rimfire or air ranger

[telf]

i am in 2 minds at the moment on whether to sell my anschutz .22 rimfire which i use at nighttime and get a FAC daystate air ranger(40 ft lb)

 

i shoot out to about 80 yds max at night using the photon,but the bunnies dont hang around for long once they have heard the first shot,so

 

what is the noise level like compared to the rimfire (as ive heard FAC air guns are quite loud)

 

what is the best distance to zero an fac air gun

 

would i be able to shoot out to 75 yds with no hold over and if so what is the max distance for the ranger

 

would the photon mount ok on the ranger due to the magazine sticking up

 

what is the ranger like in the wind

 

and am i gaining anything or loosing out by changing guns

 

any help,advice or opinions gratefully appreciated

 

cheers dave

[la bala]

if your bunnies can hear your shots at 80yds, are you using subs and a moderator.

[telf]

if your bunnies can hear your shots at 80yds, are you using subs and a moderator.

 

yes both,there very nervous bunnies

[la bala]

 

yes both,there very nervous bunnies

try a bolt action, no where as noisy as semis

[telf]

try a bolt action, no where as noisy as semis

 

its the 1417 annie (bolt action)

[la bala]

 

its the 1417 annie (bolt action)

apologies, as my mate has a anschutz semi and i am always telling him it is noisy, i just assumed you was using the same. think your rabbits must have radar lol

[r1steele]

The smack of the bullet disturbs them more with a moderated .22 rather than any noise from the rifle so moving to FAC airgun won't really cure that.

[alendil]

Nope You have superb rifle and you will regret swoping it for airgun.

and fac airgun is more noisy than .22 LR with sub ammo and sound mod.

[pork chop]

i have a fac airwolf and its no louder than a 22 with subs and its a great gun but theres nothing to be gained by changing

[kent]

Nothing to gain a lot to loose

[freeman]

Nothing to gain a lot to loose

 

+1.

 

The only thing much quieter than a rimmy is a ferret. I've had similar problems on some land with twitchy rabbits and a change of method is in order. you could try going later at night and set up by their burrows to keep them out in the field. Sad to say though, your rabbits have probably been over-shot and have become nervous. It's hard to do, but try letting them be for a while. Then return during the day at first and then finally try lamping them again. They aren't daft, they learn your habits as fast as you learn theirs.

[the enigma]

At the ranges your talking about I would stick with the .22lr, it'll handle the wind a lot better than FAC air.

[Gimlet]

 

+1.

 

The only thing much quieter than a rimmy is a ferret. I've had similar problems on some land with twitchy rabbits and a change of method is in order. you could try going later at night and set up by their burrows to keep them out in the field. Sad to say though, your rabbits have probably been over-shot and have become nervous. It's hard to do, but try letting them be for a while. Then return during the day at first and then finally try lamping them again. They aren't daft, they learn your habits as fast as you learn theirs.

 

My thoughts exactly. This is inevitable when the same piece of ground is shot heavily, particularly when you start with an infestation and set about eradicating them. You kill plenty but you educate plenty as well. It can't be helped. Mopping up the wary stragglers gets difficult and changing rifles won't make any difference. When you've got a rump population of street-wise hangers-on the best way is to ferret them out. The buries will repopulate with new-comers and if you don't let numbers get out of hand you can pick them off and keep them down without risking over-shooting one spot and training up a gun-shy colony.

My ground was getting to the mopping-up with ferrets stage until disease did the job for me. Now I can go out and find a little group of three or four and shoot them all from the same spot because the bystanders haven't learned what that 'thock' noise means.

An Anshutz 1417 is as good a rimfire as you can get. I wouldn't change one for an air-rifle, even a good one.

[ordnance]

Keep the .22 rimfire, I had a air ranger .25 60 ft/lbs. It blew the stuffing out of the daystate moderator I had to use a modified rimfire moderator but it was still noisier that a rimfire. Plus you get a lot less shots per fill when you up the power, 20 shots in my rifle. you then need a carry a bottle around with you and get the bottle filled. More hassle than it's worth unless you are shooting somewhere a rimfire is not suitable stick to the rimfire.

[bruno22rf]

I would imagine that, if the bunnies are that nervous, they are being over shot-once every 2 weeks is about maximum to avoid this problem.

[1066]

Really don't do it. I have both semi-auto and bolt in .22LR and FAC air in .22 at about 30ftlbs. Each has it's place but you will regret getting rid of the Anschutz. A .22LR with a good mod and shooting suitable ammunition, something like Eley or RWS sub-sonic HP is about as quite as you're going to get.

 

Shooting FAC air at about 40 ftlbs is about a 22 grain pellet doing around 900 ftps. If you were exactly zeroed at 63 yards you would be getting on for 2.5 inches low at 75 yards and nearly 2 inches high at 30 yards. It will be louder, loopier, air hungry and wind sensitive.

 

Get an FAC air as well and take it out on those warm, still summer evenings and enjoy it - Just don't get rid of the Annie to do it.

[Redgum]

Sounds like whatever you take the first shot with you are notifying the bunnies your there. As mad as it sounds I have had results with the louder hmr with extended ranges with difficult targets. Picking windy nights and good field craft will help, but when all else fails bring in the furry critters. Changing to fac air will probably make you even more frustrated.

[bullet boy]

My mate Eccles on here uses his FAC Air Ranger to great effect on Rabbits!Its an awesome tool is his 40ft/lb Ranger.

He never uses his Rimfire.Lol

Send him a PM I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

ATB

[Rimfireboy]

I don't think you'll beat the 1417 for a quiet rabbit gun. I wouldn't swap mine, the air rifle would go first, as good as they are, they won't beat a rimfire in many situations. They don't have the carrying power of a rimfire bullet though, so that can be an advantage in certain situations. I don't think you'd be any better off swapping to FAC air for your requirement though.

[telf]

thanks very much for the replies, it seems the rimfire is coming out on top,i actually thought alot more people would have said, go for the ranger

 

i think i will persevere and keep the rimfire as it is also handy for the odd walked on fox (if in distance),plus i must admit i absolutely love the anschutz, i may in the future when funds allow invest in a ranger or the new wolverine b type,but keep the rimfire as well

 

thanks dave

[bullet boy]

My preference is my Ruger 10/22 over a FAC Air-rifle for Rabbits.

[spandit]

Can you get low powered hunting ammo for .22LR?

[Gimlet]

thanks very much for the replies, it seems the rimfire is coming out on top,i actually thought alot more people would have said, go for the ranger

 

i think i will persevere and keep the rimfire as it is also handy for the odd walked on fox (if in distance),plus i must admit i absolutely love the anschutz, i may in the future when funds allow invest in a ranger or the new wolverine b type,but keep the rimfire as well

 

thanks dave

 

 

I had an FAC air slot added to my ticket four years ago when I put in for an HMR. I thought it would come in handy but I've found the .22lr and HMR between them have covered every situation and I've never felt the need for another air-rifle. I've thought about getting a Theoben Eliminator before renewal just for a bit of cheap(ish) fun but somehow I've always found something else to spend £300 on.

[1066]

Can you get low powered hunting ammo for .22LR?

.22 rimfire starts at the BB cap, which is about 1/4" long and shoots a 16 grain round ball at around 700 fps giving, at a guess about 15 ftlbs of energy or airgun power through to the hyper velocity, Stinger type rounds with many different types in between.

 

Shooting anything but standard .22 Long rifle ammunition usually means you will need to load them one at a time in a bolt action rifle. Some of these odd ball rounds have their place but very often suffer from poor accuracy.

 

There are also low loaded .22LR available of various types giving something like 700 fps and although these will feed normally with a bolt rifle they won't cycle a semi auto.

 

There is also segmented and frangiable ammunition - in fact I could go on for ages, there are dozens of different types including tracer etc. but you will have a job to beat good quality hollow pointed sub-sonic ammunition shooting a 40 grain bullet at 1000-1050 fps with about 80-90 ftlbs.

[Rimfireboy]

.22 rimfire starts at the BB cap, which is about 1/4" long and shoots a 16 grain round ball at around 700 fps giving, at a guess about 15 ftlbs of energy or airgun power through to the hyper velocity, Stinger type rounds with many different types in between.

Shooting anything but standard .22 Long rifle ammunition usually means you will need to load them one at a time in a bolt action rifle. Some of these odd ball rounds have their place but very often suffer from poor accuracy.

There are also low loaded .22LR available of various types giving something like 700 fps and although these will feed normally with a bolt rifle they won't cycle a semi auto.

There is also segmented and frangiable ammunition - in fact I could go on for ages, there are dozens of different types including tracer etc. but you will have a job to beat good quality hollow pointed sub-sonic ammunition shooting a 40 grain bullet at 1000-1050 fps with about 80-90 ftlbs.

Well said, the .22 rimfire is a very versatile vermin tool that can run from around 11ft lb to around 200ft lb with many variables in between.