N/A Best sub $300 PCP

Stolen from GTA:

This is what I think it SHOULD be:

1) Gray squirrel/Fox Squirrel - 6 FPE head, 9 FPE vitals
2) Eastern Cottontail/Swamp Rabbit - 5FPE head, 8 FPE vitals
3) Jack Rabbit White, Black, and Jack O' lope - 8 FPE head, 11 FPE vitals
4) Raccoon/ Bandit - 14 FPE head, 22 FPE vitals
5) Virginia Opossum/ Country Rat - 10 FPE head, 16 FPE vitals
6) Ground Hog/ Wood Chuck - 11 FPE head, 17 Vitals
7) Gray Fox - 11 FPE head, 18 vitals
8. Red Fox - 12 FPE head, 19 vitals
9) Bobcat - 15 FPE head, 25 vitals
10) Bullfrog - 5 FPE head or vitals
11) Snapping Turtle - 9 FPE head
12) Crow - 4 FPE head, 6 FPE vitals
13) Pigeon - 4 FPE head, 6 FPE vitals
14) Sparrow - 3 FPE head, 5 FPE vitals
15) Starling - 4 FPE head, 5 FPE vitals
This topic is very subjective when talking amongst experienced hunters. Keep in mind this advice is being given to a teenager.

Even so there are a lot of hunters that take issue with this chart, myself included. "Can" and "Should" are often different things entirely, and at 20fpe and ~40yds you dont have enough to ethically take down something like a racoon/skunk according to your chart. Now we are talking about small boars? Not all free advice online is good advice lol. Telling the OP 20fpe is plenty not even knowing what game he is planning to hunt is a little reckless.
 
I have a beeman chief .177 you can just have. It's un godly loud... However 10.3-10.65 pellets come out at just the right speed to be accurate. I have a scope I don't use. You're not gonna be winning RMAC but it's a cheap to feed PCP for next to free (shipping) with a free scope that despite its cost, does function well. This is a relatively small cylinder and only 2000psi(so it is reasonable to hand pump) I never use it. It's accurate.
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I'm not just blabbering. As long as I know your parents are okay with it.
 
Clarifying that it is at the point of impact definitely helps but I still think those numbers are a bit low. I also worry that many will not bother to look up how much less they have at impact. I took my first tree squirrel this fall at 37 yards and was a little surprised the 19 fpe had fallen to less than 12 fpe. I think it would mislead fewer people to use muzzle energy in the chart but calculate it such that you have that or more at 40 yards or something like that. A qualifier of "for shots within 40 yards, the following muzzle energies are recommended minimiums". You would have to assume a bc but the whole thing is just a judgement based upon what has worked before.

I also do not think birds are particularly hard to kill as long as you hit them solidly in the vitals. Fringe hots are easier when a significant amount of the cross section you see is just feathers.
 
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thanks, i was really curious about that beeman chief lol it sounds like it’s a “shoot and hide from view” rifle.
It sounds like a .22 hornet . I definitely hid from view the first time I fired it in my backyard.
I've had a Diana .177 unregged PCP before, was whisper quiet. NOT THIS.
 
It sounds like a .22 hornet . I definitely hid from view the first time I fired it in my backyard.
I've had a Diana .177 unregged PCP before, was whisper quiet. NOT THIS.
Reminds me of the first time I shot my AEA Challenger. I turned the port adjustment down to about halfway and it still sent a 22Cal pellet at like 1200fps.
 
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@cyclone88 you are lucky. Illinois has some of the most god awful airgun policy I've ever seen. You're basically relegated to .177 by law until you're 21. In Illinois any airgun over .18 with a muzzle velocity over 700fps is classified as a FIREARM and requires you possess a FOIA card and purchase through an FFL with background check.

Lucky as in the gun in sending you just squeaks by the regulation. Sucks for everything else.
 
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Stolen from GTA:

This is what I think it SHOULD be:

1) Gray squirrel/Fox Squirrel - 6 FPE head, 9 FPE vitals
2) Eastern Cottontail/Swamp Rabbit - 5FPE head, 8 FPE vitals
3) Jack Rabbit White, Black, and Jack O' lope - 8 FPE head, 11 FPE vitals
4) Raccoon/ Bandit - 14 FPE head, 22 FPE vitals
5) Virginia Opossum/ Country Rat - 10 FPE head, 16 FPE vitals
6) Ground Hog/ Wood Chuck - 11 FPE head, 17 Vitals
7) Gray Fox - 11 FPE head, 18 vitals
8. Red Fox - 12 FPE head, 19 vitals
9) Bobcat - 15 FPE head, 25 vitals
10) Bullfrog - 5 FPE head or vitals
11) Snapping Turtle - 9 FPE head
12) Crow - 4 FPE head, 6 FPE vitals
13) Pigeon - 4 FPE head, 6 FPE vitals
14) Sparrow - 3 FPE head, 5 FPE vitals
15) Starling - 4 FPE head, 5 FPE vitals
I beg to differ with the amount needed for sparrows. They require at least 20 fpe, so they make their trademark "POP" sound. Also it should be required to use a polymag or slug on them, permitting your gun shoots them well. This ensures said "POP" sound.
 
I beg to differ with the amount needed for sparrows. They require at least 20 fpe, so they make their trademark "POP" sound. Also it should be required to use a polymag or slug on them, permitting your gun shoots them well. This ensures said "POP" sound.
I had actually written a. Similar response

"14) sparrows -25fpe for pleasing report, 45+ for Uncontrollable laughter"

Kind of like using a 16in shell from the USS Iowa to hit a Somali skiff. Is it overkill, oh yeah. Is it hilarious. Yes.
 
I beg to differ with the amount needed for sparrows. They require at least 20 fpe, so they make their trademark "POP" sound. Also it should be required to use a polymag or slug on them, permitting your gun shoots them well. This ensures said "POP" sound.

I CANNOT disagree with 30fpe hitting a Starling at 20 yards with Daisy SWC!

Sounds just like a baloon popping! 🤣
 
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Regarding Illinois air gun laws, couldn't I for example, get the Airforce TalonP in .177 caliber and then just swap the barrel for a .25 cal barrel? Or do they restrict barrels as well?
No that would be considered a firearm, and probably violate other laws as well. Like manufacturing a firearm without an FFL, minor in possession of a firearm etc. Im not super familiar with Illinois law so make sure you also follow any local ordinances and dont take anything you read on a forum as legal advice. One mistake can land you in prison and ruin your life.

A stout 177 that can push slugs at a decent speed will be plenty for Racoons or smaller in my opinion. Wait til you are older to get something bigger, or move to a free state after highschool.
 
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