Thread: Air Rifle for Pest Control

Originally Posted by Reon Morrison

And there is no good way to combat this for night vision gear, like rings or something...

its not as harsh as a springer, i still wouldnt put an nv scope on one ( i repair nv and the digital ones are pretty small complex electronics). i have seen scopes that last on a 338lapua that are destroyed by springers

The "proper" name for a air rifle gas ram or nitro piston etc, is Ta da - gas spring. They perform exactly the same job as a steel spring. The main advantage a gas spring has is that it does not vibrate so can be quieter. The recoil they produce is more or less same as a steel spring. Hence I would not put NV on a gas springer or a steel springer. I think the Gamo air rifles are overpriced for the accuracy and quality that you get.

Most spring rifles excepting youth and target models have the power to kill a rabbit at 50M if you shoot it in the head, hence accuracy should be your first criteria. Possums are a bit tougher, and a bit of extra power would not go a miss.

Originally Posted by gonetropo

its not as harsh as a springer, i still wouldnt put an nv scope on one ( i repair nv and the digital ones are pretty small complex electronics). i have seen scopes that last on a 338lapua that are destroyed by springers

So what would your say would be, pcp?
I'm thinking the pulsar scopes and as you said I know people use them on massive rounds, but surely they stand up to the gamo's "fancy tech"??

Originally Posted by xyon

The "proper" name for a air rifle gas ram or nitro piston etc, is Ta da - gas spring. They perform exactly the same job as a steel spring. The main advantage a gas spring has is that it does not vibrate so can be quieter. The recoil they produce is more or less same as a steel spring. Hence I would not put NV on a gas springer or a steel springer. I think the Gamo air rifles are overpriced for the accuracy and quality that you get.

Most spring rifles excepting youth and target models have the power to kill a rabbit at 50M if you shoot it in the head, hence accuracy should be your first criteria. Possums are a bit tougher, and a bit of extra power would not go a miss.

So best bet, either .22lr or low power air rifle

pcp would be the way to go, but some are powerful enough to be considered a firearm so you need a FAL
i'm using a sytong , i used to have an atn but it was too big and heavy.
give the cops a hurry up and buy a 22 is my advice

As gonetropo says a PCP would be the way to go, especially if you want something lower powered than a .22LR. A PCP's can be a slippery slope to spending $$
If you don't have a FAL, then springer it is, my favourite hunting springer is my Diana 52 as it's powerful and accurate.

Originally Posted by xyon

As gonetropo says a PCP would be the way to go, especially if you want something lower powered than a .22LR. A PCP's can be a slippery slope to spending $$
If you don't have a FAL, then springer it is, my favourite hunting springer is my Diana 52 as it's powerful and accurate.

The only reason for a air rifle is pest control in urban settings like golf courses and small semi rural farms. So still high power but the rifle being "air rifle" doesn't scare as many people of us using it. .22lr is still going to be a go to for other places more rural, 100%

Will people be informed you are shooting with an air rifle?

Originally Posted by vulcannz

Will people be informed you are shooting with an air rifle?

Yeah, most places will be a good 100m away at least but its more for our safety

As an alternative, assuming you get your FAL, I use a Chiappa Little Badger, 22lr single shot, with CCI Quiets. They are 40gr 710fps, and all you hear is the click of the trigger and the thump at the other end. The combo is way quieter than my springer ruger air rifle. It's also a very unthreatening rifle (looks like an air rifle tbh and breaks open like one too).

Good Advice in the thread. I will not touch GAMO or any other Chinese air rifle. Will choose a .22 over a .177 for rabbits. PCPs are the way to go. Airrms 510x, HW100 or FX line are good rifle/brands but require investment in air tank/compressors etc. You don't have to worry about breaking scopes, NV etc.

In .22 springers HW80, Diana 48/52 are the best tools for the job. I have taken successful shots at 50-60yds consistently with my tuned Diana52. HW80 is same (or a bit better) in accuracy department. You can use HAWKE/ELEMENT line scopes with good one piece mounts and it will serve you for good time

If you choose to go for .177 way for flatter trajectory then HW97/77 or TX200/Pro-sport are the best choice. HW77 comes with open sights.

HTH

-Inder

Originally Posted by mimms2

<50 meters... shotgun. Safe as fuck. Choke the shit out of it.
12ga to start you off, then move down the gauges as you get good. Many pumps and semis come with rails for scope mounting, if you're that way inclined.

Too loud mate, thinking urban use for predator control so shotguns are a no go unfortunatly

Most PCPs are heavy which isn't a bad thing often for precise shooting. As for cost, they are more often $$$ than $$.

Originally Posted by Inder

Good Advice in the thread. I will not touch GAMO or any other Chinese air rifle. Will choose a .22 over a .177 for rabbits. PCPs are the way to go. Airrms 510x, HW100 or FX line are good rifle/brands but require investment in air tank/compressors etc. You don't have to worry about breaking scopes, NV etc.

In .22 springers HW80, Diana 48/52 are the best tools for the job. I have taken successful shots at 50-60yds consistently with my tuned Diana52. HW80 is same (or a bit better) in accuracy department. You can use HAWKE/ELEMENT line scopes with good one piece mounts and it will serve you for good time

If you choose to go for .177 way for flatter trajectory then HW97/77 or TX200/Pro-sport are the best choice. HW77 comes with open sights.

HTH

-Inder

gamo is spanish

Originally Posted by gonetropo

gamo is spanish

I am sorry. I meant Gamo or any Chinese air rifles.