Air Rifle for Small game
 

Anyone seen an air rifle take sqirrels? What anre some recommendations?

Nahum 1:7

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

NCL,

Believe this or not, my daughter and I was just messing around last winter with her Daisy Pumpmaster 760 and we killed 4 squirrels with it one morning. Yes, there was a tremendous amount of squirrels in our yard and woods. I've always known that this little air rifle had that kind of power because when my son was small he would stick the barrel of his pumpmaster into the rabbit boxes to dispatch a rabbit before he'd pull out the rabbit so it didnt scratch him. <img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle>

The squirrels that we killed that morning was by head shots at close range. Later on I thinned the squirrels out around the house and killed another 21 or so (in a week or so) using a shotgun to keep the mischief down. <img src=icon_smile_evil.gif border=0 align=middle>

I'm no expert with air rifles, but I am sure there are plenty out there at almost any price range with different capabilities. I just wanted to share this little story with you.

Good huntin'

Smack 'em where it hurts!

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

i have a RWS made in germany,,shots 1100fps and have taken a lot of squirels with, oh its .17 cal. i use RWS pellets with it. i bought it for rats on a farm years ago .it will take a critter as big as a fox if its a Good head shot. good luck

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

i got a benjimen 127 i use copper head bullets and ive shot rabits squirls with it i bought it at wal-mart for 100$ when i got it it was the most powerfull pellet gun around theres another one now seen it in the cables magazine it was 300$

100%REDNECK

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

i have a gamo hunter 200 with a 3-9x40 scope that it came with. it's in .22cal. and shoots at 750fps. (the box says 800 but i cant get it that high) for the package it cost $200
and with a shot right between the eyes it will cleanly go threw the thick skull of an oppossum and kill it.

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

i have a gamo hunter 200 with a 3-9x40 scope that it came with. it's in .22cal. and shoots at 750fps. (the box says 800 but i cant get it that high) for the package it cost $200
and with a shot right between the eyes it will cleanly go threw the thick skull of an oppossum and kill it.

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

I shot the 177 cal. for years around my house,to keep the neighbors happy.it will work on rabbits,coons,possums. if in the head at close range.

I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

Just how effective should a RWS 34 be on cats with body shots? Should there be penetration? I should say that we have a very bad feral cat problem. The warden has been of no help.

&quot;Liberty is never unalienable; it must be redeemed regularly with the blood of patriots or it always vanishes.&quot;
&quot;That the timid are not philosophically qualified to comment on the activities of the courageous.&quot; Jeff Cooper

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

VERY EFFECTIVE!!!!!!! trust me.

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

There used to be a stray cat that came around my place and finally my parents told me to kill it so the first time i went out with my POWERLINE 856 which shoots .177s over 650fps and ambushed it and shot it in the head from about a foot. I thought i killed it but i saw it again a week or so later and shot it in the head from about 15 feet this time. and it still ran. So next time i used 3in. 00 Buck, that did the trick!

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

dc hunter,,,RWS shoots 110fps.and with there heavest pellet it will go through a rabbit size critter.don't use elcheapo pellets from the chain stores.

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

ooops the darn key board. that was 1100 fps

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

From how far should I get penetration on cats? Should the long haired ones receive less penetration? I have been using only RWS pellets. Specificly the hollow point and the domed. I can't seem to find the pointed ones local.

&quot;Liberty is never unalienable; it must be redeemed regularly with the blood of patriots or it always vanishes.&quot;
&quot;That the timid are not philosophically qualified to comment on the activities of the courageous.&quot; Jeff Cooper

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

I have a Gamo Hunter 220 (w/ a 4x 32mm scope), which shoots the .177 Cal pellets at 1000fps. I use pointed pellets and they work great. My son shot his first squirrel with it two weeks ago. It's very accurate.

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

I'd imagine that you could kill a cat at pretty close range with one, but I'd recommend using a .22 LR subsonic or something, if you want it to be quiet.

Kris

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

Pellet rifles are very effective small game hunting weapons. RWS recently came out with a Model 350 that will shoot 1,250 FPS with a .177 pellet and 1,000 FPS with a .22 caliber. The .22 will definitely hit harder due to the mass of the projectile. This gun will cost you around $350.00 without scope though. I have a Daisy pump that I kill squirrels with but would love to have the 350.

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

One of the best gifts I ever recieved was a Sheridan .20 cal pellet rifle that my father gave me for christmas. 21 or 22 years ago. I killed more squirrels (and rabbits and doves and frogs and chipmunks) than I could count. I noticed a few years back when I pulled it out of the closet to teach my daughter how to shoot, that the pellets I bought were made differently than they used to be. They are an hour glass shape where they used to be cylindrical. I suspected that it would make it go faster....but didn't think about it having less impact energy. Two weeks ago I shot a squirrel and it dropped out of the tree. I waited a few minutes figuring that it would be better to let it bleed out. But the damned thing surprised me and jumped up and ran off. Today I shot another one 3 times. it dropped out of the tree , but still ran off. both times it was a shot of about 25-30 yards. I don't think I am going to shoot any more unless I can find some better pellets. I don't think the rifle has lost it's &quot;umph&quot;. it still seems to throw the lead pretty hard, although I would love to put a chron on it.

David

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

I don't know if they go all over the country, but I got a heck of a deal on a pretty awesome air rifle off the Cummings tool sales trucks that come through our parts. A buddy of mine bought one and told me about it. The next time the truck came through I had to get one for myself. It is a no-name made in Japan. I paid $19.99 for it and it shoots .177cal. pellets at 900fps. I didn't really believe my friend when he said how hard it hits so I put it through a test of my own. I shot my Cabellas fall book at about 15 yards. The pellet went almost all the way through and the last page had a dent the size of the pellet. I also shot it into a pine board to see how it would do and it shot right through a 1 inch pine board at 15 yards. I just finished an antler mount for a rind and am working on another for a nice 4X scope and rings to put on it. I took it to a friends in-laws house to kill chipmunks that were getting into everything and it will shoot right through them and you hear the pellet flying through the brush after going through. Like I said for the price it is a heck of a little gun. All I need to do now is see the cat that has been messing under my back shed and it's game over.

LIVE TO HUNT,HUNT TO LIVE.

RE: Air Rifle for Small game
 

I have a daisy 880 power line, don't remember how many fps. I've used it on just about any kind of critter that would pass through the yard, even ground hogs out of the garden. It works well on squirrels on the bird feeder 30y away, but it's better to be a little closer for the bigger critters. I also had a gamo a while back, think it was called the hunter model, but I got rid of it because it was for some reason vey inaccurate. Both guns were .177.