# Hunting > Varminting and Small Game Hunting >  What air rifle for rabbits?

## MB

A friend wants to shoot rabbits to 30 metres and wants to buy an air rifle. The budget isn't big, around $500. I'm out of touch with air rifle developments and current models. Any recommendations?

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## GWH

If they have a FAL, a 22lr is cheaper and better.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

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## Maca49

.17HMR gives far more impressive kills

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## 7mmsaum

Any air rifle with a gas ram.

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## MB

They don't have a FAL. I've recommended they go down this route, but it isn't what they want.

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## Maca49

Find a secondhand Diana Mod 52? with a side cocking lever in .22, Ive shot a few rabbits with mind, getting a little old, but a nice airgun

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## Kscott

Youngs Air Guns.
Young's Airgun Centre

Look for a Cometa Fusion, it'll knock them over and comes with a scope. Mention to Ron it's a new shooter and he'll give recommendations for appropriate pellets. They also deliver nationwide.

Also tell your friend to practice, practice, practice  :Wink:

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## timattalon

For rabbits at the distance, I would suggest 750fps or more for a 22 cal air rifle or 1000fps for a 177 cal. Find out what pellets give you the best accuracy and go from there. I am not  a fan of hatsan and we had some really nice Baikal 513Ms that would have done the trick a few years back. Not sure if anyone else is importing them. We will again but it wont be anytime soon. 

A heads up though, generally if the spring air rifle is powerful enough for rabbits, then it will have enough rattle recoil that scopes will fall apart. Especially when you get up to the Webley Dominator at 1300fps etc. The vibrations form the spring after it fires is what destroys all but the hardiest of scopes. (we have not found one that will handle the dominator yet)

Anything that uses compressed air ill require a license. (just in case that needs mentioning)

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## Chilli_Dog

> Anything that uses compressed air ill require a license. (just in case that needs mentioning)


Unless you are a good shot with a PCP pistol which for some reason does not require a license

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## Dead is better

An air rifle is safe to use near your house. A 22lr is not

$500 buys you a new piece of crap or an acceptable 2nd hand springer. There are several airgun forums in nz and you can snap up a cometa Fenix in .22 for about that with no scope. That will get you 1/2" accuracy at 25m. 

I've got a little HW35S that I use for this purpose. Wish I had it yesterday, had a bunny cornered at less than 5m.

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## Bud

I have an Airforce pre-charged .22 that I have shot rabbits with. My take on it is that if you hit them with any kind of .22 pellet at 30 meters they are not going anywhere. I have found that if you get the velocity to high, the accuracy goes to pieces, so bigger and heavier is better than faster with pellets.

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## quentin

The number of rabbits I have shot that have .177 and .22 Air rifle slugs in them, would lead me to think that an air rifle is not the right tool for the job.
Sure, with the right shot placement at a suitable range it will be lethal, but it seems that does not always happen.

I would suggest a .22LR at a minimum, or one of the air rifles throwing a really heavy slug - i.e 25 cal.

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## Kscott

Shot placement is the key. We used air rifles at the golf course and inside glass houses because a rimfire wasn't suitable/safe for everyone else around. Worked a treat, provided like any shooting, you practise rather than gain skills from watching YouTube or playing COD.

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## Timmay

if you are looking for an air rifle I might have one for sale. it's a near new gamo whisper .22 igt with after market trigger - grt4g wOrth 130$. lookin for about $500

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## gadgetman

I know this thread was started over a month ago, but I like an air rifle too. I went for a Canon 737 from Youngs. This is a multi pump so slow from shot to shot but it has the low recoil benefits of a PCP and low cost benefits of a springer/gas piston. Really nice to use, plenty of zing and you'll get two for your budget.

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## Grubby

I have a cometa fusion. it fires .22 pellets at 900fps and I've shot plenty of bunnies often out to 40 metres . I've tried quite a few high end pellets and the best so far have been the RWS superfield.
I bought it from young airguns for $600 including scope and pellets.

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## MB

Chaps, the lady in question has come to her senses and is now in the process of getting a firearms license. Thanks for the replies anyway, it's been interesting reading.

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## gadgetman

Even better MightyBoosh.

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## 6x47

> The number of rabbits I have shot that have .177 and .22 Air rifle slugs in them, would lead me to think that an air rifle is not the right tool for the job.
> ...


You'd be right if you're talking about springers.

A proper PCP is a world different. Rabbits are dead meat at 80yds with my Daystate Airwolf but then we're not talking cheap guns. Knocked over five young maggies the other day in about 40secs  off our balcony, the closest maybe 40yds and the furthest possibly 70yds. A ten-shot repeater is good  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Nunga

I have to put my two cents into this....I have killed a crap load of rabbits with my springer out to 60 meters no problem. if people are shooting bunnies and finding them with pellets in them then that person with the pellet gun shouldnt be shooting at all. 

shot placement is the key. I have seen people with a .22 rimfire hit them and the bunnies run away! the same goes for possums head shot or nothing.

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## Northman

Weihrauch HW97KL 
Leupold 3-9x33 EFR

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## AlexW

> Weihrauch HW97KL 
> Leupold 3-9x33 EFR


The HW97 is an excellent air rifle. The Leupold is good too, but there are more cost effective options for hunting. I would suggest a 3-12x mag in the "Leapers" (UTG) range

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## Nunga

I use a crappy old Crosman $250 new from ron in .22 i replaced the trigger as well as the spring and fitted a gas ram and i have a Nikko Stirling 3-8x40 AO scope it loves H&N Field Target Trophy 5.53mm pellets 14.66gr @ 750fps plenty of power for rabbits or possums. the thing with air rifles is you need to find a pellet that is right for your gun and every gun is different this could take some time but once you have found a pellet it likes you wont be disappointed. also another thing to remember is the weight of the rifle, these expensive spring guns you get out there are very heavy and you dont want to be running around holding a big heavy gun all day it is a fine line to balance.

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