Groundhogs, is .22 cal and 30 FPE enough?

[AirgunBill]

I have personally never have an airgun that liked the Baracuda Match pellets, they always seem to like JSB's the best. I will have to give them a try again with the new setup and see if the LW barrel likes them.

Dave the good thing about the Baracuda Match pellets is that they come in three different head sizes from 5.51, 5.52 and 5.53. I know when testing them for accuracy in my FX Impact the 5.51 head size shot okay groups while the 5.52 head size shot small clover leafs. There are also the straight Baracudas and Baracuda Power which are copper plated which are a head size of 5.50mm. I have never shot the copper plated ones but I would think they would be a harder pellet still. The problem though is the expense of trying out all those different head sizes. Bill

 

[ahnlaashock]

The second target circle is the preferred shot for me. Not just on groundhags. I had an uncle who believed squirrel brains were what you hunted them for. No shots to the head allowed. You put a wadcutter or other high impact pellet right at the base of tht ear. You miss a little left, a little right, a little high or a little low, he is still DRT.

Heavy penetration is not required. Something that dumps everything in about two inches is perfect. If the gun would shoot something that expands quickly.like the Gamo RedFires, That is what I would use. Watch a video of such pellets in ballistics gel. The massive initial cavity is exactly where ypou need maximum damage in this case.

Shooting redfires into plywood will cause splinters on the back out to three or four inches sideways from the hole at times, while they remain in the wood. They quite simply make a bigger hole, even in wood. That area has the major arteries, the spine, and the brain. Major insult to any of them should be a dropping shot. The expanding pellet does this exactly. We are not discussing a hog with a gristle plate and trying to reach the vitals. 

 

[SteveV]

Yes, it is.



That's a maybe 11 fpe .177 springer, a made in Birmingham Webley Longbow.

I didn't go ghog hunting with it, but he appeared within range during a plinking session, so I felt confident about delivering a lead "q-tip"

These guys have done a number on the hillside leading to my backyard ft practice range. NOT COOL

\ 

 

[cea1960]

i've only shot one gh so... i used my brocock concept slinging the h&n barracuda match at 26pfe at the muzzle. dropped it on the spot from 48 yards with a shot to the eye. the skull feels rather fragile, however as you can see the pellet did not pass through, even with a harder alloy and semi pointed nose. i don't know what the energy would be at that distance, but i wonder if a shot to the vitals would have reached them.

just my one time experience.

 

[elh0102]

I've never killed a groundhog with an air rifle, but I have killed many with high velocity center fire rifles. They are tough critters, very tenacious to life. Personally, I would not hunt them for sport with an air rifle, only as a last resort and a necessity. I don't think it makes much difference which air rifle you choose, because it will take a precise hit to kill humanely. 

 

[patrick_b]

@cea1960

Enlightening image. Those teeth are a dead giveaway to the animal’s identity. The more I read, the more I realize I just didn’t make a perfect shot. I haven’t seen much activity this year. I’m guessing f the last one I shot that got down his hole likely died down there. Not ideal but I haven’t seen any since and it’s been about a year. 

 

[SteveV]

People kill them all the time with air rifles, or have you not read the other responses ?

 

[elh0102]

People kill them all the time with air rifles, or have you not read the other responses ?

True, and people kill whitetail deer with a .22 rimfire, but that doesn't make it a good tool for the job. I'm not being critical of folks shooting groundhogs with an air rifle, but I think some do it without full knowledge of the animal, and without sufficient understanding of their shooting ability and the rifle's limitations. 

 

[SteveV]

 Maybe I missed your point, but you definitely missed mine -

 

[wraith_10]

We have groundhog issues and I have an old .22 FX Cyclone shooting 16g JSB's at 920 FPS. I shot two a couple of years ago and both were (what I assumed) good shots. I can shoot from a supported position at 25 yds and got solid hits (first time right behind the ear and 2nd between ear and eye). In both cases, the animal got back to his hole. Since then I've decided against any new attempts. Would something like the Hades pellets or 25g JSB's help or am I simply underpowered?

In addition to the massive holes in the yard, they sure like our old pool cover. Note, he's still alive and well.

@acs


Great image you posted. Very helpful. Based on the circle I think I’m missing the brain. One of my shots hit to the right and just below the ear. Certainly possible the other was a bit off as well.
I got my first farm permission in 2004 but haven’t been shooting at all over the last 6-7 years. Clearly a groundhog is not something I should be shooting at if I’m only shooting once or twice a year.
Nice to know I have plenty of gun just need more scope & trigger time.

I just picked up the rifle this summer after a long break. The cyclone still stacks pellets if I do my part. Thanks for the info.


View attachment 62671

We have groundhog issues and I have an old .22 FX Cyclone shooting 16g JSB's at 920 FPS. I shot two a couple of years ago and both were (what I assumed) good shots. I can shoot from a supported position at 25 yds and got solid hits (first time right behind the ear and 2nd between ear and eye). In both cases, the animal got back to his hole. Since then I've decided against any new attempts. Would something like the Hades pellets or 25g JSB's help or am I simply underpowered?

In addition to the massive holes in the yard, they sure like our old pool cover. Note, he's still alive and well.

I know this is old but I think your main problem was the pellets you were using. I shot one with my marauder FT right between the ear and eye with a jsb 15.89 it bounced off. It knocked it completely senseless but it made it back to its hole. I came back a couple days later with a 17hm and killed it. I could see a round scabbed over mark on the side of its head where I hit it with the pellet. Jsb,fx and air arms pellets all use a super soft composition of lead. I shot another one the other day with a copper coated HN 14.66 right through the brain at 27 yards. The shot I took with the jsb was right at 20. Night and day difference with the much harder HN pellet.

 

[Painterman]

It's all about shot placement...CPHP 850 fps at 25 yards.

 

[TheCarFather]

I've taken out groundhogs with many different air rifles, they are my number one enemy so I used whatever I had at the time to take them out.

Many years ago I used a Gamo break barrel in 177 caliber, bought from a local sporting goods store, since that was the only quiet gun I owned. I managed to dispatch about a half dozen of them, all with a cheap gun generating about 14-15fpe. All shots were inside 30 yards.

Many years later I got my first PCP, a Benjamin Cayden in 22 caliber. That made a WORLD of difference. It was shooting around 30fpe so I felt comfortable reaching out to 50-60 yards, and it worked fantastic.

Now in present day, I use my FX Maverick in 25 caliber for almost all pesting. It's my favorite air gun and just so happens to also be my most powerful. But even with 60-70fpe and a much bigger hole compared to 177 caliber, shot placement is still absolutely critical. I most likely have a bit more room for error, but that window is still very small. Groundhogs are tough buggers. If you miss your mark even by a little, 9 out of 10 times you'll know it by them getting away.

I hate groundhogs. If I could use an RPG on them I would every time lol.

 

[Aquinas]

Someone really did the test, I forgot where I saw it, and the screenshot is for reference.

 

[karl_h]

Looking at the pictures everyone is posting, they all look small for groundhogs, real small. Smallest groundhog I ever shot was half again bigger as the largest one I see posted here. I use a 17hmr on them, once just because I had it out, I used a 357 pcp. Are you calling gophers groundhogs? or just all these pictures are very young ones? I live in South Carolina, smallest one I ever shot was a young one and was at least 8lbs, all others I have shot in my yard were all well over 10lbs and including tail were 2 feet long+.

 

[N2 Shooter]

Looking at the pictures everyone is posting, they all look small for groundhogs, real small. Smallest groundhog I ever shot was half again bigger as the largest one I see posted here. I use a 17hmr on them, once just because I had it out, I used a 357 pcp. Are you calling gophers groundhogs? or just all these pictures are very young ones? I live in South Carolina, smallest one I ever shot was a young one and was at least 8lbs, all others I have shot in my yard were all well over 10lbs and including tail were 2 feet long+.

Well, I've shot some big ones for sure. Massive actually. Most dropped on the spot from the Benjamin Bulldog .357 shooting Predator Polymags. Put it right through the shoulder, and it was game over. I've since switched to the FX Maverick VP. 30cal, and the increased accuracy let's me drop Hybrid Slugs directly into the boiler room. But my Bulldog is pushing 165 fpe and the Maverick pushes 92 fpe, over triple the recommended power level.

 

[TheCarFather]

Most of the groundhogs I've taken out have been fat monsters, definitely well over 10lbs. All taken out with headshots from my 25 caliber FX Maverick.

 

[Trucker3573]

Just dispatched one Sunday with an 18.1 going 875. Instant headshot death.

 

[Painterman]

You know you scored when face plants and tails in the air.

 

[Ten-X]

I've killed larger with less.

 

[Rawroots]

We have groundhog issues and I have an old .22 FX Cyclone shooting 16g JSB's at 920 FPS. I shot two a couple of years ago and both were (what I assumed) good shots. I can shoot from a supported position at 25 yds and got solid hits (first time right behind the ear and 2nd between ear and eye). In both cases, the animal got back to his hole. Since then I've decided against any new attempts. Would something like the Hades pellets or 25g JSB's help or am I simply underpowered?

In addition to the massive holes in the yard, they sure like our old pool cover. Note, he's still alive and well.

Patrick, I've shot maybe 10 ground hogs in last three years and half of them make it back to a hole, normally only a few feet away. I don't know how the other members can stop them in one shot, these in michigan are tuff.