Barn Gun

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puddleglum

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Apr 26, 2022
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WI, United States
Saw a starling scoping out the barn recently, I'll be picking them and the sparrows off from the trees and lawn with my Taipan long in the BOG deathgrip out of the upstairs window soon enough. Taking care of these pests when they are perched for the night would be fun and effective as well. I also am going to building a chicken coop inside the barn this year, and will have feed in there, so rats might take an interest, although I think if I keep the feed secure that will be unlikely. We also got new doors put on the barn which will make getting into the upper area easier, and I know that pigeons like to roost up there and do their mini manure spreader imitation.

So, the barn gun project continues.

I currently have a Brocock Ranger, which is fine. I find it cramped, but I expected it to be so, not a knock on it, just the nature of the little beast. I put a 3-9X Bugbuster with illuminated reticle, and a red flashlight on it, thinking I could use the light for finding birds, and set the reticle to green so it shows up well against the red. The problem is, trying to operate the light really makes the gun feel cramped, and I just hate using it.

I think my next step probably is trying a digital night vision scope. Maybe the Ranger will suddenly shine and, even if I still decide it is not the gun for me and my orangutan arms, the night vision can be transferred to another, slightly longer, pellet delivery device.
 
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huntr said:
My experience with a PARD has been that looking through the scope in NV mode makes you night blind in the eye used for sighting. I went back to a red flashlight mounted next to the scope.
Click to expand...
This happens w/ my ATN scope(s) in night vision mode also. Guess it is what it is . I find it takes a few minutes to for my vision to settle down again. I have found lights , whether red or green sends rats running at close ranges.
 
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Contndr35BB said:
This happens w/ my ATN scope(s) in night vision mode also. Guess it is what it is . I find it takes a few minutes to for my vision to settle down again. I have found lights , whether red or green sends rats running at close ranges.
Click to expand...
Ranchibi said:
I use one of these to mount my red LED flashlight to my scope for rats. And I use this flashlight to mount to it. Very small, light and compact flashlight.

Click to expand...
If I were just leaving the light on then I wouldn't have any issues, but I was trying to use a pressure switch to turn it on while pointed in the vicinity of the nest, rather than sweeping the whole place with a light which seemed to cause the sparrows to take flight. I was hopeng a nightvision light would not disturb the
birds.

As far as loosing vision from the PARD/ATN/Wraith screen, I could see how that could be annoying, but also I am thinking I would not be trying to see much pf anything without the night vision in the dark.
 
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puddleglum said:
Saw a starling scoping out the barn recently, I'll be picking them and the sparrows off from the trees and lawn with my Taipan long in the BOG deathgrip out of the upstairs window soon enough. Taking care of these pests when they are perched for the night would be fun and effective as well. I also am going to building a chicken coop inside the barn this year, and will have feed in there, so rats might take an interest, although I think if I keep the feed secure that will be unlikely. We also got new doors put on the barn which will make getting into the upper area easier, and I know that pigeons like to roost up there and do their mini manure spreader imitation.

So, the barn gun project continues.

I currently have a Brocock Ranger, which is fine. I find it cramped, but I expected it to be so, not a knock on it, just the nature of the little beast. I put a 3-9X Bugbuster with illuminated reticle, and a red flashlight on it, thinking I could use the light for finding birds, and set the reticle to green so it shows up well against the red. The problem is, trying to operate the light really makes the gun feel cramped, and I just hate using it.

I think my next step probably is trying a digital night vision scope. Maybe the Ranger will suddenly shine and, even if I still decide it is not the gun for me and my orangutan arms, the night vision can be transferred to another, slightly longer, pellet delivery device.
Click to expand...
I hear you on scope and flashlight combo, which can be cumbersome on such a small gun… below is an image of my Atomic with a Zulus atop… It is handy, light and seriously deadly on rats and small vermin out to 50 yards…
IMG_0046.jpeg
 
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Contndr35BB said:
This happens w/ my ATN scope(s) in night vision mode also. Guess it is what it is . I find it takes a few minutes to for my vision to settle down again. I have found lights , whether red or green sends rats running at close ranges.
Click to expand...
I have experience both and prefer the Zulus for close range ratting. Though I have killed hundreds of rats with a basic red/green light combo. They do spook more easily than simply targeting them with NV…

Ranchibi said:
I use one of these to mount my red LED flashlight to my scope for rats. And I use this flashlight to mount to it. Very small, light and compact flashlight.

Click to expand...
Great idea Randall! Am going to order that little red light… Thanks!
 
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L.Leon said:
I hear you on scope and flashlight combo, which can be cumbersome on such a small gun… below is an image of my Atomic with a Zulus atop… It is handy, light and seriously deadly on rats and small vermin out to 50 yards…
Click to expand...

Hadn't Heard of Zulus before. Will have to check them out. Any reason you chose it over, say, a Wraith or ATN or Pard?

Thank you,
-pg
 
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puddleglum said:
Hadn't Heard of Zulus before. Will have to check them out. Any reason you chose it over, say, a Wraith or ATN or Pard?

Thank you,
-pg
Click to expand...
This is the basic model, there is also a model with a built in LRF. I chose the Zulus after reading some post by @brawler1588. I really like the small form factor and ease of use. I had a fellow member lend me a Wraith which I used for a short while it was nice. The ATN was to big for my needs on the Atomic and did not consider the Pard. Am sure any of the three would be comparable in use to each other. That said I am still digging the Zulus, have been using it as least 6 months now…
 
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L.Leon said:
This is the basic model, there is also a model with a built in LRF. I chose the Zulus after reading some post by @brawler1588. I really like the small form factor and ease of use. I had a fellow member lend me a Wraith which I used for a short while it was nice. The ATN was to big for my needs on the Atomic and did not consider the Pard. Am sure any of the three would be comparable in use to each other. That said I am still digging the Zulus, have been using it as least 6 months now…
Click to expand...
Small and simple to use? A siren song, indeed.
 
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puddleglum said:
If I were just leaving the light on then I wouldn't have any issues, but I was trying to use a pressure switch to turn it on while pointed in the vicinity of the nest, rather than sweeping the whole place with a light which seemed to cause the sparrows to take flight. I was hopeng a nightvision light would not disturb the
birds.

As far as loosing vision from the PARD/ATN/Wraith screen, I could see how that could be annoying, but also I am thinking I would not be trying to see much pf anything without the night vision in the dark.
Click to expand...
It's very annoying... to me, anyway. You're blind in one eye for 10 - 15 minutes. One eye is good and the other is almost black in the low light.
The advantage is... if you have LRF, you get a point of aim in the scope.
 
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Contndr35BB said:
This happens w/ my ATN scope(s) in night vision mode also. Guess it is what it is . I find it takes a few minutes to for my vision to settle down again. I have found lights , whether red or green sends rats running at close ranges.
Click to expand...
Try a white light. The night predator hunters seem to do well with white light. Sounds counterintuitive, but worth a try.
 
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huntr said:
It's very annoying... to me, anyway. You're blind in one eye for 10 - 15 minutes. One eye is good and the other is almost black in the low light.
The advantage is... if you have LRF, you get a point of aim in the scope.
Click to expand...
Does the Pard have a lot of range of brighness? Can it be turned down low or is it always pretty bright?
 
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puddleglum said:
Does the Pard have a lot of range of brighness? Can it be turned down low or is it always pretty bright?
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It has a range and I used it on the lowest brightness, but it's still like shining a light in your eye. I like the PARD with the LRF and it's easy to zero. If you were going to turn it on and stay in the scope, it would be fine. But to use it to occasionally scan your shooting area to look for a target it just wasn't my cup of tea.
 
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I will be moving my chickens into the barn this year, building a secure area inside the barn. Starlings, sparrows, and pigeons will be able to get in to the general barn area and I will want to be able to smack them down, but my chickens are cream legbars, which are a flighty breed: easily startled. Extreme quietness is of great importance. I can put my Sumo can on the BRK Ranger and quiet the report way down. But another thing that can be noticable indoors is the hammer strike on the valve, with that mechanical "whack" echoing off the walls. When I had a BRK Sniper Magnum shooting 25 grain Monster pellets the whack of the hammer was very sharp, since the hammer spring was under a lot of tension.

With the Ranger, I have been turning the transfer port power adjuster down, but left the hammer spring as I got it. I wonder if I should look at turning the hammer spring down some. Would that make for a less noise overall with each hammer pull? I don't need a ton of power for short range pest bird control. Also, less power means less noise on impact when I hit the target.... or miss...

@L.Leon Any thoughts?

Thanks,
-pg
 
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puddleglum said:
I will be moving my chickens into the barn this year, building a secure area inside the barn. Starlings, sparrows, and pigeons will be able to get in to the general barn area and I will want to be able to smack them down, but my chickens are cream legbars, which are a flighty breed: easily startled. Extreme quietness is of great importance. I can put my Sumo can on the BRK Ranger and quiet the report way down. But another thing that can be noticable indoors is the hammer strike on the valve, with that mechanical "whack" echoing off the walls. When I had a BRK Sniper Magnum shooting 25 grain Monster pellets the whack of the hammer was very sharp, since the hammer spring was under a lot of tension.

With the Ranger, I have been turning the transfer port power adjuster down, but left the hammer spring as I got it. I wonder if I should look at turning the hammer spring down some. Would that make for a less noise overall with each hammer pull? I don't need a ton of power for short range pest bird control. Also, less power means less noise on impact when I hit the target.... or miss...

@L.Leon Any thoughts?

Thanks,
-pg
Click to expand...
Am flattered...🙏 I’ve been using my Atomic with the TP on low as it came out the box for all my indoor pesting… Turning the HS down in addition to TP on low, would definitely aid in your quest for a quieter shot cycle and still be deadly on indoor pests. The Ranger/Atomic are marketed in the UK as sub 12 FPE models. So it is entirely possible for your to achieve what you are intending. I look forward to reading more about your conclusion on the matter…
 
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L.Leon said:
Am flattered...🙏 I’ve been using my Atomic with the TP on low as it came out the box for all my indoor pesting… Turning the HS down in addition to TP on low, would definitely aid in your quest for a quieter shot cycle and still be deadly on indoor pests. The Ranger/Atomic are marketed in the UK as sub 12 FPE models. So it is entirely possible for your to achieve what you are intending. I look forward to reading more about your conclusion on the matter…
Click to expand...
You are the BRK guru.

Speaking of BRK, I have been thinking that, if I did replace the Ranger, I might be tempted to look at the Commander or Sahara: not so cramped, lots more air, and an adjustable reg with a gauge. So I could dial it all in for barn shooting in the spring through the summer, but be able to turn the juice up in the fall for squirrel hunting if a friend wants to join me in the woods.

I did like the Sniper Magnum, but it was kind of long and heavy. The Ranger is kind of small. Maybe a 17” barrel with a CF bottle would be Goldilocks.
 
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puddleglum said:
You are the BRK guru.

Speaking of BRK, I have been thinking that, if I did replace the Ranger, I might be tempted to look at the Commander or Sahara: not so cramped, lots more air, and an adjustable reg with a gauge. So I could dial it all in for barn shooting in the spring through the summer, but be able to turn the juice up in the fall for squirrel hunting if a friend wants to join me in the woods.

I did like the Sniper Magnum, but it was kind of long and heavy. The Ranger is kind of small. Maybe a 17” barrel with a CF bottle would be Goldilocks.
Click to expand...
No guru here…🙈 The Pathfinder is but a mini Commander, if you take a closer look you will see its undeniable. Same form factor in a smaller package. Similar to the Atomic/Rangers being but smaller Concept XRs. That said, I really love my Pathfinder for what you are describing above and its how I use mine… Just don’t plop a huge scope on it…
IMG_0280.jpeg
 
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