I have been wanting one for a while now. mainly for protection against other animals that will prey on my hens. exactly how much power do these have? would they kill a raccoon or coyote? i assume they may a coon but definately not a coyote. and what is their efficient range? I heard some will go right through 3/4 inch OSB. I find that hard to believe but thought i would ask. can a decent one be aquired new for $200ish? not looking to spend a crazy lot on a pellet gun.
newer pellet guns question.
- Thread starter taurus74
- Start date
I saw your post when it was initially in the other category and so I also know you had a few folks comment already on this.
My go-to air rifle for pest control is a Weihrauch HW80 in .22 cal and while very powerful it is neither anywhere near $200 nor is it quite as powerful as others may lead you to believe.
Of course you may be able to pierce strand-board of that thickness if it is quite close but I would never consider these guns to be capable of ordinarily dispatching a larger animal like a coyote. This is simply outside of the realm of what these can do reliably or efficiently.
While I have never attempted to shoot a raccoon I am guessing with the right air rifle you could do so at relatively close range, but getting past 25 yds would make the shot inhumane in most circumstances - others can chime in with their personal experiences.
Now when we add in your price limit of $200 I am incredibly skeptical you would be happy with anything you could get in that range for the task you've described.
Hope that helps.....
My go-to air rifle for pest control is a Weihrauch HW80 in .22 cal and while very powerful it is neither anywhere near $200 nor is it quite as powerful as others may lead you to believe.
Of course you may be able to pierce strand-board of that thickness if it is quite close but I would never consider these guns to be capable of ordinarily dispatching a larger animal like a coyote. This is simply outside of the realm of what these can do reliably or efficiently.
While I have never attempted to shoot a raccoon I am guessing with the right air rifle you could do so at relatively close range, but getting past 25 yds would make the shot inhumane in most circumstances - others can chime in with their personal experiences.
Now when we add in your price limit of $200 I am incredibly skeptical you would be happy with anything you could get in that range for the task you've described.
Hope that helps.....
A PCP Walther MaximaThor in .22cal at 1200fps (e.g. from D&L Airgun in Canada) can kill whatever you desire. It generates 60J (44 ft-lbs) at the muzzle. It has an 8-shot magazine and it’s good for 30 shots. Obviously, it requires a PAL.
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
I am assuming you do not live within city limits? If so, if you need to dispatch critters up to coyote size, then I think a .22 rifle would be the wiser choice. I'm guessing you have a pal? If not, then any non pal pellet rifle is not going to do what you want it to do anyway. Also, $200.00 won't get you much of a pellet rifle for the chore at hand. You could find a decent used .22 LR much easier for $200.00 that will do the job you want it to do.
I do have a PAL and i do realize a .22 firearm rifle would be a far better choice. i only was interested in an air rifle because as we all know. most raccoon attacks after dark but with my intended budget. i likely will opt for a.22 unless i see a pelletgun come on sale.
I agree. With a budget of up to $200 the best solution is a .22LR rifle. All airguns within this price range are cheap Chinese crap not worth buying. Good quality springer airguns start at around $400-500 and up. Good quality PCP air guns start at around $700. In contrast, even a $200 rimfire rifle would do the job without any problem.
If it's the noise of rimfire after dark you're worried about, the a long barrel and CCI Quiet or the 60gr Aguila subsonics should render a noise quieter than pretty much any air rifle of sufficient power for raccoon dispatch. For coyotes you may not want to use something as weak as the CCI Quiet though, unless they're within 20 metres or so and you're an expert shot. Any airgun capable of delivering energy enough for clean coyote dispatch is going to be loud, at least under Canadian law regarding such matters...
thanks. shots would be like 10 feet and doubtful it would ever be a coyote. i was just asking about coyotes for the heck of it but what i see about prices.. a minimum of 400... personally, i just cant justify it for a pellet gun as i would only use it to protect hens and target practice. so i will just get a 22lr. thank you for the info everyone. i had no idea they were so pricy.i also didnt realize they were loud
Think of the noise you get if you shake a bottle of champagne and pop the cork. Now think of the fact that an air rifle is going to be dumping something like 50 to 100 times as much pressure as that (don't ask me to do the math, just a wild guess) and you get the idea. With a lot of fine tuning a PCP will come down in noise a fair bit as the optimal volume and rate of air dump is achieved, but it's still going to be loud. A Springer or a nitro piston can be quieter, but not by much if you're needing raccoon level power. For raccoons you really want at least 40fpe to be sure. CCI Quiet will give you that much.
I love my airguns but reality is IMHO your best bet is an old .22 with a longer barrel and a box full of CCI quiets. You are going in the right direction.
Air rifles are expensive compared to powder burners for the initial buy but they are cheap to shoot (match grade ammo is $15/500). Unfortunately the only ones worth shooting are expensive as the cheap ones typically have useless triggers and questionable accuracy (generalization).
Air rifles are expensive compared to powder burners for the initial buy but they are cheap to shoot (match grade ammo is $15/500). Unfortunately the only ones worth shooting are expensive as the cheap ones typically have useless triggers and questionable accuracy (generalization).
unstableryan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Beautiful Okanagan Valley
My biddy just bought one for the same reasons but hasn't got it yet.
dlairgun
.22 Caliber @ 950 FPS
Crosman Nitro Venom Dusk (CRS-AR-044)
Regular price$189.99
dlairgun
.22 Caliber @ 950 FPS
Crosman Nitro Venom Dusk (CRS-AR-044)
Regular price$189.99
TacticalCanuck
Regular
- Location
- SW Ontario
Those fps claims are often exaggerated under normal conditions. You will want to be using heavy, lead hunting pellets. They will not get that kind of velocity. Those velocity quotes are with light alloy pellets that you wouldn't hunt with.
I can tell you first hand break barrels are not meant for raccoons. I saw with my own eyes a guy hit one straight between the eyes at under 10 yards with a PAL rated nitro piston air gun and then have to hit him a couple of more times to finish it. The first shot did knock him out cold and out of the tree. He looked gone. But then it started to gasp and struggle. That animal suffered and for no reason God would care hear of.
I recommend 22LR for raccoons as way more humane and responsible. If a critter has to go, it should be fast, lights out. And it should serve a purpose. Otherwise it's just killing.
As far as 22LR goes, you can get that aquila stuff that shoots a 20 grainer with no powder just a good hit of primer. They are quieter than most air guns, and have more power. CB shorts would be better than a 'high power' springer. PCP on the other hand, could do it. They actually get up in the 900+ FPS range with 18 grain pellets.
Anyways, good luck with whatever you do!
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Coyotes, you're going to need MIN 25 CAL airgun. And I would recommend a PCP, which would be WAY out of your price range.
Honestly you could pick up a 22 rifle for like 100$ and have way more power than any airgun. My Cooey 78 costs me 80$ and that was only couple years ago. My Kral cost me 700$ and it only has the power of a 22 CB cap. .26 FPE with a 14.97 ,177 @ 885 fos
But its LOUD.
Honestly you could pick up a 22 rifle for like 100$ and have way more power than any airgun. My Cooey 78 costs me 80$ and that was only couple years ago. My Kral cost me 700$ and it only has the power of a 22 CB cap. .26 FPE with a 14.97 ,177 @ 885 fos
But its LOUD.
TacticalCanuck
Regular
- Location
- SW Ontario
I bet that Kral is a pure joy to shoot though
I found .177 makes sidewalk chalk explode really nicely out of high power pcp Straight between the eyes is a bad idea with a raccoon, whatever the small calibre projectile being used. If you're hitting a raccoon with a .38" or 9mm at 800fps or faster a hit straight between the eyes is probably going to penetrate the thick bone there which is at an angle prone to deflecting anything weaker. If you want to take out a raccoon (I have no reason to do so, but understand the need in some circumstances) your best bet is minimum 30fpe and a shot from the side into the brain, somewhere like halfway between eye and ear hole (bottom of the ear). The exact desired point of impact will of course vary with your available perspective on the thing's head. Front shots are generally considered wrong among those who dispatch raccoons as part of their professional work. Same applies to bears and quite a few other critters. But if you look up the story of the biggest bear killed at its time (record since broken, but it stood for many years), the woman shot it with a bolt action .22lr, just where I describe, between eye and ear. She was an experienced trapper, knew where the brain would be as well as the weak spot in the skull, and followed up with a bunch more hits within a 2" to 3" circle there just to be sure - this was a defensive shooting, she had no real choice left.
https://www.ammoland.com/2017/06/be...-take-the-1953-world-record-grizzly-and-more/
https://www.ammoland.com/2017/06/be...-take-the-1953-world-record-grizzly-and-more/
300_savage
CGN Regular
- Location
- New Brunswick
Use to have lots of problems with coons when we had chickens, live trap baited with peanut butter worked great, & then we could deal with them in the morning. At night a good dog to tree them was the most efficient, often he would have a bunch treed at once, then lots of time to deal with them while the dog kept them up in the trees. 22 shorts & longs out of a rifle barrel are not much louder than a pellet gun.
TacticalCanuck
Regular
- Location
- SW Ontario
Good information thanks for sharing.
