mossy835 Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 how far will a air gun kill a rabbit.a good air gun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronttuk Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 depends how powerful it is i shoot rabbits regually at 35yds with a s-16 have got one at 48 paces i doubt it was 48yds though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Master Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 Hi, It depends on the callibre, power, accuracy, distance, conditions, pellet and type of airgun to name a few. B) FM B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kip270 Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 depends who is shooting it. I have a verified(two witnesses) 60yard rabbit, head shot with a venom tuned HW80 .22. 11.5ftlb checked through my chronograph using RWS Superdome B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 depends who is shooting it. I have a verified(two witnesses) 60yard rabbit, head shot with a venom tuned HW80 .22. 11.5ftlb checked through my chronograph using RWS Superdome B) A air gun is limited to 6ft lb, do you mean a air rifle? LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted November 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 (edited) at the moment i have a .22 rifle and i only use it for 12 weeks a year may till july,so i was thinking of giving up my fac that i have had for 12 years and getting an air gun to clear them rabbits.yes LB an air rifle should have said Edited November 25, 2005 by mossy835 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kip270 Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 (edited) Mossy, if you have a .22rim keep hold of it. I have a .22rim/.222/.270, three shotguns and an air-rifle. I started shooting with the air-rifle in 1982, and have always had one in my armoury, but i wouldn't give up my .22rim B) Just add a good air-rifle to your armoury, because there are times when it will do the job when the .22rim is a bit much Edited November 25, 2005 by kip270 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Master Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 depends who is shooting it. I have a verified(two witnesses) 60yard rabbit, head shot with a venom tuned HW80 .22. 11.5ftlb checked through my chronograph using RWS Superdome B) Hi, You only need 3.5lb sq/ft of powewr to kill a rabbit if you hit in the killzone but most guns outshoot the shooter so it's the marksman not the power that counts. B) FM :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kip270 Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 Spot on FM B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted November 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 kip270,ok you talked me into it i will keep the rimfire and add a good air rifle to my cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edd Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 as u all sed its power, shooter , and pellets and all that iv got a bsa hornet and have shot a rabbit at 70 pases blo*y lucky i think lol got 1 witness but most air rilfes will kill a rabbit , p.s i recomend the hornet lol never had any probs with it, regards edd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted November 25, 2005 Report Share Posted November 25, 2005 Mossy 12ft lb...........40yds mate B) anything further is down to conditions and an element of luck .The quarry deserve better . Talking to a air gunner instructor at SHUGBOROUGH GAME FARE who told me (HIS MATE) kills rabbits at 80yds with a .177 on a regular basis .In fact i was'nt convinced. Well for a start he ain't walking around and he ain't doing it at night and he DEFFINATELY aint 't doing it when there is a slight breeze about.He must have been simulating range conditions in the field. So for consistancy 35-40 yds at the most in 12 ft lbs ..60yds in 35 ftlbs even though they'll kill humanely at 80m(90yds) Ive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roblade Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 ok if your talking about 12F/lb legal limit air gun i would say 40 yards would be about the max maybe 45 on a good day. but if your talkinf FAC air rifle i think you could almost double that out to about 75-85 yards. longest shot i have seen was an 86 yard rabbit, the distamnce was ranged with a lazer range finder, if i hadnt seen it myself i would never have belived it! probably best shot i have seen EVER! ok so he didnt hit the rabbit first shot, but that gave him the wind, nore did he get it the second shot, but that gave him the elevation, third shot though that rabbit was toast (welsh rabbit LOL). it was seeing this shooting that made me realies just how good a sring rifle can be in the hands of sonmone who knows how to use it! i think it was a HW80 runnign at around 18F/lbs on ticket, AND HE DID IT STANDING UNSUPORTED!!!!!! ROB B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAKEBITE Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 Talking to a air gunner instructor at SHUGBOROUGH GAME FARE who told me (HIS MATE) kills rabbits at 80yds with a .177 on a regular basis .In fact i was'nt convinced. Should an instructor be making those sorts of comments? Whether it is true or not (reserve judgement on that one) it is creating the wrong impression. It would be like your driving instructor saying "My mate can get upto 60mph in that built up area" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdubya Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 Big trouble with can I kill at what distance questions? is the fact that in reality VERY few people can actually visulise with any semblance of accuracy distance?I would anticipate 99% of those advocating 40 yards would be well surprised if they had a decent range finder and a target at a genuine 40 yards? how far 40 actually is? they are more than likely looking at about 25!! with a 12lb gun I reckon a max is about 35 yards yes some may be able to confidently take rabbit to a lot further? but is it right for them to advocate that longer distances are "ok" as a norm! when in reality its on the edge and needs a lot as in a LOT of practice on inanimate object 1st? FAC is a different matter I have spent DAYS at a time setting up my two guns (30 and 40 lbs respective) one using 16.1 g pellets one using 21.5g pellets? to the point that I am more than confident at a TRUE 70 yards but I would not dream of advocating 70 as a "norm" 50 being a good distance for fac? also when consisdering required "kill power" we should be advocating using the max possible not the absolute minimum needed to keep things sweet and above all humane. cheers kw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 of 5 Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 A good pellet will retain sufficient energy to kill a rabbit well beyond the range that you can reliably shoot due to pellet drop. A bad pellet with a poor BC such as a hollowpoint will be marginal for energy at the farthest ranges of the very best shots. The very best marksmen will not be venturing over 45 yds on a regular basis with a 12 ft/lb gun for accuracy issues - most mortals will be limiting themselves lower than that. There's always the exception but those ranges are the norm IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steveo Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 Regular 70+ yds!! Gun is capable of much more though! (35 fpe) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carcharadon Posted November 27, 2005 Report Share Posted November 27, 2005 (edited) My gun shoots more accurately than I do so I limit my shots to a maximum limit of 35-40 yards in most conditions . Obviously it all varies with windspeed/direction. Lets not forget however that unless you can consistently put pellets into the killzone at the estimated range of your target you should try to get closer. :blink: Edited November 27, 2005 by Carcharadon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted November 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2005 well i took the boy out yesterday just bought a rifle 12FT 1b and he hit a pigeon out the tree he was well pleased payed £160 for the gun,hopeing he can hit a rabbit at 35 to 40 yards now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roblade Posted November 28, 2005 Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 well i took the boy out yesterday just bought a rifle 12FT 1b and he hit a pigeon out the tree he was well pleased payed £160 for the gun,hopeing he can hit a rabbit at 35 to 40 yards now. sound like hes off to a good start with it :blink: what rifle has he got? ROB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted November 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 its a bsa supersport .22 break barrle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERT Posted November 28, 2005 Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 Go head shots I've shot rabbits at ten yards in the chest and they've run on but up to 35 yards in the head you should be O.K Make sure your gun is 12ft lb :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted November 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2005 (edited) bert, yes its a 12ft lb Edited November 28, 2005 by mossy835 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOLTA Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 (edited) Hi, You only need 3.5lb sq/ft of powewr to kill a rabbit if you hit in the killzone but most guns outshoot the shooter so it's the marksman not the power that counts. FM Hi, If this was really true we all would be very happy and live on. But this figure is absolutely the MINIMUM power for a clean kill on a rabbit and not a thing you can count on. You always want as much energy at your quarry as possible for SURE CLEAN kills. More energy at your quarry means a better chance of penetrating and reaching the vital organs plus expanding the pellet (if expandable type) to get a larger wound channel for the fastest/cleanest kills. And if you really should live with this rule it will also means that you have to shoot your quarry at a certain range each and every time. Is this really realistic ? Cheers, Bolta Edited December 19, 2005 by BOLTA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 of 5 Posted December 20, 2005 Report Share Posted December 20, 2005 To add to Bolta's point. I once hit a Rabbit front on at 50 yds with what would have been 6 ft/lb at the quarry. I got zero penetration - just a crack to the skull. I know this as I got another shot at the rabbit side on and killed it. My first pellet was embedded in it's skull. The rabbit was exceedingly large though I couldn't tell this from 50 yds. I know it was 50 yds as I gave it my 50 yd aimpoint from rested on a fence and watched the pellet fly home. After that I never took another front on even at close range. The skull is just too thick. I'd suggest 3-3.5 ft/lb is the bare minimum under ideal conditions on an average rabbit. Conditions are rarely ideal and rabbits are never average so more is always better (upto a point). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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