air rifles for pest hunting? what do you recommend
- Thread starter cdnrokon
- Start date
Historically for my pest control needs where being quiet was the main criteria - my Hammerli Air Magnum 850 was my go to air rifle - it was (and still is...lol) CO2 powered by a 88 gram canister. Bolt shot 8-round .22 repeater.
My second favourite rifle which I have sold is the Gamo Hunter Extreme (break barrel in .177). I wish I never sold it but it fulfilled its purpose at the time.
I just sold a Stoeger X20 last month (break barrel .177) to someone who needed a quite discreet pest control solution.
I DO NOT recommend anything that you can find that doesn't need a PAL, especially in .177. I find a lot of the "up to 495 FPS" .177 rifles you can get at Bass Pro, Canadian Tire, etc. that don't need a PAL - actual velocity off the chrony is less than what is stated I guess "up to" can be fairly subjective (I had several years ago that was "up to 495" but on my chrony it was more like 415 - 430. Those sub 500 FPS rifles in most cases will not humanely dispatch things like squirrels (unless the squirrel is already half dead, standing up straight at point blank range with its mouth open). PAL rated air rifle is a must, in my opinion for squirrels and bigger. For mice, a sub-500 .22 like the Crosman Phantom will work.
+1 for Gazelle's points. I used a .177 Ruger non-PAL on 'small' rats (under 8" long) when I lived in Halifax near a port terminal. 2-3 shots from 5-6 feet just rolled them over and they ran away. I was using Crosman 'Destroyer' HP pellets. I guess they didn't have their mouth open ;-)
I have an HW95 that I shot in .22 cal for years and it was doing 700fps, I recently picked up a .177 barrel and am now getting 850fps. It has a much flatter trajectory and is very capable at 40 yards for small pests. I always thought 22 was better but for me the 177 is now my pest rifle and a tuned for smoothness HW80k which is doing 650fps is my can gun. BTW my pests are squirrels and starlings and grackles. Anything bigger gets 22Lr or .223
https://imgur.com/gallery/8p6RH3h
https://imgur.com/gallery/8p6RH3h
The type of pellet makes a difference as well - there are various .177 hollow point pellets (and some .22 pellets) which are very effective against certain pests like squirrels, rats, etc. Between my old .177 Steoger X20 (1000 fps) and my old .177 Gamo Hunter Extreme (forgot what the base FPS was but I remember with PBA pellets, it is rated over 1600 fps - no, that is not a typo) and using hollow point pellets, there wasn't a pest or rodent critter that didn't succumb to a shot within 10-30 yards. My only problem with my Hunter Extreme and why I sold it was it was very heavy (for me anyway) and the break barrel cocking power was pretty intense for my scrawny arms and upper body. PBA pellets are great for rodent stopping power but what you gain in stopping power you take a slight hit in long range accuracy
I agree and,nitro piston is so much better and very quiet. I’m a PCP guy and feel they are the way to go for temperature differences for accuracy and power, but loud.
