation is slightly out.
Until you have practiced to improve your skills, I would limit the range you try and shoot any living creature to 25 yards or less. and only push this out once you are confident of hitting a 2p sized target at the limit that you wish to shoot to.
okgo said:
The pistol I have is above that power, does that mean I now need a FOC?
You won't be able to get one. The pistol is illegal and you face a potential 5 year jail term if you are caught using it.Edited by Lambochick on Saturday 15th May 22:56
t.
As an aside, you can buy a Crossman Ratcatcher, remove the stock and replace it with suitable pistol grips and itll be completely legal (although well short of 12 Ft/Lbs). The reason is that what it is cant be changed - a pistol doesnt become a rifle (and thereby legal if over 6 Ft/Lbs)) by fitting a stock, and the rifle doesnt become a pistol through the removal of the stock.
Air pistols were limited to 6ft/lbs under English law long before there was an internet.
If you bought it via the internet then either it was illegal when you bought it or it wasn’t 9ft/lbs. It’s more likely that you haven’t remembered it correctly and it’s a legal 6ft/lbs.
Get a licensed firearms dealership to chronograph it and work out the muzzle energy. If it exceeds the legal limit then they can’t legally give it back to you. Don’t give them your full name before the test. Then if it fails they can honestly show it in their records as ‘handed in anonymously’.
Note that some types of air pistol have been made illegal irrespective of the power. This was because the air cartridge type could be made to fire .22LR rimfire cartridges without modifying the gun.
I heard that all people used to do was turn up brass adaptors on a lathe. These were the same dimensions externally as the air cartridge. They were in two parts and screwed together.
The front half was essentially round brass stock, line bored through to take the .22LR and in the rear had a recess turned for the .22 rim. It had an external thread at the rear.
The rear half was larger diameter round brass stock, turned to leave a rim the same size as the air cartridge at the rear and be the same diameter as the body of the air cartridge forward of the rim. It was line bored at the rear to about the size of a primer cap to a depth of a couple of millimetres. The bore opened out to the size of the .22LR rim. It then opened out again to take an internal thread to screw into the forward section.
A steel disk, the diameter of the .22LR rim, surfaced flat on one side was machined to leave two high points on the other face. These were opposite each other at the outer edges of the face. The disk was hardened after machining.
The .22LR cartridge was dropped into the front section and the disk fitted into the rear section with the high spots facing forward. The two halves were then screwed together with the high points of the disk sitting upon the rim of the .22LR in the position that a normal rimfire firing pin strikes the rim.
This was then inserted into the chamber exactly like the original air cartridge. When the gun was fired the firing pin tip passed through the primer hole in the rear of the adaptor, exactly like the air cartridge. Instead of striking the valve in the air cartridge and opening the valve, the firing pin struck the centre of the flat side of the disk. The disk is driven forward and the two high spots act as rimfire firing pins, transfering the energy to the rim of the .22LR cartridge, causing it to fire.
After firing, the unit was unscrewed and the spent .22LR case pushed out using a stick from the front. It could then be reloaded and reused. Having a quantity of adaptors allowed people to fill a revolver cylinder and have spares to reload.
Since the gun had no modification it returned to being a normal air pistol when the adaptors were removed and it could still be used with standard air cartridges. However once an air pistol had been used with a .22LR cartridge it left gunpowder residue within the gun. It would pass visual inspection by the authorities, but forensic tests would invariably reveal that it had been used with live ammo.
The rifling pattern and twist with them was distinctive because it was more suited to pellets than heavier .22LR bullets. This allowed the forensics to readily identify shootings involving adapted air cartridge guns.
So, if what you have is an air cartridge type, don’t take it to a dealer or Police station, you are likely to drop in serious legal trouble. Find a way to destroy it without a trace.
If you bought it via the internet then either it was illegal when you bought it or it wasn’t 9ft/lbs. It’s more likely that you haven’t remembered it correctly and it’s a legal 6ft/lbs.
Get a licensed firearms dealership to chronograph it and work out the muzzle energy. If it exceeds the legal limit then they can’t legally give it back to you. Don’t give them your full name before the test. Then if it fails they can honestly show it in their records as ‘handed in anonymously’.
Note that some types of air pistol have been made illegal irrespective of the power. This was because the air cartridge type could be made to fire .22LR rimfire cartridges without modifying the gun.
I heard that all people used to do was turn up brass adaptors on a lathe. These were the same dimensions externally as the air cartridge. They were in two parts and screwed together.
The front half was essentially round brass stock, line bored through to take the .22LR and in the rear had a recess turned for the .22 rim. It had an external thread at the rear.
The rear half was larger diameter round brass stock, turned to leave a rim the same size as the air cartridge at the rear and be the same diameter as the body of the air cartridge forward of the rim. It was line bored at the rear to about the size of a primer cap to a depth of a couple of millimetres. The bore opened out to the size of the .22LR rim. It then opened out again to take an internal thread to screw into the forward section.
A steel disk, the diameter of the .22LR rim, surfaced flat on one side was machined to leave two high points on the other face. These were opposite each other at the outer edges of the face. The disk was hardened after machining.
The .22LR cartridge was dropped into the front section and the disk fitted into the rear section with the high spots facing forward. The two halves were then screwed together with the high points of the disk sitting upon the rim of the .22LR in the position that a normal rimfire firing pin strikes the rim.
This was then inserted into the chamber exactly like the original air cartridge. When the gun was fired the firing pin tip passed through the primer hole in the rear of the adaptor, exactly like the air cartridge. Instead of striking the valve in the air cartridge and opening the valve, the firing pin struck the centre of the flat side of the disk. The disk is driven forward and the two high spots act as rimfire firing pins, transfering the energy to the rim of the .22LR cartridge, causing it to fire.
After firing, the unit was unscrewed and the spent .22LR case pushed out using a stick from the front. It could then be reloaded and reused. Having a quantity of adaptors allowed people to fill a revolver cylinder and have spares to reload.
Since the gun had no modification it returned to being a normal air pistol when the adaptors were removed and it could still be used with standard air cartridges. However once an air pistol had been used with a .22LR cartridge it left gunpowder residue within the gun. It would pass visual inspection by the authorities, but forensic tests would invariably reveal that it had been used with live ammo.
The rifling pattern and twist with them was distinctive because it was more suited to pellets than heavier .22LR bullets. This allowed the forensics to readily identify shootings involving adapted air cartridge guns.
So, if what you have is an air cartridge type, don’t take it to a dealer or Police station, you are likely to drop in serious legal trouble. Find a way to destroy it without a trace.
If Jakester has "quite a few rats to shoot", I don't think you'll ever control them with an air rifle. They will breed faster than you could shoot them. Better to spend your money on poison and/or traps. Best of all, try and remove the reason they are there in the first place, if practical. There must be a food source
tenex said:
If Jakester has "quite a few rats to shoot", I don't think you'll ever control them with an air rifle. They will breed faster than you could shoot them. Better to spend your money on poison and/or traps. Best of all, try and remove the reason they are there in the first place, if practical. There must be a food source
True, but shooting them is more fun, and is an excuse to get a nice sexy air rifle. If budget allows i would go with a .22 precharged pneumatic rifle - Something along the lines of a multi-shot air arms would probably do the trick for rats as they make some very short guns that are easy to handle.
Don't forget to budget for a pump or a bottle for the air if you go with a precharged rifle
Don't forget to budget for a pump or a bottle for the air if you go with a precharged rifle
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