slugs for short distance ratting?

I shoot rats at high energy (60 joule in .22 or 80 joule in .25). that's indeed way more than needed. But I use my guns as well for longer range shooting and in windy climate. Hence the high power tune with rather heavy pellets. In the 25 I use regular (non hunting) pellets. They usually do not pass through. Slugs still to try.
But even at this high power, it's not easy to down rats on the spot. Usually they jump a few meters even with a good shot in the vitals. Not Nutria sized, but the bigger ones weigh about 1kg.
and as I want to shoot them exactly where I want I use the pellet (or slug) which is the
It sounds like you want and need a better initial energy dump into these critters. The soft.lead and deep hollow point cavity of the FX Hybrids are going to give you this good energy dump performance and good longer range balistic as well.

 
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It sounds like you want and need a better initial energy dump into these critters. The soft.lead and deep hollow point cavity of the FX Hybrids are going to give you this good energy dump performance and good longer range balistic as well.

Yes, $16 for 100 slugs for rats? Or sub $8 for CPHPs for 500 pellets? Which will still simply wreck the rats…? If you “polled”, properly shot rats? You would get “zero” protestations… Witness this sucker getting hit with a lowly CPHP. I almost, almost felt sorry for it. It was simply devastated. BRK Atomic XR, sending at 725 FPS, rat at 18-20 yards…

 
Yes, $16 for 100 slugs for rats? Or sub $8 for CPHPs for 500 pellets? Which will still simply wreck the rats…? If you “polled”, properly shot rats? You would get “zero” protestations… Witness this sucker getting hit with a lowly CPHP. I almost, almost felt sorry for it. It was simply devastated. BRK Atomic XR, sending at 725 FPS, rat at 18-20 yards…

I do not disagree with you. I'm a pellet shooter, as well as slugs, and balance the cost and performance of each. For dispacting critters and vermin pests each have their place for everyone's different needs. Because the poster said that he wanted results over money spent, the Hybrid's are the ticket.

The performance of the FX Hybrids is second to none on small vermin. Because of the design they open up and creat a hydrostatic shock immediately. Whereas regular solid slugs, even with a bigger hollow point cavity, would likely nearly pass though those rats before opening up and creating hydrostatic shock. This gives them oportunity to run off and die where they couldn't be retrived and be food for other vermin or worse. Personally, I wouldn't use them on hunted/harvested game animals because they tend to wreck meat on the small critters, but on pest vermin, yes.
 
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If you can get head shots that is nice, I am constantly shooting through fences, and my terrible.rats dont sit still and smile for the camera. Lol, gotta take alot of body shots.
I could post up a few more vids of “threaded” shots through fences, wires, etc., as you describe but won’t. Have killed hundreds of rats, its not rocket science. Pattern them and have at it…
 
I do not disagree with you. I'm a pellet shooter, as well as slugs, and balance the cost and performance of each. For dispacting critters and vermin pests each have their place for everyone's different needs. Because the poster said that he wanted results over money spent, the Hybrid's are the ticket.

The performance of the FX Hybrids is second to none on small vermin. Because of the design they open up and creat a hydrostatic shock immediately. Whereas regular solid slugs, even with a bigger hollow point cavity, would likely nearly pass though those rats before opening up and creating hydrostatic shock. This gives them oportunity to run off and die where they couldn't be retrived and be food for other vermin or worse. Personally, I wouldn't use them on hunted/harvested game animals because they tend to wreck meat on the small critters, but on pest vermin, yes.
Well I agree I said money is not the issue. But I meant spending 5 cent or 7 cent a pellet or slug. The FX hybrids are 20 cent a shot. That's above what I find reasonable for a projectile, because I also want to plink. But you're right, it might be a very good hunting pellet. I have a few left: If it keeps more or less same zero as my other pellets I could still use it to shoot a critter from time to time. So I'll try it 👍
 
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Lots of variables, but generally it's rare to see much expansion in critters from airguns shot from relatively low fpe.
And from slugs? I've seen much more full pass throughs. Anecdotal example here.... .20 slugs going at only 910 at the muzzle will go completely through a prairie dog out to 190 yards. I t oed the same slug at multiple gallon jugs at 100 yards, at it was still going through 4x1 gallon jugs. I had to get bars of soap, stacked sequentially to get any sort of expansion from the slugs. And yes, these are hollow points. (NSA, which is relatively hard lead).


I personally think you're going to see full pass through with very little expansion when shooting rats at 30 yards with slugs.
 
I interchange slugs and pellets on my .177 Krait standard. It likes KO 10.03 and the 9.57 H&N Hunter Extremes. I use the same tune for both. The pellets are going over 1000fps and the slugs are at about 960. Obviously I do not use this gun for indoor ratting. Neither of these are what I would consider expensive and both devestate the rats. The Hunter Extremes just demolish the rats. The KOs also kill them and you can shoot them through the rear and they will pass all the way through! The slugs definitely take a bit more thought on your background when you are pesting. For the indoors I use a BRK Sniper XR .22 with CPHPs at the low power setting! Save the roof!
 
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Lots of variables, but generally it's rare to see much expansion in critters from airguns shot from relatively low fpe.
And from slugs? I've seen much more full pass throughs. Anecdotal example here.... .20 slugs going at only 910 at the muzzle will go completely through a prairie dog out to 190 yards. I t oed the same slug at multiple gallon jugs at 100 yards, at it was still going through 4x1 gallon jugs. I had to get bars of soap, stacked sequentially to get any sort of expansion from the slugs. And yes, these are hollow points. (NSA, which is relatively hard lead).


I personally think you're going to see full pass through with very little expansion when shooting rats at 30 yards with slugs.
The OP is simply overthinking the endeavor. Rats are thin skinned critters, the only way to ensure no pass throughs? Is to simply not shoot them or use a paintball gun…🤓 It doesn’t take much power to kill rats, the Brits kill thousands with sub 12 FPE airguns…
 
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Lots of variables, but generally it's rare to see much expansion in critters from airguns shot from relatively low fpe.
And from slugs? I've seen much more full pass throughs. Anecdotal example here.... .20 slugs going at only 910 at the muzzle will go completely through a prairie dog out to 190 yards. I t oed the same slug at multiple gallon jugs at 100 yards, at it was still going through 4x1 gallon jugs. I had to get bars of soap, stacked sequentially to get any sort of expansion from the slugs. And yes, these are hollow points. (NSA, which is relatively hard lead).


I personally think you're going to see full pass through with very little expansion when shooting rats at 30 yards with slugs.
thanks a lot @Franklink . Well his was exactly the answer I was looking for! Empirically confirmed ;-) So chances are very high that I'll just shoot through rats at 30m with a slug, if you have pass throughs on coyotes prairie dogs at a much larger distance.
Interesting mod with the PH1 👍 something to keep in mind
 
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thanks a lot @Franklink . Well his was exactly the answer I was looking for! Empirically confirmed ;-) So chances are very high that I'll just shoot through rats at 30m with a slug, if you have pass troughs on coyotes at a much larger distance.
Interesting mod with the PH1 👍 something to keep in mind

Just to clarify, prairie dogs aren't coyotes. Prairie dogs are a burrowing rodent, similar to a squirrel but bigger. They are usually in the 2-3lb range, which would make them about 1-1.5kg if metric is your thing. Regardless, much larger than the rats you're talking about.
 
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Just to clarify, prairie dogs aren't coyotes. Prairie dogs are a burrowing rodent, similar to a squirrel but bigger. They are usually in the 2-3lb range, which would make them about 1-1.5kg if metric is your thing. Regardless, much larger than the rats you're talking about.
my mistake indeed. In Europe we don't have them. Guess you're spoilt with all those pests, much more opportunity to shoot them ;-) Although I can imagine they can be a real pain and cause severe damage.
My only prey are brown rats: the bigger ones are about 1kg, but mostly smaller indeed.
 
These .177 mk3 slugs were recovered from red squirrels shot around 30 yards going 800 fps without pass throughs. A head shot did pass through .

Edit . I double checked my fps and it's 880 fps not 800 . I only lost 8 fps with the KO slugs vs 10.3gr pellets.

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