How far have you killed small game such as Magpies and Crows with a .177 air rifle wi

Sheep1

Sheep1

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I am eyeing buying a Diana 240 for basement target practice and also small game at close range. Please lets hear your opinion on:

How far have you killed small game such as Magpies and Crows with a .177 air rifle with a MV of 500 fps?


Thank you.
 
Your rifle will take them as far away as YOU can do a head shot, consistently.
That means placing shots under an inch.
Remember,outside there is wind and pellet drop,not so much in your basement.
Also remember there is a big difference between hitting a pop can at distance,and hitting a birds brain.
I have taken small game successfully (partridge,ptarmigan etc.) out to 15yds with a modified HW45/P1 carbine( 500fps) and out to 40yds With a HW97kt(850fps)
Your Diana should be an accurate smooth shooter,(certainly smother than the P1)which means you may be able to reach farther out.
Good luck!

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My guests and I were getting harassed by a squirrel in the ravine in my back yard while we were having dinner. Took a shot at him with a 22 air rifle at about 30 meters. It was a lucky shot. Looked staged. Guests were impressed.
 
call2arms said:
My guests and I were getting harassed by a squirrel in the ravine in my back yard while we were having dinner. Took a shot at him with a 22 air rifle at about 30 meters. It was a lucky shot. Looked staged. Guests were impressed.
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A squirrel was harassing people? On purpose? That's a wily, if anthropomorphized, squirrel. Perhaps that's the way to look at it to justify shooting the beast.

I've wilted spruce grouse at 35 yards with a HW80K/.22 and JSB Predators
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The OP is well to keep in mind that an HW80 delivers over 15 foot pounds of energy, while the low-powered Diana 240 will yield at most about 4.5 foot pounds.

Sheep1 said:
I am eyeing buying a Diana 240 for basement target practice and also small game at close range. Please lets hear your opinion on:

How far have you killed small game such as Magpies and Crows with a .177 air rifle with a MV of 500 fps?
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"Game" such as magpies and crows -- if they are really game at all -- are tough birds and unless hit in the head will suffer and die a slow death if only wounded with an insufficiently powered, short range air rifle like the D240. It is unquestionably unethical to shoot animals in such a way that causes them unnecessary suffering.
 
My furthest is starlings at 60 yards, corner to corner in the hangar. From a 1200fps springer, shooting crossman destroyers, so head shots aren't required.
 
grauhanen said:
A squirrel was harassing people? On purpose? That's a wily, if anthropomorphized, squirrel. Perhaps that's the way to look at it to justify shooting the beast.


The OP is well to keep in mind that an HW80 delivers over 15 foot pounds of energy, while the low-powered Diana 240 will yield at most about 4.5 foot pounds.



"Game" such as magpies and crows -- if they are really game at all -- are tough birds and unless hit in the head will suffer and die a slow death if only wounded with an insufficiently powered, short range air rifle like the D240. It is unquestionably unethical to shoot animals in such a way that causes them unnecessary suffering.
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100%
 
Many Many years ago there was a crow up at the top of the light standard across the street from my bedroom window. and my Dad hated crows . so he saw me pointing the Slavia 620 out the window. and yes I still have it . so he said aim at the pole and slowly raise the rifle till your on it then squeeze.

well I did and at about 35 to 40 yards I nailed him . he hit the ground and took off to the ravines edge. so I grabbed a baseball bat and clubbed him while he was hideing in the bushes. this was back in the 70ties. I shot a squirrel one time and only wounded him with that Slavia and had to club him also.

spurge and buy something that's around 1000fps or more so you smoke them . and from what I have heard 22 cal pellets have a better killing ratio at 1000 fps or so then the 177 pellets. alot of critters sucumbed to that pellet rifle years ago and I wish I had something more powerful .the Slavia is more than likely only 490 fps. buy something that kills not wounds.
 
Sheep1 said:
How far have you killed small game such as Magpies and Crows with a .177 air rifle with a MV of 500 fps?
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With a non-PAL gun I wouldn't try to hunt anything...Just too much risk of a injury rather than a clean kill.

I've shot pigeons with headshots at 40yds with an HW98 with full-power spring.
 
The only critter I'll go for with a sub-500fps .177" are rats. Longest shot has been about 18 metres, head shot on a fairly small rat, and he fell with barely a flinch. Haven't tried one out that far since as frankly I could have missed the brain stem and even on a rat I don't want them suffering needlessly. I got lucky, overly excited and not thinking about waiting him out for a closer shot. Silly thing to do really. Most rats I get are between 3 metres and 10 metres and I'm 100% confident of single shot lights out within that range and at that power level. On squirrels I go for closer to 10fpe at closer ranges, 20fpe for the longer shots, same reason. I don't want to have to do a second shot. Feels awful when they suffer.
 
I used a sub 500fps 2240 pistol carbine to headshoot several grouse this fall so it works if you do.Harold
 
Only attempt head shots on game. My personal record is 25 yards, with a scoped Slavia with a rest. Full sized crow through both eyes. Three grouse, all under 20 yards and a standing snowshoe at around 12 yards -in the ear socket no less- with a pump Crosman, while moose hunting.
 
about 50 feet for Crows and Starlings. I don't try to shoot crows because the rest of them act really crazy when you shoot one. My pellet gun was mostly for the starlings that insisted on starting their noisy day at 4am. I once killed two starlings at once when they were sitting on a railing....my mother was not impressed but she was a witness. I'm pretty sure my Diana was closer to 600 fps though.
 
tripoli99 said:
about 50 feet for Crows and Starlings. I don't try to shoot crows because the rest of them act really crazy when you shoot one. My pellet gun was mostly for the starlings that insisted on starting their noisy day at 4am. I once killed two starlings at once when they were sitting on a railing....my mother was not impressed but she was a witness. I'm pretty sure my Diana was closer to 600 fps though.
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I concur! Crow was standing on a fence with half dozen buddies, after "Fred" dropped unceremoniously the other ones went ballistic trying to revive him! Murder I tell you...just murder...

BTW... Is your username inspired by Libya or Arkadia, 99???
 
25yds for Crows and Magpies. Chest shots killed them dead. Shot a-crow flying overhead at approximately 30 feet, (led him like a duck - swing through. - dropped 15 feet away. And longest crow was shot out of a tree at 60yds lazer measured. Dont forget lots more missed! Used a Winchester marked rifle ,made by Daisy -10 pumps for supposidly 1200 FPM. .177 pellet. These are more powerful than you think! Take care and treat like any other firearm.
 
Jetjock said:
25yds for Crows and Magpies. Chest shots killed them dead. Shot a-crow flying overhead at approximately 30 feet, (led him like a duck - swing through. - dropped 15 feet away. And longest crow was shot out of a tree at 60yds lazer measured. Dont forget lots more missed! Used a Winchester marked rifle ,made by Daisy -10 pumps for supposidly 1200 FPM. .177 pellet. These are more powerful than you think! Take care and treat like any other firearm.
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I think it’s prudent to note that the op specifically asked about a 495fps .177, and because of the squared effect of velocity on energy, a pellet traveling at 1200fps has over 5 times the energy of the pellet the op is talking about.

A sub 500 gun should be limited to vermin at very close range imho.
 
Ruger Air Hawk rifle is my comparison @455fps I used to for pest control on pigeons in barn and arenas mostly with Tin roofs... didn't want holes in the roof.
Longest shot generally 30 to 40ft preferably less. Use hallowpoint type pellets. A torso or head shot within that range for Pigeon sized game or smaller is effective. Carry a large shovel or choking type tool to finish off the off the odd bird that hits the ground alive.
 
Curious, why do MOST people that hunt deer NOT take head shots, yet small game is a "head shot only" item? A head shot on deer invites the possibility of hitting the jaw so few of them use that. Yet the smaller target of a "pest" can have the same result. Why not a shoulder shot on small game? That would break the shoulders PLUS put internal damage into the heart/lungs as well. The head on most animals is what moves the most so you're not only trying for a very small target but one that is moving as well. Can a pellet not penetrate soft tissue easier than the bone surrounding the brain? Just wondering.
 
big boar said:
Curious, why do MOST people that hunt deer NOT take head shots, yet small game is a "head shot only" item? A head shot on deer invites the possibility of hitting the jaw so few of them use that. Yet the smaller target of a "pest" can have the same result. Why not a shoulder shot on small game? That would break the shoulders PLUS put internal damage into the heart/lungs as well. The head on most animals is what moves the most so you're not only trying for a very small target but one that is moving as well. Can a pellet not penetrate soft tissue easier than the bone surrounding the brain? Just wondering.
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The brain on a deer is quite small relative to head size. A pigeon for instance if you were to pellet them in the head there is a good chance you'll hit brain or spinal cord. Personally I have always aimed for the chest on pests same as I would aim for a deer. If using a larger caliber say using 7.62x39 on a grouse neck shots are essential or there would not be much to eat.
Additionally of shooting a deer with the intent to also have a rack or trophy made shots are aimed to the chest in preference. The area of vital organs for a critical hit osbalso much larger on Deer+sized game.
 
Yes a pigeon doesn't have much of a neck so the head doesn't seem to move much in relation to the body. They also tend to sit quite still. I've watched videos of guys hunting them and chest hits put the lights out very fast. However, for something like a squirrel or similar, they seem to move the head a lot so I question the idea of a head shot as it's a small target. Using a high velocity 177 wouldn't a shoulder hit be easier to make, especially in the field?
 
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