# Hunting > Varminting and Small Game Hunting >  How soon should I process a freshly killed rabbit?

## Tall kiwi

Heading down to the in-laws property in a couple of weeks and planning on borrowing my uncles .22 air rifle to do some rabbit hunting. I walked the property before and managed to get within ~10m of rabbits so range shouldn't be an issue. Question - how soon should I gut and skin the rabbit? Kill then gut immediately? or can I get a bunch of rabbits then take them back to the house to process? The plan is to eat them.

Alternatively, if any of you good buggers live nearby to Maramarua/Miranda in the Waikato and feel like taking a newbie around your property with a proper .22 to show them the ropes  :Wink: 

Cheers all.

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## Ben Waimata

I do them asap.

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## Finnwolf

Gut them as soon as you shoot them, skin them and cut them up when you get home.  (that’s what I do)

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## Tall kiwi

> Gut them as soon as you shoot them, skin them and cut them up when you get home.  (that’s what I do)


Once gutted, would it be a good idea to put the carcasses into a backpack so I can continue walking around? Excuse the ignorance...

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## MB

As above, prepare ASAP. If you don't, the smell may put you off eating them. Gutless method works great on rabbits. Skin off, backstraps off, back legs off, front legs off. Store in cool, dry place in something that allows airflow i.e. not a plastic bag. Pillow case is ideal.

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## gonetropo

skin it, gut it then give it to the dog.
over 10K killed so far and they still taste like shit to me

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## kruza

Once shot ( head shot gets rid of any chance of rupturing organs that may taint the meat and brusing) Lift the rabbit up by its front legs ,wrap your hand around its body and gentally push your thumb against it underside and run your hand down the length of the body a few times. This will get most of shit and piss out of it.  Gut it in the field, if your going to continue hunting. You can put it in a bag but its going to keep leaking blood even after  its gutted and bleed out. (So some sort of bag lining might help) Take a bottle of water with you (somerthing like a power aid bottle with a top you drink from) and rince  the gut cavity after you gut it.
 You dont have to gut it in the field, I often bring them back whole but not if ive shot them through the organs or id im going to be out for a while
. Im guessing from the question that you havent skinned to many either that will be easier to do back at where ever you are staying.
 The biggest thing to be aware of is the direction your shooting in. A .22 can travel a km or 2 so dont shot rabbits on the edge of gullies or top of slopes where if you dont hit it the bullet has nothing to stop it. 
 Mostly take your time, dont feel you have to take the shot if its running off. Probly anther one not to far away.
 Take note of any muck ups you make and learn from them.  
 Take a couple of shots at a target before you head out to make sure gun is shooting where you are aiming. Enjoy yourself.

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## gonetropo

my guide to skin it.
cut head off, run knife around al 4 "elbows"
cut feet off
then a 2" across the lower bellow adjacent to the front end of the rear legs. 
stick your hand hand in through the incision and start to separate the skin from the flesh
once you have got here you basically pull the whole skin off as an inverted sweater
start with bum end and work forward
the whole thing can be done inc gutting in under 2 minutes after a few dozen have been done for practice.

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## XR500

> skin it, gut it then give it to the dog.
> over 10K killed so far and they still taste like shit to me


You heathen!!!

You obviously didn't get to eat the good ones! People I serve up green thai curry 'chicken' can't tell the difference :Grin:

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## Tall kiwi

> Once shot ( head shot gets rid of any chance of rupturing organs that may taint the meat and brusing) Lift the rabbit up by its front legs ,wrap your hand around its body and gentally push your thumb against it underside and run your hand down the length of the body a few times. This will get most of shit and piss out of it.  Gut it in the field, if your going to continue hunting. You can put it in a bag but its going to keep leaking blood even after  its gutted and bleed out. (So some sort of bag lining might help) Take a bottle of water with you (somerthing like a power aid bottle with a top you drink from) and rince  the gut cavity after you gut it.
>  You dont have to gut it in the field, I often bring them back whole but not if ive shot them through the organs or id im going to be out for a while
> . Im guessing from the question that you havent skinned to many either that will be easier to do back at where ever you are staying.
>  The biggest thing to be aware of is the direction your shooting in. A .22 can travel a km or 2 so dont shot rabbits on the edge of gullies or top of slopes where if you dont hit it the bullet has nothing to stop it. 
>  Mostly take your time, dont feel you have to take the shot if its running off. Probly anther one not to far away.
>  Take note of any muck ups you make and learn from them.  
>  Take a couple of shots at a target before you head out to make sure gun is shooting where you are aiming. Enjoy yourself.


Cheers mate. From what you and others are saying its probably easiest to gut in the field and continue skinning/breaking down the meat back at home base. 

Even thought its a measly air rifle I will be using, I am itching to start sourcing some meat for the family. FAL couldn't come any sooner...

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## Chur Bay

Gut them right away. I only eat the back end. Not enough meat on the front half. Skin them when you get home. keeps the meat cleaner.

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## Micky Duck

slice ACROSS the back..grasp skin on both sides of cut,,,pull in opposite directions.... cut of head and feet, cut across lower belly flick guts out then clean rest out with hand.... let it cool then put in bag to keep flies away.
should take less than a minute per bunny.... the sooner you do it the easier it is...warm the skin comes right off,once cooled its harder.
dont bother with the big fellas with nuts for table...
cubed bunny meat,seasoned and crumbed then quick fried is good tucker...hare is even better.

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## Moa Hunter

Weather is still cool enough so just take a cord to tie them to by the head, no prob to drag them around for an hour before gutting. With an air rifle it's not likely to shoot more than four or five at most before they are spooked up. Then head back to base and do a clean job. cut the skin across ways halfway down the back (50 - 60mm), stand on head, fingers into skin cut, pull skin off back half, catch the rabbit as the skin pops off the back feet. Turn around, stand on rabbits lower back legs and pull skin off front like taking off a jersey. Stand on front skin, two cuts on neck pull off head, through in bucket. Repeat with the rest of the rabbits, then split then from arse to neck, pull out guts starting at windpipe, hose wash, then hang in a tree overnight ( where cats cant get them) to cool and dry.

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## Bol Tackshin

A pair of good quality sidecutters or secateurs helps cut the feet off which makes pulling the cape off after gutting a whole world easier.

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## Three O'Three

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnFOP5kIr2w

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## kruza

> Cheers mate. From what you and others are saying its probably easiest to gut in the field and continue skinning/breaking down the meat back at home base. 
> 
> Even thought its a measly air rifle I will be using, I am itching to start sourcing some meat for the family. FAL couldn't come any sooner...


 Im an air rifle shooter. Absolutly love it. Takes a lot of skill to use a springer. You got to get in close, a 55m shot is a long shot on average. You got to be accurate cause the shock wont bowl it over. You got to know the wind cause your pellet is light as. You got to know your pellet drop cause its a big  arc over a relatively short distance. If ya need any info yell out or head on over to kiwiairgunners, lot of good knowledgeable ppl there who can help you refine ya knowledge as well. Lots of useful info in the forums.
  Air guns are highly under rated in my view
 What are you shooting and what pellets are you using ?

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## Tall kiwi

> Im an air rifle shooter. Absolutly love it. Takes a lot of skill to use a springer. You got to get in close, a 55m shot is a long shot on average. You got to be accurate cause the shock wont bowl it over. You got to know the wind cause your pellet is light as. You got to know your pellet drop cause its a big  arc over a relatively short distance. If ya need any info yell out or head on over to kiwiairgunners, lot of good knowledgeable ppl there who can help you refine ya knowledge as well. Lots of useful info in the forums.
>   Air guns are highly under rated in my view
>  What are you shooting and what pellets are you using ?


Sorry, I couldnt tell you what air rifle it is. Been several years since I used it (belongs to my uncle). I was thinking of buying my own pellets so I don't use all of his. What kind would you recommend?

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## kruza

That question is not something I can answer as every air rifle likes what it likes,the gun tells you what pellets it uses.
 Ive just yesterday gone through a heap of differnt pellets to find out what the new barrel on my gamo likes. Its not the same as the old one liked yet rest of gun is the same.
My best advice is the one that shoots the most accurate and groups the best. Also the heaviest pellet that shoots as above, for the distance you are shooting. You can by sample packs of a few differnt weights and styles to get you in the ball park.
A rounded nose one is a good all starting point for accuracy and penitration.  
 If your not aware of the artillary hold look it up on the web. Unforrunatly if your under the impression your going to go out and shoot like a powder gun, your in for a rude shock. They are incredably fussy about hold and pellets both can make very acurrate air rifle shoot awfully.
 Trial and error.  ( this is for springer or gas piston. Gas cylinder, pump up or pcp are a differnt story )
 Oh and skip what i said about .22 traveling a km or 2 , I didnt read it properly and thought it was a powder .22  For an air rifle Youd be lucky if it hasnt plowed into the ground at 200m if not before.

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## kruza

if you want i can send you a dozen or so of from the tins of pellets ive got and you can try them for grouping. If theres any it likes and its not the couple I use I'll send you the tin/s I have. 
  First probly pay to hit the air rifle owner up and see how accurarte what he uses is. Chances are hes already using a good pellet for the gun.

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## Bill999

I do very similar to MD but cut down the spine rip the skin out of the way and just take the back straps and back legs
everything I dont want stays in the carcass and I dont get guts on my hands

blood will strip the blueing off the slug gun you are using so becareful to keep it off it

pillow slips work good at keeping stuff clean once its seperated from the rabbit just hang them in the tree to keep the air cooling it rather than dropping it into a pack where it will sweat

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## timattalon

We used to peel the skin off like a jersey using the cut across the back method described earlier. We did not bother gutting them, we simply took the back legs and back straps, and sometimes the front if there are no holes. That is almost all of the meat and you dont need to gut at all then. The back legs are a it like chicken drums and are 75% of the edible meat on the animal. The two back straps are nearly a sausage between them, and the rest is toothpicks with a bit of meat flavour attached - A bit like eating a sparrow. ........

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## MB

Agree about the front legs and to be honest, I don't always take the backstraps if I have a lot of animals to process. I mentioned the front legs in my earlier post because the OP may only get one or two animals on his first outing.

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## Jukes

An Idea, if you're shooting a slug gun, something we did when young was dip the slugs in a little diesel first, or pour a splash into the slug container lid with a bunch of slugs. Not so they're wet, but oiled up a bit.
Then put them in for a shoot... 

Let's say... you'll get more velocity  :Wink: 

I'm sure there are a few airgun fanatics who will swear against putting any foreign objects in blah blah blah.

Don't go overboard, but if it's a hack, have some fun.

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## kruza

Run the risk of stuffing ya seal if ya do that. Its called dieseling. It causes the oil in the cylinder to explode.
 But yep it boosts the power for a few shots. Wont be hitting where ya sighted it in for, due to the increase of volicity. Probly not something to do to ya uncles gun either.

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## Tall kiwi

> if you want i can send you a dozen or so of from the tins of pellets ive got and you can try them for grouping. If theres any it likes and its not the couple I use I'll send you the tin/s I have. 
>   First probly pay to hit the air rifle owner up and see how accurarte what he uses is. Chances are hes already using a good pellet for the gun.


Thanks for the offer. I am heading there tomorrow afternoon so they won't get to me in time

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## Tall kiwi

> An Idea, if you're shooting a slug gun, something we did when young was dip the slugs in a little diesel first, or pour a splash into the slug container lid with a bunch of slugs. Not so they're wet, but oiled up a bit.
> Then put them in for a shoot... 
> 
> Let's say... you'll get more velocity 
> 
> I'm sure there are a few airgun fanatics who will swear against putting any foreign objects in blah blah blah.
> 
> Don't go overboard, but if it's a hack, have some fun.


Sounds like a fun time but I probably won't do this since I don't own the rifle  :XD:

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## kruza

Post how it goes. Good or bad, Id be keen to see how you get on. 
 Enjoy your hunt. Rember no hunt is wasted time, your learning more every time.

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## Tall kiwi

> Post how it goes. Good or bad, Id be keen to see how you get on. 
>  Enjoy your hunt. Rember no hunt is wasted time, your learning more every time.


Collected the rifle this evening. In a previous post you asked what model it was? Its a Stoeger X20 in .22 cal. Last time I used the rifle the scopes were way off so will need to zero the scope. Whats a good range to zero it? I was thinking 25 yards to begin with.

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## Billbob

> Collected the rifle this evening. In a previous post you asked what model it was? Its a Stoeger X20 in .22 cal. Last time I used the rifle the scopes were way off so will need to zero the scope. Whats a good range to zero it? I was thinking 25 yards to begin with.


Sight it in at what your average shot distance will be, say if 40m then go back and check at 25m and see how high the poi is there and account for this (hold under) when you hunting under your sighted distance. For longer distance you will hold over (great if your scope has mill dots or ref) also before you sight in make sure all the stock screws are tight (2 at the front and 1 behind the trigger) and make sure the scope mounts are tight too!

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## kruza

Ive never fired one. I use stoeger x-field pellets as one of three pellets the gamo shoots really well. Read and watched a few reviews on web. Looks like a pretty sweet gun. 
 Be keen to hear what you think of it .
 Sight it in at 10m first then fine tune it to 20m/25m .  
 After that if you want to get a cardbord box put 5  1inch dots on it. The shoot the first dot at ten meters, the second at 20m etc to 50m, youll see how the pellet changes impact point, above or below the bulls. 
 Some where in the middle theres a place where the impact points are nearly the same. Thats the flat part of its flight. Thats the part you want set to the distance you'll do the most shooting at. ( or leave it at 20m/25m
 The the rest hold over or under when aiming at those distances.
 Tell me if im telling you stuff you know.  As you said you were a newbie im sure how much you know.

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## kruza

you want me to post through  
some pellets if you have air rifle for a while. It gets expencive quick buying differnt pellets to see what shoots best. Or if you have a pellet that shoots well let me know what it is and if I have any and dont use em Ill send you what I have. ( they just sit there )

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## Tall kiwi

> you want me to post through  
> some pellets if you have air rifle for a while. It gets expencive quick buying differnt pellets to see what shoots best. Or if you have a pellet that shoots well let me know what it is and if I have any and dont use em Ill send you what I have. ( they just sit there )


Nah don't worry about it. I only have it until Sunday. Thanks though  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Tall kiwi

> Post how it goes. Good or bad, Id be keen to see how you get on. 
>  Enjoy your hunt. Rember no hunt is wasted time, your learning more every time.


Well I managed to get one in the bag. Unfortunately wasn't a kill shot which I am a bit bummed about but thats hunting, right. Plenty of missed shots but was still a good time wandering the fields. Got to christen my new Svord and removed back straps and legs which are now sitting in the fridge ready to have for lunch tomorrow.

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## kruza

Thats sweet as. You got food,you learnt plenty . its a successful days hunting. Whats the rifle like to shoot? Whats the svord like to use?

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## Billbob

Awesome, if you you didn't miss it wouldn't be air guning lol

Look up artillery hold (if you don't already use this) and you will be surprised how this technique improves your accuracy in the field. Also relax and take your time, anytime I miss is when I've rushed the shot.

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## Tall kiwi

> Thats sweet as. You got food,you learnt plenty . its a successful days hunting. Whats the rifle like to shoot? Whats the svord like to use?


To be honest the rifle leaves much to be desired. I'm not too sure if its me, the rifle or the pellets that are being used but I can't seem to get it to group consistently even when using a bench rest. I'd like to think I would have got more rabbits if I had a rimfire  :Grin:  

The Svord is great. Made easy work of the meat

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## Tall kiwi

> Awesome, if you you didn't miss it wouldn't be air guning lol
> 
> Look up artillery hold (if you don't already use this) and you will be surprised how this technique improves your accuracy in the field. Also relax and take your time, anytime I miss is when I've rushed the shot.


Yeah I gave the artillery hold a try which definitely helped with accuracy but still wasn't the most amazing shooting though.

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## kruza

Its a prick of technique to get right. Takes a lot of pratice. And a lot of watching your hold and analising it.
Back to pellets, if your shooting from a rest (with your hand on the rest and the gun on your hand) taking your time, how tight are the groups? If all ya gun screws are evenly tightened and scope screws are tight,your holding the gun the same, groups are still bit wide may be the pellets. Sort out some pellets, checking them for damage try again. Still not great. Take the scope off try open sights ( air rifles are really hard on scopes)
 If accuracy doesnt improve try a differnt brand of pellets. Also get on web watch videos or read reviews on your gun. Dont worry to much about brand of pellet, but take note of how many grains the pellet is. Find out what the most common grain/weight pellet that gets good resaults and start at that weight of pellet.
 If you know anyone with a chronograph fire a few shots over that and make sure its not changing too much. There is the possiblity the seal on the piston or around the barrel/reciever may be deteriorated.
 Welcome to the world of air guns. Its a art unto itself.

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## Billbob

> Yeah I gave the artillery hold a try which definitely helped with accuracy but still wasn't the most amazing shooting though.


One more thing to check, remove the stock and check the breech cross bolt it tight, if there is any movement here can throw the accuracy out

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## Dundee

If I shoot a hare,more hare than rabbits here.I hang em on the clothes line overnight and leg em and back strap the next day.

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## Tall kiwi

> Its a prick of technique to get right. Takes a lot of pratice. And a lot of watching your hold and analising it.
> Back to pellets, if your shooting from a rest (with your hand on the rest and the gun on your hand) taking your time, how tight are the groups? If all ya gun screws are evenly tightened and scope screws are tight,your holding the gun the same, groups are still bit wide may be the pellets. Sort out some pellets, checking them for damage try again. Still not great. Take the scope off try open sights ( air rifles are really hard on scopes)
>  If accuracy doesnt improve try a differnt brand of pellets. Also get on web watch videos or read reviews on your gun. Dont worry to much about brand of pellet, but take note of how many grains the pellet is. Find out what the most common grain/weight pellet that gets good resaults and start at that weight of pellet.
>  If you know anyone with a chronograph fire a few shots over that and make sure its not changing too much. There is the possiblity the seal on the piston or around the barrel/reciever may be deteriorated.
>  Welcome to the world of air guns. Its a art unto itself.


It was about a 100mm spread. And this was from 25 yards also. All bolts were tightened before use. It is a pretty old rifle so who knows what condition things were

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## MB

Doesn't sound great, could well be the rifle. Time to go shopping  :Grin:

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## Tall kiwi

> Doesn't sound great, could well be the rifle. Time to go shopping


Wasn't mine so oh well. I'm saving my funds for a proper .22

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## MB

> Wasn't mine so oh well. I'm saving my funds for a proper .22


As in a rimfire?

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## kruza

undoubtedly. Air rifles are the only guns that are considered not proper guns.  Higher powered springers are probly the worst thing to learn shooting with, as they are such finicky guns.  .22lr really is a much better choice for starting out with in my view.

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## MB

It's a shame you need a FAL for PCP rifles. Would be a great introduction to shooting. Otherwise a springer with sensible power like the Euro guns. A 12ft.lb rifle will kill a rabbit better than an 18 ft.lb rifle that doesn't hit it.

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## kruza

Your right on the money there. Pcp would be the perfect gun for introducing ppl to shooting.

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## Tall kiwi

> As in a rimfire?


Yeah rimfire. I saw your other comment about PCP rifles. They definitely look like a much better option compared to spring powered rifles. But as you say, shame you need a FAL for 'em...

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## Dan.22-250

For learning have a look at the aircheif CO2 rapid repeater air-rifle (aka cr600w). It's a CO2 powered gun do is accurate like a pcp and the price isn't bad either. Being magazine fed and bolt action it makes an ideal trainer gun, it's also very quiet so can be used in close proximity to neighbors if it's safe. Another thing I like is the safety is manual, I hate the auto safeties that stop you from uncocking the rifle.

The only downsides are it's a little small physically, some diy wood work on the stock wouldn't hurt. In saying that I haven't gotten round to doing it yet and mine still works fine. Also the power isn't the greatest, it works well for backyard targets and can be pushed into service hunting but some more power would be welcome. Once again an afternoon of YouTube guidance and simple diy mods to the internals can achieve this apperantly. (Something else I need to do)

Heck I think I may have convinced myself to get mine back out of the cupboard and finish the project it was meant to be.

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## Billbob

> It was about a 100mm spread. And this was from 25 yards also. All bolts were tightened before use. It is a pretty old rifle so who knows what condition things were


The scope could be stuffed.......

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## Billbob

> For learning have a look at the aircheif CO2 rapid repeater air-rifle (aka cr600w). It's a CO2 powered gun do is accurate like a pcp and the price isn't bad either. Being magazine fed and bolt action it makes an ideal trainer gun, it's also very quiet so can be used in close proximity to neighbors if it's safe. Another thing I like is the safety is manual, I hate the auto safeties that stop you from uncocking the rifle.
> 
> The only downsides are it's a little small physically, some diy wood work on the stock wouldn't hurt. In saying that I haven't gotten round to doing it yet and mine still works fine. Also the power isn't the greatest, it works well for backyard targets and can be pushed into service hunting but some more power would be welcome. Once again an afternoon of YouTube guidance and simple diy mods to the internals can achieve this apperantly. (Something else I need to do)
> 
> Heck I think I may have convinced myself to get mine back out of the cupboard and finish the project it was meant to be.


Pop over to the Kiwi airgunners site and see some of the mods I've done to my cr600w, bulk filled c02 carbon fiber etc... Want to turn another into a bullpup when I get the chance. Been busy making a crosman 2250 look like an assault rifle at the moment......

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## Black Rabbit

May what I did before was totally wrong, but we usually will carry rabbits carcasses back home and then gut them, I can `t remember there was bad tastes in my plate. Stew, smoke and open fire slow cook, never tried fry it.

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## kruza

Ive done the same a few times. 
Long as im not out for hours, or gut shot.
 Ppl here will tell you how they do it and maybe why. Up to you how you process an animal.
 Lot of ppl here with a lot of experiance, if you find that majority recon they do it, then there is probly a reason for it, gained from experiance.
 If your not sure why ask. No stupid questions when your stepping into the world of hunting ( in fact its stupid not to be asking questions) develop good habits now on small game and when you get fal pick the knowledge here for large game.

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