Air Rifle Needed (Cheap as Chips)

[Paul T]

Hello Gents

 

I don't venture into this area of the forum, since I don't have any air rifles, but I think I'm going to have to put that right.

 

The short story is that I've occasionally borrowed a mate's Crossman Rat Shooter to dispatch a few rats in the garden (rabbits & chickens = rats!). It's an ongoing problem and I'm only clear for 2-3 weeks before I get some more in, so I shoot them again.

 

It's getting embarrassing having to ask to borrow a gun every few weeks, so I really need to buy one. I'm not actually that happy with the accuracy of the Rat Shooter as it will only get groups between 1" to 2" at 20 yards and I'd expect at that distance to get almost pellet on pellet?? 20 yards is about as close as I can get to the rats so my kill rate is ok, but I'd like better.

 

I've seen some dirt cheap SMK guns, but I have reservations about buying a gun so cheap - it's either going to break or be far too inaccurate to be of any use, or am I wrong?

 

I don't mind new or second hand (all my shotties are used) and it doesn't have to be a looker, just efficient and given the amount of use also cheap - say £100 max?

 

Suggestions appreciated.

 

Thank you

[fenboy]

For ratting i would recommend a .22 rather than .177 cal , I have just sold a hatsan 60s which would have been ideal , but hey ho .

The hatsan airguns are very good value and much better than the smk ones , so I would say look for a hatsan 60s they come up new around the £100 mark and come complete with open sights which many guns dont have now days but open sights are good for close range ratting , other than that your budget will limit you but something like a second hand BSA meteor will do the job .

[terrier]

.177 will do the job, I shoot rats with the old 95k .177 & H&N baracudas (kodiak) and a cheap Leupold clone. A very good combination, loads of energy and penetration even at 35 yards. Try to find a second hand

[fenboy]

Yes .177 will do the job and I only shoot .177 but without doubt .22 or even .25 is better on rats , you mention the penetration of a .177 at 35 yards thats just what you dont want when shooting rats at 10 yards !!.

if you want gun exclusively for rats get a .22

[beeredup]

a tuned up ratcatcher is very accurate and powerfull with the right after markey bits

[NIGHT SEARCHER]

Have a look on GUNSTAR and GUNTRADER as Fenboy says Hatsans are very good value for little money.

You could look at an second hand BSA Airsporter but not many about for £100.

Cometa 220 or 300 or 400 are full power accurate rifles you could get a second hand 300 with scope and silencer for around a £100.

Try calling in your local gun shop and ask them if they have any repaired air guns that were never collected over the years.

I asked mine and he showed me over 30 air guns that were around the workshop some had been there over 20 years.

I came out of there with 10 rifles all cheap as chips he just wanted to recover the repair cost on most of them.

[Paul T]

Thanks Gents for the input.

 

I'll have a look round for a Hatstand first. I know they make shotties, didn't know they did air guns as well.

 

Night Searcher - don't suppose you want to part with any of those cheapie 10 rifles???

 

Cheers

[kent]

Also consider a 9mm shotgun. I have bought a lot of airguns but to be fair you will be lucky to get a straight shooter for a ton. £150 upwards will buy a s/hand HW80- i should deffo go for a .22. sights would go to a 1.5X5X 20 simmonds the best ratting scope ever "you can get the muzzle of the gun in focus" adding this to the budjet tend to put you up to double that budjet - hence the 9mm.

 

rats are too hard to remove generally just by shooting, traps and poison should be in constant use at same time

[theoben fenman]

I owned (well still do sort of) a crosman rabbit stopper as my first hunting gun. Mines accuracy was flawed at first so I went out and got my fenman. So when it came round to selling my rifle or in this case long time loaning it to a friend who wants a flippin good try before you buy I set up a target. Somehow the accuracy had improved and I would now be happy to hunt with it. Sadly I didnt get the chance.

 

This may work for you or maybe the smk ones. They run on a CO2 power source and you get around 15-20 useable shots per 12g capsuel in my experience.

 

I couldnt say if they've got the accuracy or the power (my guess would be yes at short range) but the one real advantage is that you can set up in you window or whatever and between shots only have to cycle the bolt as oppose to the one draw back of spring guns or even my beloved gas ram in that you have to cock via an extremely overt and noisy operation.

 

These guns 2nd hand come in at around £100 maybe cheaper and for me it was certainly a good plinker and I knocked over a grand total of one rabbit with it. Dont trust me though I didnt like mine as a hunter but I think it could work as long as yours actually hits a barn door after you buy it.

 

Anyway well worth a look and I wish you luck with the rats my only attempt was ratty 1 me 0 as the ******* thing ran of with the bait. Very unsporting I say!

[kent]

I owned (well still do sort of) a crosman rabbit stopper as my first hunting gun. Mines accuracy was flawed at first so I went out and got my fenman. So when it came round to selling my rifle or in this case long time loaning it to a friend who wants a flippin good try before you buy I set up a target. Somehow the accuracy had improved and I would now be happy to hunt with it. Sadly I didnt get the chance.

 

This may work for you or maybe the smk ones. They run on a CO2 power source and you get around 15-20 useable shots per 12g capsuel in my experience.

 

I couldnt say if they've got the accuracy or the power (my guess would be yes at short range) but the one real advantage is that you can set up in you window or whatever and between shots only have to cycle the bolt as oppose to the one draw back of spring guns or even my beloved gas ram in that you have to cock via an extremely overt and noisy operation.

 

These guns 2nd hand come in at around £100 maybe cheaper and for me it was certainly a good plinker and I knocked over a grand total of one rabbit with it. Dont trust me though I didnt like mine as a hunter but I think it could work as long as yours actually hits a barn door after you buy it.

 

Anyway well worth a look and I wish you luck with the rats my only attempt was ratty 1 me 0 as the ******* thing ran of with the bait. Very unsporting I say!

 

liquidised cat food OR mush it up well with an old fork and some cooking oil, you want them lapping not grabbing

[Robl]

The ratcatcher is a very nice and light little gun.

There’s two types – the 12gm one and the King ratchatcher that uses the bigger C02 canisters.

Both will be fine for ratting in a 30 yard back garden.

 

But.

I find the bolt action to be very fiddle, especially with a scope on.

I also found that it would be very random in accuracy as the gas ran out or on a particularly hot or cold day.

You'd only know it was low on gas when you started missing.

 

For what you need (very similar to my needs) I’d suggest a £50-100 break bareel rifle with a half decent scope.

I found one in my local shop that had damaged sights and battered stock from transit – they did me a very cheap deal.

It was a basic SKS one (or something like that)

 

One thing you will notice is that the ratcatcher can be easily shot accurately from the shoulder – because it’s so light.

A springer or precharged is a lot heavier, and you’ll find it much easier using some sort of rest to keep the rifle steady.

Edited August 7, 2012 by Robl

[Sprackles]

Well mate, you may well be in luck. I have just bought a pre charged for myself but the condition of purchase was i take 4 other older guns too.

I have only just got back in but I believe one of them may be what you are looking for. Not putting price or anything as i believe i have to put it through the sales section.

I will be looking to dispose of the surplus.

Relum tornado.....rusty and tatty as hell but works.

Diana 70...works but its a diana...

Chinese type, similar to B32, also works but a looker it aint and finally the one which may be of interest to you, HW80 with tele sights.

Somebody has altered the stock a bit to make it lighter but its full power and will do nicely for what you are after.

Ask anyone on here about the 80...dont think you will get many bad reports.

[theoben fenman]

liquidised cat food OR mush it up well with an old fork and some cooking oil, you want them lapping not grabbing

 

I used peanut butter and potato foolproof but I put it in a little foil cake tin (poof I am) and the little ****** just nabbed the whole lot.

[Paul T]

Thanks All. Sprackles - I've dropped you a pm .

 

I went to an Air Gun shop in York city centre today (not York Guns, which I love) - first and last time . The bloke in there was far too busy shuffling stock around to be bothered. I told him what I wanted, but all I got was palmed off with cheap Chinese rubbish and when I enquired about another I got the answer "You could kill people with that, let alone rats." :o :o I really couldn't believe I was told that in a gun shop! Anyway, he'd never heard of Hatsan and was generally pretty offhand, dissing the other big manufacturers, so I left vowing never to return.

 

Thanks for the suggestions with the rats - I know shooting isn't ideal, but they get trap shy after a while and poisoning isn't for me . My dog will pick up anything he finds and also we breed cats so I just can't run the risk of poisoned dead 'uns about the place. I just pop them off as they run out for chicken food and as I said, more will always replace them so it's just a matter of keeping the numbers down as much as possible.

[NIGHT SEARCHER]

I got a Hatsan 1000 striker in .25 cal for rats and i paid £100 brand new with 12 months warranty.

It is doing 11.8 ft lb with 27gn pellets and it hits like a sledgehammer.

Very accurate out to 30 yds with fibre optic open sights i put a scope and a silencer on it so it stands me at £145. Still very cheap for a new gun with a new scope and silencer and is very accurate and hits so hard.

I shoot a lot of Rats on a pig farm i use night vision on a PCP most of the time my best night was 145 rats in one night Brill.

The Hatsan i use in barns and pig sheds its nice to keep your hand in with a springer.

Edited August 7, 2012 by NIGHT SEARCHER