What's the go with 12 ft/lbs thing?

[SPEEDY]

I have just started hunting with an air rifle and as I have never had much to do with them before I trying to learn more about it.

While looking for a manual for the new rifle so that I could tinker with it I kept running into UK sites, they all made a mention about how my particular rifle wasn't difficult to reduce from 20+ ft/lbs down to 12ft/lbs.

My question is why would you want to do that? I get the general impression that it has something to do with licensing but if you can get .22 rim fires and shotguns then why get a weak air rifle, I would like to get this one going at 25-30ft/lbs if I can.

Having shot over 40 rabbits and one young fox with it I have come to realise just how little killing power a slug gun has, as a shot that would demolish a rabbits head with a .22 rimfire quite often wont do the job with the air rifle.

 

Can anyone explain this?

[naddan28]

I have just started hunting with an air rifle and as I have never had much to do with them before I trying to learn more about it.

While looking for a manual for the new rifle so that I could tinker with it I kept running into UK sites, they all made a mention about how my particular rifle wasn't difficult to reduce from 20+ ft/lbs down to 12ft/lbs.

My question is why would you want to do that? I get the general impression that it has something to do with licensing but if you can get .22 rim fires and shotguns then why get a weak air rifle, I would like to get this one going at 25-30ft/lbs if I can.

Having shot over 40 rabbits and one young fox with it I have come to realise just how little killing power a slug gun has, as a shot that would demolish a rabbits head with a .22 rimfire quite often wont do the job with the air rifle.

 

Can anyone explain this?

In england, we have to have air rifles under 12ftlbs unless we have a firearms licence. Air rifle shooting, is all about fieldcraft and shot placement. You need to be incredibly quiet to get into range and then incredibly accurate to humanely dispatch the quarry. If your used to bigger rifles, then you may want to spend some time practicing your accuracy.

 

The reason, I believe we have the silly 12ftlbs ruling, is that the british gunmakers were afraid american companies were going to come and take over the industry so lobbied for the 12ftlbs limit, which the americans cant be assed to produce such low powered air rifles.

[alanlee]

.......reduce from 20+ ft/lbs down to 12ft/lbs.

My question is why would you want to do that? I get the general impression that it has something to do with licensing but if you can get .22 rim fires and shotguns then why get a weak air rifle, I would like to get this one going at 25-30ft/lbs if I can. Can anyone explain this?

 

Anyone over 18 can buy an airgun at less than 12ft/lbs. they can then use it in their back garden to practice.

Shotguns can only be bought when you have a Shotgun Certificate, this is supplied by the Police, who come round and inspect the security of your home, and make sure you have a secure cabinet for the gun, as well as no criminal record etc.It can only be used at shooting grounds or other land where there is no risk to the general public.

Rimfire and all other live-fire rifles are harder to get. You either need some land to shoot over for pest control, or are a member of a Target Club. You cannot just say you want a rifle, there must be a use for it. It can then only be used on approved land, or at a proper gun club.

Hence for most people, it is far easier to just go out and buy an air rifle at 12ft/lbs, and it is quite capable of killing birds, rabbits and small vermin at up to 40 yards.

Alan.

[Theskyfox]

lol speaking of damaging the british airgun manufacturers, they clearly didnt think the new violent crime reduction bill properly through with the whole banning mail order , its gonna do more damage than ever before!

 

-Andrew

[SPEEDY]

Oh that makes more sense, we need a licence for any firearm but we have no limitations on calibre.

[deadeye ive]

I have just started hunting with an air rifle and as I have never had much to do with them before I trying to learn more about it.

 

Is the reason because you fancy something a bit more challenging than using the .375 HH

What Air Rifle have you got ............As well as big game guns England makes some of the best air rifles in the world because of the market for them over here ...........Which incidently is more than likely due to the fact that you don't need a ticket to have one if it's 12 ft lb or below .

[SPEEDY]

Is the reason because you fancy something a bit more challenging than using the .375 HH :blink:

What Air Rifle have you got ?

 

Well the 375H&H is fun but I can use the air rifle on the 15ac property that I live on as well as most of the places next door, I also have a heap of Rabbits in the front 40ac paddock of the property across the road.

But due to there being too many houses around that part I'm unwilling to use anything bigger.

 

I picked up a great little Cometa Fenix .22 for the sum of Au$150 and bought a great little Lightforce SL140 scope mounted spotlight for Au$120, I got 5 12v 7ah batteries given to me by a mate so for a total sum of Au$270 or in other words 110 pounds I have a great little set up.

So far I have taken over 50 bunnies 1 hare and 1 young fox so even if I don't have time before dinner for a shot then I can still usually manage a bunny or two before bed.

 

[SNAKEBITE]

Not being funny but don't mention the foxes too loudly on here, it is not considered the "done thing". Don't want to spend hours debating it as it will just draw attention to it, would rather just let it drop :blink:

 

Hope you understand.

[SPEEDY]

Not being funny but don't mention the foxes too loudly on here, it is not considered the "done thing".

 

Yes you fellas have funny ideas about foxes don't you, but when our gun writers shoot them with air rifles during reports it makes it hard not to follow suit.

 

Ps it was a young fox and was actually smaller then the hare and the range was only around 15m.

[deadeye ive]

I picked up a great little Cometa Fenix .22 for the sum of Au$150 and bought a great little Lightforce SL140 scope mounted spotlight for Au$120, I got 5 12v 7ah batteries given to me by a mate so for a total sum of Au$270 or in other words 110 pounds I have a great little set up.

So far I have taken over 50 bunnies 1 hare and 1 young fox so even if I don't have time before dinner for a shot then I can still usually manage a bunny or two before bed.

Can't really tell alot from the photo speedy .............without doing a google search is it a pre-charged pneumatic ?..............For the money it's cost it proving to be a handy little tool by the sounds of things .Expect to pay around £325-£750 second hand FAc Air rifle over here and there are some cracking one's at the moment ......Certainly ones being developed by Daystate http://www.daystate.co.uk/air_ranger.htm

It's good to explain the senario concerning the Fox ...Since the banning of hunting with Foxes the Fox hunting Brigade love nothing more than pointing out how many Foxes are wounded and left to Die in agony because of poor rifleman ship ,Or using a calibre or rifle not suitable ..One of the examples developed by daystate can run up to 80 ft lbs and shoot 30-40 grn bullets

[SPEEDY]

Can't really tell alot from the photo speedy .............without doing a google search is it a pre-charged pneumatic

 

It's a break barrel, they are supposed to shoot a 14.5gr pellet at 820fps (about 21.5ft/lbs) but this one has had an after market spring fitted and it launches an 18gn pellet at 910fps (about 33ft/lbs :unsure:)

 

It's good to explain the senario concerning the Fox ...Since the banning of hunting with Foxes the Fox hunting Brigade love nothing more than pointing out how many Foxes are wounded and left to Die in agony because of poor rifleman ship ,Or using a calibre or rifle not suitable

 

I'm actually collecting DNA samples for university so that they can map both the genetic and breeding patterns of foxes with the aim of developing a biological method to control them, much like myxomatosis did to Rabbits.

 

One of the examples developed by daystate can run up to 80 ft lbs and shoot 30-40 grn bullets

 

Now one of them would be nice :o

[deadeye ive]

I'm actually collecting DNA samples for university so that they can map both the genetic and breeding patterns of foxes with the aim of developing a biological method to control them, much like myxomatosis did to Rabbits.

 

Well I can't speak for Aus but Myxy is one cruel and in-humane form of Rabbit control and I hope that no such measures for that form of Fox control are introduced over here in the UK .

 

I take it Aus is really overun then ................Are there not syndicates or companies that advertise shooting to overseas ?

 

Ps Could post this question on Aushunt but it takes 2 weeks to get an answer :unsure: .

[stevethevanman]

I heard that mixy was developed as a means of cutting of someones natural food supply if you were fighting them say in the jungle, there was then some form of accident and got in to the wild, and contaminated the british rabbit population.

[deadeye ive]

I'm sure Speedy will have an input to this but have you heard of the Rabbit proof fence in Aus .............Now I'm guessing but a british Scientist developed this biological death to wipeout or control the exploding rabbit population .......More wipeout really has they are not natural to or indeginous to Australia .Not sure whether the Fox is indigenous either hence the same approach .. :unsure:

 

We'll end up doing something similar to Canadian Geese over here soon ..........Or they'll get a foothold like the Grey squirrel ..........Any body see a Red in the wild . :o

[WeihrauchPower]

I'm sure Speedy will have an input to this but have you heard of the Rabbit proof fence in Aus .............Now I'm guessing but a british Scientist developed this biological death to wipeout or control the exploding rabbit population .......More wipeout really has they are not natural to or indeginous to Australia .Not sure whether the Fox is indigenous either hence the same approach .. :unsure:

 

We'll end up doing something similar to Canadian Geese over here soon ..........Or they'll get a foothold like the Grey squirrel ..........Any body see a Red in the wild .

 

I'm on my way to Australia next week to try and dent the rabbit and fox numbers.

I feel i'm doing my bit seeing as it was us who released them there in the first place! :o

[Lord Geordie]

I'm sure Speedy will have an input to this but have you heard of the Rabbit proof fence in Aus .............Now I'm guessing but a british Scientist developed this biological death to wipeout or control the exploding rabbit population .......More wipeout really has they are not natural to or indeginous to Australia .Not sure whether the Fox is indigenous either hence the same approach ..

 

We'll end up doing something similar to Canadian Geese over here soon ..........Or they'll get a foothold like the Grey squirrel ..........Any body see a Red in the wild .

 

I'm on my way to Australia next week to try and dent the rabbit and fox numbers.

I feel i'm doing my bit seeing as it was us who released them there in the first place!

 

 

I am away to Oz in September all things permitting but i don't think i can go shooting while there as i am visiting the Girlfriend and i don't think she would appreciate being dragged all over while i go shooting

 

PLUS i don't know anyone there that shoots either.

 

LG

[WeihrauchPower]

I'm sure Speedy will have an input to this but have you heard of the Rabbit proof fence in Aus .............Now I'm guessing but a british Scientist developed this biological death to wipeout or control the exploding rabbit population .......More wipeout really has they are not natural to or indeginous to Australia .Not sure whether the Fox is indigenous either hence the same approach ..

 

We'll end up doing something similar to Canadian Geese over here soon ..........Or they'll get a foothold like the Grey squirrel ..........Any body see a Red in the wild .

 

I'm on my way to Australia next week to try and dent the rabbit and fox numbers.

I feel i'm doing my bit seeing as it was us who released them there in the first place!

 

 

I am away to Oz in September all things permitting but i don't think i can go shooting while there as i am visiting the Girlfriend and i don't think she would appreciate being dragged all over while i go shooting

 

PLUS i don't know anyone there that shoots either.

 

LG

 

I'm lucky, my girlfriend is Australian and her Auntie owns some land!

Plus i've had a very generous offer from a member on the Aushunt forum, he has 25,000 acres!

 

Still whilst your there Lord Geordie you can go to a gun club and try some new weaponry!

The first thing i'm doing when i arrive is joining a pistol shooting club, seeing as i'll probably never get to shoot any here!

The club has already offered to help me get my firearms licence so i'm good to go!

[SPEEDY]

Sorry it’s taken a while to get back but I have away this weekend, shooting foxes funny enough

We got 11 last night and about 23 over the 3 days/ nights that we were there, we saw a lot more then that but they had a good idea what we were about and started making them selves scarce.

 

We have use a few biological control methods in the past as well as some nasty poisons like 10/80 for example, I DON’T like these methods but it IS unfortunately necessary in order to save our native wildlife. I have poisoned thousands of foxes over the years and have seen them sick and dying in open paddocks, I would much prefer to put a single bullet into them but that just isn’t enough in some cases.

At one point while spotlighting the other night we could count 8 foxes in the one paddock, that is a pretty big population to control especially when we usually saw 2 or 3 together and not just loan animals.

 

But if any of you come down here and want to remove a few then I’m that my mates and myself could arrange something.

[SNAKEBITE]

Sounds like you have foxes out in the numbers that we have rabbits out!

I bet that many really do some damage