Air rifle for squirrels

[baranjhn]

I’d like to get one of these new air rifles. I have a cheap pump action .177 that I take grackles with but is pretty weak. I’ve seen people hunt coons and even hogs on YouTube but I’ve not shot one of those style. Question though. I am not a fan of shooting a .22 rim fire in the air on my property. Would one of these new pcp pellet rifles be “safer” ie travel less distance? I’ve heard lots of recommendations for .25 caliber over .22 and.177. How would that do for coon hunting?

Pellets generally shed velocity quickly due to the design, so they don’t travel as far as bullets. If you use slugs then their distance is improved.

Depending upon what airgun you choose, .177, 20, .22, .25, .30 or .35, all can be capable of safely and humanely taking a raccoon.

 

[Twangbanger]

I’d like to get one of these new air rifles. I have a cheap pump action .177 that I take grackles with but is pretty weak. I’ve seen people hunt coons and even hogs on YouTube but I’ve not shot one of those style. Question though. I am not a fan of shooting a .22 rim fire in the air on my property. Would one of these new pcp pellet rifles be “safer” ie travel less distance? I’ve heard lots of recommendations for .25 caliber over .22 and.177. How would that do for coon hunting?

My Weihrauch springer owners' manuals state the potential danger zone, under ideal launch conditions, is out to 450 yards. From my experience with shotgun pellets, that's probably about right.

...even less if it goes through a critter first...

 

[pinshooter45]

I’d like to get one of these new air rifles. I have a cheap pump action .177 that I take grackles with but is pretty weak. I’ve seen people hunt coons and even hogs on YouTube but I’ve not shot one of those style. Question though. I am not a fan of shooting a .22 rim fire in the air on my property. Would one of these new pcp pellet rifles be “safer” ie travel less distance? I’ve heard lots of recommendations for .25 caliber over .22 and.177. How would that do for coon hunting?

Depends on the ammo used. A PCP can use "Slugs" which are shaped like bullets and can really fly well, so range will be farther. But a normal wasp waist pellet by design slows down quickly. Some PCPs can take small game at close to 200 yards when using slugs, in fact there are a few PCPs that approach 22lr power. However a Magnum gas piston break barrel will handle lots of small game once you master the "Artillery Hold".

 

[planedriver]

I guess I’ll jump in this one. The budget you have set is pretty much going to rule out almost any pcp (especially when the ancillary equipment is considered. Even a hand pump is going be $50-$100).

The Benjamins are great guns but, again out of your budget.

In your price range most of the rest are a little small with few exceptions.

Maybe you should consider a .22 rifle loaded with CB longs? With CB longs the powder burner and pcp gun have very comparable ballistics. Don’t think pcp slugs will be inexpensive as pellets are. You will find the cost of slugs similar to cheap 22 lr ammo.

 

[Glocker99]

Was just looking at Pyramyd Air and they have a Umarex Gauntlet that is very inexpensive for a PCP, would still need to get a hand pump, but that wouldn't be too far out of your price range, might give it a look. .22 cal is better for hunting than .177 cal, but either would work for chipmunks. Good luck in your search and may sure using an air gun in your area is legal, some places it isn't legal.

 

[Mongo59]

Have you ever used one of those hand pumps? It is not for the old and infirm I can tell you that.

I know many think the springers are not up to the standards of a PCP, but if the standard is killing a squirrel I would say they are equal to that task.

I would doubt you will be hunting squirrels in the tops of redwoods on the west coast, but I can sit on my porch with my 20cal Beeman and shoot the pig nuts out of the tree by hitting the stem and then blowing the nut apart after it hits the ground. Any squirrel smaller than the stem to a pignut you won't want...

 

[Twangbanger]

I guess I’ll jump in this one. The budget you have set is pretty much going to rule out almost any pcp (especially when the ancillary equipment is considered. Even a hand pump is going be $50-$100).

The Benjamins are great guns but, again out of your budget.

In your price range most of the rest are a little small with few exceptions.

Maybe you should consider a .22 rifle loaded with CB longs? With CB longs the powder burner and pcp gun have very comparable ballistics. Don’t think pcp slugs will be inexpensive as pellets are. You will find the cost of slugs similar to cheap 22 lr ammo.

I used to be of this opinion on CB longs, but the problem that I found after actually testing them, is accuracy. If you actually shoot enough of them on paper to develop groups to evaluate, you see that all of the CB products (short, long) are terrible in accuracy. I'm talking, one round out of 5 could completely miss a small target at across-the-porch distance.

The CCI "Quiet" rounds are a considerable improvement over the ones labeled CB. The CB product is a 29 grain projectile at somewhere around 700 fps, but the powder charges seem to be hella inconsistent. When you move up to CCI Quiet, you're getting the same 700fps, but now it's with a full 40-grain bullet, and the powder charge is proportionately stepped up to a level that can be heard. They are a little more noise than a CB, but more accurate. Not as accurate as standard-velocity 22LR, but more quiet, and a substantial accuracy improvement over CBs with their 29 grain projectiles.

The gold standard, of course, is 22LR standard velocity. But for situations where that isn't warranted, CCI Quiet is the next best balance of power and accuracy. If significantly less power can be tolerated (or is desired), then a good airgun will be more accurate than a CB round. Honestly, when I saw what the real-world accuracy of CB cartridges is when grouped on paper, I consider them next to worthless. I can see why the "Quiet" line with the 40 gr. projectiles was developed. I don't know if the 29 grainers at 700fps don't generate enough back pressure to give consistent powder burn or what, but if you group 10 CBs at 10 or 15 yards it is surprisingly disappointing.

 

[planedriver]

I used to be of this opinion on CB longs, but the problem that I found after actually testing them, is accuracy. If you actually shoot enough of them on paper to develop groups to evaluate, you see that all of the CB products (short, long) are terrible in accuracy. I'm talking, one round out of 5 could completely miss a small target at across-the-porch distance.

The CCI "Quiet" rounds are a considerable improvement over the ones labeled CB. The CB product is a 29 grain projectile at somewhere around 700 fps, but the powder charges seem to be hella inconsistent. When you move up to CCI Quiet, you're getting the same 700fps, but now it's with a full 40-grain bullet, and the powder charge is proportionately stepped up to a level that can be heard. They are a little more noise than a CB, but more accurate. Not as accurate as standard-velocity 22LR, but more quiet, and a substantial accuracy improvement over CBs with their 29 grain projectiles.

The gold standard, of course, is 22LR standard velocity. But for situations where that isn't warranted, CCI Quiet is the next best balance of power and accuracy. If significantly less power can be tolerated (or is desired), then a good airgun will be more accurate than a CB round. Honestly, when I saw what the real-world accuracy of CB cartridges is when grouped on paper, I consider them next to worthless. I can see why the "Quiet" line with the 40 gr. projectiles was developed. I don't know if the 29 grainers at 700fps don't generate enough back pressure to give consistent powder burn or what, but if you group 10 CBs at 10 or 15 yards it is surprisingly disappointing.

Your information is very good to know! You have given me a new research project. I think I’ll try several guns and whatever variety of cb caps that I can find to see if I can get a group.

Who ever thought about testing cb accuracy on anything but a can? Lol

Great to know. Thanks

 

[Ashton1911]

I have used a ruger .177 on squirrels, starlings, and successfully on a raccoon. The raccoon wasn't a clean kill, but i was in city limits, and didn't want to try my luck with an arrow when the raccoons were menacing my cats. I threw a few pellets into it, and it ran and hid in dense brush. Went quiet in less than 5 minutes, and we pulled it out and buried it the next day. I would have liked to make it cleaner, but at that time, those seemed to be my options.

 

[Leo]

I know what not to use. I have a FWB 10 meter regulated target air rifle with a set of Anschutz small bore target sights It is very accurate. Hitting is not the problem, it is too weak of a hit.

The 500 fps regulation will sometimes take a second shot for even a little ground squirrel or gopher. A common gray squirrel in a tree will usually escape wounded. While they may die later, that is not a good outcome in my book.

Power with poor accuracy is not good. Accuracy with low power is not good for hunting.