Spring Air Gun for Groundhogs

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Glob

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Jan 11, 2022
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Tennessee, United States
Hello,

I am new here and to air guns in general. Over the course of last spring a nearby groundhog had decided to take up residence underneath my shed. When one came some others joined it, and now there are four of them under there. Their burrows are now threatening the structural integrity of the shed. On top of this they have ate my garden clean numerous times. After repeated attempts to humanely deter them and their resistance I am opting for an air gun to humanely kill them. A regular gun would not work in my situation due to the presence of neighbors around me.

After spending some time reading I found two figures for FPE in an air gun that would be suitable for a groundhog which are 20 FPE at minimum or 30 FPE. Which spring piston air gun would you all recommend in .22 caliber for groundhog? The longest shot I would be taking is 16-20 yards give or take.

I had taken a look at the ruger air magnum and it does seem promising. In terms of a budget I can go up to $230 or so. This gun would also serve as a general pesting gun due to many critters around my home that are becoming a problem such as snakes, field mice and invasive birds. My intention is to spend ample time practicing with this air gun (practicing every day almost) so that I will be proficient enough when spring comes and the groundhogs re-surface for the year.
 
Groundhogs are tough and not easy to kill unless you have a perfect shot. You also mentioned needing it quiet so something with a shroud built in as a moderator will add to your cost. Given all circumstances, I would look at a Hatsan 135 Carnivore .30 caliber. It puts out close to 30 FPE and the factory shroud does a good job at noise reduction. I will tell you that I’m absolutely not a Hatsan fan, but I can’t think of another piston rifle that would work as well. You could also consider getting an inexpensive PCP and a cheap hand pump and this would be the better way to go if you can add a little more cash to the budget. You have to consider how much the damage they are doing is going to cost you over time if you don’t eliminate them and the PCP would be a better route to go. Good luck with your search. 
 
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Years back I lived in an area where firearms were not permitted, but airguns were fine. I also developed a ground problem and needed a godd accurate riflevto keep them under control. I custom built an R1 in .22 cal just for hunting purposes. My rifle liked the 14.3 gn CP pellets, shot them at 825/830 fps. I choose an unchoked barrel and accuracy actually improved, it was capable of sub one inch groups at 50 yards. Over the years I dropped 3 good sized ground hogs at distances from 20 to just under 40 yards. Precise shots were needed, I found a good hit between eye and ear would make a clean kill. Besides the R1, the RWS 52/48 and 54 are also powerfull and accurate enough to make these kills. Most any springer will gain power and accuracy from a simple tuneup rather than just shooting straight from the box. Never had any complaints about noise even with no sound moderators.
 
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Pcp is a better Choice but a good accurate break barrel will do it no problem. Especially at 20 yards. You need to have perfect aim though. The hatsan 130 is powerful and will kill at 20 yards but the accuracy can be difficult with all magnum springers. If I had to go with a springer I'd use the Gamo swarm. It's accurate and not difficult to shoot. Fast followup shots are available if you need to. At 20 yards a 22 pellet right behind the ear will kill them. Don't get me wrong a high power 25cal pcp would be best but I think you would be better served with a lower power springer you can shoot accurately than a high powered one that is difficult to get good groups with. I'm sure disagreement of this point of view will pop off but I have done a lot of pesting. Use domed pellets and not expanding ones. You need to penetrate to the brain with lower power guns. 
 
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Just before you think that anything other than a perfect headshot on a groundhog with a break barrel will put it in a coffin, look what they do with 160fpe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ft-YPQEcAs

And they will even run away from 180fpe bodyshots with slugs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J01Yiq--Lc

The only thing that will work every time is the headshot between the ear and the eye:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOGWhhFmyVQ

I killed 23 groundhogs last year, and the three that I shot with a 50fpe .25cal PCP ran off like a mosquito bit them. They are tough as nails, and I strongly recommend going with a .25cal PCP if for no other reason than they are much easier to shoot accurately and for quick follow up shots. But if you don't get a headshot, you might as well forget it. Even bodyshots on small groundhogs with 160fpe don't make full passthroughs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLXTueSqyOI

Good luck with your groundhog war.
 
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I totally agree a 25 cal pcp is 100% the right tool. Also agree that you absolutely need to put that shot between the ear and the eye. Right behind the ear is also a kill shot. Anyway he's right look at how they just shrug off body shots. You don't want to hurt an animal. Accuracy is key. So whatever gun you choose do alot of practice and be certain of your capabilities. 
 
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A good inexpensive option would be the Crosman Diamondback in .22. I have one just broken in and I'm working on the review now. I'm getting about 1/4" groups at 10 yards, 1-1/4" at 25 yards, so that's accurate enough for head shots on groundhogs at 10-15 yards. They go for $160 at full price, but are frequently discounted if you give Crosman your email and let them spam you. I got mine on a pre-Christmas sale for $90.

This is a 22 FPE gun though, so if you use it for birds or squirrels in trees, be sure of your backstop and what's beyond, as that could be lethal to a human in case of a bad miss. I guess you'll be shooting starlings on the ground, though.

Re. shooting them on the ground, don't do it in winter unless it's a good angle downward. I've had pellets ricochet off of frozen ground and heard them go careening into the fence...

One thing to consider: If you lung-shoot a ground hog with a gun in this power range, it's DEFINITELY going to kill him, but he'll have time to run back under your shed, then die and rot there. On the bright side, that may drive off the rest of the family, but it's going to stink and probably draw in coyotes and foxes too...

Might be best to trap them and just dispatch them point-blank with the airgun...

Or set up a bait station in front of a good backstop with a motion sensor. I had one of these before, and it worked great:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07YFT27K9?ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details&th=1



This way, you don't have to sit there and watch, you just listen for the "knock-knock-knock"

I took out several pest skunks and raccoons with that set up a few years ago.
 
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Not a very big Killzone. I guy did a video a while back, I believe he waited until the woodchuck turned away from him and then shot in the back of the head..

6F674C97-E849-440F-8122-2E68F3D83F71.1642127422.jpeg

 
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If you would like to stay with .22cal. I would also recommend a Gamo Swarm Magnum gen 2. they come in .22cal and have a 10 shot magazine and come with a scope. Very high power for springer. I would also recommend putting a red dot sight on it rather than a scope for shooting at the distances you mentioned. They are more rugged than a scope on a springer and easier to use for a quick shot. Also the manual sights on the 130s are very good and very visable.
 
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Groundhog hunting season is my favorite. Over the past 3 years I hunted exclusively with a PCP air rifle in .22 caliber, with pellets and slugs.

Slugs in .22 work much better (more FPE). Accuracy is key. Either between the eyes, between the ear and eye, or from behind with an exit between the eyes seems to be the most effective. 

I do not take body shots with this caliber.

If you are going to use a springer, use the heaviest pellet your gun will shoot accurately and keep the distance short.

If legal, groundhogs love to eat cantaloupe. It may put them into position for a clean dispatch.
 
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Groundhog hunting season is my favorite. Over the past 3 years I hunted exclusively with a PCP air rifle in .22 caliber, with pellets and slugs.

Slugs in .22 work much better (more FPE). Accuracy is key. Either between the eyes, between the ear and eye, or from behind with an exit between the eyes seems to be the most effective. 

I do not take body shots with this caliber.

If you are going to use a springer, use the heaviest pellet your gun will shoot accurately and keep the distance short.

If legal, groundhogs love to eat cantaloupe. It may put them into position for a clean dispatch.
Click to expand...

II'm going shopping in the morning and chop up some apples and put out some celery stalks, so I'll add some cantaloupe to the mix. I think I'll also setup a trail cam, as I think this will also attract raccoons, and I'll have to deal with them as well.
 
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