Smoking Pests with a .25 Caliber Air Rifle

Cal Sportsman ^ | 5/10/2016 | E Nestor

[SpaceBar]

My ‘agree’ was meant for you.

[cld51860]

That’s some rig that dude has there.

[Comment Not Approved]

I shoot chipmunks with a .22 caliber air pistol , CO2 powered, I’ve had for over 40 years.

Neighbor told me they would play hell with our garden so I started shooting them when we put the garden in. Wife said why would I want to do that?

After a couple seasons of them causing havoc in her garden, a nibble here or there on everything, she points them out to me and chides me if I let them multiply too much.

Now if I could just keep the moose from pruning my apple trees!

[golux]

Thanks.

[JimRed]

That one’s scary looking, therefore illegal in most “blue” states.

[JimRed]

Killing for fun - taking a pigeon’s wing out for giggles - is immoral.

Amen.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I agree. We have to thin the herd of squirrels in our yard from Time to time because otherwise they just destroy everything. But its not much fun.

The dog keeps the stray cats out. We just say “kitty” and open the door.

[soupbone1]

Did you watch the video to the end when he mentions putting the meat in a crock pot. I have seen his other vids and he has recipes for what he shoots.

[Hot Tabasco]

Ted's Holdover Youtube channel is great, along with AirgunGearShow hosted by a Brit named Giles. There's another one named ArizonaAirguns.

With that being said, FX has a vast array of PCP's that are marvelous works of engineering and it's not surprising that they are made in Europe. They also offer the FX Verminator Extreme MK2 which also shoots arrows along with pellets simply by switching barrels.

When it comes to PCP air rifles, you can't beat their accuracy and their silence when firing.

Unfortunately, to my dismay due to lack of finances, these rifles start at well over $1,000 for the rifle alone then you have the basic accessories needed to charge them which includes the tanks, the valves, and most importantly, the scope of your choice. You're looking at probably a $2,000 investment at the very least, depending on the rifle you choose.

As for break barrels, I have two. The first one is a .22 Cal Beeman Kodiak which is head shot deadly out to about 35 yards (I only state that yardage since I've never had to shoot a rabbit at a further distance). This rifle was made in Britain and of course the craftsmanship is unrivaled.

The second break barrel is a .177 cal Ruger Suppressed that is made in China and isn't worth a crap.

What's funny is that on all the Prepper threads I've visited, not one of them list a quality .22 cal or higher air rifle as a weapon of choice when it comes to hunting for food. A 500 count tin of .22 cal pellets only costs about $9 and for a hundred bucks, you have 5000 rounds of ammunition that will give you all the rabbits, squirrels, possum, coons and any other small animal you can eat. And there is NO SHORTAGE of these hunting pellets..........

Thanks for posting this thread and allowing me to contribute.........

[Hot Tabasco]

Hey Airborne, you’re familiar with airguns, how about offering your input into the original intent of this thread which was the FX airguns......ignore all the other crap.

[crosdaddy]

They(FX) make excellent air rifles, can’t go wrong with one.they make one that has an integrated hand pump, so you can go afield and with a few hand pumps,stay continuously topped off,and not have to drag along a refill cylinder. You don’t want to hand pump a rifle cylinder to full BAR,though. That’s painful.

[Hot Tabasco]

They(FX) make excellent air rifles, can’t go wrong with one

FX, Daystate and several others........

I've been dying to be able to afford to purchase one but I just can't afford it since I'm retired.

I have an M-1 Garand and a sporterised 1952 Belgium Mauser that my dad purchased when he was stationed in Germany back in the early 1950's that I want to sell but the auction house I contacted regarding the Mauser (initial estimate $1,800) would require it to remain in their house until it was sold. And there was no telling how long that would be........

[crosdaddy]

That’s the good news/ bad news with PCP’s, they are cheap to shoot(and fun as hell) ,but the buy in is expensive.

[airborne]

It looks lime a nice varmint rifle. Air rifles are an inexpensive way to shoot a lot of rounds.

And the size of the caliber pellet plus the amount of air pressure allows you to effectively kill larger pests and rodents around the farm.

I would caution that along with more air pressure comes the danger of a pellet continuing on for some distance.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The rifle shoots a .495 round ball.
Check out Quackenbush...

Wait time for a new gun is > 1 year.

[OKSooner]

You got a point there. Shooting thru fire extinguishers, posting videos of kids and women being knocked down by recoil because someone thought it was funny, car windows being shot out...

It's enough to make one disinterested in whatever it is this time.

[Hot Tabasco]

I would caution that along with more air pressure comes the danger of a pellet continuing on for some distance.

Wow, thanks for the caution, never thought about that.........

Just curious, with your knowledge, what's the difference between a .22 cal. PCP pellet, a .22 cal. break barrel pellet and a .22 cal rimfire bullett?

[airborne]

A pellet is what it says. A pellet. Typically projected with air.

A rimfire bullet is what it says. A bullet. Typically fired with gunpowder.

[golux]

Cool! No I did not see that. This guy eats pigeons? Wow!