Iguana: Minimum Acceptable Caliber, FPE & Kill Zone

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elbeau

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Sep 6, 2022
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Miami
Airgun Depot outlined the minimum acceptable caliber, FPE & kill zones for various game nearly 8 years ago, but it doesn't include iguanas.
It would seem obvious that minimums increase with the size of the iguana and that shot placement is key.

My opinion is that a .22 would be the minimum for an average shooter to reliably dispatch an iguana.
I'm curious as to what some of the experienced iguana hunters would estimate the kill zones & minimum FPE would be.

AirgunDepot Game Minimums.png

From : Airgun Depot Basic Hunting Guidelines

Forgive me for inevitably leaving out lots of people; I'm new here. Please share your insights even if you weren't tagged!

@orion @AEAC @Monkyshine @UpNorthAirGunner @Skydivingmiami @IguanaPolice @jefo65 @FL991R @air-hunter_canyon @Bigfish @Glenroiland @puertorico @killahog @Strietwise @Hchanp @X27 @Funshine @Calusa
 
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I had seen a post from @Ponsoldt2 that outlined the iguana vitals. Got me wondering what the estimated Kill Zone would be on an iguana.
So you're talking a dime (.75") on either of the 2 spots shown below?
Do you feel that zone size changes with the size of the iguana since with smaller game the ratio of the pellet size is larger ratio of the kill zone?
I know @orion has stated before that he feels 40FPE is more than enough for iguana within 100 yards. If I remember correctly he's shooting around 850fps.

1662593557852.png



1662593477830.png


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From Iguana vital areas Target
 
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.22 is the very minimum IMO, unless they're just small green juveniles.

.30 is the smallest I'll engage them with, and something like 60ft/lbs as a floor for the larger ones.

They're tough, dumb, and reptiles. Even if they're already dead, they may take a little while to figure that fact out.
 
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Miami Airgunner said:
.22 is the very minimum IMO, unless they're just small green juveniles.

.30 is the smallest I'll engage them with, and something like 60ft/lbs as a floor for the larger ones.

They're tough, dumb, and reptiles. Even if they're already dead, they may take a little while to figure that fact out.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input.
I got one last week that did the disinhibition dance after a headshot. I figured it was done, but out all of a sudden it jumped back up & scampered off.
I'm sure it is dead somewhere...
 
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Have been shooting iguanas in Puerto Rico for many years with 22's, 25 & 30's. Shot placement is the answer Gut shots with a 30 cal have failed to kill the shock resistant reptiles albeit I have taken hunting friends from the mainland who have successfully killed many iguanas , some of them real big with their 177's. even in long but well placed shots. A good marksman does not need a large caliber airgun to cleanly dispatch these reptiles.
 
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LFCM said:
Have been shooting iguanas in Puerto Rico for many years with 22's, 25 & 30's.
Click to expand...
As an experienced iguana hunter, what's your opinion of minimum caliber for the 1 shot kill for the less-experienced to average shooter?
Also what would you say is the average iguana kill zone size? I agree placement is key, but what do you estimate the kill zone size(s) to be?
And finally, do you have recommendations/preferences for FPE for the average and/or giant PR lizards?
 
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My personal airgun of preference is FX's M3 22 cal 700 mm barrel shooting 25.39 JSB Knox Outs @ 940-950. fps. Many one shot kills ((headshots) at over 70 yards and some others at over 100 yds. Kill zone area is more critical with a lighter gun but an area similar to a quarter coin , in proximity to the eye brings instant death most of the time. Have used a DS Safari in 25 cal with 33.49 gr Knock Outs with impressive results . A Delta Wolf in 30 cal has proven to be unnecessarily powerful providing no measurable advantage at the expense fewer shots. The 22 is a death ray and a tank fill allows long walks with a high " body count". Hope this helps,

LFCM
 
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elbeau said:
Airgun Depot outlined the minimum acceptable caliber, FPE & kill zones for various game nearly 8 years ago, but it doesn't include iguanas.
It would seem obvious that minimums increase with the size of the iguana and that shot placement is key.

My opinion is that a .22 would be the minimum for an average shooter to reliably dispatch an iguana.
I'm curious as to what some of the experienced iguana hunters would estimate the kill zones & minimum FPE would be.

View attachment 288268
From : Airgun Depot Basic Hunting Guidelines

Forgive me for inevitably leaving out lots of people; I'm new here. Please share your insights even if you weren't tagged!

@orion @AEAC @Monkyshine @UpNorthAirGunner @Skydivingmiami @IguanaPolice @jefo65 @FL991R @air-hunter_canyon @Bigfish @Glenroiland @puertorico @killahog @Strietwise @Hchanp @X27 @Funshine @Calusa
Click to expand...
I haven't hunted one yet, buttttt I have raised them as pets for 20 years (I had one for 16 years and she loved to eat cheese of all things). A fully grown iguana can get about lemon sized head but the kill zone on the head is about a dollar coin size. You could do a vital shot too behind their front leg, also about a golf ball size on a fully grown adult (6ft 15lb). In the wild they hardly get that big though (nature tends to kill them off sooner or later, especially the nature of a pellet haha). I think most of the ones I've come across in Florida (again haven't hunted them yet) seem to be about 3ft long and much smaller (7-12lb) adults...so your head shot size looks like a quarter and your vital shot about the same. PS: iguanas are very tough and much faster than people realize. I had an adult that could run about 30mph for a short distance. Incredible swimmers too. Point being take care that it is one shot. They are very comparable to birds' anatomy IMO, and there skin isn't iron or anything (pretty soft especially in the neck/back of the head/stomach and sides), but just think of them as a bird that decided to get a Gamma treatment with the Hulk. Their strength is especially found in their tails. A full grown adult iguana has been known to break a dog's leg with the whip of their tail. They have lots of muscle considering their bones are rather small and thin. Amazing animals really.

A 22 with 30fpe should be plenty. It is the shot placement that matters as with any animal. Happy hunting
 
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I started using 25 cal always, and preferred hunting pellets always, my Taipan was doing great with the polymags, also liked the barracuda Hunters as my second favorite and the Hunter extreme and Crow Magnum, man that gun was shooting a lot of pellets right, then I got the RTI and initially didn't like much some of the hunting pellets I was using then I satrted using the most accurate pellets I could find, accuracy is what matters when shooting an iguana. I ended up using JSB 25 and 34gr but at low speed.

And this was until I got my Maverick in. 22, then I stopped using the.25 caliber altogether. Many reasons for this. I'm shooting in urban areas, so I want to limit the power as much as possible. 22 was doing awesome on heavy wind, you can see a video I did with Jessica were the wind was brutal and the Maverick was putting the 25gr at 50 without wind adjustments.
And .22 at around 30fps was plenty of power.

My goal is to hit the iguana and have the pellet staying in, that's why I love the hunting ammo, and going slow speed.

Some might think why not slugs, simple, I'm not shooting that far, and slugs needs a bit more power for them to do good, and they will keep more energy at longer range, increasing my fear factor in urban areas, also they are more expensive and a pellet can do the job, so no, I'll pass on slugs.

The images shared her before shows very well the kill zone, I always go for behind the eye. Heart shots are effective but these cold bloded animals will run and die probably several minutes after the heart shot, so I rarely do that.

Today I'm using JSB Hades in .22 and they are performing well at close and long range, need to test the barracuda Hunters, those polymags don't fit my darned magazine (need to fix that lol)

A hunting pellet will enter as a. 22 but will hit and expand and in case of miss placed shot it could help to get the one shot one kill.

Hope this helps
 
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L.Leon said:
@LFCM, in your iguana hunting what are the average distances in your experience? My family is from the island and I spent many happy summers there. Am visiting in the coming year and am seriously thinking of an iguana safari.
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It varies. Normally they are shot up in the trees at ranges as close as 10 yards. Sometimes they are clever enough to avoid contact and they either jump off to the ground or water ( excellent swimmers). Average shots taken @30-40 yards. Long shots average 60-80 yards.
 
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orion said:
I started using 25 cal. I ended up using JSB 25 and 34gr but at low speed.

...until I got my Maverick in. 22, then I stopped using the.25 caliber altogether. I'm shooting in urban areas, so I want to limit the power as much as possible. Maverick was putting the 25gr at 50 without wind adjustments. And .22 at around 30fps was plenty of power.

Today I'm using JSB Hades in .22 and they are performing well at close and long range, need to test the barracuda Hunters.

A hunting pellet will enter as a. 22 but will hit and expand and in case of miss placed shot it could help to get the one shot one kill.

Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Great stuff - appreciate your sharing the evolution of your setup & thought process. Lots of good nuggets in there.
 
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TheCarFather said:
@orion, you can trim the tips of the Polymag with nail clippers to make them fit in your magazine, doesn't effect accuracy at all. I was doing that before I finally sourced some tins of the Polymag shorts.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing, true, but also remember that I built my RTI magazine, I can modify the size no problem, is just that so far I've been using hades and really haven't put time on that
 
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