What pellet shape and foot pounds of energy for a 22 cal and 25 cal pcp in your experience is appropriate for pests the size of prairie dogs, rabbits, squirrels and coons. Thank you.
Pellet energy at point of impact
- Thread starter Dan B
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"The question is specifically prairie dog, up to raccoon" this would include squirrels and rabbit , rats , birds and new born Russian Boars i guess ?
Really i am just teasing you and this is about as serious as i ever get .
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I used my pump up 177 on a squirrel once but won't again. It is only about 5fpe at the muzzle. It was a short range shot so was still at 3 or 4 but all I succeeded in doing is breaking the near side shoulder. It died in the yard days later. Couldn't climb but it could run on three legs. I do not know the absolute lowest that will work but I lost 2 of the first 4 squirrels I think I hit with my Prod with the original 12-14 fpe tune. I took the 14th with a 18-19 fpe tune this morning. I think it works much better with a little more power. The only one I've lost with the higher power was brain shot and flipped into the rotted out area at the base of the oak tree I shot it out of. I know break barrels cannot so easily be turned up in power and I'm sure they can work well, especially in 177, at 12 fpe or so. But I like 18-20 fpe at the muzzle for my "little guns". In wide open spaces I use a 30-50 fpe airgun. It's clearly a diminishing returns situation but I think they die a little quicker with the more powerful guns.
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I'll give credit where credit is due. Awesome shot! I don't care what you were using. You took ethically, that's what counts.
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A great example of pure stupidity and exemplary danger. NO RESPECT GIVEN AT ALL…. THIS IS WHAT gives airgunning a bad name.
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I fully agree that more than minimum is almost always better.
It was very close. I wouldn't have taken that shot with that gun at 15+ yards. I'd want more power. That's the way I feel it's ethical. I want enough energy at impact for an ethical kill. Also if I didn't have the accuracy to hit my POA I don't care of it's 100+ FPE I'm still not taking the shot. It's a balance in my opinion. I'm not going to tell someone else they are wrong if it works.
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Not suggesting it was a smart thing to do, or a viable option. Merely showing it has been done. Thammer is just trying to share his kill, which was ethical at that close range. It doesn't mean he would have tried that same shot further out. Ya'll need to lighten up. People come here to share and get encouragement.
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You can never have tooo much.Ya think there's enough down range energy with that one.....
I’d rather have it than wish for it. …..
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Example of a gray squirrel taken with a .177 wadcutter arriving at a blistering velocity of 470fps (4.6fpe with 9.3gr pellet):
Roast me
Roast me
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when i was living in california i dispatched a LOT of squirrels with an 8fpe 1322 out to 30 yards. some ran but i’m certain they got eaten by condors, coyote, cats or other scavengers. lol with airguns, i can’t tell what’s ethical and what’s cruel. dead is dead. to me, my notos killing a pigeon at 80 yards is just as cruelethical as my .25 huben sending a 1050fps varmint knocker 10 yards just to end a sparrow in a spectacular way. don’t people still throw sticks at rabbits in australia?
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I am confident low power guns can work. Baiting is not legal in my state so getting them to sit still giving me a good angle to their brains is not normal. I am also not terribly patient. When I see one I want to put it down. So I want enough power, penetration really, that I can take the shots I get.
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If you can get close enough to kill your game with a low power airgun then it's enough gun. That's hunting.
If your sitting in a stand with a .22 springer after a feral hog you don't have enough gun.
If your plan is to sneak up on him and shove it in his ear you have plenty.
The bigger your gun the longer the range and the bigger game you can take. The hunter provides the skill to get within that range. Some guys can hunt rabbit with a stick and get as many as a guy with a shotgun and two beagles.
A guy with a 10fpe gun could kill a bunch of stuff. Especially at night when all the critters are out. Bigger stuff than you could expect in other types of hunting. Shots are really close sometimes.
So any rule of thumb about the fpe is kinda sketchy. It works in general at range but there are a whole lot of caveats.
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Just some guidelines https://www.airgundepot.com/vault/articles/basic-airgun-hunting-guidelines/
My Vulcan 3 I have tuned to shoot 60gn slugs @ 954 fps / 121 fpe ....at 100 yards it's still moving at 837 fps / 92 fpe. I set that so I can take coyote out to 150yds and still have plenty to spare. I take max range I am willing to take a shot at and make sure the minimum fpe is met for whatever game it is I'm shooting.
My Vulcan 3 I have tuned to shoot 60gn slugs @ 954 fps / 121 fpe ....at 100 yards it's still moving at 837 fps / 92 fpe. I set that so I can take coyote out to 150yds and still have plenty to spare. I take max range I am willing to take a shot at and make sure the minimum fpe is met for whatever game it is I'm shooting.
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