Air Rifle

B

barber oregon

Joined
Nov 19, 2000
Messages
234
I been thinking of purchasing an air rifle for small game for the BOB. The highest velocity that can be purchased in my area (without a licence)are ones that can shoot up to 495 feet/sec.

Is this velocity capable of taking out small game? Should I get a bow instead (I have some experience with bows)?

Any recommendations for air rifles/guns in this range?
 
A bow would be preferable to a pellet gun in a survival situation.

You can take a larger variety of small game with a bow. Won't get much of a meal with a pellet gun-just chipmunks, squirrels, small birds...
 
I would go with the bow also. I remember having quite a bit of fun with one when I was younger. Are you talking about C02 or pump? 495fps isn't very lethal. I had a crossman 1300 fps pump rifle and a little c02 semiauto pistol ?fps. They had no problem taking out chipmunks birds, etc. Are you getting it for fun or actually for small game meat? :D
 
Hi,
Airguns are very popular in the UK due to centrefire being so hard to come by. 12 foot pounds is the maximum power you can legaly own before a Firearms certificate is required (FAC) then you can go up to what ever you like. To humanely kill small quarry with an air rifle most experienced hunters are loath to go much over 35 yards. They will take Rabbits, squirrels or (groundhogs in the US I guess) and most birds (Up to Crow sizes). A .177 is often sited as being the best for birds due to the penetration and the saying '1.77 for feather .22 for fur' is a good yard stick to use. Personally I think there would be more food oppertunities with a good air rifle than a bow. Consdiering that 500 rnds of airgun ammo is very small in volume. Bow's while cool looking are IMHO a hell of a lot more difficult to use (hit) than an airgun. If you can get an airgun in .20 cal (not too popular) it will be a good compromise. Q? Are you limited to FPS or Ft/Lbs?

Temper
 
I agree with Temper, an airgun takes a lot less skill to use than a bow.

I'm not sure about the 495ft/s though if thats you're legal limit get .22 a .22 traveling 495ft/s is gonna hit harder than .177 traveling the same speed. Uk limit is 12ft/lbs so power doesn't vary with caliber.

Will
 
When I was a kid I shot squirrels with a .22 cal. Crossman 2200 Magnum, listed at a nominal MV of 600-625 fps (562.4 fps av. actual chronograph velocity at 4.5 feet with 14.3 grain Crossman pellets, generating 10 ft-lbs), and also a .177 cal listed at a nominal MV of 665 fps max.(never chronographed). Killing power and penetration of both was very unimpressive – sometimes the pellets would not penetrate the skull even though I always got very close and took only shots in the temple area. Usually these shots were fatal, but not as instantly fatal as the .22 rim-fires (including CB caps) are for such shots.
I also used a 5mm Sheridan for pigeons along side my .22 Crossman and I was equally unimpressed with either.
I am told that the .177’s at 1000 fps plus with specialty pellets are the best air guns for small game, but you still have to get close and place your shots carefully.



-Frank
 
I once spent a weekend at my fathers company (steel) as the guys there were complaining of pidgeon poop all over the place. I bagged 50 or so birds (the resident wild cats had a field day! ) My .177 HW80 was chrono'd at 900 fps with H&N Barracuda (Heavy pellets for a .177) and the problems that I found with it was that the energy was so great that at 10m or less it just passed through them. I had to run up quick and shoot them in the head with a wad cutter from a pistol to save them any more pain. No disrespect to the Crossman owner but I have never had any experience with poor penetration, even with a 12ft/lb rifle (The HW80 was tuned in the UK, obviously too well or not well enough depending on how you look at it.)

I still say an airgun is the way to go for cost and noise against small game. Many companies in the UK have gone to the Pre Charged Pneumatic PCP now and this system gives recoiless consistent shots with a bolt action rotary magazine that hold between 8~10 shots.

Temper
 
Sounds like air pellet guns are very popular in the U.K. All this talk about pellet guns makes me wish I had my old one back, just for fun.:)
 
On the pigeons we were getting enough penetration, but the killing power was lacking, the birds would take off after being hit and fly for a few seconds before falling out of the air. The same birds hit with a .22LR or a shotgun fall dead, almost instantly.
The penetration on the large gray squirrel’s often left part of the skirt of the pellet sticking out and they would typically roll or run for a few seconds before collapsing. The same shots with a .22 Rim-fire would drop them on the spot.

In the USA at least, it makes a lot more sense to me to hunt small game with a .22LR then an air gun. I use RWS subsonic HP ammo in my Ruger 10/22 for rabbits and squirrels. The RWS subsonic is very accurate in my 10/22 and makes little more noise than an air gun, the only problem I have had, was the loss of accuracy as the temperatures dropped well below freezing (I switch to HVHPs when it gets cold). The CB long is as quiet if not quieter than an air gun, although it won’t cycle the 10/22’s action.

If I were limited to a bow or a 495 fps air gun, I would pick the air gun for small game (easier to hit with) and the bow for larger game (more killing power).


-Frank
 
I may seem like the odd man out here, but personally, I'd go for the bow.

With enough practice, you can become sufficient enough to hit anything. They come in many different configurations, and can be tuned to make it as "personal" as you would like. They can be lightweight and portable. And they can be used to kill anything. There are hundreds of different arrow configurations as well.

While packing a bow, for survival, or any situation, you can make it extremely versatile. You can carry some small game tips, as well as field tips and broadheads.

Yes, on some game, you risk shooting them and then having to track a wounded animal with an arrow stuck in it. But for a survival situation, I feel it would be ideal.

Someone mentioned earlier about shooting groundhogs with a pellet gun. Maybe we just have really tough groundhogs here, but I'd would try shooting one again. I shot one with a pellet gun (I don't remember the make, but it was a .177 caliber), and the damn thing chased me all over the place. It was like flicking a bear in the ass with a rubber band; it didn't do a thing.

As fun as pellet guns may be, I'd still take a bow over one any day.

Kris
 
Hello All,
IMHO the quality of the European (Namely German and UK) made airguns are much better than their American counterparts. This I feel is due to the wide availability of centrefire and rimfire rifles, which, when you compare the two (Air vs Chemical Propellant) are much more attractive. Given a choice I wouldn't even consider an airrifle over say, the Ruger. Couple this with the cost of .22 ammo and the argument of buying an air rifle dies a quick death. However, due to the fact that rimfire is so difficult to obtain in the UK and Europe, great gains have been made in the technology used to produce these weapons. CNC machinery is now 'run of the mill' even for the smaller producers. Without wishing to seem condesending, you would never see an American made Air Rifle in the hands of a serious Hunter or Field Target shooter. This is due to them basically not being powerful enough and their triggers not being up to the standards of other makers. Again this is most likely due to the fact that their target market are children that receive them as Christmas or Birthday gifts (and will discard them as soon as a.22 is available) as opposed to the UK where Adults will part with thousands of pounds for this gear. I have heard of people taking Hares with an air rifle and while I myself wouldn't attempt it I beleive that a well placed shot on an animal of that size with the right ammo would kill it humanely.

Respectfully

Temper
 
-While I favor Air guns over firearms for this
use they still suffer the same problems in a true
LONG TERM survival situation.....The need for ammo.

A bow on the other hand can be re-supplied by the
hunter from local materials.So my vote is for the
old as mankind bow & arrow to put meat on my table.
 
Wow... I'm totally flabberghasted at the mere existance of such a discussion.

I think there is a list of best choices, all with their strengths and weaknesses. On the top being a .22 long rifle. Ammo is cheap in the United States costing under 1 US penny per shot and 1000 rounds weighing only about 2 pounds with the volume about the size of a small loaf of bread.

The .22 air rifle is also a strong "game-getter" if you have a nicely made specimen with a thousand pellets weighing almost nothing and has the volume about the same as a can of beans.

A bow takes lots of training, and if one is good, can take down large game, but is excessive for small game (which one encounters more often than deer). Also, one can only carry a few very costly arrows, and field made arrows do not fly as true. The bow itself will be much harder to store and carry.
 
Yes the best choice would be a .22 long rifle or some other firearm. If your going to kill an animal having a firearm is preferable to a bow or air rifle.

As he is a Canadian it requires a fair bit of time and expense to acquire a firearm. First you have to take the government's firearm safety course. Then pay $60 for the firearms licence and wait at least several months for it to be issued to you. Then when you buy a firearm you have to pay the $25 registration fee.

It's a major pain in the butt going through the government red tape but in order to acquire the proper tool for a survival situation it would be worth the time, money and effort.
 
I think You are limiting your options. My choice would be for a blow-gun. With it you would have unlimited easy to make ammo, and would be able to shoot a more diverse range of game, from small ones to quite large ones, specially if you use poison on your darts.
Besides it can also have a lot more uses, as a walking staff, as a stick , a spear, etc...
But be aware that in a survival situation your best option is to get animals by trapping not by spending your energy hunting...
Check out the link bellow. http://www.crawfordknives.com/html/staff.html
 
For the urban hunter/gatherer, the air rifle is the perfect tool.

A spring powered air rifle requires nearly zero maintenance, the ammunition is small, it is quiet, it's ready to go as fast as a firearm, and the neighbors consider it a toy. My springer can quite humanely take all of the urban meat species...pigeons, squirrels, kitties, etc.

If you're limited to 495fps, use a heavier projectile to make up the energy level. A .375 ball at 495fps is plenty for small game.

The time and effort to become proficient enough with a bow to be able to fill the pot with chipmunks is considerable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top