Pellet gun recommendations?

[Jack]

Yeah, but they are also rather expensive compared to a pellet gun or just bopping it.

 

[joey goad]

ya about $30.00 for 500 of them.

 

[akane]

My pellet gun will go through the rabbit. I got the angle wrong on the first shot of one rabbit so I did a second shot from the front of the head instead and I found the bullet in the skin of the neck when I went to cut the head off. 1 layer of skin from coming out the other side. I started checking for the ones I fired at the back of the skull and found that around 1/4th of them are fully passing out in to the ground on the other side. Half the time I don't even pump my rifle all the way and they are still going all the way through.

 

[hoodat]

I prefer a CO2 pistol for the quick repeat shot feature. I like to give my rabbits two quick shots to be sure they are quickly dispatched.

 

[HendricksHearth]

I know this is an older thread, but I am shopping for a pellet gun right now and was hoping for some help from the more experienced folks here. I have been doing research for a while now, but I keep reading conflicting information about what would work best.

For the fps- I read here 495+ would be ideal in a pistol, but most that I can find in my area are 480 instead or are quite expensive. Is a 480 too weak? To add to my confusion, another forum said I would need a 22 cal with at least 500 fps, or a .177 with 1000 fps. Some of the much higher power rifles also look a lot more expensive, but the last thing I want is an ineffective shot. I have also read that some prefer the pump action and others want CO2- which tends to work better consistently?

There are several brands that have similar guns- Crosman and Daisy to name a few. Is there a preferred brand for quality and longevity?

I am on a tight budget right now, I'd like to spend under $60, preferably less if possible. I see there are some at Walmart that are between $30-50, but I don't know if any are any good.

Last question- I read some dispatch their rabbits indoors. How do they go about this so safety is not an issue?

Thanks so much for your help,

Lauren

 

[MaggieJ]

The way I understand it, the nice thing about CO2 is that you can fire a second shot quickly without having to reload.

The nice thing about a pistol over a rifle is that it is easy for one person to use and you can get close to the rabbit to ensure accurate placement of the shot. Depending on your eyesight, this can be an issue... More so for those of us with aging eyes.

I've always heard that 495 fps was the minimum, but I don't know how accurate that is. It could be one of those "facts" passed on so often that it becomes accepted even though perhaps not completely correct. I'd like to hear more about that too!

Since you are firing at point-blank range, using the gun indoors is not a big deal. Just put the rabbit on a piece of plywood or something similar so that if the shot goes through it has somewhere safe to lodge without ricochet. I've never had a problem with this.

 

[hoodat]

My CO2 pistol is 480, and that is with a full charge. I have yet to not get a killing shot. I use two quick shots to be absolutely sure but I can tell by the reaction that the first shot does the job. One tip is that if you have fired more than half the recommended shots (20 with mine)leave your pistol in the sun for awhile before you use it. The heat raises the pressure in the CO2 cartridge.

 

[HendricksHearth]

Thanks so much for your help, Maggie.

If you don't mind my asking, how long does it take to reload on a pump-style pellet gun? Also do you have any kind of pellet recommendation?

Also thanks so much Hoodat for your reply, too. Can you please tell me what kind of pellet gun you have? And do you mean you have yet to NOT get a killing shot your first try or you always have to take two shots to make the kill? Sorry I am a little bit confused (which is pretty normal for me). I am trying to buy a pellet gun that is strong enough to make it "lights out" instantaneously so it is as humane as possible.

Thanks again!

Lauren

 

[MaggieJ]

I'm pretty sure Hoodat meant to say that he has yet NOT to get a killing shot. But I hope he will come back to verify that or - even better - edit the post so it reads correctly.

The pellets I use have a flat head. I think they are called wadcutters. I'd say it takes me about 30 seconds to break, reload and close the gun. It is not one you have to pump, just fully open it and close it again. The problem is that when I make a bad shot I tend to get fumble-fingered so getting the pellet in is tricky. Fortunately it doesn't happen very often.

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

Hubby is getting me a .22 pisol for an anniversary gift. 'Cause I'm that kinda gal.

 

[MaggieJ]

Do you need a Firearms Acquisition Certificate for that? Or maybe you already have one... since you're that kinda gal...

 

[HendricksHearth]

I actually already have a .22 handgun, but my area has restrictions on where you can fire in relation to a home so an airgun is the next best option. Would something like this work?

http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/ ... Id=2077729

I also found a neat chart showing approximate energy/velocity needed for various game, etc. if anyone was interested:

http://www.beemans.net/field%20use.htm

Thanks!

Lauren

 

[hoodat]

I'm pretty sure Hoodat meant to say that he has yet NOT to get a killing shot. But I hope he will come back to verify that or - even better - edit the post so it reads correctly.

The pellets I use have a flat head. I think they are called wadcutters. I'd say it takes me about 30 seconds to break, reload and close the gun. It is not one you have to pump, just fully open it and close it again. The problem is that when I make a bad shot I tend to get fumble-fingered so getting the pellet in is tricky. Fortunately it doesn't happen very often.

Thanks for catching that. I just corrected the post. Yes, what I meant was that I have always killed with the first shot even though my CO2 pistol is at the lower end of the recommened range. I only use two shots for insurance.
I use a Crosman Phantom. It's simple without all of the fancy features. IMHO simple is better if you aren't target shooting with it. It features the quick shot so you can fire two shots without a pause between. It's easily available at most Wally Worlds and online. 480 is it's top range but it's always done the job for me.

 

[Tom E]

.22 is fine if you have that already. I do and just use cb or sub sonic rounds with it. It seriously sounds only like I'm clapping my hands. I live in county, and I'm allowed to shoot, but I don't like to alarm the neighbors anyway so I try to keep it fairly quiet.

If you have no need for a .22 in other areas, of course the pellet gun is cheaper. Just saying if you already have it and are comfortable with it, no need to buy something new.

 

[Florida_Native]

Do the pistol users use pellets or bb's

Hoodat I assume based off your gun your using bb's correct?

Thx!!

 

[rittert3]

I didn't read everything but just wanted to add my 2 cents... I see point blank mentioned alot and wanted to say that often times a range of 4 inches or so will make the shot more effective than the muzzle actually touching your target. I'm not sure I can explain this effectively but know from trapping that it is 100% true.

 

[azbowhunter]

I suppose I need to start looking for a pellet pistol for dispatching rabbits. My original intention was to use a .22ga, but I'm not sure we'll have that freedom once we move. Any recommendations? What should I be looking for?

FYI, there's a couple considerations that i would strongly urge all to consider.
First, to dispatch small animals in a quick and humane manner, your choice of firearm must have adequate projectile mass as well as velocity.
Without getting into all the physics involved, i would personally avoid pellet pistols like the plague.
If you're restricted to a pellet gun, a pellet rifle above 900 fps is as low as i would dare go, and that's in a 22 caliber.
With a 22lr, you have a wide variety of loads available for almost any purpose you could imagine.
Most 22 caliber revolvers can readily digest any cartridge except 22 magnum.
If noise is a concern, 22cb is a really excellent choice. Its similar in performance to a 22 short, but about half as loud. 22 subsonic is also an excellent choice, but in a pistol, they're a little loud for use where noise is a concern. They're designed for use in a rifle.
Gamo makes an interesting pellet rifle with an integrated suppressor that's not only quiet, but very accurate. Its not cheap, but it is available in the 22 caliber, if i recall correctly.
Yes, a rifle isn't the most wieldy thing for one handed operation for dispatching, but for effectiveness, its tough to beat.
If a handgun is preferred, i would personally suggest a Ruger Mark 2 or Mark 3.
Easy operation, accurate, semi automatic, easy to maintain, and readily available. Ammunition is generally readily available, and they're a bucket of fun to shoot.
The added advantage to the Ruger is that if your target happens to move at the last second, you can deliver a very fast follow up shot to finish the job.
You're welcome to pm me with any questions that i haven't answered too.

 

[bowbuild]

Azbowhunter,

I have head shot rabbits in my yard at 20 yards with my .177 at point blank range I strongly disagree. I would suggest using the flat nose pellet for more trauma to the head. I would just buy one of those cheap bb/pellet guns flat nose pellets. Go one youtube and look at the .117 and what they are capable of.....it's a rabbit not a hog.

Bowbuild

 

[Susie570]

Hey everyone. So, I've basically not been able to find anyone to help me with dispatch and processing of my rabbits. The folks who had said they would help me before, backed out for various reasons (one guy has a shoulder injury that prevents him from doing the work, the folks on facebook disappeared, local people moved away...) anyway, here I am with a bunch of rabbits who I'm just going to have to process myself, or waste all that meat and I'm not willing to be THAT stupid, dammit. I've spent a lot of time and money on this project and, although it didn't work out the way I had planned, I refuse to let it be a complete waste of time. At least we should have a freezer full of rabbit meat.

Anyway, I'm tired of dealing with the rabbits at this point. They're all indoors and I've got a total of 11 bucklings at processing weight (ok, maybe a little more than processing weight by now). They're going to start killing each other if I don't get this taken care of soon. I'm hoping to get it done today. I'm just tired of waiting and tired of pouring feed into them and tired of the mess. In addition, there now seems to be a highly contagious eye infection (weeping eyes) that several of them have come down with at once, including two of my pet stock. Where the heck that came from, I don't know but I just can't wait any longer. I am treating the pet stock with Terramycin eye ointment and it seems like it will fix them up, but I'm not treating stock that I don't plan to keep and letting them stick around will just spread the infection.

Ok, now that I've completely justified to myself that I HAVE TO DO THIS (sorry for the rambling), I've decided to go out and get a pellet gun to do the job. I was going to try broomsticking them, but I'm just too worried that it wouldn't be clean. I've called around, it looks like I can get a .177 pellet pistol. Here's what I need to know: 1 - WHAT TYPE of pellets do I need to get, and 2 - WHERE exactly is the spot to shoot them? Do I put the pistol against their skull? Where? I want to do this as cleanly as possible, obviously.

Other questions I have (and sorry for mixing topics here) - I've been watching videos all morning of how to skin and clean them. I don't think I'll have much of an issue with that once they're dead (it's the actual dispatch that bothers me), but I don't want to be wasteful. Once I remove the pelts, should I put the pelts into something (like, a bucket full of something??) that will preserve the pelts? I don't really have the setup to stretch and dry them. There will be a lot. Also, do I need to skin each rabbit right after I dispatch it? Or can I set them aside and skin them all at once?

Once skinned and gutted, I plan to place each carcass in a gallon ziplock bag and toss it into a large cooler with ice. Then, I'll take them all and put them in a fridge for a few days, as I've read I need to do, to let them 'rest', then I'll stick them in the freezer. Does this all sound like a sensible plan?

I'd appreciate folks giving me feedback as soon as possible as I'm hoping to get this done today... or possibly tomorrow (today would be better). It's time to put on my 'big girl' panties. Thanks.

 

[Ramjet]

I use a pellet rifle to dispatch mine .... I put it right against the skull between the ears making sure the angle directs the shot thru the brain.

I don't use any special ammunition , just the standard target .177 pellet.

One question - What's the FPS (Feet per second) of the pellet pistol you plan on buying ? Mine is 1300+ which is overkill , anything over 900ish should ensure a clean kill.

I skin & gut them immediately after dispatching - one at a time. Don't want to let the hides sit around and allow slippage or the innards swelling up , getting hot. That gets nasty .... much easier to do them one at a time.

Once skinned the hide goes into a 5 gallon bucket of Cold water to cool & prevent fur slippage , you have to take the heat out.

If I don't have time to process the hides immediately I take them from that cold water and put them in a 1gal. zip lock bag and freeze until I can get around to it. There are several methods of processing to choose from ... I'm sure you can search them here. Most don't require any special equipment or a large amount of space .... Just time & hand work. I use the Salt (non-iodized) & Alum method.

Your plan for the carcasses sounds good ....

Good luck.