General capabilities of .22

Depending upon the pellet, say a 16gr to 18 gr at 870fps you're putting out say 25FPE, that'll put the hurt on them. Watch a few episodes of Iguana Snipers and Jessica. IF you are half as good as she is, you'll do well.

It's been said many times before; shot placement is key to humane kills.

@Pbrobe I’d say shot placement, power capabilities (tune) of the selected power plant, distance, and type of projectile all come into play here. Your question reminds me of @Sqwirlfugger57’s Thicc Alvin story in this thread https://www.airgunnation.com/threads/first-groundhog-of-the-season.1258423/

I know I'm going to get flamed for this reply, but go ahead, I've got my flak jacket on. Ground hogs and ground squirrels are both pests. Property owners want them gone. I have a permission that is a cattle farm, loaded with ground squirrels. My "contract" with the owner is to remove as many ground squirrels as possible. Am I worried abut humane kills? NOPE. He wants them gone, I want them gone so I can continue to come back. I'm shooting JSB 25.39 pellets at 940 fps. Are head shots an option. Yes, as many of the squirrels sit up in the field. I take center mass shots, knowing that if I miss a head shot, the squirrel could go down the hole and not come back up while I'm there. I aim center mass. Some are DRT and others manage to crawl back into the burrow, but I know they aren't going to be coming back out. I'm happy, the landowner is happy, and I get to come back. If you get upset with a non humane kill, you should think about not shooting any animal. Everyone is going to have a non lethal shot.

What kind of PCP are we talking about here? There are many out there under 12 FPE and then you have some like the FX Impact that can do over 70 FPE.

Question ? If you have an attic Squirrel problem and you just do not get head shots would you (yes you ) shoot it however you can ?

beerthief said:

Question ? If you have an attic Squirrel problem and you just do not get head shots would you (yes you ) shoot it however you can ?

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Heart/lung shot if availabl, but not “anything.” Ethics aside, you don’t want a squirrel to run into your attic and die where you can’t reach or find it.

ok , maybe i should have been clearer . Yes to any Kill shot , not like shoot it in the butt or someplace

I took 5 coons out of a tree at roughly 18 yds one night with my s510 .22 shooting at 15 fpe. All brain shots and the boar was pretty large. I have no doubt a .177 or .22 at 12 fpe will easily kill a chuck with a brain hit at 15 yds. If you are needing shots further like up to 30 yds then I would stay closer to 17 fpe to 30 fpe depending on space and back stops. Of course this is all dependent on the shooter and rifle being able to hit the fuse box exactly where it needs to be hit.

My Beeman Commander has taken several ground hogs. I prefer to use the JSB Hades pellets. It has never failed to be a clean kill. This gun does about 31 fpe. I haven't tried to take any past 40 yards or so though. For that I use a .25 or .30 .. not saying the Beeman still wouldn't do the job just fine though.

Some of these were head shots, others were heart/lung area. They die either way.

@Pbrobe No problem.

The ole rule of thumb was 2 fpe per lb of game on impact. Obviously shot placement matters alot. I've seem coons walk away from a 22 cal 25 fpe head shot from it being dead on between the eyes and it ricocheted off the skull. I've seen them go down with 17 fpe 177 to the side of the head.
Ground hogs are hearty critters, and I prefer a 25 cal doing at least 30 fpe on impact, but a good shot with a 22 will anchor them too. I wouldn't use a 177 personally.

You can stretch a .22 pretty far. If you shoot 80-grain depleted uranium core slugs at over 1000fps, you can probably put down some pretty big game.

Presumably you want to restrict to "reasonably available ammo" and "reasonably popular PCP rifles" etc.

Pbrobe said:

I'm just curious what a general .22 PCP capable of taking down humanely? Specifically, I have a major groundhog problem. I am in a neighborhood so I believe most of my shots will be headshot attempts.

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Why not just get a .25? Down side is ammo is more expensive and they use more air. Big difference in killing power. 0.03 inches diameter doesn’t sound like much but the frontal area is much larger than .22. 25s also generally run upper 30s to mid 40s ft lbs. If you are new to PCPs understand that your air supply can cost more than the gun. Some local Fire Depts will fill your tank to 4500psi.

Plan on a solid $1500 for a decent pcp rifle, scope, Yong Heng compressor, and a fill station/bottle. Thats getting a $400-$500 rifle and $300 scope. The compressor and bottle will cost you close to $600 new, and then factor in the pellets/slugs.

You could get a $250 rifle like a 22 stormrider that can be easily hand pumped, but then you're on the very low end limit of what I'd consider a humane power level for G-hogs. They don't like ya getting close, so expect to be shooting a fare distance too. Unless you get up really early and wait til they come out... if they come out... sometimes their fat asses don't even show up.

I've never shot a groundhog. I don't know how thick their hide is or how determined they typically are to kill. But from squirrels, I believe that brain/neck shots are much more effective in killing immediately, no running. Hits to the vitals with enough penetration kill fine but some squirrels have run, even with a low 30s FPE 25. I don't take center of mass shots deliberately. I've hit a few dove low in the abdomen and even with a 25 they will fly off. I do my best to avoid those sorts of hits. I have not done this on a squirrel. Head shots are not all brain shots, however. If I am shaky and unsure of hitting the brain, I go for a shot to the vitals. But those require more penetration too. I've shot the top of the skull off a dove too and it did not die quickly. I've hit a squirrel in the head at about the base of the jaw. Fortunately the 25 pellet crushed the skull and it dropped right there.

I would use either my 22 or 25 caliber P35 on a groundhog. The 22 likes H&N Barracuda Match (21.14 grain) and shoots them at 835 fps. My 25 likes H&N FTTs, 20.06 grain, and shoots them at about 875 fps. They are thus both in the low 30s for energy. Both will shoot through two layers of 1/4 MDF so I am confident they will go through the skull of groundhog. 15 of the 18 squirrels I've shot with the 25 have had exit holes. The 22 penetrates further in wet magazines. It is also more accurate and would be my first choice.

But a ground hog might need something more like my 25 Avenger. It shoots FX 25.4s at about 930 fps. Goes through 3/4 plywood. Over 40 fpe. Some 22s get to this energy level and a little less would still give you equivalent penetration.

Long way of saying I believe a 22 caliber PCP with 30-40 fpe and a non-expanding pellet will work but body shots may result in some running before they drop. Expanding pellets (or slugs) will result in a wider but shallower hole. I do not see that as better for a little larger animal like a groundhog with an air rifle. Now with a really powerful 22 PCP with 60 fpe or more, the expanding projectile might be the way to go. A wider hole is better if it goes deep enough.

I've seen G-hogs and even squirrels get away with a 22LR hole in them. If it's not in the right place, it ain't dying. Trust me, you don't want that hog crawling back in its hole and dying... itll stink up the whole neighborhood and you'd have to find all its vent holes and cover them or get a back hoe to dig it out.

Side of the head shot on the whistle pig with 20 fpe on impact will drop them no problem. Vitals you better have double that, or the right projectile.