Hunting with air rifle, which .177 or .22 ?

[Tampon]

I ask recently what to use when hunting small game, air rifle came back best bet, going to get one at the weekend, the gun comes with a option of .22 or .177.

I am think a smaller pellet ( .177 ) will cause more damage and therefore kill quicker ? is this correct ?

If not why not and what should I get ?

[Tampon]

MK4 Slowride said:

I'd got for .177 as iirc you get better range although the .22 has a harder punch.

I've had/own a load of air guns and would say my old favourite is the BSA Supersport .177 you could get on for about £100 with a 40x400 telescopic sight.

Good enough to kill a rabbit? ( main thing I want it for ) and I don't want the little fecker suffering any more than necessary ).

Edited by Tampon on Tuesday 10th June 11:21

[Tampon]

MK4 Slowride said:

Tampon said:

MK4 Slowride said:

I'd got for .177 as iirc you get better range although the .22 has a harder punch.

I've had/own a load of air guns and would say my old favourite is the BSA Supersport .177 you could get on for about £100 with a 40x400 telescopic sight.

Good enough to kill a rabbit? ( main thing I want it for ) and I don't want the little fecker suffering any more than necessary ).

Edited by Tampon on Tuesday 10th June 11:21

Unless your going to be a head shot killer every time take a hunting knife to slit it's throat. Either that or a gun dog. You can buy darts for the .177 (10p each!) but they are only good for short range as they're not very well balanced and are blown off course in a slight wind.

What about a hollow point .177 wouldn't that be better, range and assurance but then the pellet caves in and expands on impact ?

[Tampon]

Fume Troll said:

Agreed, go for hollowpoints (but don't then plan on eating what you kill).

Cheers,

FT.

No eating, why, is the bunny destroyed ?

Not to much of a problem, I would be taking most of them out at my rugby club, they keep digging up the pitches.

[Tampon]

MK4 Slowride said:

Tampon said:

Fume Troll said:

Agreed, go for hollowpoints (but don't then plan on eating what you kill).

Cheers,

FT.

No eating, why, is the bunny destroyed ?

Not to much of a problem, I would be taking most of them out at my rugby club, they keep digging up the pitches.

I want to come along!

Where abouts are you?

I'll bring my pistols.

Edited by MK4 Slowride on Tuesday 10th June 11:42

Surrey, in Weybridge, if you fancy it I can let you know when we are going, there are tons of the buggers, and it is a lovely place to be ( on a island on the middle of the Thames ). Also there is the clubhouse which we can use liberally

[Tampon]

911motorsport said:

How easily you all discuss the killing (or more likely maming) of innocent creatures

How else would yo get rid of loads of rabbits ( 100's of them ) that are digging up the training pitch and the junior rugby pitch making holes big enough to have sprained my ankle and broken a props ankle so far last season ?

Ask them to leave ? put a incentive plan together ?

I don't want to hurt them, just want to limit the number of them, no rabbits at all would be bad, but the level they are at at the moment are too much for them and the club to live happily together.

Unfortunately the best way to get rid of them and have a bit of time outdoors with my friends, learn some new skills is to shot them in the head with a air rifle.

I have to say that lots of animals are killed every day, cows chickens and pigs, now I don't have a problem with any of that, and as far as I am aware they weren't guilty of anything other than being tasty ? I also don't have a problem killing a rabbit myself.

So thanks for you very judgemental opinion but it has no effect on me other than think less of you ( you were kind enough to give us feedback on our posts so i thought you would like some back on yours )

[Tampon]

dern said:

Fume Troll said:

dern said:

Fume Troll said:

Agreed, go for hollowpoints (but don't then plan on eating what you kill).

That would be a massive waste.

I find too many bits of pellet using hollowpoints. If I wanted to eat the thing I'd be using a .22 rimfire, not an air rifle. Just my opinion.

I wasn't disputing that... just saying that it would be a huge waste of a very tasty dinner. I only started eating meat a year ago after 20 years and rabbit has become pretty much my favourite

Edited by dern on Tuesday 10th June 12:03

The best thing about all of this is any of the rabbits we get we will gut and then freeze in the clubs massive chest freezers and then the chef can use them when we have a big old lunch ( probably have 6-8 of them a season whith about 50-60 people so they won't be wasted ) unfortunately I will be having the crap kicked out of me as the old boys and sponsors pay to watch it, whilst eating the food I gathered.

[Tampon]

Sicob said:

.22 is usually the preferred option. but as has been said here, range wise with 12ft/lbs limit, the .22 muzzle velocity is less, because the weight of the projectile is more. hence I would hunt up to 40yrds with .22. .177 with higher muzzle velocity but lighter projectile could theoretically make a kill further, but hunters often consider the weight of .177 insufficient for clean kills on larger of the small game i.e bunny's. More for birds really.

Personally I'd stick to .22. If you have firearms certificate, and wish to use high powered airweapon, then .25 is the best option, and obviously with the extra range allowed by the greater muzzle velocity of FOC weapon you can extend your hunting range somewhat. Personally .22 rimfire silenced if using FOC is what I have used previously, and prefer.

Don't fancy getting a firearms licence at the moment, would a silencer really make much of a difference on a air rifle ?

[Tampon]

Maxf said:

Probably most effective and humaine would be to gas them. Shooting will only kill the fit rabbit above ground - chances of getting them all are very slim.

Could do but can't eat them after, and that would kill loads of them, I just want to reduce the numbers, and whilst doing it have a day/evening with my mates, learn a new skill ( gutting and cooking the rabbit outdoors ), and help my club keep the ground in good condition. I win, friends win, club wins, rabbits lose but they would if we gassed them anyway. Seems the best way.

Also we would have to pay someone to do the gassing and I might as well spend the money on the rifle and get years of use out of it ( have rats at the warehouse as well ).

[Tampon]

dern said:

Tampon said:

The best thing about all of this is any of the rabbits we get we will gut and then freeze in the clubs massive chest freezers and then the chef can use them when we have a big old lunch ( probably have 6-8 of them a season whith about 50-60 people so they won't be wasted )

Yummy. A simple stew of rabbit with veg in cider with mash is what I'd recommend. You'll find a recipe in hugh whathisface's big meat book.

I love that book, very sad, i read that as bed time reading.

[Tampon]

mickken said:

Mutt said:

mickken said:

Mutt said:

911motorsport said:

How easily you all discuss the killing (or more likely maming) of innocent creatures

Almost as easily as you mount your high horse on a subject you know nothing about.

What is there to know!!

Big game hunters with hollow points, taking windage into account to shoot Rats and Squirrels. Laughable really.

What's laughable is your patronising attitude. No one was pretending they were romping across the Savannah in Surrey with an elephant gun in search of some trophies. Much in the same way that choice of tyres or brakes is an important minutiae of car ownership, choice of pellets and taking into account wind is relevant to shooting an air rifle.

Attempting to belittle people through your own ignorance. Do you feel better?

Sorry, didn't mean to sound patronising.

Just a quick question, do you mount the heads of the Rodents you stalk and kill on the walls of your council flat's hallway?

Yes

[Tampon]

mickken said:

I just find it laugh out loud funny that small game hunters are willing to spend time and money in the pursuit of shooting small animals.

I am trying to understand where the joy comes from?? Is it the fact that you stalked it, approched from downwind etc?? Is it the fact that with your hollow point pellet you, with the aid of a 1000 X 1000000 telescopic sight, managed a head shot, one shot, one kill? Do you wear face paint, camo's and NI gloves? Do you skin/eat the Squirrel there and then?

There's just so many unanswered questions.....

Mickken, to give you an idea of what I personally want to do, I want to cull some rabbits. I have a bit of little boy in me that wants to play with guns and a air rifle seems like a easy way to do it. I asked about what size (.177 or .22 ) to use as I can only buy a low power rifle due to the law. I read that .177 pellets might not be good enough to kill a rabbit straight out, I would consider that to be bad. Thats how the discussion got on to types of pellets, different pellets do different things, some pierce some expand, some are designed for hunting small animals and some are design for shooting paper targets.

Also the low powered gun available mean that they don't have a large range, therefore people telling me to be careful of using a .22 as they dip in flight and need careful aim to make sure you hit the bugger.

I want to ideally bag 20+ if lucky, i will be wearing jeans/shorts, a t-shirt and probably a fleece in the evening, flip flops will be the order of the day, as will telling filthy jokes, throwing a rugby ball around and probably getting pissed. I might attempt to make a fire and cook one of the bad boys.

Not a weekend warrior just a bunny botherer

Hope that helps

[Tampon]

bad_roo said:

I was always taught .22 for fur, .177 for feather.

I remember the old 'Prometheus' pellets. They were super accurate but would just punch straight through things without a great deal of stopping power.

And to all those who take a sniffy attitude to hunting with a pellet gun, well, I'd like to see how handy you are when you're being charged by an enraged nuthatch.

Right been looking and decided on this one ( the same one some of the guys had in a previous thread)

http://www.dowlings.uk.com/acatalog/Gamo.html

The £130 shadow, full powered and .22 ( also looks pretty smart with a decent scope on it ). It is the cheapest one I have found and has good reviews.

I am getting it before the weekend. So unless anyone knows of any where I can get a second hand .22 rifle ( not necessarily a gamo ) cheaper near heathrow or has one for sale ( I might ask later at lunch on P+P ) I am going to grab that.

[Tampon]

dern said:

Give air sport direct a call...

http://www.airsportdirect.com/acatalog/AirRifles.h...

...I found them very helpful indeed.

I just wanted something to plink with on a budget and went for an smk xs19 in the sport package (ie with a scope) for not much money. If you want properly accurate then these cheap rifles are not as good and you'll want to find your local gunshop with second hand stock.

They don't sell air rifles any more because of the change in law.

[Tampon]

DIW35 said:

And whatever you do, don't try putting a dart through it as someone else has suggested. Darts are made of a much tougher material than lead, and are designed for use in smooth bore barrels. If you try and fire one through a rifled barrel, I guarantee it will jam and render your rifle useless.

I have read that rifled barels are illegal now here. I won't be shooting darts or anything other than pellets out of it.

I have checked out the BBS site and they recommend the Gamo as a good starter gun, perfect for what I want. Thats the bad boy I am going to get, i have also been looking at accessories, jesus you can get carried away with this stuff, I seen one of these guns looking like it should be in Iraq, cool as feck, but must stay calm.

[Tampon]

nel said:

From what I remember of my visit to that rugby club many moons ago you shouldn't have problems with old dears ringing the police, but I suppose that the adjacent river banks could be built up now.

Your right, it is in on a large island in the middle of the Thames, it is private land owned by the club, there are 5 rugby pitches and 2 cricket ovals ( circles ? ) and it's neighbour is Thames water reservoir which can't be accessed by the public, a air rifle would be lucky to get a pellet in the water from the middle of the ground let alone hit anyone. It is a half a mile drive down the drive to get to the clubhouse and grounds anyway.

The whole grounds are tree and shrub lined so no one living on the other side of the bank can see us, the only people who would be down there would be people walking their dogs but they would be there as members of the club ( private land ) and the chances are we would know them ( I play for the first team and am a "face" ) so there shouldn't be any problems.

The good thing is as these rabbits are on the island they are really used to people being around them ( training 5 days a week in the evenings for different levels of rugby, crickets during the summer, and massive junior events of up to a thousand people ). So the rabbits are used to people walking/playing close by, and as a consequence have little fear. The times we would go there would just be 12 acres of quiet empty field in the middle of thames with woods and shrubs round the whole edge where the bugger live.

Summer heaven.

[Tampon]

philthy said:

Tampon, from the description you've given, I would strongly suggest taking a sack. You are going to need it to get them all home.

That what I want to hear, although i am probably going to get all excited and miss all evening now. I will let you know how I get on.

[Tampon]

SpydieNut said:

Tampon said:

philthy said:

Tampon, from the description you've given, I would strongly suggest taking a sack. You are going to need it to get them all home.

That what I want to hear, although i am probably going to get all excited and miss all evening now. I will let you know how I get on.

Jesus Christ - stop right there

if you're thinking of just picking up a rifle and going hunting the same day i think you're a st

there's no way in hell you'll be accurate enough to be able to hit the kill zone every time (or even any time, to start with) and you'll just end up with wounded bunnies.

spend some time practicing - until you can consistantly put your pellets through 1" area (at the most) at the range you're going to shoot at. until you can do that - you have no business hunting.

I am a st ? or so you think eh ?

Fair do's I think you are a cross dressing tranny fker.

I am planning an a full comprhensive get together with the gun, learn how it works, sights work, how to maintain it, then look in to how to use it, then work on hitting smaller and smaller targets. I have worked out three places I can shoot from at the site, paced them off.

Now I have paced them back out at the warehouse and will pratice them there, ideally research I have done says don't shoot anything til you can crack a 10p with confidence from your desired range.

Thats what I am planning on doing.

Now... die bunny die ( cleanly and swiftly of course )

[Tampon]

SpydieNut said:

Tampon said:

I am a st ? or so you think eh ?

Fair do's I think you are a cross dressing tranny fker.

I am planning an a full comprhensive get together with the gun, learn how it works, sights work, how to maintain it, then look in to how to use it, then work on hitting smaller and smaller targets. I have worked out three places I can shoot from at the site, paced them off.

Now I have paced them back out at the warehouse and will pratice them there, ideally research I have done says don't shoot anything til you can crack a 10p with confidence from your desired range.

Thats what I am planning on doing.

Now... die bunny die ( cleanly and swiftly of course )

oh very mature. you'll note i said *if* that's what you were planning on doing.

hopefully you'll realise when you come to zero your scope and practice a few shots that it's not as easy as just lying the gun down and pulling the trigger. and then maybe you'll put a few weeks of practice in *before* hunting.

Slightly sensitive as you were the one saying I am a st "if" I did that with out asking "if" that what I was planning on doing.

So its OK for me to say "if" you were touched as a child your now a crossdressing tranny fker ? no not really.

Please not the similes after the sentence indicating a wait for it......joke, that's what the little blue bloke is doing, it is not a Chinese man have a knuckle shuffle.

As regards what you "hopefully" think I am going to "maybe" do before I go hunting, maybe you should wind your neck in, stop being so patronising and condescending. I think I have shown here that I am taking this seriously and the last thing I want to do it hurt any animals, I need to get rid of them as they are becoming a nuisance and this way I can have a nice social summers evening and ( I have repeated this many times ) learn a new skill, emphasis being on learn.

[Tampon]

SpydieNut said:

c'mon - let's give it a rest 'eh? i'm not trying to get into a fight.

the way you came across was - you were asking for info about getting your first gun.then you decided which you wanted to get and ordered/bought it all within a few days, then you say you picking it and going from there to clear rabbits.

so, i was not trying to be condescending, i was just pointing out that you (and everyone else) need practice to get good enough to hunt responsibly and humanely. the bunnies deserve no less . i apppologise if it was less than diplomatic - i could have phrased it differently.

our sport is also under constant threat from the anti's, so the last thing we need is someone who goes around having a shot at everything and anything (not saying this is what you were going to do, it's just not what we want).

so what do you say?

?

happy shooting.

Happy days, i didn't mean you were a crossing dressing tranny fker ( I did think it was so ridiculous you would find it funny, sorry )

All round.

Thankyou for trying to help.