Air rifle for rabbitting, friendly sheffield farmers...

[michaelguilford]

Hi,

 

Its probably that ever so repeated question....:

 

Im looking for an air rifle (not licensed), for shooting rabbits, pigeons, squirrels (because its good free meat). Narrowing it down a bit, i had thought of getting a weihrauch gas ram, but have been going towards a pre-charged rifle, for stealthiness.

 

I have been thinking of getting a second hand one, but want to know what to watch out for. What are there wearable parts on a precharged rifle, seals etc and Gas ram rifles?

If a shop is selling second hand would they normally service it before hand?

 

Ive seen an aiarms precharged rifle for £340 in a shop with scope, magazine, moderator, not sure what model, think its S200.

 

What models/ makes would people recomend, ive seen huge numbers of rifles on guntraders.co.uk but really dont know what to look for.

 

Also, Whats people's advice on trying to find somewhere to shoot rabbits. there's a few arable crop fields near me but got no-idea how to find who owns them.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

Also Whats the deal with .22 or .177? Surely .177 faster and makes better holes, .22 slower but bigger bruises? both same energy?....

[bullet boy]

Firstly whats your budget for a gun?I`d most definately recommend an Air Arms S410 in .177-superb gun!I personally prefer .177 in sub 12 ft/lbs rifle.

[artschool]

Also Whats the deal with .22 or .177? Surely .177 faster and makes better holes, .22 slower but bigger bruises? both same energy?....

 

you need to be able to hit a ten pence piece at about 35 yards before you go out shooting rabbits.

 

with an air rifle you always shoot the rabbit in the head to kill it instantly.

.177 travels faster and has a flatter trajectory.

.22 loopy trajectory but greater damage.

 

i have both calibres as they do slightly different jobs.

[decoying mad]

errrr

[aaron airgunner]

welcome to the site! whats your budget mate? epople usually go for PCP's becaus they are easier to shoot accurately and you can reat them on anything and the zero wont change as they have no recoil whatsoever. S200's are great rifles and perfect for someone starting hunting. although you will need to fill it up every 60 shots from a dive shop or you can buy a pump/bive tank for around £100 second hand. divers shops wont charge anymore than a £1 per fill. you really do need to practice prctice practice before you even think about shooting live quarry. just behindd the eye or the neck is the best place to aim on all quarry. you need to be able to hit a pound at the range you intend to hunt at before you even think about hunting. after leaving the barel the pellet tavels upwards, reaches a point and then starts to drop. like a big streched out arc. this arc means that airgunners have to aim low (i.e below the target) before the range that they zero at (i.e the range that the pellet is hittng where you put the crosshairs) and high (above the target) on any targets further than the range you zero at. on a .22 this arc is quite prominent but on a .177 this arc is not so loopy hence .177 being the 'flatter' calibre. so lets see how this would effect you in a hunting situation. you have zero'd at 30 yrds. you spot a pigeon which you think is at 30 yrds but it is actually at 40yrds. with a .22 the pellet would have dropped significantly and you would end up with that pigeon flying off wounded. with a .11 if you aimed at the head of that pigeon it would have only dropped to the neck and would still be a clean kill.

.22 might make a bigger hole and 'hit harder' but all responsible airgun hunters should be going for headshots anyway and if you put a pellet through the brain of your quarry, no matter what the sixe of the pellet it will kill that quarry.

Edited May 11, 2010 by aaron airgunner

[foxnet22]

i would recommend the hw 100 or the air arms 410 both excellent for what you want.i use the hw100 and it does its job without a doubt and my mate uses the 410.as for .177 or .22 the max distance we shoot at is 35 yards anything more i feel is not worth the risk to injure your quarry and for it to maybe escape and die a slow death so therefore i prefer the .22 for the stopping power.

[Al Downie]

As others have said, get a PCP gun. They're quieter, recoil-less and, perhaps most importantly, can be used with a bipod. When you do buy a bipod, get the best you can - something like a Harris swivel model. And of course, get the best scope you can too, with a mildot reticle (or alternative with 'aiming points'). Don't be tempted to buy a cheap scope because "it's just an airgun" - the requirement to see your quarry clearly and in low light is just as valid with airguns as it is with rimfire etc. Clarity is vital, regardless of range!

 

I prefer 177. The trajectory is flatter and more forgiving of poor rangefinding, the pellet is faster, and if you're lying down with a bipod, every shot should be bang on the money so the argument about punch vs penetration is academic.

 

Aaron - that's just about the most unhelpful diagram I've ever seen! Pretty cool in it's own way though.

[aaron airgunner]

As others have said, get a PCP gun. They're quieter, recoil-less and, perhaps most importantly, can be used with a bipod. When you do buy a bipod, get the best you can - something like a Harris swivel model. And of course, get the best scope you can too, with a mildot reticle (or alternative with 'aiming points'). Don't be tempted to buy a cheap scope because "it's just an airgun" - the requirement to see your quarry clearly and in low light is just as valid with airguns as it is with rimfire etc. Clarity is vital, regardless of range!

 

I prefer 177. The trajectory is flatter and more forgiving of poor rangefinding, the pellet is faster, and if you're lying down with a bipod, every shot should be bang on the money so the argument about punch vs penetration is academic.

 

Aaron - that's just about the most unhelpful diagram I've ever seen! Pretty cool in it's own way though.

i realised that it looked good when i was writing it! i have edited it into words now.

[UKPoacher]

As above - .177 is more than adequate for rabbits. As for permission - go round the sheep farmers to the south of Sheffield out towards Dore to Hathersage and knock on doors. Make sure you are presentable, and having some insurance is a bonus. You'll also have to budget for a lamp as a lot of rabbit shooting involves going out at night.

[michaelguilford]

Sorry for jumping in there without even introducing myself.

 

Thanks for explaining the .177 .22 argument, i am not intending to bruise anything, i was trying to describe my unexperienced scientific knowledge behind it. (although i do remember doing an A-level project measuring the velocoity of a air rifle slug by shooting a model railway carriage, based on momentum theory)

 

In terms of budget looking at no more than £400. Definetely looking at precharged

 

What are people's opinion on buying second hand? are there likely problems with a second hand PC rifle?

 

Whats a good scope? The one i saw on a second hand rifle in the shop was about £50 worth.

 

As for lamps, homemade bike lights, 700lumen LED lamps. Ive used these for a bit of shooting before.

 

Does anyone think farmers around Bradfield parish let people shoot on their land?

 

Cheers guys,

 

Mike

[Al Downie]

Whats a good scope? The one i saw on a second hand rifle in the shop was about £50 worth.

 

With the budget you have, it'll have to do, I reckon. But as soon as you can save up enough cash, I'd upgrade to something more expensive, which will hopefully be better in the following ways:

 

- Brighter

- Sharper

- Greater angle of view

- Has a more precise reticle

- Will retain zero after fiddling with parallax/magnification adjustments

 

Top-end scopes can cost more than £2,000, but there's a whole range in between that and your £50 model. The one I'm using just now cost me about £450 (Bushnell 6500 2.5-16x42), but I'm thinking about changing it for an even more expensive fixed 8x or 10x model. For the sort of shooting I do most (bipod, sniping for rabbits at 30-40yds), I'm using 10x on my zoom constantly at the moment, but I'd get a better, wider picture if I used a good fixed 10x scope.

 

 

Does anyone think farmers around Bradfield parish let people shoot on their land?

 

You have to knock on their doors and see! Most farmers are only too keen to have someone who's responsible and reliable to do a bit of pest control for them, but they might already have such people on board. Apologize for disturbing, introduce yourself, be polite, friendly and enthusiastic, and maybe refer to a specific area on the farm where you've seen lots of rabbits, and ask if he wouldn't mind if you lent a hand to reduce the numbers. He can only say no, but if you do approach him the right way, I'd be very surprised if any farmer would make you feel embarrassed for asking. If you're lucky and he says yes, then you need to arrange some kind of signed letter of permission from him (in case you're challenged by anyone), and exchange telephone numbers so you can let him know when you'll be going on/off the farm.

 

Good luck!

[adam scott]

you need to be able to hit a ten pence piece at about 35 yards before you go out shooting rabbits.

 

with an air rifle you always shoot the rabbit in the head to kill it instantly.

.177 travels faster and has a flatter trajectory.

.22 loopy trajectory but greater damage.

 

i have both calibres as they do slightly different jobs.

i disagree, i have shot rabbits in the neck and shoulders. they drop quick enough! but i will agree on the fact you really have to practise! practise practise! get your shooting spot on! there is nothin worse than clipping a rabbit in the hind legs and listening to the squeel as u run towards it!

we have all done it! anyone who says they havent is either telling fibs or has not had many shots at rabbit's.

[aaron airgunner]

i disagree, i have shot rabbits in the neck and shoulders. they drop quick enough! but i will agree on the fact you really have to practise! practise practise! get your shooting spot on! there is nothin worse than clipping a rabbit in the hind legs and listening to the squeel as u run towards it!

we have all done it! anyone who says they havent is either telling fibs or has not had many shots at rabbit's.

neck shots work too but headshots garruntee a kill, unlike shoulder shots where you could end up hitting a hard bone and just wounding the rabbit

michael-

with£400 you can buy a decent single shot pcp and a scope. i have an air arms s400 .177 which cost around £375. £50 will get you a decent set of optics and mounts. of course if looks dont matter to you then you can get the cheaper, ugly but just as good in performance air arms s200 which cost around £340 in my local gunshop. thee are excellent little guns, deadly accurate, powerful, and light weight definetly not as pretty as the s400. you can fill up your gun at a gun shop or dive shop for a very low cost or buy a tank or pump.these will set you back £100 second hand.

[Al Downie]

If you're quick, there's a Falcon Lighthunter outfit going for a good price in the Gun Sales section of this forum. Don't know much about the gun - got a good write-up in a magazine some time ago, but ALL guns get good write-ups. It's got a small reservoir, but it's .22 so you'll get more shots than you would with .177, and if your application is hunting then the shot count should be fine unless you happen to get permission to shoot on a bunny farm.

 

Don't know the guy, or the gun - buyer beware! Looks like a good price for a starter kit though.

[michaelguilford]

Thanks people for the advice. PWs are a friendly bunch. I got a Falcon FN19, and still looking for somewhere to shoot.