wadingin Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Got my gun Weihrauch HW97K .22 been to my local rifle club quite a number of times even found permision for rabbit shooting but what next any advice on pellets ,killing area ,distance to shoot,stalking ,would be wecome regards wadingin . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttalbot09 Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 find a pellet that groups tight in your rifle, dont use pointed pellets they penetrate too much and are innaccurate. try accupel. then zero your rifle at about 30 yards and practice shooting at that range when you can consistanly hit 50p sized targets at that range go for rabbits and only shoot in the head just behind the eye below the ear. =] hopee this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron airgunner Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 killing area: if you can consistently place pellets in a 1" circle at 25 yards then you'll be ok on rabbits at this distance. aim just behind the eye of the rabbit for the cleanest kill. don't EVER atempt heart shot or lung shots. these will not be clean kills. i woulde'nt got past 35 yrds when shooting bunnies but shoot at whatever distance you feel most comfortable at. stalking:i find the easiest way to shoot rabbits is to find out where and what time they are coming out then settup prone (lying down) downwind, about 30 yrds away from where they will come out to graze. then its just a matter of waiting when you see won come out wait till its at least 3 yrds away from its hole/hedge before you take the shot otherwise if you acsidently take a shot which isent lethal straight away you can run over and kill it before it squirms back down its burrow. stalking is a much harder skill and requires feildcraft. this is the ability to move slowly without making a sound and when the rabbit isn't looking at you. pellets: use whatever pellets suit your gun best and provide the best accuracy. as a general rule accupel's and air arms field diablo's seem to be the best pellets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadingin Posted January 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Thanks for the advice will give the accupel pellets a go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
here iam Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 All the above advice is spot on when i was rabbit shooting twice a week with my air arms tx200 the best times were early morning or just has it was getting dark also lamping them with a small deben lamp which fits on top of scope was very good you need to check your zero every time before shooting bunnies make sure you can hit a rabbit head at 35 yards to 40 yards maxi, then you no your going to get a clean kill judging ranges will take time but if you zero out to 40 yards from 12 yards onwards any thing with in that distance you will hit also rabbits have very good smelling instincts and hearing so you need to keep down wind i used to find warrens then get camo up down wind behind a hedge or in a hedge and snipe them of when they start coming out let the first one come out he will be the sentry then rest will start coming out let them settle then pick em off do not be tempted to go get him leave it their and you should be able to pick the others of Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_seagrave Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Go out without your gun. Take a small pair of binoculars instead. Maybe take your rifle scope with you too. Have a good wander around, have a sit and watch and wait. Without the 'pressure' of your gun, you'll find you're much more focussed on their behaviour and activity, and you can identify (and even modify) potential hides and sniping loations. You might also like to take an opportunity to pace out the distance from your sniping location to the warren, just to make sure you're within range. Distances can be very deceptive when lamping. Good luck, and good work on the permissions etc. LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron airgunner Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 (edited) Go out without your gun. Take a small pair of binoculars instead. Maybe take your rifle scope with you too. Have a good wander around, have a sit and watch and wait. Without the 'pressure' of your gun, you'll find you're much more focussed on their behaviour and activity, and you can identify (and even modify) potential hides and sniping loations. You might also like to take an opportunity to pace out the distance from your sniping location to the warren, just to make sure you're within range. Distances can be very deceptive when lamping. Good luck, and good work on the permissions etc. LS this is spot on advice, i often set up sniping areas by (with the farmers permission) snipping holes in the hedge and clearing gaps in tall grass as this provides great naturaul hides. Edited January 17, 2010 by aaron airgunner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyska Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Go out without your gun. Take a small pair of binoculars instead. Maybe take your rifle scope with you too. Have a good wander around, have a sit and watch and wait. Without the 'pressure' of your gun, you'll find you're much more focussed on their behaviour and activity, and you can identify (and even modify) potential hides and sniping loations. You might also like to take an opportunity to pace out the distance from your sniping location to the warren, just to make sure you're within range. Distances can be very deceptive when lamping. Good luck, and good work on the permissions etc. LS Re quote, superb advice, theres nothing wrong with putting a few markers out too giving you some range estimation around the rabbits favourite haunts, this will be you biggest problem with the .22, hold over and hold under. I don't use my variable mag on my air scope, its kept at x10, same as my rimmies and once you can notice how much a rabbits head fills the cross hairs you have a pretty good range estimation system, obiously use higher mag if you have it to scan but stick to the same mag for shooting. To put the cat among the pigeons I loathe accupells, maybe by chance but I've not had a rifle that shoots them well, but take all advice and try them out, your HW shouldn't be too fussy really. I have a very close relationship with JSB exacts, which if you're not a purest is pretty much AA field. Look around for rabbits tracks, latrine points, new scrapes etc and then get bunkered in and stay quiet, use a bipod if you have one...you'll fill your bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireshot Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 All the above is sound advise in my 97k sfs turned mine likes superdomes and zero of 30 yards try put targets out then stalk up to them so you can practice your breathing , the last thing you want is a injured rabbit not nice and not a good feeling so practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackinbox99 Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Some excellent advice here. Secret really is to practise and practise before you try and shoot a bunny. As others have said, its good to pace out first to get an idea of distances and maybe put some markers down once you have workedout a good hiding position. I find wind is a big factor on my permissions, if its blowing in the wrong direction, the bunnys get wind of you quickly and leg it. Best times for bunnys do vary. In general dawn & dusk. But, if they havent been disturbed much then they will be out all day long playing and eating. Weather wise, it doesnt seem to make much difference. My local bunnys sit there in the pouring rain. I even saw bunnys running about edinburgh airport the other day in the snow! One thing I will say, is take advantage of the first few times you go shooting. Once you have been there a few times rabbits will tend to get nervous and learn from their mistakes. First time Iwent to one of my permissions, bunnys were absolutely everywhere, just sitting there waiting to be shot. I got about 6 within 30mins. Now they are very very wary and seldom come out if im about! lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mart46 Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 I've tried a lot of different pellts through my 97k and although the superdomes were good, I found that AirArms field were most consistant, although a little more expensive. They are a little heavier than the superdomes but really whack the rabbits and squirrels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron airgunner Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 well done mate! people say that accupels are the most consistent but in my opinion its a bit of a marmite thing! AA field have worked well in all guns i've tried: bsa lighting xl, bsa ultra, aa s400, ripley elite and most gamo rifles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackinbox99 Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 well done mate! people say that accupels are the most consistent but in my opinion its a bit of a marmite thing! AA field have worked well in all guns i've tried: bsa lighting xl, bsa ultra, aa s400, ripley elite and most gamo rifles. Another thumbs up for the aa fields from me. I use them in all my .22 guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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