kenj

I've shot hundreds of rabbits with my legal limit Webley Viper Venom .22 and Weihrauch HW100T .22, but side on head shots only up to 30 yards, just behind the eye, or ideally a shot in the back of the head between the ears. If they have their heads down eating, I click my tongue and they sit up for a listen and pop! My signature picture shows my Career 707 .22 carbine on FAC at 28 ft lbs. Any head, or chest shot out to 40 + yards will do the business. Horses for courses. To be honest, I find squirrels harder to kill than rabbits and won't attempt a shot beyond 15 yards with a 12 lb rifle.

I bought my Relum Z11 in .177 in the early 60's (yes 60's, I'm that old) Brand new it was £7. I am sure mine was a CZ. It was deadly accurate for a springer, but not as powerful as my mate's BSA Meteor .22. I still own it, having fitted a new spring and replaced the leather washer with a PTFE one about 20 years ago. I tested it at 11 ft lb. It has accounted for numerous squirrels, rats and feral pigeons.

I have a Career 707 FAC .22 Carbine set at 28 ft lb and use it where I can't use my Magtech 7002 .22 rimfire. I have a permission to shoot rabbits in a public park and just recently used it to shoot rabbits, that had invaded an urban garden. The Career power can be turned down using a thumb wheel in front of the trigger, but never use it, preferring the instant short range killing ability of FAC with no run offs, even with chest shots. My 12 ft lb Weihrauch 100T is just about redundant, deadly accurate for head shot rabbits, if they sit still long enough, but not conclusive for a body shot, when they move. The pic below my title says it all. A garden visit. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/career-707-22-pcp-carbine-rabbit-stopper/

I have had a 452 HMR Varmint (Heavy Barrel), cut down to 16 inches for about 10 years. It is still supremely accurate, with many rabbit kills out to 150 yards in still conditions. The bolt can be worked quickly to feed for multi targets. I would recommend the 452 .22lr to anyone.

Hi Deker, I shot with springers, my last a Cometa 300 with plenty of success to 25 yards on rabbits, but then a new Webley Venom Viper came my way, which was reliably accurate with head shots rested beyond 30 yards, allowing for pellet drop. I still have the Webley, but for sheer accuracy you can't beat my 12 ft/lb HW100S. It is almost clinical, when shooting off the bipod to 35 yards. Click, the rabbits are dead. For brute force hitting power, vibration and slightly less accuracy out to 45/50 yards my 28 ft/lb FAC Career 707 in .22 is my tool for the job.

I have owned my HW100 Thumbhole in .22 for only a couple of months. With a Webley Viper carbine in .22 at legal limit and a carbine .22 Career 707 FAC at 28 lb, I was not looking for another PCP, but a neighbour offered me the rifle at a silly price, so bought it. It has the same scope and bi-pod and am amazed at the effortless "silent but deadly" killing shots on rabbits, when shooting prone, or rested. There is no vibration from the hammer, just a dull click with surgical accuracy.

I had been using my 40 year old .177 CZ Relum springer successfully on rats and squirrels for years and bought a new, but cheap .22 Gamo 300, when offered some rabbit shooting. Being used to the light grip needed with a spring rifle, the Gamo served me well. It was only a single shot break barrel, but paid for itself in rabbits at the butchers. It was well engineered. I sold it as a trade in for a new .22 Webley Viper Venom PCP, which was and is an even deadlier piece of kit. Nothing wrong with Gamo.

Looks like an over sized Career 707. I'm using my 28 lb FAC .22 707 carbine to clear rabbits from a local park instead of my .22 rimfire. That .50 cal rifle is a monster. Fun vid though.

Some interesting facts here. I have been using H&N Field Target Trophy .22 14.6 grain pellets through my Webley Viper 12 lb with good all round results on rabbits out to 25 yards. My Career 707 .22 FAC carbine is rated at 28 lb and have always used Bisley Magnums at 21 grains out to 50 yards with hold over, when zeroed at 30 yards. On my latest permission in a park, I have been shooting rabbits at under 10 yards out to 50 yards. This causes problems of hold under and hold over, when quick thinking is the norm, missing some absolute sitters. At 20 yards, the Bisleys often over penetrate, going right through. With the Bisleys running low, I'm considering trying the shorter, lighter H&Ns in the Career. This requires a fiddly readjustment of the pellet stop. Has anyone any experience of these in an FAC?

I have been unable to buy Eley subs for years in my area. When I bought my new Magtech 7002 .22 semi auto over 10 years ago it came with 500 Magtech rounds, which were cheap, but very accurate. After a couple of thousand more, I got a bad batch and switched to Eley, which were quiet and accurate. When the supply dried up, went to RWS. Accurate, but did not seem to knock over the rabbits so hard, plus a few recycling problems. Now using the 42 grain Winchester subs. As accurate, harder hitting than RWS, no recycling problems, but slightly noisier, although the rabbits don't seem to mind. I did a comparison blog http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/winchester-22-42-gn-subsonic-versus-rws-40-gn-subsonic-field-test/

I usually shoot with a Magtech semi auto .22 rimfire, or a CZ HMR, but got a new permission on a large recreational park with rugby, cricket, archery and tennis courts, which meant that the Career 707 .22 PCP rifle had to come out of retirement, due to 24 hour public access. All these functions have wooden clubhouses, which provide the perfect refuge for the bunnies, that are ripping up the pitches. What with shooting, ferreting and mixy last year, I thought that we had seen the last of them, but blow me they are back again. So answering the OP, I'd say just keep popping away, you'll never get them all. My blog http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/shin-sung-career-707-22-rabbit-control/

Lots on my Magtech .22 semi auto, when using Winchester 40 grain HP subs, a switch to RWS improved things by 95 %. Now using Winchester 42 grain HP subs with no misfires since. Also accurate and hard hitting on rabbits. I clean the action every every 100 rounds. It's a quick and easy strip on this rifle.

Out on the 80 acres last evening. Shot two, both had mixy.

Had five 2 does, 3 bucks a couple of weeks ago. All clean. Shot two last evening. Both had Myxi. Gloom!

Lots of them about again this year, despite mixy on most of my permissions.

With reference to Ian Pope at Venom, I still have my Webley Viper Venom. A sweet acting, accurate, .22 PCP carbine based on the Webley Raider. It's only got a two shot shuttle magazine like the raider of the time. A rotary magazine would have made it the perfect legal limit rifle. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/rifle-weblet-viper-venom-22-carbine-pcp/

My season ended last year with very few about, but have been surprised at the numbers on the same perms, including kitts and pregnant does. I only shoot during the day to avoid the attention of the boys in blue, but had five in a couple of hours the other afternoon. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/cz-452-17-hmr-and-magtech-7022-answer-the-call/

I've put in for a variation on my ticket for a 17 wsm and have trawled a number of US sites. The later reviews report better accuracy, including one splitting a playing card at a 100 yards. The Savage is the only rifle available in my price range, which in the standard synthetic form, has a very flimsy front end, being able to twist it to touch the barrel. I would go for the laminated with stainless heavy barrel. Since buying my latest batch of HMR bullets, they were £20.50 for 50, while the .17 wsm were £18.50 for 50, so that has to be an advantage. My RFD said that CZ are considering entering the wsm market. Might be worth hanging on to see what happens.

I have a Career 707 carbine in .22 rated at 28 ftlb and find that it fills the gap easily between my 12 lb Webley Viper and Magtech .22lr semi auto. Some of my permissions are air rifle only and it copes with rabbits out to 50 yards firing Bisley Magnums. The accuracy is great, with touching holes on paper at 40 yards. With pigeons and squirrels on these permissions, it is deadly and safe, when taking them out of trees. With the longer 21 grain Magnum the magazine holds 8 pellets. The Career carbines are getting rare, but can be bought in the £300 to £400 range. All the seals are available online.

I was a member, for years, of a shooting club run by a farming family with several large farms, shot gun and air rifle were the same price, but when I added .22lr to my application, they demanded a £100 premium. Most members were pigeon shooters, while I was culling the many rabbits with an FAC air rifle. I didn't rejoin.

I had a couple of hours out on the 80 acre site last week, during the warm spell and saw eight fit adult rabbits, plus a four young kits in a group. This was only in one small ten acre area around a wood during the afternoon. Managed to shoot three with my Magtech .22. No sign of disease, with clean livers. Good news.

I've put in for a variation for a 17 WSM, the 20 grain Hornady rounds are cheaper from the same shop. The trouble is that there are cheaper suppliers around, but by the time you've put in your travelling costs, you might as well pay up. 40 plus pence for a rabbit, add on travelling, then depreciation on guns and equipment and you end up with some expensive meat. Will have to see if the butcher will pay more for the rabbits. Been stuck at £2 each for a while now.

Bazza, I've just reviewed the new 42 grain Winchester .22 subsonic against RWS subsonics, in a side by side field test at 50 yards, using my Magtech 7002 (Mossberg 702), both ammo rounds giving good results in 5 shot, 5 second bursts of rapid fire from the semi auto. My blog gives a good indication of the capabilities of this reasonably priced rifle. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/winchester-22-42-gn-subsonic-versus-rws-40-gn-subsonic-field-test/

Just picked up some Hornady 17 HMR bullets. £20.50 per box of 50. More than double what I was paying ten years ago.

My RFD was still waiting for their delivery and an up to date price yesterday. He said possibly £20 for 50. Hope they've sorted the split cases for that price.