Shooting Tigers

Hi, All, I have just had my FAC renewed and it has a couple of new slots on it. I am looking for recommendations for a couple of 22 rimfires that meet the criteria below. They are to be utilitarian, "workman-like" guns for pest control and used from a tractor or Land Rover (day or night). Does anyone have any recommendations of what I should look at ? Slot 1 :- 22 rimfire - bolt action 1) A "reasonable" price and good value for money (no "fashion" premium) 2) As accurate as can be achieved from 22 rimfire ammo (22LR or 22WMR) 3) As short and rugged as possible for use in, and from, a tractor cab. 4) Good magazine capacity. 5) Threaded for a moderator. (It may be used day, or night, with NV scope gear) Slot 2 :- 22 rimfire - Semi-auto 1) Same as above, but particularly being short, and preferably a 20+ round magazine size. (Are there any bullpup-style 22 rimfires available?) Any recommendations would be most welcomed. Cheers, Rob

Hi, I am aware of "reduced" 22LR ammunition that has much lower muzzle energies, but I need a rifle that I can use into trees. The lower BC of airgun pellets is better suited to this. A 22LR bullet will retain energy at greater distances and I do not want to have to explain why I am pointing a 22 rimfire up into trees. However, I do want to get a flat trajectory from the .25, similar to what I get from my .177 airguns. A 24 grain pellet at 950 fps gives about 50 fl.lbs ME. These are the sorts of numbers I have been considering. I was hoping to get a suitable set-up to give me a rifle capable of being accurate up to about 75 metres with minimal holdover/under. Cheers, Rob

Hi, All, Thanks for the replies. As far as I am aware, the Daystate Air Ranger 80 can have a muzzle energy of any value up to 80 ft.lbs. I was thinking of having it set at a lower level (40 to 60 ft.lbs.)so that I could try a range of .25 cal pellets of between 19 and 31 grains and keep the muzzle velocity sub-sonic. This would allow it to be kept quiet by a good moderator, but get the fastest, flattest trajectory out of it. If the muzzle energy causes problems, it can be re-adjusted. I just wanted to know how close I should start to the ideal setting of "just sub-sonic" with JSB King 25 grain .25 pellets. I wanted an FAC air rifle so that I have a hunting rifle that I can use up into trees (birds, squirrels). It is going to be used on a remote farm with no surrounding buildings or inhabited property. I have two sub-12 ft.lb PCPs for inside barns and close-up vermin control. I will have rimfires (22LR and 17HMR) for rabbits and ground game. Any opinions on this idea? Cheers, Rob

Hi, I am having my first ever F.A.C. issued in the next few weeks. One of my slots on it is for a .25 cal (not a .22) air rifle. I would like to hear from anyone that has experience or recommendations for what make, model, muzzle energy and pellet choices they have experience of so that I can make an informed choice for buying a rifle. I have searched this forum, but the search feature did not find anything on ".25" or "25 cal" I am considering a Daystate Air Ranger 80 in .25 calibre, with around 40 to 60 ft.lbs muzzle energy. Has anyone got (or had) one of these, and how well did it perform? I intend to be using it for hunting, particularly for pigeons, crows, magpies and squirrels. Any ideas on what sort of accuracy and silencing I could expect from this set-up? I am particularly interested in opinions from anyone that has had several .25 cal FAC rifles to compare against each other. I know the theories... I need informed opinions... Any advice on this one, anyone?... Cheers, Rob

Hi, I have two scopes, but am not satisfied with one of them and I want to replace it. I have a Hawke model HK 4004 3-12 x 50mm IR Sidewinder scope with the SR6 illuminated reticule (good scope) and a Nikko Sterling 4-12 x 50 IR scope (not satisfied). The Nikko Sterling does not give the same image clarity and needs me to keep my eye centred on the optical axis more than the Hawke. Also, the cross-hairs are not at 90 degrees to each other! The vertical cross-hair is vertical, but he horizontal one is low on the left, and high on the right! It is to be mounted on a 12 ftlb air rifle, but I am making applications for an FAC, and will be getting an FAC air rifle initially, and want this scope to be suitable for up 40+ ftlb, and up to 100m. It will be for hunting, and needs to be quick for target acquisition. Can anyone recommend a good quality scope at a sensible price? I am looking for something that has these qualities:- 1) Rugged and well contructed. 2) Good quality glass and optical components. Good in low light conditions. (40mm minimum objective lens, pref. 50mm) 3) Parallax adjustable, or free from parallax errors from 20m out to 80m. 4) Large exit pupil - Good sight picture without having my eye perfectly aligned with the optical axis - rapid target acquisition - minimal vignetting. 5) Large enough eye relief for wearing spectacles (always) 6) Reticle for estimating range/hold-over/hold-under (I like the Hawke SR6 reticle, but mil dots are OK, whatever...) 7) Illuminated reticle. 8) Variable magnification (at least x3 and up to x10 or more) 9) Pref. 30mm tube, as all my other sight and mounts are 30mm) Any suggestions or experiences welcomed. Cheers, Rob

Hi, Dekers, How would you wash pellets without deforming the skirts, etc? If you shake/roll/tumble them in a container, does the risk of skirt damage outweigh the gains in "clean" pellets? Should they just be flushed under running water without shaking/tumbling them? I have started using JSB Exacts in my new HW100TK. So far I have only shot about 70 pellets, but I have found two with deformed skirts already. Cheers, Rob

Hi, I am running chrono tests on my new HW100TK with a Combro 625 (recommended in a previous thread). I want to know what sort of variation I am getting in pellet weights as well as muzzle velocity. Does anyone have any recommendations for an accurate weighing machine for weighing .177 pellets to a tenth of a grain? I have seen mechanical and electronic ones on youtube, but no brand names, or any indication of how accurate they are. What are you guys using? Cheers, Rob

Cheers for the info, Colster, I found your comments about the squirrels interesting. When I think of squirrels, I think "acorns", "hazlenutes" and "nuts" , and stripping bark off birch trees, so mainly broadleaves for habitat. I didn't think of conifers for dreys . Curious... Cheers, again, Rob

Hi, I have been looking for permissions (air rifle only... ) in woodland, and have also looked at paying for sporting rights, etc... There are a lot of different descriptions of woodland, so I was wondering in any of you guys have opinions and experience of what quarry you can expect to find in different types of woodland? Some woodland seems to be dominated by very few species of tree, especially if it has been planted for timber production and "managed", to remove competing species. For example, what quarry would you expect to find in woodland that is mainly ash, or oak, or beech, or sweet chestnut, or mixed broadleaves? How about conifers only, or mixtures of broadleaf and conifers? What about "ancient woodland" or more modern plantations? What about woods that have active coppicing, or with/without grazing livestock at times during the year? What about managed vs. unmanaged woodland? What sort of woodland would you look for if you were after shooting for edible quarry, like rabbit, pigeon or deer (...not with an air rifle, obviously!)? What about sport shooting for pest species, like crows, rooks, magpies and squirrels? Are there any sorts of woodland that are not worth bothering with, as there are few legal quarry species there? Any opinions and experiences welcomed on this question... Cheers, Rob

Hi, I have been reading this forum, and it seems like the police will give an airgun owner a hard time if they suspect the 12 ft. lb. limit has been breached without an FAC, and may even choose to do the ME tests using "their own choice" of pellets, to get the biggest numbers out of the chrono testing machine, even if the owner does not use that particular brand of pellet. I have been looking for chronograph machines on the internet, and found two different types. One is a small, tubular one that clips onto the muzzle of the rifle. The other is a large, free-standing device with a large frontal area aperture that you have to aim the shot through. The free standing one can be used to measure the pellet speed at some distance from the muzzle , like 5 metres or 30 metres, or whatever. Do any of you guys do muzzle energy checks with a chrono at home? What types of machines do you use? How accurate are they? Are they calibrated by an external test lab? Have you compared one against another, to see if they both read the same figures for one gun? Are they reading consistent figures for shot-after-shot on the same gun? If anyone has got (or uses) a good chrono, I would like to know what make and model it is, where I can get one from, and how much I will be paying. Any home-testers or tuners out there? Cheers, Rob

Hi, I have not hunted with an air rifle for over 20 years, but I now have opportunities to get back into it. The last time I hunted, I used a cheap and nasty break-barrel springer, but now I am after a good PNP. PNP's were new and expensive back then, and I have not kept abreast of new stuff. So, I am after opinions and recommendations (from regular hunters) about a good PNP air rifle suitable for hunting. The quarry is going to be rabbits, squirrel, woodpidgeon, crows and magpies, etc. Can anyone recommend a 12 ft.lb. PNP air rifle that fits this spec? :- 1) QUALITY. Well designed, well engineered, solidly built, reliable, multi-shot PNP (bolt action?/ semi-auto?/ magazine size?/ shots-per-charge?) Nothing cheap-and-nasty! 2) CONSISTENT ACCURACY. Consistent muzzle energy and superb accuracy. I have read about PNPs both with, and without, regulators; non-reg PNPs suffering from "trajectory-drop" when the charge pressure starts to get a bit low, etc. I want consistency and accuracy, and a good number of consistent 12 ft.lb. shots-per-charge. Any advice on regulators? 3) SILENCING. I want either an integral silencer/moderator, or a good one available as an add-on, so that it is as near silent as possible. 4) SERVICING. Availability of spares, servicing and repairs in the UK. (I am in the Derby area). 5) SIZE and WEIGHT. Short size and moderate weight. I don't fancy hauling a Howitzer around. I would like a shorter/carbine model if possible, preferably with a walnut, thumb-hole stock. Lighter weights would be nice, but nothing flimsy or "tinny". 6) TOP QUALITY SCOPE. I need a low-light scope. My eye-sight is not too hot in low light conditions, so I would like a top-quality telescopic sight, with a large objective lens, anti-glare lens coatings, good zoom range, (illuminated reticule?), and graduated cross-hairs for estimating trajectory drop with range. This scope must be consistently accurate and robust, and can cope with crawling through fields, ditches and undergrowth in all British weathers. What are the quality brands and models to look for? Which ones should I avoid? 7 ) CALIBRE. A .177 or .22 ? I am intending to keep this rifle as a full-power, sub 12 ft. lb. model. (I intend to get an FAC later, and buy another good PNP that is tuned for FAC muzzle energies of 20+ ft. lbs). What would be the best calibre for a 12 ft. lb. (max.) rifle for the quarry I am after? 8) HUNTING PELLETS. What's your best recommendation for pellets for accuracy and energy-transfer for hunting for the rifle that you are recommending? 9) Cost. This is less important. I will save and pay extra for a quality rifle. I look after stuff, so it will be a long-term investment. I have been browsing a few air/gunning forums, and have read a lot of positive references to AA S410, Rapid 7, Rapid 12, HW100, Daystate (?)and a few others. Does anyone have any opinions or comparisons to offer between these models, and any others of the same quality and performance? Lastly, if this was to be a rifle that you would get as a Christmas present, (and you did not have to think about the cost ! ), what would you like it to be, and why? Thanks in advance for any opinions, comparisons, or recommendations for a suitable rifle. Regards, Rob