rabbits

[secretagentmole]

Bruno if they can't afford a better gun then best to make use of the one they have as long as it is capable of doing the job. The SMK XS19-18 is actually a damned nice little rifle and is quite capable of achieving good groups. Just they are let down by a trigger mechanism with as much feel as rice pudding!

 

The build quality of the newer ones is a lot lot better than the older ones and it has gained quite a reputation as being one of the best rifles in the SMK range (which is a bit like saying a car was the best out of the Lada range, but their Cossack 4x4s had a hellishly loyal following and a reputation for being superb off roaders). It is not nice when the first thing you are told is your gun is a pile of rubbish, when it is not. If it was a B2 then I would have advised the OP to get a better gun. However I think the XS19-18 is better than most people think.

 

I have a couple of bargain basement guns in my collection, my QB78 DL tinker toy which has been bought simply to tune up and play with as well as my Hatsan 60S (which is better known as a Webley Stingray mark 2 only half the cost of the damned Webley). The QB needed attention, the trigger was awful, polishing the sears, fitting shims and greasing the mechanism sorted that) and the power was low (new seals and a T R Robb kit), but I bought it cheap secondhand knowing it was nothing more than a tinker toy. However in the summer it can hunt extremely well having a max power output of 11.25lbs for about the first 35 shots! My Hatsan is superb, lovely walnut stock, smooth cocking mechanism, lovely clean adn crisp 2 stage trigger and very accurate with a 14.3 grain Ultra Magnum.

 

Don't knock until you have tried. There is a lot of fun to be had having a low cost gun and improving it bit by bit. Problem is when you spend hundreds on an HW rifle and need to do that because of poor finishing in the factory (swarf in mechanisms, poorly cut and finished springs, bad triggers, bad seals, bad safety catches, all commonly reported problems with HW rifles these days) or bad quality (cocking shoe in the Air Arms Prosport) which means it spends more time at the gunshop/wholesalers/makers workshop than it does in your cabinet and the XS19-18 does not seem so bad!

Edited December 2, 2013 by secretagentmole

[kent]

By a second hand HW or TX and it will keep its money buy a heap of junk that needs work and you might get back half the new price without adding parts and labour. Many upgrade with the TX or HW there is no great need but at least it will sell if you do.

 

As regards kill zones, are you guys really waiting for a broadside brain shot? If so brush up your anatomy as you can get clean kills from almost any angle.

 

Halve what you can do in practice and don't look at groups only first round hit probability (unranged and no prior sighter)

[evo]

kent, clean killing is my preferred route ie broadside head shot but my experience has showed me at the right distance I can cleanly kill a rabbit at any angle with a head shot no problem so I have to agree with you on that point,

 

the only difference between me and a novice shooter is the time I have put in on paper targets out in the field to ensure me and my rifle work together as a team, knowing what your rifle is capable of and its limitations is the number one thing to sort out before going out in the field shooting bunnies,

 

even hitting paper targets on a range is not like shooting out in an open field and I think it can sometimes give you a false account of how a pellet reacts to the slightest of wind,

 

yes a broadside shot is best but I agree not the be all and end all,

 

practice , practice, and practice that's the most important thing to me and in all wind conditions out in a hunting scenario to try and ensure a clean kill if and when the right shot arrives but as you say a broadside shot is NOT the only shot placement needed to kill a bunny

 

atb Evo

[secretagentmole]

By a second hand HW or TX and it will keep its money buy a heap of junk that needs work and you might get back half the new price without adding parts and labour. Many upgrade with the TX or HW there is no great need but at least it will sell if you do.

 

As regards kill zones, are you guys really waiting for a broadside brain shot? If so brush up your anatomy as you can get clean kills from almost any angle.

 

Halve what you can do in practice and don't look at groups only first round hit probability (unranged and no prior sighter)

 

If you bothered to read what was written, the OP already has a 19-18! He has a rifle capable of killing a rabbit. What he does not need is you and Bruno telling him to spend shed loads more money which he may not be able to afford on something that is admittedly better handling, but still no more capable of delivering a pellet at a killing velocity.

The 19-18 is an accurate gun, people use them to control vermin, SFS tune the guns, so they cannot be that bad else Tony would leave them well alone! We are encouraging someone to get started. If the only advice you have is bin the gun, keep it to yourself, that goes for Bruno too!

 

The OP needs to practise shooting and getting a good grouping. Then he can move onto hunting live quarry and if he likes he may upgrade his gun, however he does NOT need to upgrade his gun.

Edited December 2, 2013 by secretagentmole

[evo]

 

If you bothered to read what was written, the OP already has a 19-18! He has a rifle capable of killing a rabbit. What he does not need is you and Bruno telling him to spend shed loads more money which he may not be able to afford on something that is admittedly better handling, but still no more capable of delivering a pellet at a killing velocity.

The 19-18 is an accurate gun, people use them to control vermin, SFS tune the guns, so they cannot be that bad else Tony would leave them well alone! We are encouraging someone to get started. If the only advice you have is bin the gun, keep it to yourself, that goes for Bruno too!

 

The OP needs to practise shooting and getting a good grouping. Then he can move onto hunting live quarry and if he likes he may upgrade his gun, however he does NOT need to upgrade his gun.

have to agree with mole,

[hillbilly74]

Thanks for all the responses guys much to think about cheers for taking the time

[Longbower]

Go get them Hillbilly.

[turbo33]

Thanks for all the responses guys much to think about cheers for taking the time

 

Kent

Quote "As regards kill zones, are you guys really waiting for a broadside brain shot? If so brush up your anatomy as you can get clean kills from almost any angle"

 

Oh give us some credit Kent, I think we can all work out that the position of the brain can be accessed from different angles. 99% of your posts are of an antagonistic and negative nature, but I'm happy to introduce patronising too!!

 

Hillybilly

Hopefully you will have gained some useful information. You will certainly be aware of the idiots now, they always come out, particularly on newbie posts Don't be put off by them, keep on asking and enjoy your sport

Edited December 2, 2013 by turbo33

[secretagentmole]

Hillbilly if you have a printer print out the rabbit target on this site!

 

http://www.targetbunny.btik.com/

[bruno22rf]

The OP has not,to my knowledge, started that he cannot afford a better gun-he has simply, initially, asked for hints/advice on shooting Rabbits. When asked he then informs us that he has an SMK. With the basic information given it is obvious that a better gun would be a wise move-you should equip yourself the best you can to undertake any pastime that involves killing animals. Yes-the gun in question will "deliver a pellet at a killing velocity" but so would a bicycle pump and a fan belt-your assumption, Mole, that this guy cannot pay for a quality gun is pure speculation and as such your suggestion that both Kent and myself keep our opinions to ourselves (on a public forum) is immaturity at its best but soooo easy when hiding behind a keyboard.

[secretagentmole]

Not immature, sir, the gun in question is more than capable of shooting way beyond your prejudice!

[bruno22rf]

But could be improved immeasurably-like your attitude.

[shaun4860]

Come on chaps, not helping.....

 

[chrisjpainter]

Hillbilly, trying to drag this back to some kind of useful thread (!), you've probably guessed that your gun is a bit of a controversial one. The big money companies like Air Arms, Weihrauch Theoben and the like got that way by producing quality products that come at a cost. makes like SMK are much more hit and miss - the chances of getting a bad one are massively increased. So, if you get a bad one, it's going to be a horror show of dreadful groupings and wounded animals. But you might get a good one, which will happily do the job of killing vermin and is a great way to test the sport out. However much we rant and rave (some more than others ) about the pros and cons, you're going to be the best judge. Get out there and test it.

 

can you get tight, neat groupings at 30yds? yes? win. no? look elsewhere! simple as that.

Edited December 2, 2013 by chrisjpainter

[secretagentmole]

Hillbilly, trying to drag this back to some kind of useful thread (!), you've probably guessed that your gun is a bit of a controversial one. The big money companies like Air Arms, Weihrauch Theoben and the like got that way by producing quality products that come at a cost. makes like SMK are much more hit and miss - the chances of getting a bad one are massively increased. So, if you get a bad one, it's going to be a horror show of dreadful groupings and wounded animals. But you might get a good one, which will happily do the job of killing vermin and is a great way to test the sport out. However much we rant and rave (some more than others ) about the pros and cons, you're going to be the best judge. Get out there and test it.

 

can you get tight, neat groupings at 30yds? yes? win. no? look elsewhere! simple as that.

Air Arms and Wehrauch are known for selling bad guns these days, perhaps more so than SMK. The Air Arms Prosport has the notoriously bad cocking shoe problem, they can come woefully underpowered (both the TX and the Prosport). HW, the 99 had a big galling problem, on all the springers there have been reports of poorly finished springs, swarf in the mechanism, poorly finished trigger components.

 

These days spending a lot can get you a more expensive bag of bolts. We bought a 95 last year, it needed a strip down and sort out, poor spring, bad trigger, in fact the person who sorted it reckoned the best HW as one built around 5 years ago! Quality is not assured by buying a big name, just google HW spring problems and shudder!

[bruno22rf]

You are, of course, right shaun4860-my apologies to Mole and the OP for wandering off topic.

[secretagentmole]

Bruno I apologise too, I do get a tad defensive of the cheap gun as they are a great way into the hobby and can lead to bigger and better things (like an HW100 .22, Theoben Rapid 7 .22, Webley Venom Sidewinder .22, QB78 DL .22, Theoben Sirocco .22, HW90 .22, Hatsan 60 S .22, HW77 .22, BSA Super Meteor .22, BSA Super 10 .177, Daystate Mark 3 .177, Evanix Rainstorm .177, Webley Rebel .177, SMK S2, Crosman 1322, Crosman 357, Crosman 1377, Daisy Powerline 747, Tanfoglio Witness 1911 - current collection - all came about because on a whim of fancy I bought a Westlake B2).

[Dekers]

Just to pick up on one area which seems to escape many these days....technology and CNC machinery has moved air rifle quality/repeatability into a new era over the last 20-25 years.

It is not essential to spend £1000+ on a state of the art Daystate (other makes are available) with an electric starter motor and £1500 of scope on top to stop a rabbit.

Look back 40-50 years at what your Dad/Grandad did with his primitive air rifle, he managed to stop them.......... he would have thought all his Christmases had come together if you gave him a SX19.

[shaun4860]

 

[secretagentmole]

Just to pick up on one area which seems to escape many these days....technology and CNC machinery has moved air rifle quality/repeatability into a new era over the last 20-25 years.

 

It is not essential to spend £1000+ on a state of the art Daystate (other makes are available) with an electric starter motor and £1500 of scope on top to stop a rabbit.

 

Look back 40-50 years at what your Dad/Grandad did with his primitive air rifle, he managed to stop them.......... he would have thought all his Christmases had come together if you gave him a SX19.

Don't say that, I bought an air rifle purely because my father owned one, yes it is the humble BSA Super Meteor .22 mark 4, mine did not come from the shopping catalogue though....

[David M]

I started shooting rabbits 3 years ago with a .22 BAM 20 springer (same as an SMK XS20), previously I had shot a vintage BSA Cadet Major for fun for 30 years. I bought the BAM secondhand for £85 and found my effective pound coin accuracy limitation went out to around 25 yards, 30 in dead calm conditions with it's favoured pellets. I hunted solely with this gun for two years and bagged more than enough rabbits by batching up 25 yards from any previous sightings and just waiting for them to appear. Absolutely nothing wrong with a value gun used within your limits.

 

This year I got a secondhand .177 AA s400 carbine pcp and realised my shooting was actually better than I thought..! I can now hunt from hand, shooting sticks or bipod and be confident of adding another 10 yards and getting within a 5p coin area. I don't shoot any more rabbits because of it though.

Edited December 3, 2013 by David M