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BB/Pellet guns. What would you use?

6K views 31 replies 24 participants last post by  goat daddy 
#1 ·
For bigger pests like raccoons and possums. What calibers and fps should I be look for to reliably put one of these down? Not trying to cause any suffering, but want something thatll put um down right away.
 
#5 ·
A real gun....;)
Believe me, if didn't live in the suburbs, I'd just grabbed the 10/22 and been done with it long ago.

But, I have a .22 air rifle that might almost make a dent in a possum or ****, with the right heavy pointed pellet.

The trick would be shot placement. Not sure a body shot will work. Or even penetrate a fat **** at any distance.
Some of these pellet guns are pushing 900 - 1200 fps. I'd like to hear experiences of body shots with these velocity. I'd imagine it'd be similar to connecting with a body shot on a human with a 308, 270, etc
 
#3 ·
My son lives in a sub-division with 2-3 acre lots. Shooting a firearm is against association rules. On the other hand, a pellet gun is completely legal. This is a great reason to own an air gun.

But for Survival reasons.... one can buy a darn good air rifle for under $200 and a few thousand pellets for dollars. When all the ammunition runs out, someone with a pellet gun is still killing small game to eat and survive.

........
 
#30 ·
Friend killed a cat killing raccoon with one pellet shot at close range. Shot placement is the key to any hunting. A .22 caliber bullet will drop a deer in its tracks with close well placed head shot. A .22 will drop attackers the same way....

Somethings to remember to remember if SHTF really happens as many predict..... :xeye:
 
#4 ·
For low noise pest control which puts down the critters for keeps, without disturbing the neighbors, I light-load a .38 Special 148-grain lead HBWC, flush seated and taper crimped into the case with ONE GRAIN of Bullseye or Titegroup. I single-load these in my .357 lever-action rifle, or preferably use a single-shot break-open rifle I had purpose-built as a light, 4 pound, walking around garden gun.

The heavy, flat-nosed .38 wadcutter is accurate enough for 30 yard head shots and puts down even larger critters for keeps. When fired in a 24" rifle barrel it is hardly louder than an air rifle. Rifle velocity is about 450 fps. From a 6" revolver this load produces about 300 fps, about the minimum which will exit the barrel. Your mileage may vary.

From a revolver it is much louder, but you can shoot without ear protection and the report is like firing a cap pistol.

It is VERY important to start with a CLEAN, lightly oiled, then wiped barrel which is slightly "slick," rather than clean and dry, thus minimizing bore drag. Use only SOFT LEAD, lubricated bullets. NEVER jacketed, as you WILL stick one in the barrel! Keep a knock-out rod handy until you have confirmed that these minimum "Cat Sneeze" loads will reliably exit the barrel of your gun. If you can tolerate a bit more noise and want a safe and reliable load which always exits the bore and has about the report of .22 LR standard velocity, use the RCBS Little Dandy powder measure with the smallest #00 rotor they make, which meters 1.7 grains of Bullseye or Clays, or 2 grains of TiteGroup.

I had a custom rotor made which meters 1 grains of Bullseye or you can use a fired .22 Short case as a dip measure.
 
#6 ·
Foir low noise pest control which puts down the critters for keep, without disturbing the neighbors, I light-load a .38 Special 148-grain lead HBWC, flush seated and taper crimped into the case with ONE GRAIN of Bullseye or Titegroup, and single-load these in my .357 lever-action rifle, or use a single-shot break-open rifle I had purpose-built as a light walking around garden gun.

The heavy, flat-nosed .38 wadcutter puts down even larger critters for keeps and in a 24" rifle barrel is hardly louder than an air rifle. Velocity is about 450 fps. Fired from a 6" revolver this load produces about 300 fps, about the minimum which will exit the barrel. It is louder, but you can shoot without ear protection and the report is like firing a cap pistol.

VERY important to start with a CLEAN, lightly oiled, then wiped barrel which is "slick" and to use only SOFT lead, lubricated bullets. Keep a knock-out rod handy until you have confirmed that these minimum "Cat Sneeze" loads will exit the barrel of your gun.

I use a fired .22 Short case as a dip measure.
Unfortunately, I live in the suburbs, any type of firearm is out of the question. mine and my neighbors property are separated by a wall, nothing more, and the pests are typically on top of the wall.
 
#7 ·
... want something thatll put um down right away.
...Heh, yes, amen to the 'use an actual Firearm', but there Are times when you do / will need to put something down, and NOT want the noise (and/or 'position revealing muzzle flash') post-target penetration-concerns, and (in some cases..) 'local Ordinances' :rolleyes: ie: inside City limits, etc..

..For example, we had a veritable 'Possum motel' in our attic, and they had :taped:ed-up a Storm up there.. But just No-possible way I could use even a .22 up there... And 'trapping' worked - once - until the Other 'family' (prolly jumped the border.. :D: came round, and were - Still - getting up there, despite blocking All 'visible entry points' (attic vent-ports..) After many weeks of 'how the Heck??..' investigations, turned out they were shimmying up an un-insulated wall section, between two studs, from a missing section of the sill plate ..So, a 'different message' needed to be sent..

..And This did it.. One shot, One kill, done.. https://www.airgundepot.com/sam-yang-dragon-claw-air-rifle.html

...Yeah, it's an 'investment' (..you'll also need a tank / pump (and recommend Also to get a hand-pump, spare seals, etc) and Lots of lead, etc..) but Any Armaments are-such, and the 'big bores' are Definitely 'worth it' (imo..) Solid, solid 'backups for your backups', and/or solid 'alternatives' for unique-circumstances, as-above... Effective? Well, a 336 gr .50 cal slug slug sent downrange at 700-900 fps is Definitely something few living creatures - even 'Bipeds' - can argue with, especially with good shot placement...

..If you want 'mo powuh', there's even DIY kits for 'Tuning' them up, for better precision / more fps (ie: 800 fps+ with the kits mentioned here: https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=98290.0 ..or, these guys can tune one For you: https://sites.google.com/site/saddlemountaingunsmith/home/sam-yang-dragon-claw-50

..Oh yeah, and they can Shoot 'air bolts' :cool: (essentially a high-fps crossbow bolt with a barrel-snug nock, to fit these rifles...) Unbelievable punch with those... YouTube-search up vids on 'em.. Amazing.. (considering it's coming out of an Airgun...) ..I mean, there are 'hide-to-kill' length vids of guys taking Large bucks / Huge feral hogs with One shot, with these, so.. 'ain't no joke..

..If yer 'wallet is Fatter', can also highly recommend the 'AirForce Texan', specifically the 'SS' in .45... https://www.airgundepot.com/airforce-texan-ss-air-rifle.html ..Really nice, Plenty of punch, but.. Yeah, it's a quite bite out of the wallet (...which might be 'smarter spent' on your 'Real guns' ;) / more ammo, etc..) ..But the 'Dragon claw' WILL take care of business, cleanly, quickly, accurately, and (relatively..) quietly.. Eclipses anything in .22 or even .25.. :thumb:

PS- Just now seeing your replies, above.. Yes, for your context, even one of These 'big bores' might be too much for nosey-neighbors... And, you WILL need to consider trajectory, since these rifles WILL send even an HP round clean thru any possum / ****, etc, and Keep goin, so... Maybe if you can 'coax' the targets against a proper backstop / block-wall, etc.. Otherwise, you just might need to look at traps..

.02
jd
 
#11 ·
From reading your location, your a fellow angelino lol, hey there neighbor. In any case, Im not looking to invest in kits or in a $1000+ air rifle. Just something I can pick up at under $120 that'll do the job. So far Im leaning towards a 22 cal break action and running flat nose hollow point pellets.



It all depends on your local laws, and your neighbors who may turn you in.

There was a guy who used an air soft gun that shoots plastic BBs about 400fps shooting at rubber ducks in his back yard and got caught and arrested in New Jersey (for example).

At my house, the key is: don't get caught.

I had a rabbit destroying my garden about 5 years ago. I almost hit it from the third floor with a arrow from a compound bow. I scared it so badly it decided to go bother my libtard Neighbors instead. Never saw it again.

If you can sight the animal in from about 3 feet inside your house you may get away with shooting it in your area, if you use a pellet gun. But keep in mind most pellet gun are not completely silent.

.22 would be the minimum in my opinion but now days they have larger pellets that I would also consider.

Crossbow is worth considering also. Everything changes as to what's available and what's legal in your area. As well as how nosy your neighbor is.
I see what your saying, but my concern is exclusively over penetration which will, without a doubt happen, with a firearm of any caliber. In my case, I see the them on top of the walls and never on the ground where the dirt will negate on any chances of ricochet. Noise thankfully is something I dont have to worry about, just the neighbors actually seeing the gun.


A good nitro piston or springer rifle in either 177 or 22 will take most varmints with proper shot placement. While it may be an issue where you live a nice 22 BB cap will do nice work and is not loud.
Yeah I see myself ending up with a break action.

My son lives in a sub-division with 2-3 acre lots. Shooting a firearm is against association rules. On the other hand, a pellet gun is completely legal. This is a great reason to own an air gun.

But for Survival reasons.... one can buy a darn good air rifle for under $200 and a few thousand pellets for dollars. When all the ammunition runs out, someone with a pellet gun is still killing small game to eat and survive.

........
This is true, wise suggestion.
 
#9 ·
It all depends on your local laws, and your neighbors who may turn you in.

There was a guy who used an air soft gun that shoots plastic BBs about 400fps shooting at rubber ducks in his back yard and got caught and arrested in New Jersey (for example).

At my house, the key is: don't get caught.

I had a rabbit destroying my garden about 5 years ago. I almost hit it from the third floor with a arrow from a compound bow. I scared it so badly it decided to go bother my libtard Neighbors instead. Never saw it again.

If you can sight the animal in from about 3 feet inside your house you may get away with shooting it in your area, if you use a pellet gun. But keep in mind most pellet gun are not completely silent.

.22 would be the minimum in my opinion but now days they have larger pellets that I would also consider.

Crossbow is worth considering also. Everything changes as to what's available and what's legal in your area. As well as how nosy your neighbor is.
 
#12 ·
A Beeman Grizly x2 (springer) with the 22 cal barrel installed and a pointed pellet, will penetrate 12 " of water jug at 30 ft. That's the equiv. of 6" of ballistic gel. A 12 gauge target load get's the same penetration at that distance. Plenty enough penetration to instantly kill a **** if you hit the brain. A pointed pellet goes in one side of the ***** skull and out the other. It's no longer legal to shoot ***** with a pellet rifle in FL so don't do that unless the rule of law is no more and you have no survival alternative but to kill and eat ****.
 
#15 ·
When I used to live in Fairfax County, VA TPTB made no distinction between an air rifle or a firearm. If I needed to shoot something I wanted it dead, one shot, right now. The rook rifle with "cat sneeze" is perfect. ONE shot is seldom noticed amid background noise.

Multiple shots, even if low noise level are always noticed because local gov't has "shot spotter" microphones mounted on cellular towers. If acoustic characteristics meet ID criteria for a probable firearm discharge, multiple cell towers will auto-triangulate location and dispatch the closest police unit. This technology is already widely deployed in Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD.; NYC, Boston; Los Angeles; St. Louis; probably other places.

But a single discharge of than 90dB is likely lost in the random noise level and will be screened out as a false positive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfire_locator A gunfire locator or gunshot detection system is a system that detects and conveys the location of gunfire or other weapon fire using acoustic, optical, or potentially other types of sensors, as well as a combination of such sensors. These systems are used by law enforcement, security, military and businesses to identify the source and, in some cases, the direction of gunfire and/or the type of weapon fired. Most systems possess three main components:

An array of microphones or sensors either co-located or geographically dispersed
A processing unit
A user-interface that displays gunfire alerts
Systems used in urban settings integrate a geographic information system so the display includes a map and address location of each incident.
 
#16 ·
A proper PCP in .25 or .30 can outperform a rimfire (other than a .22 magnum) for terminal ballistics out to 50 yards, primarily because the projectile is larger caliber, cooler (cold projectiles do more damage than hot projectiles), and expands more easily (nearly pure lead). I’ve been a **** hunter my whole life and a .25 airgun outperforms a .22LR on lung shots almost every time on a fraction of the energy.

The right one is going to cost you some coin though. About $1000 after you factor in an air source. Look into an Airforce Condor SS in .25 or an Airforce Texan SS in .308. The SS .308 is also a deer slayer when set up with heavy bullets. But it can be turned down to shoot .30 pellets for several shots.

If you’re on a budget, look into a Hatsan Flash in .25. Can be picked up for under $300 and filled with a $40 hand pump. Very quiet and accurate, although you’ll want to stick with brain shots most of the time due to its power level. Expect it to shoot a 25 grain pellet in the 880sfps or so.
 
#18 ·
Im using a Crosman Nitro-Piston 177 caliber with 10.5gr domed pellets also made by Crosman (known as premier magnums).

So far I have dropped racoon turkey, pheasant, rabbit, and squirrel.....plus all types of small birds and crows. Turkey was the only head shot, all else fell to a heart/lung shot.

I find that the crosman premier magnums 177 10.5 grains have a better accuracy and trajectory than the 14.5 grain 22 pellets and have the same if not better knock down power as they drive deeper than the 22 pellets.


I have also found that if using a nitro-piston air-rifle the heavy pellets do much better in all departments than the light ones. domed pellets work best, better than the pointed, flat, and hollow point.
 
#19 ·
I'm a fan of the 177 pellet rifle. But lately I have been practicing with my 30# compound bow. I have a 60# compound as well as a 50 for hunting. the 30# is just easier to shoot and its short, <48". In a time of chaos, one should have options. An arrow across the yard is functional. An arrow over the fence is not so functional. I like my 177 nitro. My wife saw a hunting buddy shoot a turkey with his .25 PCP, she told me that I needed one. I"m thinking a pcp in .22. Still a 28" carbon arrow with the proper broad head shot from my 30# bow is deadly.
 
#21 ·
"BB/Pellet guns. What would you use?" I would not use a BB gun. I would not use a pellet gun that required I buy any type of compressed air. That is just something else to stock.

I would pick between .177 and .22 based on what I thought my most common range and conditions would be. I doubt either would be a big mistake.

Keep in mind mostly what you will do is slow the targets down and birds of prey will have a meal. Think of it as feeding the birds.
 
#22 ·
Just a friendly reminder; rabies can lay dormant in brain mater prior to the animal showing any symptoms of the disease. As a trapper I have stopped head shootn critters I trap. There are other way to dispatch just non any faster than a head shot. Just food for thought when dealing with critters such an skunk, bobcat or **** in the spring or summer behaving oddly.

Me personally if I was going to buy one of the high powered pellet rifles it would be .357. The pellets are large enough to hunt larger game in an around cities. The air pressure can be turned down for smaller game. Pricey yes an versatile yes.
 
#23 ·
I never kill raccoons or opossums, but they are both the most common in the havahart when I am trying to get groundhogs. I always set them free. I guess you can get a good shot with an air rifle, but it's easier after it's in the cage with anything. CCI quiet segmented.

But I find the 22 quiet loads quieter and more powerful than air rifles.
 
#24 ·
Where I used to live I shot 200+ squirrels before I stopped counting. Most were shot with a 20 or 22 caliber pump rifle from Sheridan or Benjimen. Now I don't have a critters except rabbits and the same guns work for those.

I did buy a Beeman branded rifle from WM that came with a 177 and 22 barrels. That rifle has a lot of punch to it. Its break open so no choice on power level like the pumps.

At first I shot it at 22 yards with a 7/16ths thick piece of Wafer Board for a backstop and the 177 pellets went right through it and into my wood fence. That surprised me. I never thought of the 177 as being powerful but that changed my mind. The 22 caliber is even more powerful than the 22. I have no doubts that gun would kill a possum or ****. And it only cost around $130 as best I can remember.
 
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#25 ·
After looking at all the posts I did not see that you mentioned effective range?
My first choices for air rifles has been a Benjamin. 177 and a Crosman 2100. Don't laugh at the Crosman, they are accurate and hit hard. Both Crosman and Benjamin are abt 600fps.
I have other higher power air rifles but these are normally my go2.
The pellets I use are the Crosman destroyer 7.4gr, they hit harder and are more accurate than pointed. Even in higher powered rifles the destroyer preforms better, I think it is because of the heavier skirt.
Now after saying all that; Airguns of any real power, even the two mentioned are noisey.
IMO a bolt action .22 with real CB caps or Aquillia primer only 29gr rounds are very likely more stealthy than a airrifle and hit as hard or harder.
If you have a .22 now you should take a ride in the country to test the "special " ammo.
Then still get a airrifle if for no other reason than practice use at home. Give a look to the Crosman, $50.00 well spent and will use BB's and pellets, Benjamin is pellet only.
 
#26 ·
I bought a RWS 34 22 caliber air rifle, it's a springer. I put a cheap red dot I had on it, and I have been very impressed with it's accuracy. I haven't done any hunting with it, but I have shot numerous birds with it, and at long distance for an air gun. I have no doubt a head shot on a rabbit or squirrel would be deadly.
 
#28 ·
350- 400 FPS, .177 will kill a rabbit @ 100 '
A friend shot 2 rabbits with my CO2 pistol.
Yes placement matters .
Shoot a grizzly bear in the butt with a .454 and it won't change his mind about eating you.

Pyramid air provides customer reviews on all their guns, and some people can be quite brutal . On the other hand some guns prove to be winners across the board.
Fun thing is there are so many CO2 that are replicant of fire arms only handling can reveal the difference and some are even real automatic .
Pre Charged Pneumatics are the popular gun now sporting .25, .30, .38/.9mm, .45, and .50 cal for serious hunting. and their prices are coming down too being the popularity has more competition .
 
#29 ·
I've got my Springfield M6 .22/.410 with a Scout scope mounted on it. First time I ever shot a standard target round through that thing, it was so quiet, I broke down the action and looked to make sure the round had cleared the barrel. The hammer falling makes more noise than the round leaving the barrel. I've also got two copper tubed mounts on the sides of the .22/.410 barrel to hold extra rounds of .410 such as flechette rounds, flares, "buckshot", bird shot.. I think that helps deaden the sound of the round as well and makes a decent fore-end grip after I wrapped it all with paracord.

It's not only great for popping varmints, it's one of my grab and go weapons if I have to get out of town..

They also made variations of the .22 barrel to include either .22 Hornet or .22 magnum.. Sadly, I don't think you can bet just the barrels and swap them out for the other variations..
 
#31 ·
I bought a pellet gun from Midway for $49.00 that was on sale, A Daisy Powerline 1100. Just picked up 5, 250 packs of pellets day before yesterday. I want one of those cheap Chinese, either break over or lever pull pellet guns. Those guns shoot hard. I am a pellet gun novice I should say!
 
#32 ·
this summer I picked up a PCP in .22. I shoot it almost every day. We have/had a ground squirrel issue. Lost most of my fruit crop this year. Most shots are 100 feet or less. I was so impressed that I ordered the same rifle in .177. The .22 rifle was crono's at 945' fps by Pryamyd. Factory list it at 950 fps. The 177 is listed at 1050 fps. Accuracy is great as long as the speed is less that the speed of sound. I also ordered several cartons of projectiles. We have a lot of dove this year. I'm saving them for a time of chaos. The .177 will be excellent for them. I even have a spare scope for it. I found the cheap air rifle scopes to be a really poor choice.
 
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