backpack gun to take groundhog under 50 yards with body shots under 1000usd

Now I'm spinning in the Air Force choices.

The Talon SS is 40fpe, the P is 50fpe, and the Escape SS is 50fpe. The Talon P is 24" and the others are 27-32, so I'd probably have to take the bottle off to go into a pack.

The P would need a moderator, so the P (blem) plus a shogun would be around 500usd, remove moderator for travel.
Or I could get the TalonP Carbine (do both versions of the P come with threaded barrels? the website doesn't say?) for 500usd blem
The Talon SS would be 460usd
The Escape SS is 500usd.

Would 10 more FPE be helpful in my situation?
Would the P with a DonnyFL moderator be quieter than the Escape or the P Carbine?
What's the forum's pick out of these four setups for a backpack gun that can do groundhog duty?
 
Check my Classified post, either the .25 or the .30 with folding stocks will do it with plenty to spare

 
I typically aim between the eye and ear from the side. That's why one went into the eye.

As for body shot, I'd assume we're aiming behind the shoulder. I've seen videos of a member of the forum with a 30 cal fx at 90+FPE shoot several behind the shoulder and the hog just flipped over dead. I've actually seen several videos of people taking out ghogs from almost 100 yards and shot placement wasn't as important to get the job done, I'm assuming because of the power of impact, expansion, etc. So I guess that's what I'm aiming for.

In airgunning, you may have knockdown power from impact and expansion, but if the round doesn't deliver terminal damage to the central nervous system, circulatory, respiratory, or skeletal system, you won't kill the prey, you'll just injure it. So, those shots you watched me put though those groundhogs at distance, I was certainly aiming for the heart/lung, and any gains I received from using expanding ammo was just icing, but the .30cal FX Hybrid Slugs do have a tendency to turn into a shrapnel pancake if you get them flying around 930fps or greater. Even if I was using a round that didn't expand, those chucks would be toast. Maybe not as quick, but toast nonetheless.

20221017_145719 (1).jpg

This is the slug after a full passthrough at 66 yards.

 
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You are not killing groundhogs with body shots from an airgun unless you go with something that doesn’t fit in a backpack and you’d pass out if you tried to hand pump it. If you’re hunting groundhogs with anything under a 45 caliber high fpe airgun, you must shoot them in the head. I’ve had squirrels run off after being smacked with my HP Max .30 and a Hades to the boiler room. Airguns are lame. We make up for it with our marksmanship.
I must be special then! 😄

I've dropped dozens of groundhogs with bodyshots from my 85fpe .30cal and squirrels too.




 
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Some made it back, and I've posted them too. But not most of them.

Thanks N2!

So I think it's safe to say 85fpe 30 cal body shots do work on groundhog. And based on this thread:

You can get a 30 cal conversion kit from talon tunes for the talon p that produce that much out of a backpackable gun (the video shows 105FPE out of a 12 inch barrel). And a talon p with conversion kit is still right about my upper price limit!
 
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Thanks N2!

So I think it's safe to say 85fpe 30 cal body shots do work on groundhog. And based on this thread:

You can get a 30 cal conversion kit from talon tunes for the talon p that produce that much out of a backpackable gun (the video shows 105FPE out of a 12 inch barrel). And a talon p with conversion kit is still right about my upper price limit!
Looks like that's the ticket to ride for you! 😀
 
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