ft rifle for bunnies?bleedin marvelous

[kdubya]

Took a mate bunny shooting yesterday evening offerd to lend him a"decent" gun

but he took his 177 EV2 me grins slightly and thinks oh dear, no silencer, diopter sights etc etc, sets him up we are in a hide me set up on one warren him set up 180' to me watching another warren just settling and "crack" off goes his gun? got one he says its a big un and it never even kicked turned round again and waited for a shot of my own crack off he goes again got him he says same as before?

do you want to try the gun he says? me thinks 177? ok I will have ago 10 mins later out comes bunny perhaps 40 yds he says just let its head fill the sight ? then sqeeze crack! and mr bunny falls over ? when we packed up and went out to pick up, every rabbit had been hit clean through the vital area! pellets HAD gone through but totally changed my view re stopping power of a 177 and an unsilenced gun to boot?

now how can I tell the missus a new 1k gun is req'd

cheers Keith

[Jon-Boy]

I use a .177 mate, no trouble with the stopping power, you hit them between the eye and the ear and they will go over everytime.

 

Check this out, my efforts tonight with my .177 AA s200

http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...?showtopic=9336

 

I dont care what people say about .22 being a better calibre, you have the accuracy with the .177. Both .177 and .22 are put to 12fpe, so when the pellet hits you are getting roughly the same energy because you get a higher fps with .177. Easier to aim too because its flatter.

 

Nice goin there with ya FT rifle chap!

[pigeon master]

Keith, is that you getting out shot again mate.

 

I used to use the Air Arms tx 200 in 177 and it was a blinder of a rifle if used with flat head pellets.

 

The PM

[Steveo]

Is the S200 available in FAC power? If not would it be a good idea to tune one up to around 15/16fpe?

[gamebag]

no i dont think the air arms s200 can be taken above its factory preset

[Wookie]

Check out the energy graphs for .177 and .22 using Chairgun.

 

I know it means ******-all, but .177 carries about 1 ft/lb _less_ energy down range than a .22 at about 35m.

 

Yes it is faster, but it is more susceptible to air resistance and the lower mass will cause it to slow down a lot more quickly.

 

Wookie

[donkeymagic]

Is the S200 available in FAC power? If not would it be a good idea to tune one up to around 15/16fpe?

Probably but i wouldnt advise it. The s200 has got a small shot capacity anyway. Bump it up to FAC and it would reduce the shot per charge ratio even furhter

[Evilv]

I sighted in my new .22 Airarms TX200HC on the farm this afternoon (in pouring rain - not too nice shooting prone) and when I was happy shot four targets with five shot groups. The group size was ok (bearing in mind I've had ten years off rifle shooting). I was getting a 1.25 inch group at forty yards, an inch at thirty and a little more than half an inch at 25 yards. There was wind at times which made things difficult. I'm used to a 2000fps .22 magnum which was my last rifle and shot flat over a hundred metres for all intents and purposes. Now I have to do a 2 inch hold over at 40 yards, dead on at 35, three quarters of an inch hold under at 30 yards and an inch and a half hold under at 25......

 

Come my attempts to shoot rabbits in the field - wow, are there some lucky bunnies on that farm. Water splashes above them, below them and two with holes in them that left them twitching for a few moments, when I guessed the distance right. I find this really hard, five yard error in distance judgement and you're stuffed instead of the rabbit. I shot three young crows out of a tree and off a telegraph pole. They were easy since the vertical error doesn't matter much. Thwack and down they come.

 

One other thing about this rifle which I'm certainly not used to. It's almost silent with the silencer that came with it (it was a second hand job lot). That means I get a second chance to miss, because the rabbits just look around startled. One ran towards me and then stopped, which was a big mistake for him...

 

Is it possible to fit a .177 barrel to a .22 Tx200? I think I'd do a lot better with a flatter shooter.

Edited June 1, 2005 by Evilv

[hill billy]

i started shooting with an old hw 75 .22 but then when i got a precharged rifle i went for .177 but the one problem i found was tryin to get hold of my favourite pellits which are bisley magnums because they are a bit heavier than most so pack a better punch

[Axe]

I find this really hard, five yard error in distance judgement and you're stuffed

You could try fitting a lazer to your rifle. I have one on my S16 and its absolutely fantastic.

 

I have the scope zeroed at 33yards and the lazer zeroed to the cross hair at 25yards. The distance shown between the lazer point and the crosshair is the exact amount of holdover I need, and its damn accurate out to the maximum distances. I actually took a shot using the lazer holdover of just over 40metres and the result was a clean rabbit dropping headshot. All be it the S16 has the laser mounted under the barrel so I have to reverse the holdover. i.e. if the lazer dot is above the crosshair, then I hold the same distance but below. I manage to maintain a Kz of 1/2inch from 15 to 35 yards, so I only really use the laser for the longer shots. But its always there for a safe check before sqeezing a shot out.

 

This setup works really well for me and I dont really have to worry about distances anymore. Although I have worked out the position of the dot against the crosshair, every 5 yards from 20 to 50. Little point working out anything greater than this as I wouldnt be taking the shot on.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

Edited June 2, 2005 by Axe

[Evilv]

Thanks for that chaps.

 

The idea of the laser helping rangefinding seems an excellent one. I just need to work out how it would fit the TX200. The scope I have pretty much fills up the space on the spring housing where the grooves are for sights. I need to find out more about this. Also - it would be good if I understood just how the difference between the laser spot sighted at 25 yards and the scope at 33 yards showed how much hold over or under to allow. I'm not sure I grasp that - well, I don't. Is there a link you could send me to help with that, and how much are the laser sights? I don't want to spend a ton of money on this. Practice would be cheaper. I think I find more trouble than some in judging distance because I only see out of one eye properly. This means I have to use cues like size and texture more than you 'two eyed' guys, who can also use the paralax between your two eyes to make precise judgements.

Edited June 2, 2005 by Evilv

[Axe]

Also - it would be good if I understood just how the difference between the laser spot sighted at 25 yards and the scope at 33 yards showed how much hold over or under to allow. I'm not sure I grasp that

As you look through the scope with the laser switched on you can see the red dot on objects that your aiming at. If you aim at objects of differing distances the laser dot moves up or down the recticle (crosshair). The S16 has a built in laser mount, below the barrel. The effect of this is; when aiming at shorter distances the red dot appears below the horizontal line of the recticle. As the distance to target increases, the red dot moves up the vertical line of the recticle.

 

I have been very lucky with my zeroing in. I re-zero'd the rifle to 33yards one night before going on to our shoot. As we were running out of time I decided not to adjust the laser, as this can be quite time consuming. So I checked the position of the dot at distances of 15,20,25,30 etc. My scope has the standard duplex or 30/30 crosshairs and my tests were performed on a magnification of 9, what I found was;

 

At 15 yards: The dot was positioned at the point where the 'South' post thickens.

At 20 yards: The dot was positioned on the 'South' post half way between centre and the point at which the post thickens.

At 25 yards: the dot was positioned on the 'South' post and intersecting the horizontal line.

And so on....However, as the distance increases the amount of movement from the dot in the recticle seems to reduce. Furthermore, adjusting the magnification also effects this, so I always use 9 when checking my distances and using the holdover method.

 

By the time the dot hits the point where the 'North' post thickens, I know I am at my maximum range. But what I also found was that distances where the red dot appears above the horizontal line, I could measure the distance between the dot and centre and use this as my holdover i.e. the same pont but below the horizontal line on the 'South' post. I dont take any shots over 45yards as there is too much margin for error and to little velocity left to be totaly effective. Using this method I am producing a 100% success rate. It works very, very well for me and I will not be making any further adjustments.

 

As for mounting the laser on your rifle. I have read various topics on here and other forums and generally, most people make a custom fitment to their scopes and have the laser mounted between 3-6 inches above. If use the search on here you'll probably dig something up. Price wise i'm not too sure as mine came with the rifle.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

Edited June 3, 2005 by Axe

[Evilv]

Thanks for all that info, Axe. Also, I managed to switch on the laser element in Chairgun, which shows how it would work. I set up the aplet like you did and see the effect on the visualisation thingy.

 

Also, I've been estimating distance as I walk the dogs and am getting better and better at it. Hopefully, I'll be able to do better without additional aids.

 

Have you heard of anyone exchanging barrels from .22 to ,177?

 

I wonder if there are other parts in the gun that are caliber specific. Maybe the breach that engages with the barrel as you shut the lever. Also, it might go out of calibration as regards power. In the end, I'll probably just learn the drop.

Edited June 3, 2005 by Evilv

[Axe]

I really dont anything about changing barrels etc. When i've looked into modifying parts, there is quite a science going on that shouldnt be interferred with by mere mortals. If you get my point. I looked in to changing the size of the transfer port but was well and truly told not to tamper with it as they are set up specifically for the rifle in question. So it may be that a .177 barrel actually uses a different size port etc. The only way to be sure is to phone Air Arms 01323 845853

and ask.

 

On the other hand, it can do you no wrong to learn the holdover of the .22. Lets face it, the actual drop involved is not that great at the distances we use for hunting under 12ft/lb. Then there is the fabled argument, which calibre is better for hunting? Whilst the .177 gives a flatter trajectory and therefore better accuracy, the .22 does actually deliver more punch to the target. Learning to pace your distances, using points of reference and practice on targets, can only serve to make you a far better and more accomplised shot in the long run.

 

I look forward to hearing how you get on, good luck and happy shooting.

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

[Evilv]

I'll keep you informed then Axe - and thanks again for all the info - I appreciate your time. I'm waiting for the next really sunny day and I'll be out there again. Last time, it was so wet, I could hardly see through the sight while zeroing it in and working out the drop empirically. Also, now I know where most of the rabbits are, and I'm going to make myself some kind of windbreak hide 30 yards out from their feeding ground. Apart from the fun and challenge, the new rabbit pie recipe I made up has my taste buds twitching.

Edited June 5, 2005 by Evilv

[SNAKEBITE]

Quite partial to the stirfried bunny with Chinese 5 spice coating at the moment

[Evilv]

Quite partial to the stirfried bunny with Chinese 5 spice coating at the moment

Have you noticed how much better rabbit is when you remove that funny little khaki coloured gland near the anus? Taints the whole meal if you leave the least bit of it around.