Air rifle for Grouse

.30/06 FTW

.30/06 FTW

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
127   0   1
Location
Thunder Bay, Ontario
I recently went Grouse hunting for the first time and loved it. Wasn't successful but I learned a lot and had fun. Half of the 6 birds we saw were in areas where we couldn't shoot them with a firearm, but could with a pellet gun.

Is a 495 fps air rifle powerful enough for Grouse? I'd like to just pick something up from Canadian Tire with my CT money. I'm not against picking up something more powerful but it would be enough of a hassle that I probably would wait until next year to get one (a lot of gun projects on the go right now).

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Yes it would be powerful enough at close range, 10 yards or so. Lot of guy's are using .22 pellet pistols, where legal of course. I'd be doing head shots only
 
I shot a dozen over a moose hunting week a couple years ago. I used a modified Crosman 1322, which is a multi-pump .22 calibre pistol. I have it shooting right up to the 500fps limit with a low power pistol scope on top.

A Crosman 2240 is a good option to avoid pumping, but not if you plan to use it in the cold. CO2 guns don't work well once you get much below room temp.
 
Keep in mind that not all sub-500 fps air rifles of the kind available at Canadian Tire will be right up there near 500 fps. Many .22 air rifles of the inexpensive kind use the same spring as their .177 siblings and produce nearly the same energy in ft lbs as the .177 but not the same muzzle velocity. Additionally, the .22 air rifles will have a much more loopy trajectory than the .177 models. Saying "head shot only" is a heckuva lot easier than achieving that goal. Accuracy will increasingly diminish with distance with "cheaper" air rifles than with better quality ones, and that becomes even worse when using the pellets typically available at CT. If you have a PAL order a full power Diana Model 34 (or a sub-500 fps Model 34 if you don't) and get some JSB or H&N pellets and you'll have sufficient power and accuracy.
 
The higher quality air rifles have adequate accuracy to make consistent head shots on grouse to at least 30 yards, but the low priced guns sold at Canadian Tire are not nearly as accurate. In any case, you need to try different pellets to find which ones shoot best in your air rifle.
 
I had one of those crossman pump up pistols also shot MANY grouse in the head for many years with it . Anything that will shoot straight will do , just know your distance limits . Get what you want to afford and upgrade IF you want. I think the low speed guns are less picky about the Ammo . I have a RWS Dianna now and what aPITA to find the ammo it shoots straight , I don't remember problems like that when I had cheap ones as a kid , that pistol isn't bad that way either

Hit them in the head for two reasons, #1-sure kill #2 so the others let you shoot them , UNTILL one starts flopping around the others stay put . Thus the reason WE call them fool hens
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom