PEST CONTROL RIFLE

[mr_jack]

tell me which rifle you would choose for pest control, it must be out of either a gasram or springer

 

(pest control) rats,woodys,pies,tree rats, and so on

 

Liam

[beatingisbest]

i have a bsa supersport gas ram. Its pretty good and i bet you will be hearing about steve about them aswell!

[Davej]

I have 2 tx200 mk111 with built in silencer good rifle in .22 silencer not that good, and ags sr2 .177 also good rifle copy of hw97 both have been reliable so far.

[reefman]

I have just bought a BSA Lightning .22 and AGS 3-9x40 scope from uttings mail order (next day delivery) for £230.

This was to replace a 20 yr old HW77 I'd had from new.

The Lightning is fantastic for the money,the moderator works ,The lock time is quick ,it is pointable and light and it kills feral pigeons and rats no problem.

I use crossman vermin pellets which are a heavy flat head design.

 

Go for a springer,I have never been a fan of gas or precharged guns too much to go wrong,and continued expence.

Additionally when the spring is tired on the BSA (Which will take years) you can upgrade it with a Theoben gas ram.

 

Hope this helps.

[mr_jack]

its good to hear peoples views on this keep them coming...

 

do you think you can use 1 specific rifle for all pest jobs??

i have a Air Arms TX200HC .177 Walnut and a Kingratcather, i use my King for rats mostly, i dont think my TX would suit that type of pest job because of long periods were it would be left cocked, "has or does anyone use a springer on rats"

is there such thing as a rifle that would suit all types of pest control?

[reefman]

Don't worry about leaving the springer cocked ,it is designed for it,How much is a new spring about £8 for O.E. or £20 for a posh one.

I have shot spring airguns for 30 years (I'm 39) have always left them cocked between shots and provided they are well maintained you will not have problems.

However ,If I put the weapon down it is decocked immediatly for safety,when I had tha HW77 the fist thing I did was remove the beartrap,to enable this to be done.

My HW 77 was .177 very accurate and flat tradgectory.

However I use a .22 rimfire for longer shots so have no need for an air rifle capeable of being easy to judge past 20 yds consequently my Lightning is .22

I shoot dozens of rats near our chichen shed and ferals in my neighbours barn .22 works for me.

No over pentration all the energy is lost on the target,however I am not fannying around with working out the distance because of the .22's rather cronic tradgectory curve.I know exactly how for my chicken run is from the bedroom window or how high up the rafters are in the barn.

 

Hope this helps

Although I have a rifle and a couple of shotguns I am still a great fan of the air rifle for specific tasks.

 

I had a .20 original 45 once, I stupidly sold it.

[mr_jack]

its good to hear peoples views on this keep them coming...

 

do you think you can use 1 specific rifle for all pest jobs??

i have a Air Arms TX200HC .177 Walnut and a Kingratcather, i use my King for rats mostly, i dont think my TX would suit that type of pest job because of long periods were it would be left cocked, "has or does anyone use a springer on rats"

is there such thing as a rifle that would suit all types of pest control?

 

i have heard all different views on leaving springers cocked, you explained that very nicely for me mate, i have never shot a bsa ligning but am sure there wel upto the task, i did own a bsa meteor once which was a great little rifle. what are your thoughts on the .20 cal reefman?

[buzzer1]

Has to be AA TX200 HC all the way

 

ATB

Buzz

[Davej]

I must agree again tx200, only thing i found with mine was out of the box it chronode 11.8lb which left no room for error with plod, after a few 1000s rounds it dropped to 11.2lb.

 

by the way why the interest in .20 caliber not a popular one in air rifle, never had one so can't comment but just wondered

[reefman]

Bought the .20 in 1985 as it was all the rage,it never realy caught on ,I liked it but that was because it was different. Stick with .22 bigger hitting power..177 just drills through rats even with bisley magnums.

 

As for worrying about wether or not your stock uk airgun will hit over 12ft/lbs.I'd be very supprised if it did.These company's spend lots of money developing the weapon for our market.As long as you stick with O.E or recommended replacement parts you wll have no problems.

 

Why would plod want to check your gun unless you had just shot someone with it,in which case you'd better pack your suitcase when you go to court anyway.

 

Them taking an air rifle to the local gunshop and putting it on a chrono wieghing the pellet and then using the formula to work out it's muzzle energy is most unlikely and not evidentially sound.

It would show an indication that the weapon is over the limit.

 

They would have to go to the expence and hassle of taking it (in person) to the nearest forensic science lab (probably Lambeth in the South) for it to be tested under lab conditions by a gun expert.As you can see why an earth would they want to do that.If they come across you lawfully controlling vermin or plinking in your garden.

It just is not going to happen

 

There to busy catching motorist eating mars bars whilst driving for that.

[Davej]

Thanks Reefman for a well written reply, not worried about plod in any shape or form,air rifles only come out occasionally now most of my shooting is on clays. but just wondered why anyone would even consider.20

thanks

for the reply

[mr_jack]

Thanks Reefman for a well written reply, not worried about plod in any shape or form,air rifles only come out occasionally now most of my shooting is on clays. but just wondered why anyone would even consider.20

thanks

for the reply

 

 

i have been ofered a .20 fenman just wondering what the cals good points and bad points were

[lord_seagrave]

There's lots on this elsewhere, but the .20 pellet seems to have a very flat trajectory compared with a .22. Whilst it's not something that I can personally comment on (my shooting is a bit like watching Peter Ebdon play snooker) if you were there to do a job, being able to quickly take a shot is important. The flatter flight makes it easier to be accurate, which is what we're all about.

 

The .20 pellet is less influenced by crosswinds (though choose the slightly heavier pellets).

 

Stopping power (if that is a consideration - and there are several opinions on here to say that it shouldn't be) is better than a .177.

 

It is a very good compromise.

 

My recommendation would be the Fenman for a self-contained rifle. If it's available in .20, so much the better.

 

LS

[reefman]

I could be in serious danger of contradicting myself here.If the fenman is a good price buy it, you will always be able to buy .20 just not in as wide a choice as the others.

Theoben are a top notch high quality product,Get the .20 and get to know your rifle find the best pellet and stick with it.Simple realy

 

As I said in an earlier post I had an original 45 in .20 years ago,loved it but sold it for a swanky hw77k in .177. The 45 was a better hunting tool by far, paid £49.95 for it new from Streatham Armoury mail order.

Those were the days, Victory V's tasted nice then as well before they took the nasty additives out.!!!!!!

[Gemini]

when I had tha HW77 the fist thing I did was remove the beartrap,to enable this to be done.

No need to remove the "Beatrap". Just push the safety open and then de-cock as normal.

G.M.

[will1992]

I would reccomend the hw80k.Very accurate and powerful.

 

Will

[reefman]

And Heavy;excellent gun in it's day though!!!!

[COLINSRI]

I would disgree some what. My Tx200 is too heavy to carry for too long. The TX is a cracking rifle but best suited to being in a hide using a rest or bipod, great for laying down with shooting from the ground.

 

I wouldn't want to use my TX for stalking as its quite a lump. I use my Air Magnum for any stalking that i know will go on for more than 45 minutes. The CO2 rifle is much easier on you arms and back.

 

I would alos argue that the TX is too loud for shooting vermin as even with a silencer its quite loud. Also spring guns make a lot of noise when you cock them....this isn't great for ratting/squirelling either (pigeons are a bit more thick and don't seem to care).

 

CO2 or precharges multi shot can be wisper quite and are best for vermin control. IMO of course.

Edited May 10, 2006 by COLINSRI

[Andy75]

Used a HW77k in .22 for a long long time and gawd knows how many 1000 of pellets for all round pest control. She's a bit tired now and am looking for a nice 2nd hand or cheap new HW100T in .22 to replace her with. I've tried lots of other manufs. but I just love the feel and weight of a Weihrauch gun!

[COLINSRI]

Used a HW77k in .22 for a long long time and gawd knows how many 1000 of pellets for all round pest control. She's a bit tired now and am looking for a nice 2nd hand or cheap new HW100T in .22 to replace her with. I've tried lots of other manufs. but I just love the feel and weight of a Weihrauch gun!

 

Put a new spring in her?

[Andy75]

Put a new spring in her?

 

She's had about 5 new springs in her time

She's got tired due to the stock getting very tatty, a lot of rust on the metalwork (my Dad kept leaving her outside), plus I fancy a change I put 50 pellets thro the 100T at the Falconry and Raptor show in Telford a few weeks back - was very impressed.

 

Thanks for the suggestion tho

[Chezney]

i use BSA Ultra... why? because its the only air rifle I have so i use it for all purposes

[Marc M]

I'm not a fan of the Theoben gasrams at all, I've owned the Olympus and Fenman break barrel rifles and have shot the SLR98 and just couldn't see what all the fuss was about if I'm honest. I'd hankered for years for a Fenman (about 10 years in total ) and was bitterly disappointed when I finally got one. The cocking linkage rattled when the gun was canted slightly to one side, the newer ambi cheekpiece profile felt harsh and scathing on my face. The rcoil profile was extremely unusual too; not at all like the tuned springers I was previously used to.

 

If going for a self contained pest control rifle again I would go for the Air Arms Pro Sport as I'm a massive fan of the TX action, and think the Pro Sport has had the lions share of love in design from the AA team. A truly beautiful and traditional airgun IMO.

[mr_jack]

I would disgree some what. My Tx200 is too heavy to carry for too long. The TX is a cracking rifle but best suited to being in a hide using a rest or bipod, great for laying down with shooting from the ground.

 

I wouldn't want to use my TX for stalking as its quite a lump. I use my Air Magnum for any stalking that i know will go on for more than 45 minutes. The CO2 rifle is much easier on you arms and back.

 

I would alos argue that the TX is too loud for shooting vermin as even with a silencer its quite loud. Also spring guns make a lot of noise when you cock them....this isn't great for ratting/squirelling either (pigeons are a bit more thick and don't seem to care).

 

CO2 or precharges multi shot can be wisper quite and are best for vermin control. IMO of course.

 

i wouldnt use a bipod on my tx200hc, dont work very good mate on springers, i agree with you that the tx would not suit rats, but i wouldnt say its loud? it is when cocking it?, but i wouldnt agree that only co2 and pre charge are the best for vermin hunt? i use a theoben gas ram break barrel and that is quick to load and quiet when fired, perfect for rats because it can be left cocked for hours...